My personal journey to financial freedom. No I am not perfect, nor do I claim to be. This has been trying and now I am truly ready. My process may be able to help someone who thinks that financial freedom can not be attained. I am here to tell you, financial success will be mine.
Sunday, February 28, 2010
Ok Here's the Situation
Currently, I have $9,096.76 to my possession and I again, I don't know how to feel. This is the most money I have had at one time. Ok, there, I put it on paper. Really been trying to figure out a few things. Supposed to purchase three homes this month, but person selling had some other things happen. Hopefully, I will close in March maybe April. The eviction was crazy. The people that were living there were selling drugs and dogs out of the house. And there was this mean living in the backyard in a camper. I cancelled the eviction because the house was empty. Maybe I should have kept it. The house is messed up on the inside very dingy. Now I am getting the house situated. There are a few things that need to be done in the house. I don't want to spend too much cash to fix the entire thing. What about $2,500? Since the house is empty I am paying the mortgage. Maybe I can get it rented out until I get everything up and running. That means that I will have to purchase a refrigerator, beds, furniture, and more. Everything is moving and I must be ready to receive all of the positive favor. Remember, when I close on the houses I will have a down payment, closing costs, and other additional fees $2,000.
In order to do what I want to do, it's going to take plenty of patience and focus. I think I said focus before because that is truly what I need.
Rewrite of things to come:
All things in bold have been completed.
Blinds
Plug ins
Paint house inside and out
Redo floors
Make sure everything is working
Floor heater fixed
Central heat and air secured working
Back window secured
Landscaped
Fence
Complete Policies and Procedures
Get measurements of house
Breadth KAM I
Application KAM I
Breadth KAM II
Depth KAM II
Application KAM III
2 Residencies
dissertation
Also, almost finished with school. Slowly coming close. All it will take is dedication and focus. I have to write. This is what is left: 3 KAMs, 2 residencies, & 1 dissertation. I don't have years to finish the dissertation. It has taken me long enough with the leave of abscence. I have played around long enough. The time for everything will be 2011. Make it pop is what I say.
Saturday, February 6, 2010
Life is What You Make It
Wow how time flies, I didn't realize that I have had this blog since 2008. My how time flies. It needs to be revamped. I guess I will sit down and sort out how I want it to look. I really need a new header. I want it to reflect how fabalous I am. Looking back over the years, I have made some serious financial mistakes, but now I know what to do to make it better.
There are many things that are about to occur in my life. One, we are changing schools (my middle school is merging with another and we have to move out of the building at the end of the year). Purchasing 3 houses at the end of the month, one which is an empty shell. Applying for my passport so that I can travel outside of the country. I am working toward making serious power moves. I don't want to work for ever, I don't want to have to work until I am in my 6os, I don't want to be like that. This is why I am making the necessary moves at this moment.
I think about myself from time to time and in my mind I am lazy and really don't want to do much. This may be true, but overall, this is not true. I am a go getter. It may take me some time to actually put it into play, but I will make it happen. Another thing, I haven't gone through an interview process in 9 years. I don't think I want to go through that ever again in my life. If I have too I will. What I see for myself is teaching online and being able to stay it home and do the things that I enjoy. I am truly blessed. Ten properties by 40. I know I can make it work. Just learn from the mistakes of others and everything else will fall in place.
I know that I can do all things possible.
Sunday, January 24, 2010
It's 2010 and I am Not Doing the Right Things

Saturday, January 23, 2010
Being sure of the right debt rescuers
Debt consolidation is often a useful means to get rid of your high-interest unsecured debts like credit card debt and personal loans. The credit card companies are earning billions of dollars in penalty fees. With the raise in interest rates on credit cards, the situation of credit cardholders has become worse. Many individuals are looking for a reliable if not, the best debt consolidation company since they’re facing difficulties to even keep up with their minimum monthly payments, not to mention the cumulating interest rates. Number of bankruptcies is at a record high and people are desperately looking for solutions to get out of debt. This article would help you choose the right debt consolidation company. Choosing the right company is essential to successfully eliminate debt promptly.
Do your homework
When you’re looking for a good debt consolidation company, you must do your homework well. There are so many companies out there and some of them are just scams that would prey on you to take your money without offering any valuable services. Check with the Better Business Bureau (BBB) to see if there are any complaints against a particular consolidation company you’re thinking about. If there are many complaints or grievances, just turn your back on them and walk away.
Check the background
It is essential that you check the past performance of a consolidation company. Some companies are just fly-by-night companies and change their names too often. They target unsuspicious consumers to make money. You mustn’t go for a company that has a history of less than three years. Remember that it needs time to form reputation. Choose a company with an extensive history.
Pressure tactics
This is certainly a warning signal. If a representative of a consolidation company tries to make you sign an agreement within a very short period, then you have to look out. A reputed company wouldn’t do this. Debt consolidation is not an easy procedure and you don’t have to hasten to arrive at a decision. Furthermore, consolidation mightn’t be right for everyone.
Don’t choose a lengthy program
You mustn’t select a program that is going to run more than three years since you can’t gain from it in the end. The sooner you pay off your debts, the better it is for you and you also can save plenty of money.
Ask questions
You can ask your family members or friends about their experience with a particular company. Knowing their experiences might help you choose the right company. Ask the company about their monthly payments and interest rates and compare them with others.
Always keep in mind that the right debt consolidation company would offer you a tailor-made program that would fulfill your requirements and remain within your means.
JENNIFER LOHAN
jennifery2k@gmail.com
Wednesday, December 30, 2009
2010 What will it have in Store?

spend out for the holidays, and it was needed. Yes, I buy things I may not need. I do this because I finally have something to show for something. It feels good to know that I can buy this and not have to worry about overdrawing in my account. Now, what I need to do is pay off the Escalade. Due to Christmas and having to pay my own mortgages, I will have this paid off by January 31, 2010. Liam also needs some brakes. I need to call Firestone and find out exactly what is wrong with Liam.
I will not pressure myself, but the time is not slowing down and in order to achieve my goals I my do what is right. Look toward how I can attain multi unit properties, travel, teach, and live my life comfortably. I am somebody that is worthy of having what I want. Seeing myself with what I want, just block out the spam.Monday, December 21, 2009
12 Investing Mistakes I’ve Made (and How You Can Learn From Them)
Not investing soon enough — I have been working part-time since my first year at college in 1991. If I had known what I know today, I would have invested my money in an IRA from day one. But like many other young adults, I was thrilled to have money and to spend it all on things that I enjoyed — movies, games, electronics, etc. If I had invested just $2,000 per year while I was in college, that $8,000 invested in an S&P 500 index fund would be worth about $36,000 today.
Not knowing the basics— When I finally began investing, my first move was to give my money to a full brokerage firm to invest for me. I didn’t know anything about stocks or mutual funds. I just knew I should invest money to make more money. This was a big mistake since each trade executed by my broker cost a lot of money. Also, the mutual funds they picked weren’t good, and were very expensive.
Chasing past performance — Once I got smart enough to switch to a discount broker, I committed another mistake. I chose mutual funds based on their past performance and Morningstar rating. I picked several loaded / high expense-ratio funds that lagged the general market in the subsequent years.
Experimenting with my IRA — Back then I had tons of ideas. Unfortunately most of my money was in IRA, so I experimented using my retirement money — big mistake! First, money lost in an IRA cannot be replenished. I was allowed to deposit $2,000 per year and that was the limit. Second, I could not claim my losses as tax deductions. Since the IRA was tax-sheltered, the loss was simply a loss. [Learn more about IRAs.]
Not paying attention to expense ratios — Not until recently did I realize how badly expense ratios can affect investment performance. I always thought “it’s only 1%, what’s the difference,” and went for the investment with better performance. I finally ran some numbers and I was shocked to learn that a difference of 1% can lower my investment performance by 25% over the course of 30 years. Instead of ending up with $1 million, for example, I might only have $750,000.
Not paying attention to distributions — This is another number that I did not pay attention to back then. I held some funds in my IRA and some in my regular account. For a couple years, I thought high distribution was really cool because I was making more money. How silly was that? Now I realize that I am paying other people’s taxes when I get mutual fund distributions. Now with my regular account, I invest either in low distribution funds or in ETFs. (Distributions do not affect IRAs.)
Not paying attention to asset allocation — Way back when, my investment was mainly in large-capitalization U.S. stocks and funds. I did not know about asset allocation as a risk management and performance enhancement tool. It wasn’t until 1999 — when I became eligible for a 401k — that I started giving asset allocation serious thought.
Ignoring diversification — Again, with little experience and little money to invest, I was going after high-flying stocks (at least I thought they were) and did not pay any attention to diversification. Like asset allocation, it took me a long time to realize how diversification helps to reduce risk and enhance performance. The value of diversification became apparent to me at about the same time that asset allocation did.
Selling winners and keeping losers — This was my all time weakness. I knew the concept of “buy low and sell high.” So with little experience, I ended up selling a lot of my winners like Staples (SPLS), Ameritrade (AMTD), and Microsoft (MSFT) to lock in the gain; but held on to my losers like Flemings (FLMIQ) and eToys (ETYS).
Cost averaging down — This was another “buy low and sell high” mistake. Not only did I hold on to my losers, I bought more shares in hope of lowering my cost basis and reducing my losses. I did this blindly without additional research to find out why these losing stocks went south.
Investing without a goal — Not until recently did I define a real goal for my investment — among other things, one of my investment goals today is to build a $1 million investment portfolio by 2017. This is my main retirement portfolio. Other goals, which I am still defining, are investing to subsidize my kids’ college expenses and my parent’s retirement expenses. Without a clear goal, I was chasing short-term performance and was prone to act on market swings.
Selling on corrections & buying at the top of the market — These are symptoms of not having a clear goal. Since I was chasing short-term performance with the objective of making more money. I occasionally gave in to my emotion and sold my investments during corrections to protect my gains. Occasionally, I did come out ahead, but most of the time I ended up rushing to reinvest my money as the market invariably rose after these corrections.
Get Rich Slowly. http://www.getrichslowly.org/blog/2007/09/26/12-investing-mistakes-ive-made-and-how-you-can-learn-from-them/
Friday, December 11, 2009
Do you Know, Because I don't
I have said it before and I will say it again, time keeps moving and it's up to me to make a difference. If you have been following my blog you may realize that I am somewhat scattered from time to time and that is what is going on right now. I don't remember the last time I posted. Well actually, I do remember, but I don't know the date. I am proud of my actions and the things that I have accomplished. Right now at this moment, I don't know whether I am coming or going. I feel that I talk a good game, but I don't actually put it into play. This is why I asked do you know, because I don't. In my mind, I see myself owning 10 properties by the time I am 40 years old which is in the next 6 years. My how time flies. I also thought about quitting my job at the end of the term, but I am not in a financial state to do that. What I have planned is to work another year and save $24,000 by the end of the year. The tax lien that I found out about at the beginning of the year will be paid in full by the end of this year. It is crazy that it has taken an entire year to get this taken care of.Saturday, October 24, 2009
10 Years, Where did they Go?
It has finally dawned on me that I have been home for 10 years. Where did the time go? I have been saying all along that blink, I was 24 and blink, I am 34. There have only been a handful of things that I have done for any duration of time. One of being school and another is having a career. I call it that because I have been a life longer learner. In some instances, I wonder if I enjoy the stresses of having to catch up because I am behind on my assignments. Always working on a time schedule and trying to catch up or even get ahead if possible. What will I do without the stresses once I am out of school? Replace that stress with another?I work daily and make a decent living, but is it all truly worth it? The children have changed and yet they stay the same. Don't get me wrong, I am thankful I have a job, but to get up and go to a place and be confined for eight hours of the day. Man, to some extent that is too much! People bring stress to you for no reason. Do I want to continue to live this way. My job doesn't define who I am. Ten years gone, will another ten go by and wow, I am 44? What will I have accomplished then? Been thinking about my future and what I want to be when I grow up.
There are a few things that must be done soon:
Escalade paid off
Wachovia paid off
MEA paid off
Thinking big things for the future, what is the worst thing that could happen? I want to teach online courses instead of going to a traditional school. That will free me up to do other things that I am interested in. Realized that things I once was interested in, they no longer are important to me. My health, future, and longevity are a few of my main concerns. I am not this typical person and I understand that. It will be like just graduating from college and coming home and looking for a job. Starting over fresh. Save some money and use that cash to purchase a home. Fix it up and rent it out. Wait some time and it should be worth more than I spent on it. Make the money back and a little more.
I just don't want time to keep passing by and I have stood still for twenty years. That can't happen to me, I will not do that to myself. Change is here and I am going to use it to my advantage.
Sunday, September 27, 2009
My Plan

Sunday, September 20, 2009
Better Days
Making More Money
In order to make more money, I have started working the after school and Saturday programs. That will give me 16 hours more of my hourly rate a month. The money will be put to good use. Also, my financial aid was reinstated. Due to all of the financial issues I have been facing the past few months, I don't have a savings anymore. I will use this month to replenish the missing cash.
With all of the financial woes, I haven't purchased all of my books for one course. I spoke with the professor last week to inform him of my issue, he understood. I ordered the books the other day, hopefully, they will be here by the end of the week.
- Complete all articles for KAM I
- Send articles to Dr. Moller
- Complete all back assignments
- Complete all other assignments
October Debt
- T-Mobile 64.00
- Knology 75.00
- Mediacom 94.00
- braces 109.00
- US Dept of Education 25.00
- doctors bill 150.00
- Suntrust 579.00
- Bank of America 567.86
- mom 100.00
- First Premiere 100.00
- savings 850.00
Things Needed to Get Fixed to Move
- 3 ceiling fans
- 2 doors
- walls fixed
- paint for both rooms
- spray for house
- tree limbs cut off of roof
- shrubs cut from around house
Am I in Control?
Control has to be brought back to my life. Floating throughout life is not an option for me. I have big plans for the future. Six year plan is what I am looking forward to taking care of. There are so many things to life and I want them all.
What needs to be paid off in order to be able to move during the Summer of 2010.
- Tax Lien 4,999 (not exact)
Big Plans
Big plans for the future. What I see for my future is owning several properties, group homes, selling candles, and being an Instructional Technologist. How will I make all of these things happen? The plans are falling in place now. Take my time, save money, organize my thoughts and efforts, and continue to know that I can do all things.
Monday, September 7, 2009
Honestly, I don't Know
Things I have done
Paid off my Portion of the Tax Lien
Updated Resume
Uploaded Resume to Monster.com
Cleaned out my Car
Started Washing Clothes
Got New Tires for Liam
Paid my Mother back $850
I have money, but don't know what to do with it. Again, honestly, I just don't know. Been working really hard to find out what will be as far as my financial aid. As I stated previously, there is a disconnect between academic advising and financial aid. I have met all criteria's and know that financial aid should be reinstated. Will call tomorrow to find out what is going on. They say it takes 24 to 72 hours, but in some instances it has been 2 weeks. All I need to know is yes, you will receive financial aid for this term and the next.
Things I Will Do
Apply for 20 different jobs
Write a philosophy of teaching
Turn in all homework on time
Complete my Depth component (10 article summaries)
Write a Will
Pay off Wachovia
Pay off other portion of Tax Lien
Prepare to move
My credit score has gone up. I have two 645, and 1 596. What can I do with that? I am tired of wallowing in self-pity. There has to be a change coming soon. No matter what goes on, there is always something else to counter act the positive. Tired of the flawness, things will get better. It has to start with me.
Tuesday, September 1, 2009
Things Take Time
Anything worth having is worth working for. There have been many things in my life that I wanted and it took some effort for them to come a reality. Time and time again, I think of what I should have and don't. The effort that is attached in achieving things does take time and effort. When it is all said and done the experience was needed. It also let's me know that I can do anything I put my mind to.Working Toward Making it Happen

No financial aid for me. Yes, I am on academic probation. Totally my fault, I admit my wrong. Now, I should be eligible fo financial aid again. Talking with financial aid and academic advising for the past week has helped. There is a disconnect in communication. Tomorrow, I will contact academic advising to have them email a statement verifying that I have made my gpa and my rate of completion. Everything should be a go.
Paid off my portion of the tax lien, $956.35. I also had to give my mother her money back, $850. This shows me that I have money to pay bills, just managing and doing right by the money is what always tends to get me.
My Six Year PlanThinking about my life and realizing that there are six years before I am 40 years of age. What will be going on in my life at 40? This is why I came up with my six year plan. Sorting out each year with what I should have accomplished will help me accomplish my goals.
Year 1 September 2009-2010
KAMs 1, 2, 3 complete
Finished all classes
Tax Lien Paid Off
Moved from 617 Wilder Drive
Wachovia Paid Off
Spanish Class
Financial Aid (Got that)
Turned house into personal care home
Bought 1 four bedroom
Working on dissertation
Will
Saved $10,000
Online education
Sunday, August 30, 2009
I am Officially 34
At the Acupuncturist Soaking My Feet
Reflexology Foot Massage
Reflexology Foot Massager
Shrimp with Potato Salad and Frosted Brown with Strawberries
.jpg)
Looking at my finances overall, I am in a good place. It is frustrating when I want something and I can not get it. I have to put myself in a position where I am financially able to do the things that I want, when I want to. Paying cash for items instead of having them financed. That is the point that I am waiting for. Not living above my means, but living comfortably.
This is another random thoughts, not completely finished, but how I feel right now about what is going on in my life. Which is so much, the birthday weekend was wonderful and I am glad to have seen another year. Hopefully, it will be many more. What I can do is enjoy everyday like it is my last. Not worry and stress over things I can not control that is what I am striving to do. Also make a little money well I am at it. There is so much that I want to learn about life, money, happiness, and just being.
Thank you for this platform to post my feelings and view. I will achieve financial freedom and I will not be to old to enjoy my harvest. Continue to live life to the fullest and never do anything in excess. I didn't mean to rumble, I just needed to say what was on my mind.

