Description

‘Old money’ advice for the savvy young professional

This implementation guide (pdf + Etemplates) contains no get-rich-quick schemes, just old-fashioned, tried-and-tested, “Don’t say I never told you” styled advice for the young savvy professional. It started as a handbook for my daughters as the sudden death of a friend, who was younger and fitter than me, reminded me that I might not be around to offer advice when needed.

Successful people won’t say they’re rich. They’ll say they’re comfortable. And if you really think about it, comfortable sounds marvellous.

Your comfortable car could be a C-class Mercedes with heated leather seats with a massage function. Your comfortable home could have a cosy fireplace and a very comfortable jacuzzi. Comfortable holidays could feel like not needing to rush around and do everything in five days, because you could afford a comfortable fifteen days. A comfortable lifestyle could look like being able to easily afford a membership at a prestigious golf club.

The best thing about comfortable is that it’s attainable for anyone willing to take the right steps, avoiding the many and varied pitfalls.

Already, you may have made some poor decisions: spending too long in a relationship that never was going to work, accepting a job that was not playing to your strengths, spending too much time finding your first home, managing to get on the wrong side of your boss or a work colleague, the list goes on. This implementation guide will help you avoid repeating these mistakes that are preventing you from becoming ‘comfortable.’

Throughout this implementation guide, I have designed helpful checklists and evaluation tools to aid readers. These e-templates are included with the PDF .

The varied and hopefully interesting topics include

Your other half

1. Finding a life partner worth keeping
2. Past lives – past loves
3. Keep your powder dry when dating a potential life partner
4. Understanding your and your partner’s language of love
5. Should I stay or should I go?
6. How to handle the heartbreak when a relationship has ended
7. How to separate without funding the legal profession

You and your money

8. Your superannuation – some useful guidelines
9. Never mix old family money with your partner
10. It is time to start a will
11. Twenty tips when buying your first home
12. Pay your mortgage off in 15 years – (I’m serious)
13. Borrowings that will enhance wealth, rather than destroy it
14. Don’t own a rental more than a 40-minute drive from where you live
15. How to avoid dumb investments
16. When to get into the stock market
17. Insurance – get the cover you need
18. Avoid owning a holiday home, a motorhome, or a boat
19. Buy well, buy once
20. Give, and you will receive
21. Never sell your crown jewels
22. The $740,000 pension dent when a kid goes to a fee-paying school
23. How to avoid buying a lemon of a car
24. Things you need to know when owning a car
25. How to get your fines waived

Setting a direction for your life

26. Using the ‘law of attraction’ to turbo charge your life
27. Have a reason to jump out of bed every morning – your Ikigai
28. Have a treasure map with your balanced goals for the year
29. How to ascertain your natural talents
30. The importance of a second passion, a safe haven
31. Think how you want to be remembered

Forging a career worth having

32. The key bases to cover in your early career
33. Am I in the right career?
34. Make sure your career is as secure as a hedgehog
35. Before you think of moving jobs
36. Use ‘Magnetic Marketing’ to find a better job
37. Setting up your own advisory business
38. Choosing the right competing job offer

Working more effectively with others

39. Six negotiation tips to get to “Yes”
40. Creating a strong and healthy relationship with your boss
41. How to handle a ‘bully of a boss’
42. How to get respect in the workplace
43. Handling office drama
44. Giving recognition freely
45. Learn how to sell and lead change
46. Invest time to explore “Action Meetings”
47. Other ways to save time in meetings

Renovating your first home

48. When restoring a house, try working on a ‘week-on, week-off’ cycle
49. How to handle a large renovation
50. It is worth using a talented designer
51. Get a cluster of tradespeople and look after them
52. Learn to fix things

This implementation guide is a companion to ‘Life Skills to Master for A More Comfortable Life,’ which includes content on:

• Family and friends
• Getting organized
• Working on yourself to be a better person
• Winning work habits
• Health and wellbeing