Replenishing the Source

"Love never dies a natural death. It dies because we don't know how to replenish its source. It dies of blindness and errors and betrayals. It dies of illness and wounds; it dies of weariness, of witherings, of tarnishings." ~ Anais Nin

Alternative to Quicken, for Mac

I am always on the lookout for alternatives to the Intuit Empire. The makers of QuickBooks and Quicken sell a number of services and have become the lion's share of the market. Yes it's what most people are using.

But it leaves a lot to the imagination. They don't develop almost at all for Mac and their compatibility and other issues seem unnecessary and unreasonable.

This morning I was gifted with a new idea: iBank. For Mac. It seems to have the functionality of Quicken plus some and is integrated with all the cool Mac functionality that we love.

Try it and let me know what you think!

Financial security: Insurance

Recently I was driving on a gravel road and hit a pothole. When I got home I found that I was leaking oil badly, so I took the car to the shop where there was more than two thousand dollars worth of damage, none of it covered by the warranty. They did, however, suggest that I call my insurance and low and behold it was covered!

One thing I rarely think about these days is my insurance. I bought coverage years ago as suggested by the academic honors group from college without thinking a lot about it (I was young and uninitiated). I also bought renter's insurance for my apartment.

When I got the new car last year I decided to go all out and get the policy with full coverage, uninsured motorist, collision, the works - to take really good care of myself financially. It was a better choice than I realized.

What I found is that small bit of planning has saved me a lot of money. A few years ago the building had a break in and the insurance covered our loss at $1500. And this time I paid $100 for the $2200 in repairs. Useful!

This is the case of an ounce of prevention is worth more than a pound of cure. The $1400 a year that I pay for insurance more than makes up for what I've had to claim in the past few years.

Insurance is a form of self-care. What kind and how much are something to discuss with a professional.

I watch people under-insure themselves all the time. And then I watch them struggle when something happens. It's just painful. And unnecessary. The difference in premiums is often minimal and the sense of peace it often brings can be profound. So really consider the ramifications of that decision.

If you've done your budgeting work, you'll know whether the price of the insurance is within your budget and what things you could move around if you needed to.

Making the right choice doesn't have to be a mystery. There's a local agent that I love, Ruth Stroup, who does amazing things. I recently watched her increase a client’s coverage on a home while simultaneous decreasing their payments because she did some consolidation. She's done great work for my clients.

There's also SafeCo which is who I use because they've done such a great job over the years.

Insurance is about increasing your financial security. If you think you don't have what you need or you have more than you need, contact a professional and ask questions. The good ones will answer them without pressuring you and only invite you into their practice if they can help you.

Taking Care of Business, Taking Care of You

Money work is about two things: taking care of yourself and information. Most of my posts are about the information side. This post is about some ways that you can take great care of yourself and increase your ability to bring in business at the same time.

In my experience, I handle money best when I'm feeling at my best. When I'm feeling down or haven't been taking good care that's when I'm the most likely to make less than stellar decisions - to spend money badly, dip into savings when I wasn't planning on it, over commit myself, or take too much time off.

So here's a reminder of some things you can do to make sure you're feeling in tip top shape. Doing these things consistently will change the way you spend money because it will change the way that you feel. Most difficult decisions people make around money seem to happen when they are feeling emotional, drained, exhausted or scared.

1. Sleep. Getting enough sleep consistently is one of the most important things you can do for yourself. Make sure your space is comfy and dark and that you get at least 7-8 hours every night. If you're doing substantial healing work (physical or emotional) you need 9 and a half hours a night.

2. Eat well. You are what you eat, literally. Your cell walls are made of the fats you eat, your blood carries the nutrients, proteins make up your skin and hair and veggies support your system running clean and getting rid of waste. Crowd out caffeine, sugar, preservatives and trans fats with real, whole, nourishing foods. Eat what truly nourishes you so that you are available, focused and ready for your business and for your life.

3. Exercise. Exercise is the only thing clinically proven to improve depression - the only thing. Moving your body consistently changes your brain chemistry, makes you more effective, able to focus, lifts your mood, and makes you ready to take on the world. Find some way that you love to move your body and go for it! If you don't love your body, begin by becoming aware of that and notice what joy there is. Keep coming back to that in any moments of self-destructive behavior to help you re-focus. You are a beautiful human being.

4. Get outside. The earth, the clean air, the sunlight all have things to offer your body. Sunlight effects brain chemistry positively. 20 minutes a day is the minimum needed to get your sun-related vitamins. Yum!

5. Be kind. Doing a kind act releases serotonin which makes you feel good. In fact, doing the act, receiving the act, and watching the act all create those chemicals. Make kindness part of your day and see how it changes the way you feel.

5. Love. Be with people who feed you and who you feel good about. When you're filled up you're more likely to do something kind and be at your best and that draws the best of the universe to you.

6. Play. Playfulness inspires participation. Looking to bring in new clients? Play. Looking to find a partner? Play. Get out and have a great time and see what happens, how many people you meet and how you feel afterwards (it's also great to helping you induce sleep and cure insomnia!). It's one we often seem to over look, but that attitude is more likely to bring in clients than all the other things you're doing combined. Plus it's fun. And who doesn't want to have fun?

6. Practice skilled relaxation. Whether it's meditation, yoga or Tai Chi, doing something that intentionally brings you into your body and present helps your nervous system do it's job and take better care of you and your brain which makes decision-making more clear. Plus it feels so good.

7. Contribute. Recently in a workshop Matthew Engelhart of Cafe Gratitude fame, said something to the effect of, "When you feel constricted around money, give." Contribution gives life purpose and meaning as does love and family. These are things that help us, causing us to strive for the best and reach beyond ourselves into the extra-ordinary. Also remember that bit about kindness above? I'm a volunteer junkie - helping people makes me feel really good. And right now there are a lot of opportunities to help. So figure out what inspires you and give - time, money, energy and see what happens. Open the door to possibilities and co-creating something amazing with the people you love.

8. Take care of the gift wrap for your soul. You body is the home of your emotions, thoughts, and actions. Don't put off the trip to the dentist, doctor, healer, massage practitioner or body worker. If you know you need to, you do. Feeding yourself in that way makes you available to friends, family and your business. You've only got one body and I know it's cliche, but it will take care of you if you take care of it. All those aches and pains, lack of clarity, headaches and stiffness are telling you something. Tune in and listen.

Have a beautiful amazing day and I look forward to seeing you out in the wide world!

Finding The Forms You Need

You know how at the end of the year you're working on those pesky 1099 forms but find that you don't have the contractor's social security number or tax identification number?

Very small companies and companies that use a lot of independent contractors need to use for W-9 get tax ID information from their contractors. It's a simple form to have your contractors fill out bfore they start working with you.

You can find that form here. (Note: This will change in future years.)

You can search www.irs.gov for IRS forms or pulications. They are generally available online.

Now you know, so no excuses!

Business Practices and Emotional Clarity

This weekend I went to Cafe Gratitude's Sacred Commerce workshop.

It was both informative and a lot of fun.

They use components of NVC (non-violent communication) to help people really hear and be heard - critical to make sure your work with clients and employees is clear, effective and efficient.

This workshop is taught by Matthew and Terces Engelhart, the founders of Cafe Gratitude. They have clearly studied a lot of personal growth work from NVC to meditation and gratitude practices. The workshop itself is about how to clear out what's keeping you from being present so that you can be at work and not be carrying emotional baggage into that or any space. In fact they take it beyond being present into being grateful. It's a great idea and it really works.

Cafe Gratitude spend about $230,000 a year on this process. They employ more than 200 people and every morning they do this process with each employee from District Managers on down to dishwashers. Each person sits with someone and goes through the process of getting present and shifting into gratitude. Every day.

And they are profitable. That's the key here. This is a business who consistently turns a profit with sustainable business practices. They wrote a book about this process and other aspects of how they run their business called "Sacred Commerce" which you can also find on their website.

Not only that, but they have started a practice of making their work more widely available by using a model of pay it forward. You go to the workshop and get value from it and decide what it's worth and then pay for the next person to be able to get that same seat next month. I paid for my seat so that you can go. Enjoy!

To me Cafe Gratitude is a clear and exciting example of how business can work in alignment with their values and do amazing things in the world.

Using QuickBooks Online - IE plug in for Firefox

There are still a few sites that run on Internet Explorer only and QuickBooks Online is one of them. I don't recommend it, by the way. It's slow, clunky and often has connectivity issues. But if you're going to use it, you might want to use it in Firefox rather than in IE itself.

If so, you'll need this plug in for Firefox. It is for Windows only, as far as I can tell. Sad all around. It means that I still can't use QBs Online on my preferred and well-loved Mac. But at least I'm not bound to Microsoft.

Beginning with a new Bookkeeper: Documents and Information

Happy New Year!

People often decide that they want to start with a new bookkeeper in the new year. After deciding on who, and where and for how much,  the next big question is:  what do I need to give my shiny new bookkeeper in order for us to work together?

I've put together a list of documents that you'll need in starting with a new bookkeeper. Keep in mind that you'll need these document as of the date of either the opening of the business or the date of beginning the new records (whether you're choosing QuickBooks, Quicken, Excel, or doing the books by hand you'll have to choose a starting date).

• Checkbook stubs or checkbook register with vendor names, dates, and amount information.
• Business bank statements (checking, savings, etc.) 
• Business loan information (lines of credit, personal loans/equity, asset purchases, etc.)
• Copies of deposits including descriptions of income
• Business credit card statements
• Business expenditures made with personal funds (check, cash, credit card)
• Subcontractor/vendor information (name, address, taxpayer’s identification # either EIN or SSN)
• Customer/client information (name, address and how much they owe you) 
• Business taxpayer’s identification numbers (federal & state)
• State & Federal applications for filing online payroll taxes
• Employee information for payroll tax returns
• Federal and state tax returns for previous year's filing, if applicable
• CPA, tax attorney or tax professional's contact information, if you have one

A note about QuickBooks and downloading transactions. Many people want to be able to download transactions into QuickBooks or Quicken or some program.  To do that you'll have to talk to your bank and make sure that your bank has that functionality with the type of account that you have and that you're set up to do that. Many banks won't allow you to download QuickBooks formatted transactions from personal accounts and these days there are often fees for the privilege - I've seen them up to $16/month. 

Usually you need a separate pin for the software to access the bank's website and sometimes a specific log in to access the transaction. Sometimes you'll need to import them as you can't download them directly and sometimes you can just click one or two things and make it happen. There are time limits to how long the transactions remain on the bank's website as well (usually three months, but American Express seems to have an entire year's transactions for download and have been the easiest to work with). 

In any case, there are many answers to this question. So be prepared. If you want this feature, either let your bookkeeper know in advance or be prepared for it to take some weeks to have this set up as the pin in generally mailed to you.

Additionally downloading transactions doesn't always save time. The professional will have to review each and every transaction that goes in regardless of whether they are downloaded or entered manually. And if you're downloading transactions, you're trusting the bank's word on your transaction.  

Something Simple: Pre-made Spreadsheets

I've just run across the most comprehensive list of tracking, budgeting and financial spreadsheets I've seen on the internet. There are both free and more elaborate paid spreadsheets on a myriad topics.

Go see it here.

Financial Pressure? What to do Right Now

One of the lessons that I'm learning is that time and space create a lot more results than pressure.

Have you ever been in a pinch and tried to come up with new ideas about a project? It doesn't matter if it's for work or at home. If you're really worried about it, what happens? 

Often the ideas struggle out of my brain. I'm worried and have a hard time focussing. I feel urgency and want results now.  I find that if I'm under enough pressure, I look back after making the decision and realize there are about 14 things I hadn't thought of that didn't make it into a project idea or into that proposal or off to that client.

On the other hand when I take time and open up space and spend some time relaxing,  ideas just come to me - out of the blue. Brilliant ideas for projects, services and products - so many that I can't follow up on all of them.

Financial pressure is a lot like that.  There are plenty of places that talk about money as a river or stream or flowing water and that use the metaphor of a faucet. My experience is that worry is akin to turning the faucet down or even off.

But why?  I've heard it talked about in terms of energy and there is something there. But in terms of psychology, what we see is that people get and do what they focus on - they find proof for their stories.  That's why advertising works. You see an ad for toothpaste over and over and pretty soon you're standing in your bathroom wondering how this this toothpaste you've never tried before got into your house.

Things that we imagine often come to pass - positive, negative or otherwise: because our brains are looking for them. Our brains are trained to find patterns and so the patterns you put into them is what you eventually find. It's why we seem to have similar relationships over and over - and that's part of why affirmations work. We tell our brains to look for certain ideas and hooks and it does. So I talked about affirmations and and how to write them, now is great time to review them if you haven't in a while.

In an ideal world you would have a Financial Map of  Intentions - a review of what you've been spending and clear projections about what you intend to spend moving forward, month by month. That way you can review your monthly spending and make clear decisions in advance of financial crunches. 

But that's not always possible and things change - so no sense in making yourself feel worse than you already do. In fact now is a great time to be grateful for your financial prowess - you see what's going on, you've come to look for support and now you're going to change it! Way to go!

So what to do about financial pressure right now?

If you're feeling pressured about money, the first thing to do is to take a deep breath. (And notice when the last time was that you did that.) Just take a moment to relax and come back into your body. Sometimes it takes a few breaths or more to come back - a walk outside in the fresh air, a hug, looking at something beautiful, a nice long, hot bath. But take that time - it's well worth it and really supports making sound decisions.

Second do a real assessment: are you in danger? What are the real dangers in this situation?  Often we worry about financial pressures that might happen - in days, weeks and months from now. If those things aren't here, take another breath and notice that more than likely you really are safe right now.

Then create a plan. Not just for the crisis or thing that has come up that you're worried about, but look at the bigger picture. Decide what really wants to be done here - is this an obligation that you want to continue with? Is this mortgage something you can handle? What is coming up over the next few weeks that can effect this piece of your financial reality? And how can you effect positive change from right here. 

Remember in creating change you want it to be in alignment with your values. So if you value ease, think about what you can do to bring more ease into this situation.  How do you want to feel about this obligation and what can you do to bring more of that emotion into this situation?

Keep breathing and move gently focusing on staying home in your body and making positive changes that support the overall effort of your life. It might take time, but putting into place a plan for you financial success is well worth the effort.

Think and Grow Rich, Really?

When I was a teenager I had a job doing telemarketing. I hated it. Calling people to "book appointments" was loathsome.  I wanted to be doing anything else.  So sometimes I would call in sick when all I wanted was to be doing something else, like hanging out with friends or finishing that homework project (yeah I was a bit of a goody-goody in high school).

But I'm not any good at lying. So in order to call in sick, I'd have to invoke being sick. Have a cough, exhaustion, etc. And in the half an hour to an hour it took me to work up the courage to call and tell that lie I would start to feel really sick. And then I really needed that rest I was asking for. A very mixed blessing in my 15 year old head.

That is the power of the mind combined with taking action.

Saying it can make it so (you believe it), acting on that information will make it so (you create it).  As an example of how this works think of something you want that you know you're going to get. Like dinner - whether it's groceries, dining in a restaurant or fast food. Remember the last time you decided what to eat for dinner. How did you manifest that. You decide and know that you're going to get it. But you don't just know you're going to get it, you act on that information. If you didn't, likely you'd be very hungry quite often.

In reading "Think and Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill he says decide what you want in detail and name what you're willing to do to get it. Then he instructs his reader to say that plan every day, morning and evening and act based on that plan.

That's the essence of working in alignment with your values. 

Values, beliefs, truths, affirmations are all the same thing with different phrasing (and possibly different copyrights) but getting to the same basic idea and intention.

"Affirmations" affirm your path, ideas and being.  If you really want to take that business to the next level that you know will require more than one, one-time action, it requires focus, drive and follow through. It takes being impeccable with your word and always doing your best. 

It will take other things as well, depending on who you are, what your business idea or life path you desire and where you are now.  Do you know what those things are? Do you know what qualities you need to invoke for your success?

That single-minded devotion to your dream takes tools to make it happen. Reminding yourself everyday of your dreams and supports you in making that happen - otherwise known as manifesting.  In fact it's one of the keys in many personal growth systems. Don Miguel Ruiz in his book, "The Four Agreements Companion Book" says to make your own Book of Law which is about writing down what you believe about yourself and the world in order to create it. "Creating Money: Attracting Abundance" by Duane Packer and Sanaya Roman has affirmations throughout the book as a core practice of creating change.  Doreen Virtue, PhD. includes affirmations in everything of hers that I've come across.  And Suze Orman, "Financial Guidebook: Put the 9 Steps to Work" calls this same idea "creating new truths" and it's one of the first steps in her process. 

Whether you call them beliefs, affirmations or truths, we're all getting at the same thing: affirming a positive present and acting on it.

In the first year of my business I doubled my income. I didn'tknow it, but I was using affirmations and integrity work. I kept saying to myself, "I'm making more money doing bookkeeping." And so I sought that out. Then it became true and set up a self-fulfilling prophecy.  I went from making $1200 a month to $4000 a month in a year, freelancing, even when other people told me I was nuts. I began to expand into my skills and knowledge as a coach and counselor. They told me to go out and get a real job. But I am clear that I want to be doing something meaningful with my life: inspiring financial liberation. So I chose it, I affirmed it and I acted on it.

So why?  The truth that I can find is that your mind manifests what you believe.  The same is true of negative patterns. Have you ever spent the afternoon thinking about how fat you feel or how difficult things are? Have you found that things feel worse when you do that? It's the same idea. What you focus on you bring into being.

The deeper truth is that when you're planting your own seeds in your unconscious or conscious mind, it leaves less space for other, negative thoughts to get in there and have a field day of self destruction, defeat, or questioning self worth.  Being active has the added bonus that it creates change much faster than passively receiving negative feedback. You've created your own willingness to have the change that you are intending. You are practicing having what you want.

Falling Down: Avoiding the Pitfalls of Implementation

In working with clients I get to see their biggest successes and most difficult challenges of their relationship with money.

The big successes in the coaching process with most of my clients, especially the entrepreneurs? Vision. They know what they want. That's a big part of why they went into business for themselves: they can see the possibilities. And once they identify those possibilities, they start to see them in their lives. That's exciting!

The hardest thing? Implementation. The every day follow up on that big dream.  And that shows up in coaching. Some clients get to the goal setting stage and then say to me, "Wow, thanks for the help, I'll take it from here." And they take a break, give up, go out on their own and try to do it all alone.

The vast majority of the time, when I check back in with them in a month or two or six they are in the same place that they were in before they took a break or before they came to coaching at all. I hear frustration and overwhelm, blame and sometimes anger.

And the truth is, it is the every day, day-to-day, get up and go to work that's the hard part. The following up on that vision, keeping it in your sights and staying focusing on what you really want is taxing and time consuming. It's not all roses.  

So what to do?

The first thing to do is notice what's going on.  If we don't acknowledge that there's an issue or a block, it's nearly impossible to change it.  So notice, right now - are you having a difficult time getting what you really want? 

Then as yourself: Are you ready to commit or re-commit to that vision?

If you are, look for support. Coaching helps (that's why I do what I do - it's what I think is needed). Groups like masterminding groups or issue-specific peer groups or group coaching help. Having a money buddy to check in with consistently helps. The basic idea here is to get support to help you be accountable to your vision.

Here are some things you can do with that vision that will help keep you on track that you can do on you own:

* Frame your vision positively.

* Make sure to include not just your vision, but what you're willing to do to get it.

* Make sure that what you're going to do to get it is something that you'll enjoy and is related to your purpose.

* Write it down and post it in a place you'll see it.

* Read you vision to your self twice at day - once in the morning and once in the evening.

* Imagine yourself in your vision, getting what you want and doing what you say you're going to do for five minutes every day.

As always, if you try something I've written about or have an additional idea, please post a comment or email me and let me know!

My experience: Getting Things Done

I've talked a bit about "Getting Things Done" by David Allen. I did implement his system and I thought you'd like to know how it went for me. So here's a piece of my personal journal that I've edited and transcribed here.

"Last week I got the bottom of the 4th stack of Inbox stuff. Entered in Omni Focus, filed, calendared, put away. (Omni Foucs is a program that was written for use with Getting Things Done and was one of the best gifts I've ever received)
I didn't know things could change so much and that I could really let go of holding everything in my head.

"My desk has become a working space rather than storage. I feel confident that I'm holding all the pieces and that I can get to them all. I won't loose them. My computer files are backed up in case something does happen to it. (Thank you to Mozy)

"I found art from camp, important development work, books that have been missing, and cleared out places for old client files and documents that have been waiting to be filed for what seems like years. It's enabled me to do calendaring much further in advance because I know what I need to do and know that it's held in the calendar.

"It feels not just like I've cleaned something, but that I've made a fundamental change in the way that I'm viewing my work and working process. I started applying this to the rest of the house already and it's going to get all the stuff off my plate a piece at a time because in addition to doing the work, I don't have to hold the organizing in my head as well. It's really freeing up a lot of brain space

"The cost of this system: Omni Focus is $80 (Outlook has very similar functionality, if you know how to use it) , Getting Things Done by David Allen $15, inbox, $4, upright file holder, $3, new rolling shelves (not necessary for the system, just for me) $40, new insert for additional cabinet drawer, $8, box of manilla filing folders $6, and time. That's $156. I already had the filing cabinets and hanging file folders. The time it's actually taken me is a couple of hours a few days a week for the last 2 weeks. Plus 6 hours of reading and re-reading.

"This is a very useful system that don't require a ton of cash or a ton of time. Just focus and consistency and it creates that in its use."

What I'm finding is that in having a system that I'm sticking to it's revolutionizing my life. Creating time and ease in places that I've been holding. Needless to say, I highly recommend this system!

Sales Tax: Do you sell things?

If you sell things, generally you need to collect sales tax.  In California you'll need to talk to the Franchise Tax Board.  They have a customer service site, that's being fairly useful, though not great. The link to information on getting a permit is here.

The site tells you about the documents you need. You can send your application in the mail or you can go in to the office to do the filing.

My experience is that many government offices, especially around taxes are fairly nice, helpful people who are willing to show you what you need and explain the process. 

Credit consolidation?

Credit consolidation and credit counseling are ideas I've been hearing tossed around quite a lot.

I found a resource recently that I found has been helpful to my clients: Choosing a Credit Counselor.

It's on the FTC's website and includes information about the structure of various agencies, a bit about how to tell if they are legitimate as well as questions to ask them once you're ready to make contact.

If you're considering credit counseling, check it out. And as always, let me know how it works out for you!

Got money issues?

Lots of people have "issues" with money.

I was just reading Salon.com and came across this.

Since the internet changes things so often, I'll give you a brief synopsis: everyone needs to learn about money, even writers.

The author, Cary Tennis, answers a letter where a woman talks about caring for her partner, but because of his ideas about and patterns with money, she does not think the relationship has a future. They otherwise seem to have a great connection, but money is the pits.

Money is not something we talk about or get taught about - not by parents, teachers, in school or even college. Although we often pick up our parents attitudes and ideals, we don't always pick up their skills - if they had money skills at all.

This is no longer a world of pensions and jobs with lots of retirement planning and ease of buying single family homes (or even in sustaining two-parent families over time). The national economy is crashing and the global economy is in constant flux. It's up to us to create the future that we want.

In the case of this article, not understanding and talking about money has lead this couple to have a potentially serious issue. What to do?

Tennis suggested just what I was thinking - talk to someone and get some support. Talking about money can be inititally painful, but it often leads to openness and connection - enhancing relationships rather than detracting from them.

If you want to create clarity about your relationship with money, set aside some time to talk through your money stories. Talk about what your parents did with money and what that meant for you, how it felt and what the repercussions have been. Talk about what your parents spent money on and how you spend money and what you want your experience of money to be.

And listen. Listen to youself and your emotions as you talk and listen to your partner, friends and loved ones when they talk about money. Open the conversation and see where it takes you! And you want support around that let me know!

Free Credit Reports

One of the things that I like to do regularly is get my credit reports to see what's going on. You're entitled to one free credit report a year from each of the three major agencies - TransUnoin, Experian and Equifax - and these days you can get them online. You can get them more often than once a year for various reasons including if within 60days of appling for credit (whether you're approved or not).

Each of the credit bureaus does things a little bit differently, so it behooves you to look at all of them. I found a mistake on one of mine that was not reflected on the other two which was interesting to me (and I plan to dispute it).

But why just one? I recently started reading "Dirty Little Secrets:" What the Credit Bureaus Won't Tell You" (Entrepreneur Press) which has a lot of great information including that different companies report to different agencies but not necessarily to all of them, so the information is likely to be at least a little bit inconsistent (which I already knew).

But, did you know that even though you're entitled to a copy of your credit report, you're they can charge you to see your score? There are options to get 3-in1 reports for varying pricesor you can get them one at a time by agency.

By the way, I got my free credit reports at Annual Credit Report. I couldn't figure out how to find the free reports on the TransUnion site (it actually goes to a third party site that is full of ads and all kinds of products, but nowhere could I find the link to get my credit report for free). But Experian had the link on their front page. However, they all wanted money to take a look at the scores, so I opted for doing a search to find the above tool this which I've used before.

Over all it was a pleasant experience - I've been in process with my own money and credit stuff and am finding that the work really pays off. I'd love to hear what you find out and what, if anything, you do about it.

Cheat Sheet - how to make sure those payments get made on time

One of the things that can easily cause adverse credit for sole proprietors and small businesses is not paying bills on time. Not only that, but missed payments cost money - in late fees and often in interest. And sometimes one or two late payments can cause interest rates on credit cards to go through the roof.

So, in addition to a bookkeeping tool like QuickBooks or Quicken, I keep a cheat sheet called "Bills" posted on my office wall. It lists all of my bills - personal and business - as well as the amounts, the accounts they come out of by due dates.

And while many of us try to pay bills as they come in, sometimes things get missed - mail gets mis-delivered, statements get mixed in with junk mail or delayed. But I'm still responsible for making payments on time. With my little cheat sheet, any time during the month I can just glance up on my cheat sheet and be reminded of all of my regular bills.

I find that this little tool carries me a long ways towards reducing my anxiety about making timely payments.