They are available on Amazon and according to the company at Radio Shack. I found them at Target on-line and Overstock.com, but sold out.

I’m goint to check out Radio Shack to see one of these first hand.

Here is a short demo on them from Jacia, Tiger TV on YouTube 

This video may help in your purchasing decision on which e-readers to choose from.

http://bcove.me/z0lt5nem

 What These 5 Cities Have In Common?

Boquete, Panama │Granada, Nicaragua │Hangzou, China

Morelia, Mexico │Cuenca, Ecuador

You guessed it.  These five cities according to U.S. News are affordable on very little income, which is compelling many of our retirees to move to foreign lands. Seniors living on just social security pensions see an opportunity to reduce their cost of living expenses dramatically.

Boquete, Panama is super friendly to foreign residences giving them a long list of benefits including discounts on prescription medicines, in-country air travel and offering closing cost on the purchase of local real estate.

 Granada, Nicaragua is a charming Spanish-colonial city. Seniors only need around $900 a month to live well on.

Hangzou, China offers an exotic life for about $1000 a month.

Morelia, Mexico is another historic city full of charm and for $1,100 a month you can live life very nicely.

Last on the list is Cuenca, Ecuador. You use up just about all of your $1,200 a month to live here but its all worth it when it comes to climate control.  Ecuador is the land of eternal springtime, never too hot and never too cold.

Personally I’m not ready to pick-up and move. America is the land that I love. I’ll visit. I’m happy to explore and take trips, but the good old USA is where I call home and want to hang my baseball cap!

If you feel the same… then you’ll want to keep on putting money into your savings, retirement plans and investments.

The “New Normal” Is You Have To Savings More!

We are living into our 80’s and 90’s (God willing) which will require our money to last longer.

Don’t put all your hopes into Social Security being your ticket to financial freedom when you retire. You’re kidding yourself if you think this is your retirement “meal ticket”. It won’t be and it was never meant to be your only source of income, and it never will.   

I recommend socking away money monthly. Make it automatic. Just do it…you’ll be thankful you did as you get older.

For those of you thinking right about now that you are stretched thin and don’t have even a penny left over to save. I challenge you to take a hard look at where you spend your money now.  In my years of helping families I can tell you that your reality of not having money left over may be more of a denial of what you “want” verses you “need”.

Want V.S. Need

• You may “want” your child to go to a private school, but if you don’t have six to eights months saved for emergencies.  It’s not a “need” it’s a “want”.

If you don’t have emergency money set aside you are putting your family at risk!

We all want the best for our kids and that starts with a good education. You may not be happy with the public schools in your neighborhood. If this is the case I urge you to strongly consider moving to an area that offers a good public education. Take the tuition money you spend and put it into an emergency fund.

Your kids will understand that the family needs to have an emergency fund. The lesson you will be teaching them is worth its weight in gold.  It’s not a punishment. It’s about keeping the family save.

• You may “want” to take your family to dinner once a week, nothing to expensive, let’s call it a Friday Pizza Night.  

You’ll spend at least $40 bucks maybe more. Do this every Friday and that’s $160 a month that could go into savings. In a years time that’s just under $2,000 you’ve saved.

Again if you don’t have an “Emergency Fund” and putting at least 10% of your pay check into your retirement account monthly – this is a not “need”.

 You are putting your family at risk.

I suggest a family cook night. Let the kids choose a healthy menu and make it a theme night. Save the money you would have spent eating out.  If you have emergency fund of six to eight months saved… I like to offer the kids an affordable vacation to thank them for pitching in and helping the family save money. 

• You think you “need” to buy the latest new fashions or electronics for yourself or your kids.

If you do not have six to eight months socked away in an emergency fund. This is a “want”. You all can get by nicely with what you have.  Let the kids know they can help by taking care of their stuff so you’re not out replacing broken or torn items.

If you have not made your future retirement income needs a priority by investing at least 10% of your monthly income into your retirement plan than this is a “want”.   Pass – Pass – Pass!

You are putting your family’s needs at risk and your retirement needs at risk too!

Please don’t depend on the government to provide 100% of your needs as you get older. If you do you may end up moving in with you kids or moving to one of these five foreign cities to live.

Some of you may find the idea of living with your kids comforting. Some of you may be excited about retiring to a foreign country to live out your days. Or it may scare the pants of your kids thinking dear old mom and dad are moving in or leaving the country for good.  Or worse! We don’t want to be a burden from a financial or health standpoint when we get older.  So taking care of your money and health becomes a priority now more so than ever. 

If you have not planned out your budget we offer a FREE interactive budget that you can use to see and adjust your monthly expenses.

E-mail Joyce@Blonskij.com and put FREE – Family Monthly Budget in the subject line. We will e-mail you out this template.  It’s easy to use even if you are not computer savvy.  The best part is it will be obvious where you can tighten up your spending and shift more into your savings.

 Get this FREE Family Monthly Budget template and start saving more!

 Think of your money as “fuel”. The more you have the further you can go. If you have a lifestyle that’s modest you may need less to live on later.  Savings is still important.

If you have a large monthly expenditure you will want to maintain into your later years… you better be putting away a good chuck of your income now.   Or you may have to downsize your life later.

Rule of Thumb:  For every $100,000 you have saved for retirement you can withdraw $5,000 a year with a very high probability that you will never have to dip into your principal.

To help you figure out just how much you’ll need to save monthly give us a call. We’ll be glad to get you started on a path to financial security.

Call Toll FEEE and get the peace of mind knowing you can retire and still afford the American Dream to live “The Good Life”.

 Call Now: 1 (866) 339-6400.

For those of you who find it’s too late in your life to save more and are retiring on a shoe-string, here are links to help you begin to research your relocation options. The five cities you may want to consider looking into to relocate your home outside of the U.S.

Good luck, safe travels and God Bless.

5 Retirement Destinations Outside of The United States of America:

1. Boquete, Panama:  http://www.escapetoboquete.com/
2. Granada, Nicaragua: http://www.granadanicaragua.net/
3. Hangzou, China: http://eng.hangzhou.gov.cn/
4. Morelia, Mexico: http://www.mexicoretirementguide.com/communities/morelia.htm
5. Cuenca, Ecuador: http://internationalliving.com/2009/06/cuenca_ecuador/

Learn more about the services we provide. Visit our web site:  www.Blonskij.com

 Joyce Blonskij is a Financial Advisor with over 25 years experience working with clients and their investments. With over 18 years of her career at with a major Wall Street firm she was among a few client advisors to achieve their highest level of recognition for her hard work, as a Senior Vice President – Investments.  She was also recognized for her ethics, hard work, mentoring other women financial advisors and her over all excellence. She spent 10 years in the Savings & Loan Industry as a branch savings and loan manager.

Today Joyce has her own financial services firm, Blonskij Financial Services, in Roseville California. She opened her doors in 2003 to be able to offer our clients a full array of investments, and to improve on the quality of research and internal services being offered.

Mrs. Blonskij graduated from California State University, Sacramento and has a Bachelors of Arts degree.  She also holds a certificate in Estate Planning for Financial Professionals with the American College.

Co-Host on Blog Talk Radio, The Fitness IQ Radio Show, panel expert in Financial Fitness which airs Friday’s at 11am (PST) Tune in at:  http://www.Blogtalkradio.com/The-Fitness-IQ-

Joyce Blonskij a Registered Representative. Securities offered through Cambridge Investment Research, Inc., a Broker/Dealer, Member FINRA/SIPC.  Investment Advisor Representative Cambridge Investment Research Advisors, Inc., a Registered Investment Advisor.  Cambridge and Blonskij Financial Services, Inc. are not affiliated.  www.blonskij.com

The views expressed are not necessarily the opinion of Cambridge Investment Research, and should not be construed directly or indirectly, as an offer to buy or sell any securities mentioned herein. Investing is subject to risks including loss of principal invested. No strategy can assure a profit nor protect against loss.

The information being provided is strictly as a courtesy.  When you link to any of these web-sites provided herein, Cambridge Investment Research and Blonskij Financial Services makes no representation as to the completeness or accuracy of information provided at these sites. Nor is the company liable for any direct or indirect technical or system issues or any consequences arising out of your access to or your use of third-party technologies, sites, information and programs made available through this site.

 Here is some bright news for those of you wanting something tangible to latch on to:

 •  The US employment numbers are getting better.

•  The US housing markets are stronger.

•  The US economy is stable.

On the other side of the Atlantic our EU neighbors are feeling the pain of major problems to their beloved Euro thanks to problems in several of the EU countries; Greece, Portugal, and Spain.  A trillion dollars has been pledged to help bail out Greece, and this news alone has calmed markets globally.

However, just like our TARP bail out last year here in the US, it has to be voted on and agreed to.  That brings up one looming problem… the government in Germany just changed hands and the new labor party is not to keen on a bail out of a trillion bucks!  Until a plan has been put in place in for Greece the markets will continue to be choppy. 

So what does an investor do in times like we just experienced when in a single day the US Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJIA) drops nearly 1000 points?

This answer is going to be different for everyone!

Knowing what you’re investment goals are will determine your course of action.

I want to point out that as our economy improves, inflation will start to creep back and prices will begin to move higher for our day-to-day commodities like gas, coal, natural gas, and industrial materials and metals. I suggest planning ahead and looking for risk averse investments that will make money when inflations starts back.

If you are interested in a FREE 30 minute Snap-Shot Portfolio Assessment please give me a call to schedule a no cost, no obligation phone appointment. Toll Free 1 (866) 339-6400.

Happy Trades To You…

Visit our Web Site: www.BLONSKIJ.com

 Toll Free 1 (866) 339-6400

E-mail Joyce your comments or questions at: Joyce@Blonskij.com

Joyce Blonskij Registered Representative. Securities offered through Cambridge Investment Research, Inc. a Broker/Dealer, Member FINRA/SIPC. Investment Advisor Representative Cambridge Investment Research Advisors, Inc., a Registered Investment Advisor. Cambridge and Blonskij Financial Services Inc. are not affiliated.

775 Sunrise Ave Ste 250 Roseville CA 95661

http://www.cnbc.com/id/35817439

Are the bears about to wreak market havoc? Our traders are keeping a close eye on the S&P for an important ‘tell.  And that something is… a double top formation in charts of the S&P 500.  Technical analysts consider the double top a bearish signal. And chatter is growing that this pattern may be emerging.

If you follow techincals you may know that the S&P 500 has broken through key resistance at 1,130/1,135. The next important area is 1,150-1,160, a range the market has not traded above since October 2008. Many chart watchers including Fast Money’s Guy Adami don’t expect the market to push above the 1150-1160 range — and if indeed that happens – it generates that tell-tale double top pattern.

But not everybody is negative. Certainly not John Roque of WJB Capital  — he tells the desk he’s cautiously optimistic because the S&P 400 (mid cap), the S&P 600 (small cap), the Nasdaq, the Dow Transports, and Value Line Arithmetic Indexes are all above their Jan 2010 highs.  And I think the ‘tell’ could be if the market settles above 1150 on Friday, adds Terranova. Without 1150 I don’t think we see the mutual fund Monday inflows.

Read the full article at: http://www.cnbc.com/id/35817439

Joyce Blonskij is a Registered Representative. Securities offered through Cambridge Investment Research, Inc., a Broker/Dealer, Member FINRA/SIPC. Investment Advisor Representative, Cambridge Investment Advisors, Inc., a Registered Investment Advisor. Blonskij Finl Services and Cambridge are not affiliate.

The information being provided is strictly as a courtesy.  When you link to any of these web-sites provided herein, Cambridge Investment Research and Blonskij Financial Services makes no representation as to the completeness or accuracy of information provided at these sites. Nor is the company liable for any direct or indirect technical or system issues or any consequences arising out of your access to or your use of third-party technologies, sites, information and programs made available through this site.

Get Motivated & Financially Fit!

 The physical pain of being out of shape financially stems from: 

• Not enough in savings and investments- or Worse, Nothing at all.
• Your paychecks don’t cover all your monthly expenses and you live paycheck to paycheck and hope nothing unexpected pops up.
• And Too Much Credit Card Debt

 You know you’re in over your head when….  

• Getting phone calls from collection agencies all hours of the day asking for payment.
• A notice on your door that you’re losing you home.
• Bills that keep piling up in the corner of your desk – going un paid or worse ignored.
• Late fees and Over-Limit Charges that keep putting you more and more into debt
• Sleepless nights, Loss of Appetite, or Stress Eating
• Arguments with your spouse, children and co-workers
• Road Rage
  • and on and on….

 This is enough pain to be the motivation needed to make a change! There is one catch…no matter how bad you want to change you actually have to get up off your dime and make it happen.  

Zig Ziglar, said:  “MOTIVATION FOLLOWS ACTION” –  and I completely agree. 

Let me give you a quick example: 

I weighted 255 pounds 3 years ago and wanted to lose a few pounds to qualify for a Long Term Health Care Policy…. So I joined Weight Watchers and lost 56 pounds.  (see my BEFORE photos at www.ItsMeltingOff.com) 

I got motivated initially because it was painfully clear… I was too heavy.  I had to do something.  Fear and necessity were my triggers initially to get started. The action was joining Weight Watchers and following their program. 

As I saw the weight come off… that kept me motivated to keep going and lose more. 

If I’d sat at home instead, wishing to be slimmer — nothing would have happened and there is a very good chance that today I’d weight closer to 300 pounds today…! 

Motivation…. FOLLOWS Action 

Here Are My Action Steps To Help You Get Financially Recharged and Motivated 

1. Know your spending limits every day and each month.

Just like counting calories to lose weight, you have to know how much money you take home every month and what your bills come to every month. 

If you make more than you spend – Congratulations!   

You need to bump up your savings and investments to put more away for a rainy day. 

If you spend more than you bring home –You should know exactly where your money’s going and where you might make improvements. 

With all the free budget programs available online, it’s simple to get started. What’s not so simple for some? Sticking with it. But if you want to break out of the cycle of living paycheck-to-paycheck and learn how to spend within your means, keeping a budget is a smart first step. 

I have a FREE Family Budget that I am happy to e-mail to those of you who would like a simple and easy-to-use budget spreadsheet that works with Excel. Just e-mail me at Joyce@ Blonskij.com and I will send it out to you. 

ALSO – Schedule “bill time” in your calendar at least monthly to evaluate your budget, pay your bills, and figure out if there are places you can cut costs. 

I’m just finishing up a Free Report: “55 Ways to Save Money”. Check back  on this blog site www.BrilliancebyBlonskij.com  for more ideas. 

2.      Freeze your Credit Cards  

Credit Cards are like “Fast Foods” 

They are quick and easy and super convenient, but their ease of use can also lead you to overspending. 

Need a trick to help you stop the credit card madness? 

Freeze you credit cards! 

 That’s right. Try dropping your card in a plastic bag, add water and stick the baggy in the freezer. You’ll still have access to it if you need it, but having to wait until your card thaws will give you some time to get over the impulse of buying things you don’t need. 

3.      Pay Off Credit Card Debt 

MYTH  OR TRUTH —  I should pay off the debt with the highest interest rate first to get out of debt quickly. 

TRUTH — Pay off the smallest debt first to create the greatest momentum in your debt snowball.   

If you feel like you need to experience small wins along the way to keep you motivated, the Debt Snowball  method might be the way to go. The Snow Ball Method for Paying Off Credit Cards is Attacking The Smallest Debt First vs Paying off the Cards with the highest interest rates first. 

What’s important isn’t what method you use, rather that you get started… now! 

 According to Time Magazine 45% of Americans make resolutions and only 8% accomplish them. What sets the eight percent apart from the rest is: 

KEEPING YOUR GOALS IN FRONT OF YOU ALL THE TIME 

• They need to be TANGIBLE.
• They need to be WRITTEN DOWN.
• They need to be POSTED.

If your 2010 goal was to save more…  That’s too generic.  

You need to get specific.  

My 2010 Goal is to save $5 a day by packing my lunch instead of buying it out! 

That’s TANGABLE. 

Next – Write it down.  

I will save $25 a week / $100 every month. I will put $100 monthly into my savings. 

I will put $100 every month over my minimum payments towards paying off my ABC Bank credit card.   

Lastly – Post It Where You See it Frequently. 

I love Post-It-Notes – Post it on your computer at work, on the bathroom mirror.  I’m saving $5 every day – $25 every week $100 ever month and $1200 a year towards my savings or to pay down my Credit Card with ABC Bank! 

All you need to do is have one day of success, and then make it 2 days…. 

Before you know it you’ll be empowered over your money. 

Not having to live paycheck-to-paycheck. 

You’ll be in control of your income and money in savings and investments. 

You’ll be excited, motivated and feeling great about yourself and you’re Finances. 

Don’t delay e-mail Joyce for a Free Family Budget Joyce@Blonskij.com 

Free Report:  “55 Ways to Save Money” will be available soon! 

Registered Representative. Securities offered through Cambridge Investment Research, Inc., a Broker/Dealer, Member FINRA/SIPC. Investment Advisor Representative Cambridge Investment Research Advisors, Inc., a Registered Investment Advisor. Cambridge and Blonskij Financial Services, Inc. are not affiliated. 

The information being provided is strictly as a courtesy.  When you link to any of these web-sites provided herein, Cambridge Investment Research and Blonskij Financial Services makes no representation as to the completeness or accuracy of information provided at these sites. Nor is the company liable for any direct or indirect technical or system issues or any consequences arising out of your access to or your use of third-party technologies, sites, information and programs made available through this site.