If you are looking for some great advice at a great price, register with me for a Power Hour, beginning November 30th through the end of the year.  We will use our time together to really get to the heart of your career or business needs and develop a plan that you can implement right away.

Prior to each session, you will have a small amount of pre-work that will help me to get up to speed on your situation very quickly. That way, we can dedicate your entire hour  to strategizing and planning. No question or topic is off limits. I will share ALL of the strategies that fit for your needs.

The best part? The price is a FRACTION of my normal hourly rate. The fee for the Power Hour is only $79; however, I only have a limited number of slots available. When I introduce Power Hours in 2012, the fee will increase! Evening appointments are available.

So don’t delay, time is ticking. You owe it to yourself to make 2012 your best year ever. RSVP for your Power Hour today by emailing info@golden-parachutes.com!

This past weekend, I spoke at a women’s conference here in Atlanta hosted by Andrea Amir, founder of Smart Money Chicks. The conference, Worth It! The Money Conference for Women, was absolutely fabulous! It was very well attended, ran smoothly, and featured a great variety of sessions.  Andrea wanted to provide a forum whereby women would have access to solid valuable financial tips, tools, and strategies that they can take action on immediately.

In addition to my session, Earn Your Worth! The Secrets to Successful Salary Negotiation, I attended sessions on the fundamentals of investing (by Terrell Dinkins of Peachtree Planning) and an excellent session on couponing by The Coupon Cutie, Amber Rutledge. Amber has me so excited about couponing that I don’t know what to do with myself! You MUST subscribe to her blog. What I love about Amber is that she features more than just food coupons.

If you missed this year’s conference, make sure you catch it next year. You won’t be disappointed! And if you want a copy of my popular presentation, send an email to meddleton@golden-parachutes.com with “WIM Presentation” in the subject line.

The email started with a quote from Steve Jobs that was made infamous in an Apple commercial encouraging everyone to “Think Different”.  From there, Cari provided a message that encourages us all to step into our dreams and heed our callings – just as Steve Jobs did.

Happy Reading!

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“Here’s to the crazy ones.
The misfits.
The rebels.
The troublemakers.
The round pegs in the square holes.
The ones who see things differently.
They’re not fond of rules. And they have no respect for the status quo.
You can praise them, disagree with them, quote them, disbelieve them, glorify or vilify them.  About the only thing you can’t do is ignore them. Because they change things.
They invent. They imagine. They heal.
They explore. They create. They inspire.
They push the human race forward.
Maybe they have to be crazy. How else can you stare at an empty canvas and see a workof art?
Or sit in silence and hear a song that’s never been written?
Or gaze at a red planet and see a laboratory on wheels?
We make tools for these kinds of people.
While some see them as the crazy ones, we see genius. Because the people who are crazy enough to think they can change the world, are the ones who do.”
- Steve Jobs

Monique:

You were on my mind…

I want you to know that I understand what you’re going through right now.

Coming face-to-face with the opportunity to finally STEP INTO your dream can be quite daunting.

So let me reassure you of something and I really hope you hear me:

You CAN do this.

You absolutely have what it takes to make this commitment and GO BIG the way your spirit is nudging you to do.

I know there are times you’re afraid. We’re all afraid.  I bet there were times even Steve Jobs was afraid.

The antidote to overcoming the fear that holds you back is to step into the fear. There’s no other way.  No more preparation will make the moment easier. No more thinking about it will make it easier.  The day finally comes when the decision has to be made to finally GO FOR IT and it may very well be scary, make you sweat a little, question your sanity, and even have you questioning if
you’re really cut out for your dream in the first place.

Let me remind you:  You are.

And as soon as you say YES to acting on it you’ll start seeing just how RIGHT you are to have the dream you have and you’ll also start discovering just how absolutely perfect you are to be the person to have this dream.

So my nudge to you right now is to get yourself over this hump.  Say YES to your dream…LIVE INTO your dream…and know I’m here cheering you on and walking beside you.

You can do it.  You have what it takes. You are ENOUGH, as is, to be the empowering and inspiring expert/speaker/teacher/messenger/coach/healer/writer/artist/whatever you imagine yourself to be…that you’re being CALLED to be.  I hope you believe that too.

I believe in you,

Many of you have been laid off or underemployed for some time now due to the state of the economy and have spent countless hours searching for a new position. While there appears to be very little upside to this situation, there is a small amount of consolation – many of those job-search related expenses you are incurring are deductible! Check with the IRS (IRS Publication 529) and your accountant for details.

Here’s where the American Express Pre-Paid card can come into play.  A job seeker can use the pre-paid card to track their job search related expenses and track those expenses online. This will make tax prep much easier.

Some of the expenses that you can deduct include: job counseling/coaching services (services like mine!), resume prep (including resume review/advice), and travel/transportation expenses. There are some limitations, however.  You can not file these expenses as deductions if:

• You are switching careers (sorry career-shifters)
• You are looking for your first job
• You’ve had a substantial break between jobs (i.e. you decided to stay home with the children and 3 years later begin a job search)

The great thing is that if you fit the criteria, you can deduct these expenses even if you do not land a job!

FTC Disclaimer: Funds were provided to load on the American Express Prepaid Card for reviewing purposes.

When I speak to my clients about starting their own business, we often run through a checklist of things they need to have in-place.  One of the most important tools that I advise my clients utilize is a business credit card.  Separation of business and financial expenses is imperative for many reasons including having a clean record of business-only expenses that you will need in order to prepare your taxes.

Every business incurs expenses, even the smallest ones. These expenses can include everything from the creation of your website, to business cards, to the hiring of your first employee.  The great news is that many of these expenses are tax deductible! Check with your small business accountant for a detailed listing of what you can deduct and how much you should deduct for your business. An expense is defined by the IRS as something that is “ordinary and necessary” for your trade or profession. About.com has a great listing of common business deductions which may include: advertising, office expenses and supplies, postage, print and copy, and software.  For the full list, check http://taxes.about.com/od/businessexpenses/qt/DeductBizExpens.htm.

Typically, I suggest that companies sign up for a business credit card to manage business expenses – but not everyone qualifies for the best credit card rates.  And when you are a small business, the last thing you want to do is pay a ton of interest for your business expenses (unfortunately, credit card interest is NOT tax deductible).  So instead of using a business credit card, small businesses can now use the Pre-Paid American Express card for their business purchases.  And here’s why the American Express pre-paid card is so great. Unlike other cards in the category, this card actually tracks your purchases online. This is helpful as, undoubtedly, it will make tax time so much easier to have your business expenses split out from your personal expenses.

Over the past few weeks, I have used the card to make copies at Kinkos and purchase some office supplies.  The transaction summary feature allows me to see where I made the purchase, the amount, and the date.  I can then print the summary each month to have a running record of my expenses.

Next, I will talk about how the card can be used for those of you that are looking new jobs!

FTC Disclaimer: Funds were provided to load on the American Express Prepaid Card for reviewing purposes.