This is a short story about the value of surrounding yourself with people of knowledge and expertise.

It is so easy to overspend when you don’t have an actual budget or a plan. We have all heard the saying… if you fail to plan… plan to fail.  It is also easy to overspend when we bury our heads in the sand. I’ll tell you how I would bury my head in the sand. I started by hiring a bookkeeper to take care of my bills. The problem was I had no idea how much I was spending every month, until it was time to cover the checks the bookkeeper was sending out. After two years of doing this, I went to my bookkeeper’s office for the first time and realized that she had a full time staff member exclusively working on my finances.

Upon learning this, I terminated the relationship and began to seek alternative solutions. A financially savvy friend whom I trust referred me to Natalie Curtis, of Back Office Business Solutions of Napa.  When I met with Natalie to go over my accounting, I was extremely impressed with her professionalism and knowledge. The first thing I realized was that Natalie was not going to build a business from my weaknesses in bookkeeping and accounting. Natalie’s plan from the start, was to phase herself out of a job by educating me and assisting me with a realistic plan and budget. With a little front end work, Natalie helped me to set up a system that requires less than 2 hours per month of my time. For the first time ever, I have minimal debt… and I credit that to Natalie. Now, don’t get me wrong… I was committed to change and growth and although I did most of the heavy lifting, Natalie made sure that I had “back” support when lifting.

I still meet with Natalie monthly to modify and update my financial plan. Whether you’re just getting started or a seasoned investor, Natalie can assist you in your personal financial plan.

If you need assistance developing a financial plan, I highly recommend Natalie.

Feel free to call me personally with questions or information regarding Natalie Curtis.

I would love to hear from you. Please add your comments to this blog.

Have a great day!

 Congratulations! To Lynn and Ron Auld. They were the September "Pick a Winner" contest winners. Here, Lynn holds the $100 gas card. She was so excited! It was truly a joy to deliver the prize to her.

You could be Octobers "Pick a Winner" contest winner. If you did not receive a playing card from a deck of cards in the mail, be sure to email me your address at jerry@cbnapavalley.com if you want to play. Your odds of winning are great!

Lynn Auld

Lynn and Ron Auld, September winners.

   The definition of a brainstorm is the to leverage the ideas and brain trust of a group of people.

So, I thought that it would be fun to share some ideas that I have learned from others. Here are two that I have incorporated recently.

#1 Is my new green car... a Prius. For me that was a significant adjustment since I hardly fit in the car. Nothing against the car... it is very roomy... and I am just big! But when I go to the pump I feel like a champ. And even better, I feel a since of being responsible.

#2 A good friend of mine called the "Green Goddess" Rebecca would notice how much water I would consume every day. Although she agreed that the water I drank was good for me, she noticed that most of it came from plastic water bottles. Rebecca explained to me, the amount of bottles that are found at the dumps. And worse how long they take to decompose.

The solution... re usable aluminum bottles! Save the earth!

And for you Starbucker Coffey drinkers... a Coffey refill is only 50 cents. That is for the same cup that they charge $1.90 for.

What ideas do have to share with us?

 Fives simple ways to give back.

1. Join a worthwhile non profit.

2. Help at church.

3. Help feed the homeless at "The Table" (Napa)

4. Have a garage sale and donate proceeds to your favorite charity.

5. Food bank is in desperate need of food.

Do you have any other ideas?

 A famous motivational speaker whom I had the privilage of meeting once said... To get what you want, just give more people what they want. "Zig Ziglar"

Another leader once said that "Givers gain"

What can we do to help others? This topic is wide open!