Money, money, money. You need it. You need money to make money. I’m not going to tell you to go into debt or start maxing out your credit cards. Quite the opposite. I hope you don’t do either of these. I’m just providing a dose of realism. Businesses can’t survive forever without an influx of cash. And you need it for your future. Several incidents lately have prompted this newsletter and I can’t believe it’s taken this long to write. Too many artists are ignoring their financial well-being. I’ve been guilty of it myself. I started my business with such a small amount of cash I might have been declared legally insane. I could never advise an artist to leave a source of income without a guaranteed two-year salary in reserves and an intelligent business plan. I’m currently a member of a women’s financial group. We’re not an investment group, but we do talk about investing. We also discuss our financial health, plans for getting out of debt, retirement, interest rates, etc. Studying this stuff is much more interesting and valuable to some of us when we have others to talk with and to hold us accountable. I highly recommend starting your own group for just this purpose. To your financial health,

Become an Online Art Magnet:
How to Increase Traffic with Links, Keywords and Blogs

Teleseminar -  Wednesday, May 23, 6 p.m. MT

Clint Watson is back by popular demand! His last teleseminar, “How to Create a Website that Sells,” almost sold out and the recorded version has been equally popular. Clint will share the only two things you really need to know about search engines; how to build an ever-increasing amount of site traffic; simple actions you can take each day to increase your site’s popularity; and how to properly use links, keywords and blogs. Just $9.95 before the call. http://www.artbizcoach.com/classes/webtraffic.html

Promote Your Art With Confidence

Online class begins Wednesday, June 11

This special summer edition of my popular class will last about 2.5 months. The lesson deliveries will be slowed down so you can do the work at a more leisurely pace. Nail everything from your 10-second introduction to networking skills to your marketing materials.
http://www.artbizcoach.com/classes/promote.html
 

Anniversary Specials Ending
 
Get deals on my consulting, reports, books and more. My 5-year Anniversary extravaganza ends Friday: http://www.artbizcoach.com/5

► View all upcoming classes and events.
 

FEATURE ARTICLE

Check Your Financial Health

How’s your financial health?

WAIT! Please don’t push the delete button yet. And don’t grumble because you’re far too frustrated with finances to even think about them right now. Give me just a few minutes of your time.

I’ll admit that money is a topic I’d rather not deal with. However, I’m quite aware that no one cares about my long-term financial health more than I do. And no one cares as much about your financial health as you. No one is going to look after your retirement, your health care, and your investments with the same care that you can. Others, like spouses and parents, may try to help, but they have their own stuff to look after.

Isn’t it irresponsible and, frankly, an imposition, for you to hand the burden of your financial future off to a family member? You shouldn’t rely on your parent or spouse to be “the financial person in the family.” I hate to say it, but these people may not be around forever. And then what?

By all means, you should call upon experts like accountants and financial planners for their knowledge, but it’s important to understand your finances for yourself.

What’s your credit score? What’s your net worth? What are the balances in your checking, savings and retirement accounts? How much debt do you owe? What are your estimated Social Security payments going to be? In his book “The Automatic Millionaire,” David Bach writes that “if you owe $2,000 in credit card debt and are making just the minimum monthly payments, it will take you more than eighteen years--and a total of more than $4,600--to pay off your balance.”

It’s time to get real about all of this stuff.

Take classes, read books, subscribe to newsletters, and put together your own support group for people who are trying to get their finances in order. Don’t delay. Time passes quickly.