Divorce & Money
Separation is never easy, but how you approach it can make all the difference. In this blog, discover how one couple worked with a financial
neutral to part ways with dignity and fairness, while another's trip to the courtroom cost them their savings—and a whole lot more.
Read on to learn why collaboration, transparency, and smart planning can save more than just money.
Why People Screw Up With Money
Money isn’t just numbers on a screen; it’s freedom—or a prison. Most people are stuck in scripts handed down from their parents, their culture, or life itself. These scripts are sneaky—they tell you how to behave with money, often without you realising it. Break the script, and you might just escape the cycle of frustration and failure.
Difference Between Expense and Investment
The essence of growing a business isn't solely about reducing costs. It's about discerning which expenses actually foster revenue growth. Take, for instance, a small startup I billed $1,800 for tax preparation and financial statements. With a few strategic tweaks, they secured a $12,000 refund, all within the bounds of legality. Without these adjustments, they would have faced a $1,666 liability. It is a very trivialised example.
The Resilience of a Half-Full Glass: Why Nadia Refuses to Judge Those Enduring Hard Times
The glass brings back memories of hope during my turbulent times when I was utterly desperate. In December 2018, I was in very bad shape: a double divorcee, separated from the father of my children and from my business partner—a dare you to beat my title. The correct words to describe my state were dishevelled, depressed, and defeated, still recovering from my car accident, where I shattered my sternum.
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The Curious Conundrum: A Financial Advisor's Fascination with Artists
I prefer to work with motivated and hungly for change, goal-oriented business owners, but every now and then, I find myself succumbing to
the charms of an odd artist. Am I mad? Why would I willingly embrace the whimsy of such creative souls?
Picture this: an accountant's life, normally mired in the mundane, is suddenly interrupted by the arrival of an artist, their imagination
awash with vivid hues of peculiarity. It's like stepping into a Salvador Dalí painting, where reality and dreams entwine in a mesmerizing
dance.
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The Unpardonable Accountant: Indelible First Impressions. Meeting Leisa
Yet, a paradox surrounds her. She poses seemingly naive questions about finance, akin to a child's innocence, but I sense her struggle lies
not in grasping the concept but in navigating the intentionally imposed complexity. She's fallen victim to pragmatists who convinced her
that finance is a foreign realm, beyond her reach. What they never disclosed is that they deliberately employ convoluted jargon to maintain
their gatekeeper status. They consider her a threat, for they fear that once creative minds comprehend finance, they'll multiply wealth at
an astonishing pace.
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Client Story: Leisa boarded the wrong flight and ended up on a surprise vacation.
Is she selling just materials and labor, measured in hours? Or perhaps, it's the prestige of owning an unreplicable piece of
art? Yet, prestige is not what drives her. What Leisa yearns for is that moment of transcendence, where invisible forces guide her physical being to craft unearthly shapes. She loses herself for hours in front of her kilns, neglecting even her basic needs, as she
breathes life into inspiration.
But in the wake of each enchanting trance, a cruel and unforgiving reality emerges. Leisa finds herself entangled in the merciless embrace of practicality. An apparently innocuous inquiry, "What's your asking price for this masterpiece?" becomes a vice, constricting around her
with each fleeting breath.
Who is my Hero?
When I finally retire and write my memoirs, the small business owner will be my true hero. They face harsh economic conditions
underequipped. Sacrifice is their middle name. They work tediously long hours for a financial scraps in the first couple years of
establishment. Many of them will perish in an unequal struggle with the forthcoming recession. I want to celebrate these humble but
exhausted heroes and help them to become equipped when faced with the battle of their lives. Where do I get my fervent belief in
Australian small business? From recent history. Who helped Aussies pull through the extensive episodes of lockdown? The partisans of the
business world: the small business owners.
They employed the tactics of the resistance: the speed, the surprise, and the mobility. In a short period of time, the troops were
assembled, bolstered by local businesses that had acquired a thorough knowledge about e-marketing and rolled out online stores – with
full logistical support (including delivery). They did not act as competitors but as a helping hand. Our partisans will escalate their
resistance once again to combat this looming ugly recession.
Post-soviet lessons for the post-corona economy
As a young woman in Russia I experienced first hand the economic chaos that resulted from the fall of the Soviet Union.
While the economic, social and political circumstances differ today, many of the same traits that separated financial success and failure in
the immediate post-Soviet economy, will apply in the post-pandemic economy today.
Read my article for @TheShiftMedia - https://theshift.media/features/post-soviet-lessons-covid-economy
Also, stay tuned for an innovative new venture I'm working on to help businesses navigate through the treacherous post-covid economy ahead.
#ReadTheShift #PostCovidEconomy #NewEconomy #TheShiftMedia
Making the most of working from home
In these unprecedented times, one thing we are being reminded of – and not just when we witness Italians creating glorious, impromptu
concerts over balconies – is that humans are resilient, and we adapt well to change.
When change is being ushered in as quickly as it has been lately, we have to respond equally fast.
But there’s two ways to respond to a changing and uncertain landscape: we can panic, or we can remain calm.