Are You Afraid of Heights?

march-coverJulia Beverly talks about taking risks to get to the top

jenesismagazine.com

 

Boy, February was a doozy.  There was so much fear all around.  Fear that your bank was going to be shut down and the stock market was going to zero.  February actually had a Friday the 13th, and Hollywood conveniently released a new Jason Movie.  I even watched the last Saw movie on the way back to Pittsburgh from a business meeting (did you know the Escalade is like a house on wheels?).  All of that got me to thinking about how afraid people are to take risks in life.  I don’t mean taking a risk like buying a house with an adjustable rate mortgage and praying that you’ll be able the make the payment when the rate adjusts higher.  No, that’s just, well…stupid.  I mean taking the type of calculated risks that can get you closer to living the type of life that you want to live.

 

A lot of us get paralyzed by what we don’t know.  I remember not wanting to play paintball for the first time the day before my friend’s wedding because I wasn’t sure how it was going to feel taking one of those pellets to my shoulder blade.  But once I took the first hit and got through it, suddenly I turned into Dick Cheney and I had a helluva time.  No, the point is not that it’s fun to shoot your friends (although it is, especially if they owe you money).  The point is that by not taking risks, you are actually taking a risk…that you might miss out on something big.

 

Picture this; you are a young white woman primarily skilled as a photographer.  You have no experience in publishing.  You wouldn’t describe yourself as a natural salesperson.  You don’t live in New York.  Does that sound like a resume built for starting a Hip Hop Magazine?  Nope.  But that didn’t stop Julia Beverly from starting Ozone Magazine.  I caught up with Julia in Hotlanta and I gathered a few nuggets that you could use to help you take that risk on your next (or first) venture.

  [Read more...]

Save Some Dough

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rTaZRF2cbt4]

I spoke about saving money the day after Christmas, but this time I give specific tips on areas of your budget that can be sliced and diced to help your cash flow.

Dick, Jane and the Benjamins

february4Dick, Jane and the Benjamins

How to manage the three way relationship between you, your partner and your paper

Ahh yes, it’s Valentine’s Day again, what a wonderful time of year.The time of year when women love to get PJs and men really want…well…never mind, it’s mostly a woman’s holiday.

Since this Valentine’s Day is coming smack dab in the middle of a financial crisis and a recession, it got me to thinking; How are relationships holding up amidst all of this mess?

 Money is the root of all evil, and it also seems to be the cause of many breakups.In fact, one of the most often cited reasons for problems in a marriage is disagreements about finances.Combine that with the fact that marital problems are one of the top causes for personal bankruptcy filings and you can see how a bad relationship can quickly send you to the poor house.

 See, when two people decide to go for a ride, money seems to always call shotgun.Even worse, money is like the ex that your current mate keeps comparing you too.Only this ex comes around every two weeks, stays for dinner, and periodically instigates a fight between the two of you.

With a little help from yours truly, you can have a great V-day and beyond without letting the greenback come between you and your red light special.

Let’s Talk About…Sex?

It surprises me how much easier it seems for people to talk about sex than it is to talk about money.How can money be the more taboo topic?Fellas, if it’s okay for you to ask her what her favorite position is, surely she shouldn’t be afraid to ask you what your credit score is, right?Oh, and ladies it goes both ways.If size matters, it must be okay for him to ask about the size of your retirement account, correct?If you don’t learn to talk about money issues voluntarily, believe me, eventually they will come out on their own.

[Read more...]

Super Sunday

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z3uiCRr3dGE]

You have my permission to spend money on your Super Bowl Party today!  Come on, we have a sixth championship to celebrate!

Why You Need Insurance

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L2v3DGd1fPc]

Lots of people don’t buy insurance because they don’t understand it and/or don’t know why they need it.  Well, do you think that any of these people thought that they would end up in the Hudson River when they got up that morning?

Would your spouse be able to take care of the family, send the kids to college etc., if suddenly you weren’t coming home?  You never know what is around the corner, but you can protect your loved ones should something unexpectedly happen to you by having a life insurance policy.

I’m glad this turned out for the best.

Be Careful Who You Listen To

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T8pR2mTZ5b0]

Wow, NBC really has some cohones!  They had the nerve to have MATT MILLEN on their playoff edition of Football Night in America.  For those of you that don’t know, until he was recently fired he was the GM of the Detroit Lions who just completed the WORST SEASON IN NFL HISTORY by going 0-16.  Further, just to prove that this year wasn’t a fluke, he led them to the worst 8-year record in the NFL since WWII at 31-97.

It might not be so bad if they brought him on just to make fun of him and his overall GUMPNESS as a GM.  But no….right after Dan Patrick gets Matt to say that he would have fired himself (who admits to that?) ….he asks him for analysis on how Arizona can win their game against Atlanta in a segment called…get this…The Winning Formula!  How can a guy from a WINLESS team comment on anyone’s WINNING formula? Come on people.

If that’s the case, I might as well get in on the act.  Here are my new show ideas:

“Handling High Pressure Interviews” hosted by Sarah Palin

“Trusting Your Financial Advisor” hosted by Bernie Madoff

oh, and don’t forget

“Ethics in Politics” hosted by Gov. Rod Blagojevich

You really have to be careful who you listen to.  You have to consider the source.  I am not suggesting that someone must be perfect to give advice or to do interviews, but this is just ridiculous.

So…….Who are you taking advice from?

Greetings Pittsburgh Today Live Viewers!

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JEfI49xqY6Y]

Hello to everyone that saw my segment on Pittsburgh Today Live this morning and decided to check out my site.  I hope you all had a very Merry Christmas!

As I mentioned, I think it’s time to start looking toward the New Year with an eye towards doing things better than we did last year.  Here’s how I think you can get your swagger back in 2009:

Out: New Year’s Resolutions

In: List of goals you want to accomplish

 

New Year’s resolutions are like diets, they don’t work. Just ask Oprah. I mean think about it. You’ve been doing something your whole, or greater part of, your life and you decide that you are going to pull a Barry Sanders…stop on a dime and go a different direction starting January 1st. Well, Barry eventually figured out that his stopping on a dime could do nothing to help the hapless Lions and he gave up football. Sound like what happened to your 2008 resolution?

 

It’s funny how we treat the first of the year as our own personal Xbox 360 RESET button. The problem with that is, if you lose all of your power by February, you can’t hit the button again for 11 months. “Ah well, I tried…now pass the chips!”

 

Instead of putting together resolutions, try sitting down and writing your goals for the new year on paper. It’s been proven that individuals that write down their goals are far more successful than those that don’t.

 

For this to work, though, your goals must be specific. Instead of, “I want to make more money” write “I want to increase my salary by $10,000”. Instead of “I want to save more” write, “I want to have $5,000 in my savings account by the end of the year.” It will be much easier for you to achieve you goals if you know specifically what you are working towards.

 

Don’t get caught up in trying to do things cold turkey like going on a diet or quitting smoking all of a sudden. If you take consistent baby steps toward your goal, before you know it you will have walked a great distance. Saving $5,000 in a year amounts to about 13 bucks a day. Saving 13 bucks sounds a lot easier than saving $5,000. What did you waste $13 on yesterday?

 

[Read more...]

Rob Wilson: Hip Hop’s Financial Advisor

BECKHAM MEDIA GOES ONE ON ONE WITH ROBERT WILSON FINANCIAL ADVISOR TO THE HIP HOP GENERATION

Robert WilsonHip Hop Generation — a term customarily applied to blacks born after the civil rights movement that has, in some cases, broadened to include anyone 18-35 who grew up on hip-hop music and culture.  President-Elect Barack Obama understood the significance of targeting this generation for their vote, and like Obama, Financial Advisor Robert Wilson is also focused on building his practice with the young hip hop entertainers, rappers, and athletes.

Internationally acclaimed financial expert Suze Orman may be recognized worldwide, but Robert Wilson is cleverly carving a niche in the financial industry by providing financial advice to the Hip Hoppers because he says they comfortably spend their money on 200 dollars sneakers, sporting their high priced bling-bling and other expensive items, but need help when it comes to being financially savvy. Wilson says he wants this generation to start building wealth and is advising many of his clients to start investing and saving.

Wilson also shares his thoughts about the current market conditions post election and strongly advises the public to not hide their money under the mattress because of the volatile market.

Beckham Media: Now that Obama has won the election, do you think there will be some stability in the markets?

Rob Wilson: The turmoil in the markets isn’t simply a function of who is in the oval office, so I think there will continue to be volatility in the markets for some time.The markets will be looking for some direction from the President-elect on how he intends to combat the problems in the economy and in the financial markets. Clarity on those points could provide some stability, but ultimately it will be the plans that have already been put in place in addition to any that the new administration might adopt that will hopefully strengthen the markets and the economy.

[Read more...]

You’re Hired!

decemberFive Things You Must Learn From the World’s Biggest Job Interview

So here we are, one month removed from one of the biggest events of our lifetimes and I must admit that I am still in awe of what happened. He won. He really won. It’s almost like I keep waiting for Ashton Kutcher to run out from behind a Chevy Aerostar to tell me that I’ve just been Punk’d. That could still happen before January 20, but for now let’s just focus on the accomplishment.

Running for president is the biggest job interview in the world. What’s crazy, though, is that the election season of the past two years played out like the public official version of “The Apprentice.” Think about it, we started off with two teams, and each team had its own name, color and mascot. The teams were then given instructions to compete in these challenges called “primaries” and based on their performance in those events, someone would be sent home.

Week after week, contestants were called into the boardroom and were sent packing until we were left with one person from each team to compete in the final challenge. To spice things up, the final challengers were allowed to bring back someone from earlier in the show to help them in the final task. Shockingly, one contestant temporarily forgot which show he was on and brought back a contestant from America’s Next Top Model instead.

Oh and remember when Donald Trump asked the first black winner, Randall Pinkett, seconds after he hired him, if he would also hire Rebecca? Does that remind you of the pressure being put on the Barack Obama to “hire” a certain female competitor as his running mate??? Talk about life imitating, uh, reality shows. Does NBC know something we don’t know? The similarities are kinda creepy

[Read more...]