*Before securing a credit line we highly recommend you consult with us about the potential risks. Very few banks provide interest rate protection or understand how to structure credit lines to your advantage.

1- Debt Acceleration.
All kinds of debt can be paid off years sooner using an effective cash flow optimization strategy. Use the LOC as your primary bank account and you can eliminate mortgage and other debt years early without making major changes to your lifestyle or compromising liquidity.
See CASE STUDIES.

2- Creates Immediate Surplus.
Using a LOC as your primary banking system will Immediately Increase monthly surplus, lower your monthly expenses, and allow you to increase savings allocations now to offset inflation pressures.

3- Lowers interest incrual, protects from rising rates.
Interest accrual is cut by as much as 80% when compared to other borrowing methods such as; conventional mortgages, credit cards, personal loans, other. By applying safe positive leverage, use your equity for your major expenses in the future in lieu of taking out costly loans, creating new payments, or charging up credit cards. A LOC interest rate will be several points lower than if loans you take from banks when rates start to rise. While banks are lending at 15%, you will be borrowing at 9.5%. Make sure your LOC is rate capped before entering into an agreement with a financial institution.

4- Easy access to cash in case of job loss or emergency.
The dollars you pay into the line are liquid even several years down the road. You may never need it but, considering what the future may hold, it would be wise to have easy access to your cash. If something happens and your money is gone or you cannot find a bank to lend to you, you will have your own banking system at your fingertips.

5- Protect the value of your asset.
As interest rates start to move higher home prices could fall by as much as 40-50%. Having access to home equity will enable you to remove the equity and place it in a side account. You separate the equity and ride it out with the cash in your account.

If you are not familiar with HELOC’s and cannot secure a rate protected LOC please contact us for assistance. We will teach you how to properly structure your debt, how to use the LOC to get amazing results and securing the financing.

Ask these questions:
Can you afford the minimum payment at least if the entire limit is borrowed and the interest rate is the highest?
How high can the interest rate go?
Does it have rate cap protection?
What is your cash flow strategy to pay it back?
What happens if you miss a payment?
What if the bank froze your credit?
How many times can you withdraw funds each month and how much can you access?

If you are uncertain, let us give you peace of mind. We can help you:

1. Understand HELOC’s and credit lines so you don’t make mistakes.
2. Help you secure a HELOC for up to 90% of your home value with no closing costs and interest rate protection.
3. Show you how you can get amazing results using as your primary account.

START YOUR FREE 10-Minute ANALYSIS to see how you may be able to save hundreds or thousands PER Month!

This article was written by Stephen Vincelli at Kingdom Financial Strategists. KFS is a financial consultancy specializing in helping people secure their lives and overcome obstacles by providing recommendations and strategies that can set them on the path to greater financial security and well being.  More money in your pocket means more money you will have to enrich your family, community and the Kingdom.

KFS is located at 2686 Bayshore Blvd (Alt 19), Dunedin, FL 34698. The company was started by Stephen and Kristin Vincelli.  They started the company because they were tired of seeing people getting taken advantage of by banks and the financial system.  Stephen and Kristin have been in banking and finance business for a combined 15 years and are committed to protecting and serving “the folks.”

VIP WEBINAR REPLAY

In this fast paced webinar you will learn to:
* Identify and remove current financial barriers
* Maximize the greatest resources available
*  Manage good and bad debt
* Successfully become your own bank
* Accelerate toward your personal goals

We will show you how to balance your finances to operate with precision and gain velocity towards your destination.

Listen to Jay Peroni, CFP & special guest expert Stephen Vincelli. a 10 year veteran in the financial lending industry.  They will share the secrets the banks and lenders DON’T WANT YOU TO KNOW!

Here is the audio replay of the webinar

The Faster Path to Financial Freedom

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Women taking over?

The recession that started in 2007 quietly brought an economic shift to millions of American families – the woman of the house became the primary wage earner.

In June 2010, Labor Department data showed that nearly 22% of American men aged 25-65 were unemployed. This male population also undoubtedly makes up a big chunk of the “underemployed”, which includes part-time workers and those who have given up looking for jobs. As of June, 16.6% of Americans were underemployed.

So in mid-2010, we have a situation where perhaps about 25% of men aged 25-65 cannot find full-time work. (That figure might be higher.) It’s also worth noting that layoffs have plagued construction and manufacturing – two sectors of the economy with mostly male employees.

The effects? Women are presently breadwinners in millions of families. When a new breadwinner emerges in a family, you often have some shifts in the family’s financial life – and financial priorities and objectives can be altered.

As an article on the website of Financial Advisor Magazine noted, some financial consultants are seeing a “significant uptick” in the number of women asking them for advice.² When a secondary earner in a family becomes the prime earner, that person usually develops more awareness of the family’s financial state and may seek financial advice in a way that the previous breadwinner has not.

In 2010, are women more realistic about retirement?

The 2010 Retirement Confidence Survey from the respected Employee Benefit Research Institute (ebri.org) indicates that women are much more realistic (and pragmatic) about their financial readiness for retirement than men. In the 2010 survey, 19% of men said they felt that they would have enough money to live comfortably throughout their retirement years, while only 12% of women taking the survey said so. While 33% of men felt they would have enough money to cover basic retirement expenses, only 25% of women did.

If you ask many financial consultants, they will tell you that they find women more open to financial education, with fewer entrenched beliefs and presumptions. Women are often quick to realize how much they don’t know, how much they can learn, and how much needs to be done. Only 22% of the workers in the 2010 EBRI Retirement Confidence Survey said they had savings or investments of more than $100,000, so coming to the realization that you need to do more for retirement is a very good thing.

Some men have a very subjective take on the financial world and their financial status and potential, whereas women tend to be in search of a candid, objective assessment of what needs to be done and what options are available. With the economy affecting retirement accounts, retirement dreams, and employment, it isn’t surprising that high-earning women are taking the lead for millions of families – and taking and interpreting all the financial advice they can get.

Thrive Don’t Just Survive….

10 Principles of Faith-Based Millionaires

2010 is Your Year!    WEBINAR REPLAY

Dear Jay,

Here is the replay link for last Tuesday’s Webinar. Over 200 people from all over the world joined us last night to learn 10 keys principles of faith-based millionaires.  I explained in great detail how 5% of the population was able to thrive through the toughest economic environment in over 50 years. Do yourself a favor and take 60 minutes to listen to this very TIMELY webinar!

LISTEN NOW

Here is what I covered on How to live a recession-proof life

1.       Give at least 10% away

2.       Save at least 20% for long-term

3.       Save  at least 10% for emergencies

4.       Automate savings and bills – become a faith-based investor

5.       Live on 60% or less of income

6.       Have multiple streams of income

7.       Have proper insurance in place

8.       Use debt wisely

9.       Have a coach/ financial accountability partner

10.   Money does not define success or happiness
LISTEN NOW!

Only 20 spots are open for the next Thrive Class – 4 week intensive wealth building course.

Thrive Don’t Just Survive – 4 week wealth building course
Starts July 6th, 2010 (for 4 Tuesday nights with one on one coaching)   enter code “peroni” to save $50

CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP OR LEARN MORE

“Knowledge is the key to financial freedom”

How do you reach your financial goals without sacrificing your principles?

Jay Peroni, CFP® can help you find your way using a GPS System based on biblical principles:

	Grow your wealth: We’ll show you how to find investments that reflect your Christian values, morals and beliefs. You will receive specific investment strategies and advice designed to help you grow the assets God entrusts to you. We’ll teach you how to know what to buy, when to buy, and when to sell. It is about how to find good investments! Imagine making long term 20 year compounded rates of return of 20%, 30% or even 50% per year. We made over 50% in 2009! Some of the greatest investors of all time (Warren Buffett and Peter Lynch to name two) do this by asking two simple questions: Is it a wonderful business? Is it on sale? That’s it. Simple. Easy. We show you exactly what to do!
	Protect your wealth: Our training is designed for an environment such as this! High unemployment, low interest rates, volatile stock market. Our strategies are designed to help you weather the storm, gain peace of mind, and have confidence that you’re heading in the right direction. With specific training and strategies, you’ll know exactly what to do.
	Share your wealth: By having more you can give more and help advance God’s kingdom. Financial freedom allows you to help more of His people. We provide timely financial advice and training to help you better manage your finances.

To Listen to the Call CLICK HERE

Learn Jay Peroni’s GPS System that has helped thousands learn how to successfully build wealth

Jay personally guarantees that if you don’t get your money’s worth from this class, tell him what it WAS worth and he will refund the difference.  Jay is so confident that you will learn the keys to get unstuck and move forward financially that he offers payment plans and an unconditional guarantee.   Don’t let price or doubt hold you back.

SIGN UP TODAY

Here are a few testimonies:

“After the last crash I took a breather and reevaluated my investment philosophy. The idea of investing in companies that directly attacked biblical values gnawed at me. Also, just researching the companies to invest in, and when to do it, was becoming very draining. Well, with Jay’s Investing membership, it is all done for me. What an incredible find!

I now have an experienced and professional investing team that really cares about ME. You will learn to invest money with a clear conscience with their patient, teachable hearts. How do I know that? Not one email I have sent Jay has gone unanswered!” - D. K.

“I just wanted to write to you and say thank you for all that you are doing.  I have been following your picks since last June and am very pleased with the results.  I have made back all my losses from 07-08 and have watched my portfolio move into positive territory substantially.  You are a true answer to prayer.” - R. H.

“About a year and a half ago I prayed that God would bring a Christian into my life to help me with my investing.  To make a long story short I was in a Christian bookstore and bought Dan Miller’s book 48 days to the work you love.  I became a member of 48days.net and joined your group Faith-based Millionaire’s.  The rest is history.  Though I may or may not meet you in this life, I just wanted to say thank you for the great impact you have made in regard to my family’s finances.  And the way I look at investing. Thanks again and God Bless!” - E. S.

“I love the fact that this is a Bible-Based program and that Jay is a reader, teacher and doer of  the Word of God. He is a motivator, encourager and has a personal interest in the success of each person that wants to Thrive and not just Survive. The relationship with Jay has gone beyond great webcast teaching, documents and exercises. I count it a blessing to know Jay! God has orchestrated this opportunity with Jay as one of the means to fulfilling God’s purpose for success in my financial life. My desire is to bless many not only with my gifts and talents but with my finances.” – B. F.

“This program has given me and my husband an opportunity to discuss financial issues in a new way. We have had many useful discussions based on the exercises, clearing up some misunderstanding and confusion we were not aware of. It’s so helpful getting financial advice that doesn’t conflict with our basic principles. We look forward to sharing the blessings that we hope will sprout from the seeds we are planting in this process. Thank you for all the thoughtful planning and time you have put in to this. It’s nice to see someone put their heart into their work.” – L. W.

“Jay has opened our minds to Kingdom finances; tithing, saving, debt, investing, insurance, etc.  We are changing some of the ways we are using God’s money. Especially debt eradication.  This is an excellent program. Jay’s presentation is very clear and precise.”

- R. F.

“Throughout his presentations, I can see that Jay is truly putting God in the center of his financial planning and management. This is what I want for myself also. I feel very comfortable in communicating with Jay and learning from him.” - D. S.

Thrive In Your Life ebook

You Should be Thriving, Not Just Surviving

Buy the Ebook Today “Thrive in Your Life!”

Reset your financial thermostat!
During this economic downturn, did you watch helplessly as your wealth evaporated? Have these downtimes left you down and out? Did you lose 10, 20, 30 or even 50 percent of your wealth? Foreclosure? Job loss? When times are good, it’s easy to remain the status quo. You can cover the mistakes: pretend things are fine as you rack up credit card debt and take out a second mortgage.

But in today’s uncertain economic climate, you need to make your own personal economy recession-proof. You need new strategies that can take you to new levels of success. Fortunately, your wealth building potential can be adjusted, like a thermostat. Is your financial thermostat set for success?

I want to help enable you to not only earn more money, but learn how to manage your money in a life-altering manner. Following a biblical template, we will look at good and bad uses of money and how to avoid the traps that keep millions of people from achieving their full financial potential. Given the current state of the market, there is no more important time than TODAY to reset your financial thermostat!

LEARN THE KEYS TO SUCCESS AND HOW TO TAKE ACTION
“Knowledge is the key to financial freedom”
How do you reach your financial goals without sacrificing your principles?

Learn how to Thrive in my new EBook!

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From my post at ChristianPF.com

Are Annuities Right for You?

How many times have you gone to meet with a financial advisor and they offer you an annuity? How many times have you heard about how awful annuities are? The truth is annuities very rarely make good investment vehicles.

In light of the recent market volatility, variable annuities are being reintroduced to a broader audience. Pre-retirees and retirees are giving annuities a second look because of the tax-deferred features and income guarantees. Is an annuity right for you? Let’s take a look at a few of the basics:

What is an annuity?

An annuity is a contract between you and a life insurance company that promises you lifelong income in exchange for a lump sum payment or series of payments to the insurer. The income arrives in periodic payments, either at once (an immediate annuity) or in the future (a deferred annuity, which also offers you tax-deferred growth of the assets inside it).

A look at the Pros and Cons of Annuities

As an independent financial advisor who gets paid a fee only rather than commission, I am always looking at the pros and cons of various investments. Let’s take that same approach with an annuity. There generally are two types of annuities – fixed or variable annuities. Fixed are tied to interest rates or indexed annuities tied to various indexes and variable are tied to the investment performance of the mutual funds within the policy. Let us look at the good, bad, and ugly features of the most popular type of annuities- variable.

The Good

Annuity ownership does come with some attractive benefits such as:

1. Flexibility and investment choices – Variable annuities have sub-accounts with various mutual funds to select from. This makes it easy to change investment direction or your allocations with little or no costs.

2. Tax deferral for your investment gains – Just like your 401k or IRA, your contributions and earnings can grow tax-deferred until you withdraw funds. If this is in a non-qualified account (non IRA or retirement), you do not have to make mandatory withdrawals at age 70 ½.

3. Income for life – I will concede that no other investment allows for the creation of income for life. Once you select monthly payments (or annuitize) your annuity contract, the insurance company will guarantee you (and your spouse, should you desire) the income payment for the rest of your life. This is like creating your very own pension!

4. Asset protection – In certain states, annuities are a shelter from creditors. If you work in a field prone to lawsuits or even if you are in a car accident, protecting your assets is important. Annuities typically provide this type of protection.

5. Potential protection from market losses. Many variable annuities let you benefit from stock market gains while shielding you against stock market losses. In the past, many have offered the annuity holder at least a minimum rate of return (a GMIB, or Guaranteed Minimum Income Benefit). Many have also offered guarantees that the annuity value will not dip below the value of the initial principal (a GMAB, or Guaranteed Minimum Accumulation Benefit). However keep in mind these guarantees are expensive and come with many strings attached. So buyers beware.

The Bad

1. Irreversible consequences. The idea of income for life sounds enticing but here are a few cavots. For example, once you annuitize (create income for life or a period of time), it often becomes irreversible. You often give up the ability to get your lump sum back or even pass it to “other beneficiaries”. So say you put $250,000 into an annuity at age 60 and accept the insurance company’s offer to pay you a monthly income for the rest of your life. It could take 20 to 25 for you to break even on that investment.

2. Locked up until 59 ½. Another downside is that once you put funds into an annuity contract you cannot touch those funds until you reach age 59.5. Otherwise you have to pay a 10% penalty for early withdrawals.

3. Poor tax planning. A withdrawal from an annuity is treated as ordinary income rather than qualifying for the often more favorable long-term capital gains treatment. When you do start to take funds from the contract, the portion of your payments that are considered investment gains are taxed at your ordinary income tax rate instead of the long-term capital rates. This rate could be higher than the current capital gains rate.

4. Insurance company financial health. You can’t judge a book by its cover, but you can judge an insurance company by its Comdex ranking. This is a useful place to start. As the name implies, the Comdex is a composite index: an average percentile ranking of credit ratings provided for life and health insurance companies by firms such as Moody’s Investors Service, A.M. Best Company and Standard & Poor’s Corporation.

The Comdex ranks insurers using a weighted average on a scale of 1 to 100, 100 being best. If an insurer has a Comdex rating of 85, for example, that means the Comdex has ranked its strength and solvency as superior to 85% of the insurance companies in the index. If you want to see the actual ranking/opinion of Moody’s or Best or another credit firm rather than an average, visit www.iii.org/individuals/life/buying/strength – this is the website of the Insurance Information Institute, a longstanding information source for media and the public about the insurance industry. Or find your state insurance department via www.naic.org.

5. Inability to screen for your moral and social preferences. Most annuities have no choice for morally or socially conscious investors. Your investments may be supporting companies involved in abortion, pornography, embryonic stem cell research, gambling, tobacco, alcohol, or other issues important to you.

The Ugly

1. Surrender charges – If it’s not bad enough that your funds are tied up until age 59 ½, you also have to be careful because most insurance companies also charge a surrender fee (usually on a five to seven year scale). These fees often start at around 8% in the first year down to 0% in year seven. So, a $100,000 investment could cost you $8,000 (8%) in surrender fees if you take your money out in the first year. It will usually go down 1% per year until reaching 0% at the end of the surrender period.

2. Up-front commissions. Annuities are still primarily a commission-based product. They can pay commissions of 5% or more to the agent who sells them to you. That’s $5,000 or more in commissions for each $100,000! Don’t be afraid to ask about the commission he or she collects by selling you the annuity before you invest. Not that it always influences a recommendation, but you have to be careful as some agents are glorified salespeople looking for their next commission check.

3. Annual fees, administrative charges, mortality expenses, and other charges – With so many layers of fees, how will you make money? I have seen investors who have been in annuities for 10 years or more make very little money because of these high fees. It will affect your investment performance. These charges are often buried into the cost of your annuity. Reading a prospectus is often eye-opening!

As you can see, everything is not what it appears with an annuity. You need to read all of the fine print before investing a dime.

Five questions I would ask before investing include:

1. Where is your money going and what values are you supporting?
2. How much risk are you taking?
3. Is your money liquid and easily accessible?
4. What rate of return should you expect in this low rate environment?
5. How do you protect yourself from taxes and inflation?

If the investment you are considering doesn’t answer these five questions in a way that you feel satisfied, go with your gut instinct, and look elsewhere. Annuities are certainly not a fit for everyone!

Battle scars

“Watch your thoughts, they become your words.

Watch your words they become your actions.

Watch your actions they become your habits.

Watch your habits they become your character.

Watch your character for it will become your destiny”.

– Frank Outlaw, Founder, Bi-Lo supermarkets in South Carolina

Scars show experience…

Scars show the pain that you’ve been there, done that…

But scars can be the best measure of future success if you’ve learned how to use them to your advantage.

When it comes to your financial life, you bear the scars of your past.  You need to understand exactly where you’ve been, what mistakes you’ve made, and what lessons you’ve learned in order to make progress.

I often see people trapped in the past, afraid to go forward because of previous failings.  They are scared of getting burned again so they do nothing.   They expect God to bless the steps they never take.  How can God bless your career when you’re trapped in the status quo?   How can he bless the investments you never make?  How can he bless the business you never start?  Or prosper the relationship you never commit to?

God can certainly bless anything He desires, but often He is looking for us to make the first move.   Unfortunately, many of us miss the greatest blessings that are right around the corner simply because we let our battle scars stand in the way.

Why do you want to succeed?

Mike longed for more money…   He worked harder and harder, longer and longer.  He longed for days of freedom.  When I asked him why he wanted more freedom, he looked at me like I was crazy.  Why would I ask such a foolish question was his insinuation?  Yet I was seeking the deeper reason why freedom was so important.   After breaking down his walls of comfort, Mike finally began to open up.

He wanted more time to do things he enjoyed.  Yet when we examined what he did with the free time he already had, he was perplexed.  So in other words he discovered what he was really saying was he wanted more time to do absolutely nothing.  This revelation came after analyzing the use of his current free time. It essentially was being wasted doing little of significance.

Using the Love, Live, Prosper method I developed,  Mike uncovered what was most important to him.   He found a new way to live life with fuller and deeper meaning with much more significance.  He discovered myths and false beliefs holding him back and how past failures were keeping him imprisoned.

Finally he broke the chains.   He was free!

Now freedom meant living out his dreams, of which he was committed to do until the day he reached his goals. A prosperous journey for Mike began and ended with the Word of God.  To prosper in God’s way, Mike kept God’s Word as his source of delight.

Introducing the “Faithful Five”

How did Mike make a 180-degree turn?  How did he discover:

• His true calling?
• His career path?
• His spiritual gifts?
• His proper financial plan?

Mike examined five critical areas of his life: where he worked, where he gave money, where he saved and invested his money, how he viewed debt, and where he spent money.

He recommitted to be a:

1. Passionate Income Earner – doing what he loves
2. Generous Giver – Using God’s money to bless others
3. Wise Investor – carefully multiplying the wealth entrusted to him
4. Cautious Debtor – committing to only use debt as a last resort
5. Prudent Consumer – spending only on things in line with values