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Learn what habits are supposed to make you a millionaire and which ones really will. Recently I came across an article on habits to become a millionaire. The only problem was, it was so ridiculous it made me laugh! Here are some of the points they said could make you a millionaire: If you make your bed, you're 206% more likely to become a millionaire. Seriously. Make your bed? Hmmm. What else did it say? Well, it didn't recommend any specific financial things to do, but a list of seemingly random things like: *Smile at your neighbors *Wake up early *Read books (but not necessarily financial ones) *Make a to-do list *Work hard *Don't gossip *Talk less *Listen more Seriously! This was the list! This is supposed to be great information to help you become a millionaire?  I don't think so. Financial information should help you get ahead, be specific and actionable.  Financial literacy is lacking, this is a good example why. Becoming a millionaire isn't random acts, it's specific steps. That's why I coined the "6

Learn the pros and cons of airline credit cards and if they are right for you. Here is the article: https://www.cnbc.com/2018/06/01/before-signing-up-for-an-airline-credit-card-weigh-the-benefits-against-the-cost.html   Be sure to subscribe to Be Wealthy & Smart!

Learn why mail fishing crime is on the rise and how to protect your money. According to the NYPD, mail fishing is on the rise and you may not be familiar with how it is happening. This is from an article on CNBC.com: https://www.cnbc.com/2018/05/25/as-computers-get-harder-to-crack-thieves-are-pillaging-mailboxes.html Please subscribe to Be Wealthy & Smart and leave a review!

Learn 3 ways millionaires think differently and how you can apply it to create your wealthy mindset. Be sure to subscribe to the podcast!

Learn how a divorcee spent her $2.5 billion settlement and what mistakes to avoid.

Learn how to avoid common financial scams. Recently I got an email offer to buy a domaine name for $55,000. It was from a Japanese business who said they had a healthy budget to spend and what price did I want? A second email specified how the transaction would take place and mentioned a German escrow account. They mentioned a 5% commission paid for by both parties. They wanted me to pay to them (5% of $55k = $2,750). I don't think so! What a scam. I also heard a scam involving German escrow accounts was going around. I saw there were more scams happening that I wanted to warn you about. There's a common one with real estate. I have an article to share with you about it: https://www.cnbc.com/2017/10/19/scammers-are-conning-home-buyers-out-of-their-down-payment.html Hit the subscribe button for instant notice of new podcasts!

Learn the magic dollar amount of income it takes to be happy. According to a survey, find out how much money it takes to be happy. The article is here: https://www.cnbc.com/2018/05/16/money-can-actually-buy-some-happiness-but-how-much.html Please subscribe and leave a review!

Learn why wealth is within your reach, using my Wealth Building Formula, and why it is NOT about luck.   This is the study I disagree with: https://www.pbs.org/newshour/economy/making-sense/analysis-if-youre-rich-youre-more-lucky-than-smart-and-theres-math-to-prove-it   Please subscribe to Be Wealthy & Smart and leave a review!

Learn the most common financial regrets of Americans and how to avoid them. I also share my thoughts about the Be Wealthy & Smart podcast over the last 4 years and latest podcast reviews.

Learn how to plan your life like a billionaire. I love talking about the importance of mindset in wealth building. We haven't visited mindset for a long-time, so I thought we would today. Recently I was reading about Amazon founder, Jeff Bezos. He was a successful investment banker who quit his job. Left in the middle of the year and left his big bonus. Jeff talked to his boss about it, who said great idea, but better for someone else who does this stuff not you! Think long-term for your life decisions. He calls it "Regret Minimization Framework". Project your life forward to age 80. Look back on your life. Minimize the regrets in your life. Look back on your life. He wouldn't regret trying to participate in the internet. Wouldn't regret failure. The one thing he would regret is not having tried. That would haunt him every day. Gets you away from the daily pieces of confusion, like leaving his bonus. Think long-term to make good life decisions you won't regret later.    

Learn which mutual funds are significantly outperforming the S & P 500 on a 5 year basis. The charts are posted in the Podcast section on www.lindapjones.com.

Learn how to make decisions with real estate, overcome real estate regrets and stop feeling anxious about buying or selling. There are a lot of people stressing about real estate right now. Should they buy? Should they sell? Should they invest? With real estate at all time highs in many cities, it's causing stressful decisions to be made. I'm not talking about affordability. Obviously, if you can't afford it, don't stretch yourself beyond your means. I was talking with someone who was stressing about money. In this case, not because they had too little. She couldn't decide the right time to sell her house and lock in gains. They weren't ready to sell it, but were afraid the real estate market would crash. People with a little or a lot of money get stressed. No one is immune! Everyone wants to make the right financial decisions. For some it's taking the right job, deciding to start a business, having enough money to survive or maybe how not to lose their money. There is a lot of anxiety around real estate righ

Learn how affirmations worked for a Be Wealthy & Smart podcast listener. Her affirmations helped her pay off three debts, keep off weight, get a promotion, and more! Saying affirmations, and inserting true statements in between each affirmation, is a unique way to make them more effective. Learn how affirmations helped Maria get great results and why you can too.

Learn the 3 things you shouldn't change to get rich and stay rich according to Thomas J. Stanley, author of The Millionaire Next Door. I just talked about 2 of the 3 things on podcast #290. If you haven't listened to it, I go into depth about why people are watching the small expenditures and missing the huge ones that keep you from achieving financial independence.

Learn 5 things to do before purchasing a home, why the debt snowball is not the method to use to improve credit quickly, and how to find a loan officer. Before you do anything, first check your credit report and raise your credit score. Go to www.Annualcreditreport.comand get your FREE credit report once annually. Pay off any credit cards using my system and NOT the Debt Snowball. My version will improve your credit WHILE you are paying off debt. The Debt Snowball delays improving your credit until it's mostly paid off. This is because the Debt Snowball leaves the largest balances to be paid last, while credit is improved when you take maxed-out balances and reduce them to half. Therefore, you must reduce your largest balances first, not your smallest in order to simultaneously improve your credit. Listen to my podcasts on how to pay off debt quickly while improving your credit and paying off debt (debt re-do). Here are your action steps: 1) Perfect your credit as much as possible. It's necessary to begin asa

Learn why new cars can be a deterrent to your wealth and what opportunity cost means. Maybe you like cars or you just want a new car. Perhaps you want to buy a new car because it's for safety (too many miles), or status (need it for your job/image), or change of objective (had a child), etc. Whatever your reasons for a new car, re-think it because cars are one of the largest deterrents to your wealth. Take a doctor who grosses $1 million a year, but has virtually no wealth accumulated. How does that happen? Moves from house to house. Buys a new car every 3 years. I've talked about the cost of moving - commissions, loan fees, remodeling to sell, remodeling after purchase, etc. Buying homes and cars too frequently can be deterrents to your wealth. For now, let's just focus on the car. He HAD to have a new BMW 650i. MSRP is $99,000. Let's look at the true cost over time, which is what would the money be worth if you had invested it? We call that Opportunity Cost. What is the depreciation on the car? According to

Learn how some people got wealthier faster and the reasons why. This is an article in Investor's Business Daily from April 30, 2018 by Paul Katzeff.

Learn 17 potential places to invest a small amount of money. It's listener question day! Here is our question: Linda, I only have a small amount to invest, about $300 to $500. Where should I start? Sam There are many options you have. Since I don't know anything about your circumstances, I'm going to give you a list of choices. Assuming all your consumer debt is paid off. If not, start there to get back to stability. 1. Start an emergency fund. Keep it in a separate (no-fee) checking or savings account, if possible. 2. Flexible Spending Accounts (FSA) and Health Savings Accounts (HSA) are both great ways to reduce your income taxes by paying for medically-related expenses with pre-tax money — that is, money deducted from your paycheck before income taxes are calculated on your pay. You put money into that you use to pay for certain out-of-pocket health care costs. This means you'll save an amount equal to the taxes you would have paid on the money you set aside. 3. Pay 1/12 extra on your mortgage to pay it of

Learn the one thing to focus on for financial success this year. This is the most important thing you can do financially this year.  You'll have to listen to find out what it is! Please subscribe to the Be Wealthy & Smart podcast and get new episodes as soon as they are added.  

Learn 3 ways to protect your wealth when interest rates are rising. The economy operates on cycles. There is a key indicator of where we are in the cycle. The key indicator is interest rates. Interest rates are controlled by the Federal Reserve. They set the rates and determine when to raise interest rates. Interest rates are the cost of money. It's how much we pay to borrow money from banks. It's something I want you to pay attention to because many people were surprised by the crash of 2008. They thought housing prices would only go up. They thought is would continue forever. But interest rates were rising, which meant the Fed was slowing down the economy. When rates rise, people rush to buy homes. There can be a big boost to prices at the end of the bubble. If you don't understand it, you can be caught thinking you have to rush out and buy a home because appreciation is going crazy. Just as people do that, the market slows, sale reduce, until prices have to drop and supply increases. It can become a downwa