Vitago

Right now people are spending thousands of dollars on gifts for other people. They are doing this because they believe it is the right thing to do.

Holiday shopping can make or break a business. The last few years I’ve watched the post-season wrap-up on the news. Who made profit? Who didn’t? Who’s filing for bankruptcy?

I’ve watched American institutions like Montgomery Wards close their doors after a poor holiday performance. My sister worked there while that happened. My brother had worked there years before. It was like losing part of the family.

And that’s when the economy was good.

Continue reading How does the economy really work? »

One key difference I’ve noticed between leaders and everyone else is that leaders do a better job focusing on the big picture. When you get to the top level of anything nurturing the “big picture” becomes your job.

What is the big picture?

In some companies the big picture is the profits. In others the mission statement. In some organizations it’s called “higher purpose”. Whatever it’s called the big picture is really accountability and determining what you want your organization to be accountable for.

Continue reading Success Key: Nurture the big picture »

If you are really interested in developing your financial intelligence Robert Kiyosaki’s Rich Dad, Poor Dad is a must read for you. Kiyosaki narrates his experiences growing up with an educated father who is poor while his best friend’s uneducated dad builds an empire. This book is the first of the Rich Dad series. All of these books are easy to read, personal and give great insight into why the rich get richer while the rest of us don’t.

If you want to be rich, you have to be financially literate

Being rich isn’t about how much money you make. It is about how much money you keep.

Continue reading The Rich Dad Guide to Wealth and Accounting »

Monday I talked about the beginning. After all, without a beginning what have you got? But this is the real world and suddenly declaring a fresh start rarely matches what’s actually going on. Over the past few months I have increased my debt load while decreasing my income. I don’t have to tell you that’s a formula for disaster!

After my melt-down I took some time to reflect on what happened, why it happened and what should be done to make sure I don’t repeat my mistakes. This was an intensive and painful process. Here’s what I discovered:

Continue reading Starting from less than zero »