These obstacles can include high levels of student debt, stagnant wages, limited job opportunities, and the rising cost of living. Many individuals find themselves stuck in a cycle of paycheck to paycheck living, unable to save or invest in their future. This blog aims to address these challenges and provide practical advice and strategies to help people overcome these obstacles and achieve financial independence. While not everyone may resonate with this topic, for those who are struggling to attain their version of the “American Dream,” this blog will serve as a valuable resource and source of inspiration. It will offer guidance on budgeting, reducing debt, increasing income streams, and navigating the complexities of the modern financial landscape. By sharing personal experiences, success stories, and expert insights, this blog aims to empower individuals to take control of their financial lives and work towards a brighter future.

After one of my seminars, I noticed a woman hanging around but not coming up to talk to me like so many do after it’s over. She just stood in the back of the room, moving her lips and staring up at the celling. She had heard me say in the seminar that I was always the first to arrive and the last to leave, so he wanted to talk to me alone about something that really mattered to him.

When the last attendee left, she walk up to me and said, “I know you are probably ready to go home, but the things you were saying about investing started me question my financial future and I wonder if we could visit for a few minutes?” I said what I always say when people ask for my help “If I can help, I will” and I sat down. I sensed that he had been standing in the back of that room building up the courage to tell me his story because he didn’t set down next to me, he simple started. This is his story of woo.

I have worked for the same major corporation for the last 13 years of my life. I work hard and take pride in doing a great job for them and thought that dedication would move me up the corporate latter. All I had ever wanted to do, the reason I went to college, the reason I got a graduate degree in business, was to succeed, be paid well and make a difference. I never saw myself doing anything but working for a company.

After several years of having a “good” job, reality started to set in. I looked around and saw older people in the company who were not having the kind of lives that I thought would naturally come. I began to understand that all the things I thought would allow me to be successes in life (education, dedication, loyalty, expertise, a good job with a good company) were false and misleading and very deceptive.

My company always gives a cost-of-living pay raise, usually 3-4 percent maximum until the last 2 years in which they gave nothing. My loyalty, experience and dedication were inconsequential. I have to admit that I have never had a pay raise. It appalled me to understand that I was making the same income (inflation-wise) as I did the day I started. It was obvious what my worth was.

No matter how hard I had to work, I had to fight my way to the top of the corporate pyramid. Somehow, I thought I would make it. But common sense says only one person in the corporation “makes it” … the president. Everyone else gets the wind knocked out of their sails. We all think we are better than the other guy, but the company just doesn’t see it that way. Then, last month I was passed over for promotion by a younger employee, once you’re passed over, chances are slim of getting another chance at a promotion.

JE, when you asked in the seminar “What are you paying with to work where you work?” I realized after years and years of working for a corporation that I was paying with was, my life… and I was paying too much! After 30 years of working for a corporation, if they fired me or I decided to quit, what would I have to show for it? I helped to build their company; I gave my years, energy, intellect, and all I would have to show for it would be my paycheck stubs. I don’t want to spend the next 20 years working hard and have only my paycheck stubs as your reward? You got me thinking; it would be better to have walk away income where I could tell my company to “Drop Dead”, a residual income that would allow me to someday retire and receive an income for all my life?

Do you think it’s too late? Can someone like me do anything to break these chains? I’ve seen other workers at our company work for 20 years and they let them go. What is a 50-year-old supposed to do? If their 401k is like my 401k they would not have enough money to retire on in 100 years. I don’t have enough income or time to build a good retirement savings. I feel like I have failed my family. Damn it, what was I thinking?

I told her that was quite a story and I know there are a lot of people out there waking up at 3:00 AM with the “how am I going to make it” thought holding their sleep hostage till the alarm clock goes off just like you. There is a bright side to the road, though. You will have to suspend that conventional wisdom way of thinking and start using some good old common sense. Conventional wisdom got you in this mess, now you need to think your way out.

Sherlock Holmes said, “when you have eliminated the impossible, whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth.” So, I have tried to think of a way out of the trap you find yourself in. Conventional wisdom does not seem to offer any solutions. Investing in your 401k is a gamble and the knowledge that taxes are going up and it makes little sense to defer taxes when they are low until a time when they are high.

Then you need to do something very few people ever do; START. Start learning ways to free up money and invest it. That will be something this site will help you with. So, keep reading, learning and thinking, there is a bright side of the road.

Second Chance Hope Group is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization dedicated to transforming lives and providing hope for a brighter future. Our mission is to equip women with essential financial education and resources to ensure they have a solid head start upon reentry into society.

We are seeking compassionate and dedicated individuals to join us as Preferred Local Providers. As a Preferred Local Provider, we guarantee that you will play a crucial role in helping victims or spousal abuse integrate back into society by offering personalized support and resources. Your local knowledge and community connections will make a significant impact on the lives of those we serve. By serving them, you serve your community.

Duties and Responsibilities:

• Contacting: Reach out to these women by phone or in-person to offer a warm welcome and introduce them to the support available through Second Chance Hope Group.
• Assessing Needs: Identify any special needs or challenges women in shelters and parolees may face and connect them with local charities and resources that can offer assistance.
• Community Integration: Serve as a liaison between the women and community services, helping them navigate their reentry and find the support they need to succeed.

Why Join Us?

• Make a Difference: Your efforts will directly contribute to improving the lives of battered women.
• Community Impact: Help create a safer, more supportive environment for everyone by promoting responsible behavior and providing essential resources.
• Personal Fulfillment: Experience the rewarding feeling of knowing you are making a positive impact on someone’s life during a critical transition period.
• Educator: If you are a retired teacher looking for something worthwhile to do; volunteer to teach classes.

How to Get Involved:

If you are passionate about helping others and making a difference in your community, we would love to hear from you! To become a Preferred Local Provider with Second Chance Hope Group, please contact me at JE@SecondChanceHopeGroup.org.  Together, we can provide hope, support, and a second chance for those who need it most.

Thank you for your commitment to creating positive change.

If you always do what you’ve always done — you will always get what you’ve always got.

If you’re not where you want to be, it’s up to you to change. You’ve got to change the people around you or change the people around you. You’ve gone in the wrong direction, that’s what got you here. You need to make better decisions about your life and you finances.

The first thing you need to do is to “Resolve”. Resolve is a promise you make yourself. “You see that mountain over there? You will either see my waving to you from the top or find me dead at the bottom.” Resolve is a promise you make yourself. My definition of a fool is someone who lies to themselves and believes it. Don’t be a fool. I don’t do that “goal setting” thing very well; I just know what I want and what I want pulls me around like a chain around my neck, it doesn’t push, it pulls me.

The great football coach Bear Bryant once said, “When your back is against the wall, move forward. Well, that’s Ok advice but if I were you I’d look at all the possibilities, climb it, go around it dig under it or tear it down.

The thing that will make it possible for you to do these things is “Knowledge”. You can make better decisions if you have better information and better information is what we will give you. You will be able to attend these classes right here or in person just contact us for more information.

Hope Matters

We understand that financial literacy is crucial in breaking the cycle of poverty and despair. Our organization, Second Chance Hope Group, offers comprehensive financial education programs that empower individuals to take control of their financial future.

Most people don’t realize that hope is something everyone needs, yet many live without it year after year. They live without it for so long that hope scabs over and becomes a hard place in their hearts. I’m here to tell you hope is real, it’s like food and water, it’s a physical need. The Bible says You cannot live on bread alone, you need hope. In a situation of trauma or incarceration, hope is the only path out, it is a sure-fire cure if you know how to apply it to your situation.

People who don’t have a home to go to, some place where they have to let you in or people who are incarcerated who don’t have the freedom of choice. If these people lose hope they are doomed to a vicious circle of poverty and despair. Hope is a weapon that has superpower to make things happen and expand your comfort zone. It gives you the courage to accept the challenges that face you and bring those monsters to their knees.

We live in cynical times. Cynicism robs you of your dreams. There is such a thing as false science, false friends, false beliefs, but there is no such thing as false hope. Don’t hope that things get easier, hope that you get better. You need better information to make better decision so it makes sense to gather the information you need to change your life. That means you need better financial information. Learn your way out of poverty, learn your way out of despair.

We at Second Chance Hope Group are dedicated to teaching you how money works and how to apply this knowledge to change yours and your family’s life forever. Through workshops, seminars, and one-on-one coaching, we teach practical skills such as budgeting, saving, investing, and debt management and we help you get started again.

Together, we can transform lives through the power of hope and financial empowerment.

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   I greatly appreciate your help Your brother in CHRIST, Steven W.

·       I feel in my heart your class should continue here at this unit. But I understand the financial bind without any support. You do know you could use your nonprofit 501c3 and ask for donations from the local churches in the area by news letter(reach out to them) and let them know your need for gas vouchers financial program your teaching This should get others interested in your vision Who knows God could give you volunteers to assistance you. PETER JEROME M.

Thank you for the service, work, and knowledge that you shared. Truly, you have a servant heart and making a difference for the incarcerated.

NOAH H

·      So JE I got my parole answer and I’m going to be released on July 17. I will be contacting you once I’m out. I could use all the help I can get with resources and knowledge. I’m looking forward to starting my business and turning a new chapter in my life. I’ll talk to you soon and thank you for the advice.

Kyle W

“I now know when I leave here two things, which Direction to go and more importantly which direction to not go.”

—Billy

“Damn Warr, I wish I knew then what I know now.”

—Champ

“I going to give you a free “Cunou pass” to the Hood.”

—Risky