Excerpt from my Upcoming Book

Hi all,
This is the preface from my upcoming book, Online Credit Coach: A Step by Step Playbook to Scorng Financial Victory. It s schedued for publicatin an release n April 2009. Be on the lookout. This is not just a motivational book, its not a complicated theoretical diatribe. Its a hands-on, practical guide to organizing your finances, improving, your credit, an building your net worth. Its a workbook format that you can complete at your own pace. By following the guide and completing the exercises you are learning but also applying the concepts to your personal finances. I guarantee that for someone who doesn't know where too start this will be the easiest an most powerful self-help book you will ever find. In the meantime, if you need guidance right now, call or IM me. Post your question to this blog or check out some of the current resource books listed in our bookstore. .

Merriam-Webster defines a coach as one who instructs on the fundamentals of competitive play and directs strategy to defeat an opponent. Today’s consumer marketplace is as competitive as any athletic field. For many families, the obstacles between them and financial well-being seem as impenetrable as the Baltimore Raven’s defensive line. These obstacles might include under-employment, layoffs, illness and medical expense, rising fuel costs, inadequate/expensive childcare, and more. Contrary to popular belief, lack of money is not usually the root of the problem. Lack of planning is usually the core issue.As a Certified Personal Finance Counselor, I usually meet my clients for the first time due to a current or ensuing dilemma. Maybe they’ve been turned down for financing for a car or home. Perhaps they have fallen behind or are about to fall behind on bills. Collectors are calling nonstop and attorneys are threatening to sue them in many cases. Even when they are making their payments on time each month, most of them are one missed paycheck away from disaster. Does any of this sound familiar to you?As your OnlineCreditCoach, my job is to whip you into financial shape. First thing you need to know is that we are a team. On the playing field the only thing the fans see is the completion of plays that result in either scoring or turnovers. In terms of your personal finances, the only thing your friends and family will see is you attaining your goals or living in frustration and dissatisfaction. Bottom line is: I can’t be successful if you are not successful. So we each bring something to the table. You bring the resources, goals, and drive and I’ll bring the training, expertise, and motivation. Together we have the framework for success.Second, this is a process. The football coach needs to be able to recognize talent, to direct conditioning and practice, research opponents, and to plan the strategies for a win long before the team sees the victory. In the same sense, The Financial Fitness Playbook will help you recognize and optimize the resources with which you have to work. This book will increase your knowledge of the concepts and terminology needed to make smart money choices. And finally, I will share the techniques and tools I have used personally and with my clients to execute the OnlineCreditCoach game-plan.That’s right! I have used many of these techniques myself. I’m a single parent. In 1999, I suffered an injury which resulted in the loss of one of my eyes and left me with a permanent visual impairment. I was unable to work for two years after. The financial, professional, and emotional devastation seemed insurmountable. I’m not telling you this to evoke pity or sympathy, but instead to inspire you. Hopefully you will never suffer this type of setback. And even if the circumstances that caused you to pick up this book are comparatively as serious; there is hope! You just need to claim it.That’s not to say that this book is the “Hail Mary” pass that leads to the game-winning point for the Cinderella team in the Final Four. That would be too good to be true. Also, don’t expect your drive to the goal to be unopposed. You know what they say about the best laid plans. Emergencies come, priorities change, and techniques that work for me, may not work for you. For some of you, changing your attitudes and behaviors is going to be a biggest battle along the way. But you can do it! And I want to help.Finally, I’m a sports nut. (AS if that wasn’t apparent) A lot of what I was taught about discipline, perseverance, strategy, motivation, and character was developed and tested first during childhood sports. While attending the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill, I made a friend who has since retired from professional sports and has become a sports agent. (I’m working on being able to drop his name in a future edition of this book, but until then he shall remain nameless, lol.) He invited me to speak to some of his young clients regarding resolving college debt and long term financial goals. In his introduction, he paralleled my advice to that of a “credit” coach or trainer. The name stuck as did the analogy. I promise to ‘chill’ with the sports jargon from here on out so you won’t tire of me and throw in the towel. LOL.