Well, this week of work sucked. I’m not sure I earned enough to live on.

Fortunately, the US Government, in her infinite wisdom, sent me my $600 tax refund.

That’ll hold me over for now.

Unfortunately, my credit card company is being an ass.

I made a $604.51 payment last weekend, after I got my last paycheck. I paid online. The funds cleared from my checking account on Monday, the 5th, and on that same day, posted as a payment on my credit card.

On Tuesday, the 6th, my credit card put a $603.51 “pending charge.”

Basically, they received my money, but wanted to make sure I still didn’t have any available credit on the card.

I inquired Customer Service (or should I say Customer Dis-Service) about it. Apparently HSBC has a policy of holding payments for up to 14 days. So even though the transaction was all electronic and cleared immediately, they’re going to make sure I don’t get credit for it for up to two weeks!

Which would be fine if I wasn’t using my credit card for things like, oh, paying for gas for work.

Right now, I have a pending $1.00 charge on my account, from when I last filled up. Once the gas station submits the receipt (or whatever it is they do), the full $34-something amount will post to my account.

Except, because of this $603.51 payment hold, I currently only have $4 of “available credit.”

Meaning, if the gas station charge posts before the payment hold is released, I’ll get hit with another $30 over-the-limit fee!

!!!!

Now, for most people, $30 bucks may be annoying, but it’s really no big deal.

Well, for me, for right now … that’s like a whole day of gas for driving for work. I could also get about 6 or so good meals out of that $30 too.

My credit card company is basically stealing 6 meals or a day of gas for work, by implementing this ridiculous “14 day payment holding” policy.

They don’t need 14 days. There’s no physical check to process and wait to clear.

The entire transaction was done online, processed electronically, and cleared next business day.

God damn.

Last month I had to pay a $30 over-the-limit fee. I didn’t realize how quickly I was spending money on gas and food, and reached my limit too fast. Because gas stations only “charge” $1.00 when authorizing your credit card, it artificially looked like I had more available credit than I actually did. So when those actually fuel charges posted, suddenly I was over the limit.

Fine. That was my mistake. I could’ve kept closer track of my expenses. Because I bank online, I usually just check my statements once a week from home. I could’ve, should’ve, kept all my receipts and logged them into Quicken daily, I suppose. So although I wasn’t happy about it, technically going over the limit was still my fault, so I paid it.

But now this — this is just annoying. This is frustrating. This sucks.

I hate being poor.

I’m stressing about every dollar.

This is no way to live.

For anyone.

And now I’m bothered about the advanced stock trading seminar I signed up for. As I mentioned a couple blogs ago, I paid $495 for that. I put it on credit, knowing my $600 was coming from the government. The seminar promised to teach us how to get into the market very cheaply, using advanced technical trading of stocks and options, and other strategies. Even if I only started with very little, over time, I could be building it up. At least then I’d be doing something. At least then, I could tell myself I wouldn’t be struggling financially forever. It would make the journey in the meantime more bearable, because I was actively doing something to improve my financial future.

But I’m worried, because I learned after-the-fact that, apparently, they don’t deliver on what they promise. What’s worse, half of the seminar is a hard sales pitch for another, more expensive seminar. About $5,000 for the next one.

And guess what? I was speaking with a gentleman last night who had heard about this company too. Apparently, even the $5,000 seminar isn’t the end. They hard sell you there, for an even bigger, more advanced, more intensive, high-end blah, blah, blah training program — for the low, low price of only $35,000.

Give me a break.

Look, here’s how I see it. HOPEFULLY I’ll learn something worthwhile at the seminar I already paid for. It’s too late to cancel and get my money back. I’m in it whether I want it or not now. I’ll go, learn as much as I can, and walk away. Maybe, hopefully, I’ll take home something I can start using. Maybe, I’ll learn enough valuable information to make my money back in the stock market, like I planned. Maybe, probably, even more.

The way I see it, money is just money. It’s not time. It’s not life. You can always make more of it later.

Even if I get scammed, even if I get ripped off by credit card companies, even if I invest in bad deals or start up businesses that ultimately fail … it’s just money. You can always recover it again later.

So if my $495 was wasted — fine, it’s a learning lesson. I can get that money back, and more, somewhere else, some time else.

It’s just so hard when every dollar counts, and you need to do something, but everything you’ve tried so far hasn’t worked yet.

It’s hard when you try everything you can think of, and feel like you’re running out of options.

But — here’s one thing I’ve learned about life. There’s always more options.

Always.

In fact, I’ve already come up with a couple new options I’m looking into.

There’s one opportunity — called Nouveau Riche — that’s building a community to help train and support real estate investors. I’m learning more about it. Doing my due diligence. I’m actually meeting with someone Monday night, who’s involved in the business, to answer more of my questions. The refreshing thing about all this, they don’t do pressure sales. “This is what we do. This is how our education system works. (Much like a traditional college.) This is how much it costs — total, ever, period.  This is what actual students are doing on real deals in your local area. If you’re interested, that’s great, talk to us. If not, that’s cool too. Find what works best for you.” :)
I’ve been to various network-marketing business opportunities — or MLMs or direct sales, they’re also called — and it’s pretty much the same pitch. “What’s your dream? Join our program, recruit friends, sell our product, follow our system, and in 18 months to 3 years, you’ll be earning $150,000+ a year.” Fine. Most MLMs are legit. And the people who really work them do make money — in some cases, far more than just $150k. But most of their sales pitches make it sound like if you don’t do their system, if you don’t join their specific business, you’ll never get out of the rat race.

That’s bullshit.

Anyway, I need to find something that’s going to work for me. Something that I can start now or very, very soon — something that doesn’t cost a whole lot up front. I need to get started.

I can’t keep living like this.

Any more.

I can’t.

This pain has driven me to seek out solutions.

I’m looking into the Nouveau Riche thing. I’m taking the stock investing seminar. I’m reading books, listening to audio programs, learning everything I can.

I’m also thinking about the assets I already have.

I love to teach. And I’m good at it.

I love to write. And I’m good at it.

I know a lot, already, about business and investing, about religion and spirituality, about personal growth, about lots of things.

I wonder … what do I already have to offer?

What value can I give to others?

Many — actually, all — of my mentors and teachers have said that to be successful and build wealth, you need to create or add value in other people’s lives.

And to become really rich, ask yourself how you can offer more value to more people, at a better price.

So I’m exploring what I know, what I can do, what I have to offer — that can reach more people, add more value, and offer it at a more than fair price.

Am I making sense?

I have a friend who makes cheesecakes. She uses healthy, high-quality ingredients. Her cheesecakes are super delicious. And she sells them at a very reasonable price.

Her business is booming.

I have another friend who sells tire paint. Yes, tire paint. He developed a paint formula that sticks to the walls of your car tires, made some different colors and stencils, and sells them from his website. When he first told me this idea, I honestly wasn’t sure what to expect. The first part of me didn’t think it would sell. I mean, who would buy paint for their tires? And why? But I also knew that you never know. Heck, even the pet rock sold enough to make its inventor a millionaire. My friend’s product was new and different. And sure enough, it’s selling!

It’s actually selling very well.

I love entertainment and I love spirituality.

Maybe I should be pursuing those.

Maybe all this financial struggle is because I keep going down the wrong path — and I’m too stubborn or too afraid to go after what my heart really wants.

I write good stories. People get pulled into the story right away, connect with the characters, and are entertained for hours. That’s value. That’s something people can enjoy. Maybe I could write some fiction stories, give a free chapter or two online, and sell books.

I also have tons of experience and knowledge in spiritual things. I could teach people how to talk with their angels, develop their intuition and other unique spiritual gifts and abilities, and things like that. I’m getting good at recording podcasts. Maybe I can create personal growth audio programs people can buy from my website.

These are all things I naturally do well — and love to do.

Maybe I should stop looking externally. Maybe, the solution to our own problems, lies within.

Naturally, I’ll keep you posted. :)

Thanks for your support, my friends.

Namaste, love, aloha,
David Michaels

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