Dealing head on with finances is never about the finances,
it’s about the emotions attached to whatever financial situation in which you may find yourself.
(a common theme, I know)

One of my most talented, and successful friends struggles with reviewing her past financial choices....not the numbers themselves, but the why and how she got herself into the negative in the first place.

SKINNY JEANS’ advice was:

“Be brave and just do it; make a plan and move on.”

Anyone who is willing to be honest about their choices is ready to make new, and possibly better ones in the future. It’s also nothing to be ashamed of, just another fact of life that needs addressing: like raking the leaves or turning the clocks forward. Once the spring $ cleaning is done, the patio (and probably a sparkling beverage) awaits.

To all of my fellow Cardinals, be brave during this season of financial reflection (a.k.a. taxes). Learn from last years choices and (for goodness sake!!) make a plan:

to pay off the debt
to start saving just a wee bit more than before
to think before you buy
and repeat :||

Thanks for reading!

(As always, my writing is for entertainment purposes only. Please consult a financial professional when making real choices about your money)

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RBC PRACTICE INVESTMENT ACCOUNT.

It all seemed so easy with my sophomoric tutor, but once I got home (alone with the web page) it all seemed to mesh into one big mess of acronyms and arrows. I thought, maybe if I shake my computer really hard, like an etch-a-sketch, everything will gracefully slide into place. Alas, no amount of shaking, or confused looks at the screen would prompt an answer about what I was actually doing.

Desperate times call for desperate measures so, I clicked on the instructional video section of the site. I would be a genius after watching a few of these, I’m certain.....

My first observation?

“I HATE THIS WOMAN’S VOICE!”

The insincere, unsupported, edgy voice over for the “practice segments” is clearly an actress who has been told to smile every time she says something negative, and to describe the tabs and charts like they were a prize to be won on The Price is Right. After a few of the videos I have a flashback of a dark room with a microphone and a bored director... *gasp!*

“I AUDITIONED FOR THIS VOICE OVER JOB!!!”

Meaning: I (potentially) could have been the annoying voice in said videos....*sigh*.... #fullcircledisappointment.

Second: the site is actually pretty easy to follow if you know what you want. Since there are only 5 million different kinds of stocks, I decide that this should be easy to narrow down....truth be told, there are ways to narrow the field, but, where to START? That’s the real question.

As we move along, I keep finding that the sub titles under the major tabs don’t always seem to be under logical headings (where is the “eggs in one basket” tab, Steve?) and the vocabulary isn’t always consistent with the actual tabs on the site.

ie: they say research in the video but, it’s found under reports...sometimes.
Little things like that mean you can go in circles looking for something you didn’t know you needed. I, however, will clearly be a pro after so much practice....

Third: The site kindly gives you options on how you would like to view the progress of stocks in your portfolio. (Now we’re getting somewhere!) There are usually 4 different options and at least one of them will make sense to the reader in the end. My favourite graphics (of course) have more colour and very clear symbols, as opposed to the long lists with comparative percentages of past performance, and projections for the future. For me, if it goes up and seems to recover nicely from a dip (admittedly, in a lovely shade of PINK) then I can see immediately if a stock is for me or not.

This brings me to my last observation for the day: Figuring out how, and why something is for you or not seems to be more important than the success of the actual choices. During my time surfing around the practice site, I read a few blogs and one of the MAIN things that seemed to pop up (before ANYTHING ELSE) was:

YOUR COMFORT LEVEL with LOSING YOUR MONEY.

William J. O’Neil writes: “The tricky part is getting rid of the EMOTION attached to making decisions....we try to defend our original decision to buy, and justify holding the stock even though we’re in the negative?” 24 Essential Lessons for Investment Success

?????!!!!!!
....get rid of the EMOTION... about LOSING my MONEY?

I don’t need a practice investment site for that, I need a LOBOTOMY!!! The emotional side of things will be my biggest challenge, for sure. Even with my PRETEND money, I’m betting that I will become very possessive and, just like he says, defensive about my original decisions (like why did I start with the Handel when, clearly they wanted to hear the Mozart...tsk! *)

Here’s hoping I pick a winner!

*singer reference

Next blog: (I’m projecting) will be the discovery that I am a STOCK FOX! Stay tuned... : )

Thanks for reading and re-posting!! Very flattered....



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THE STOCK MARKET.

In a blog written back in May 2010 I spoke about my frustration with the financial industry and the fact there didn’t seem to be a way for creative folk (ie: people like ME who can only seem to speak in metaphors... with hand gestures.. and possibly a song) to connect with the seemingly unintelligible world of INVESTING. Sorry, I’m generalizing, but *honestly* if I asked you to define:

IPOs * ETFs * EQUITIES * OPTIONS * & * MERs

...I’m sure you (insert me projecting my instincts onto everyone who reads this) would resort to hand gestures as well! No? Yes? Back to my date...

#1 on my list of requests was to have STEVE introduce me to my bank’s

PRACTICE INVESTMENT SITE.

Here I would have an imaginary $100,000 to play with, and could familiarize myself with how the stock market works - minus the risk. More importantly it would be an excellent way to gage my comfort level around:
losing
gaining
patience
and the root of it all...
fear.

Steve told me that the secret to the stock market - really - was to have a crystal ball at the ready (!!!!!) If you don’t have one of those, well, practicing to see how the market really works is probably your next best bet.

#2. I wanted answers, REAL ANSWERS, or COLOURFUL DEFINITIONS to the thousands of acronyms that litter each page or graph. With every answer from Steve I would counter with a statement that sounded like,

“So....this one is like putting all of your eggs in one basket and, this one is like buying one egg at a time from individual chickens on different farms? Got it.”

Please don’t ask me what he was referring to...I have since forgotten and can’t read my notes...

#3. After my 25 minute tutorial - turned into 1hr 15min - I discovered that the STOCK MARKET could be summed up as a very expensive popularity contest. If the market (the people) don’t like what they see in the press about the CEO of a company, POOF! The people sell their stocks (insert: we don’t want to play with you anymore) and the company can financially disappear. Add a positive mention from Ellen or Oprah, POOF! The stock value goes up and that CEO buys a Porsche.

Similarly, if the demand for one resource goes up (Mr. Wheat) then wheat’s friends (farming related products) will all have to act accordingly and meet the demand. If you’re savvy and can see the circle of friends that support Mr.Wheat (check his FaceBook wall) you can make smart choices and “friend” them all into your investment page before the the cost is too dear.

#4. A question from STEVE:

“How did you become interested in the stock market? I
don’t see many opera singers hanging out down at Bay and Front St.”

My answer was that since it would seem that money - quite literally - makes the world go around, isn’t it in my best interest to figure out what that ACTUALLY means? When you visit a foreign country don’t you, at the very least, want to know how to say,

“Where’s the bathroom and how much are these beautiful shoes?”

I want the language of money to be right up there with my knowledge of English and French-ish. Since I already have a good grasp of how to fill up my shoe closet in both of Canada’s official languages, (not to mention being able sing about Magic Flutes in German, or a locket with my lover’s face on it in Italian) I’m thinking that the *money speak* could prove to be equally practical.

Over the next few months I will PRACTICE with my PRETEND $100,000, let you know how I do, and see if the site can really convert an “oh so right brained artist” into a money making GENIUS!!!!!

Wish me luck!

practice investment site: Check out your internet banking page for something similar to RBC’s practice site & free investment consultations.

*as always, a reminder that my money musings are for entertainment purposes only.
Please see a licensed financial professional when making real decisions about YOUR money.

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“Yay!”

...I said to myself, shook his hand, and prepared to get out of the room before I did something stupid and lost the gig. In my excited flurry, gathering up my music, he said,

“...by the way, have you ever sung...VERDI....?”
(Uh oh)

“Why yes I have...umm...just a wee part, though....”

“Hmmm.....I’d like you to take a look at this and tell me
if you’d consider that as well. I think the colour of your voice would suit it perfectly.
You don’t have to tell me today.
Call me in a month after you’ve sung through it a few times.”

Saying NO

As a singer (any age, any level): When do you know WHEN to say NO?

We all want to build up the resumé, meet the right people, and perform amazing rep....but,

What has the potential to hurt you more?

1.Saying YES to something you’re NOT ready for or,
2.Saying NO and possibly losing out on a “big break”

We’ve all done it! And, fortunately, if you don’t learn from the first disaster, most likely (ding!) opportunity will come knocking again. I once said,

“Sure, I can do the two soprano songs for the last 4 shows...it’s not that high...”

For those of you who know me, a soprano I will never be, but as a 20 something mezzo looking for a break, I thought I might lose the gig all together if I wasn’t agreeable. Trust me, by the time the gig was over (insert tears after every show) I think everyone would have been happier if I had said NO.

See, there are a few things we FORGET when THE WRONG GIG comes along:

1. YOU, and you ALONE are solely responsible for that “YES” so, you’d better mean it.

2. “GETTING THROUGH” a piece, simply isn’t good enough.

3. NOBODY will say, “Tsk, the CONDUCTOR should have known better”

4. THIS IS A BUSINESS! Don’t offer a product unless you really have the goods.

5. YOU and your AUDIENCE deserve a more enjoyable experience.


We all want to be LIKED (a blog topic unto itself). We all want to WORK ($$$). We all want to EXPAND our horizons to create our BEST VERSION OF THE SELF. Being honest, and trusting your instincts however, can be just as important (in the world of professional music) as bulking up the resumé. Be confident that the best version of your talent RIGHT NOW is the most reliable gauge to help you answer truthfully when you KNOW that NO is the only answer.

(back to our story)

After a month of agonizing, realizing that there was NO WAY I was built to sing the suggested #VERDIwaytoobigformetosingnow rep, I finally made the call. To my surprise, the conductor simply said,

“Yeah, I don’t blame you for saying no. You’re probably still too young for that.
That thing is a BEAR.”

Saying YES (too scared to say no) to the wrong gig in my 20’s (thankfully) made a big impression on the NO that needed to happen a few years later. Final conclusion:

Saying NO IS the new YES.
; D

Thanks for reading, and for all of the re-posts on twitter, and FB feeds. #flatteredblogger

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Can you imagine if we did that with EVERYTHING?

Actually WAITED until we were in a financial position to
DO or HAVE?

Ha! Can you imagine if the apple** store had a layaway plan?! ie: people actually WAITING to be able to afford something before they added to their arsenal? I’d pay money to see the visitor lineups for that. “Hi, I’m here to say hello to my phone.” But THAT would never happen.

Why?

Because, admittedly, our world is evolving so quickly, that by the time you paid something off, it would have already become obsolete, not to mention that we don’t do that, anymore:

WAIT.

But there are some things you just can’t wait for.

(This is the Cardinal’s Nest letting singers off the hook for spending money like water while they invest in their career.) It’s FALL, and it’s time for auditions. It’s time for gigs to get under way. Time to consider:

• food
• travel
• coaching
• lessons
• subletting
• renting
• searching
• spending

What’s your financial plan this FALL?

Did you SAVE for upcoming expenses to cover the onslaught of auditions
(insert: $4 iced latté remorse)
or will you DIP INTO DEBT and plan the payback in January?

There’s no right or wrong answer to this one. Y.A.P. auditions don’t have layaway plans, and gig opportunities wait for no soprano visiting her accompanist with $10 instalments. It’s gotta’ happen and it’s gotta’ happen now.

So, how will you do it?

• What do you project you will spend this singing season?
• What do you project you will earn?
• How will you account for the deficit or surplus?

*layaway plan: I don’t know if stores still have a layaway plans like the 80’s and 90’s...and if you’re too young to remember that term, don’t tell me. : )))

**apple: yes, I mention apple products a lot. I have never seen a retailer like them. The entire mall will be empty and there’s apple, packed to the rafters with people pushing their way in to be a part of that community, visiting their future

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“I think that we should wait to put the cupcakes on the table.”

(insert stunned silence)

My two hostesses looked at me like I was crazy, defiantly popped a mini cupcake into their mouths, and promptly put the offending mini desserts on the table with the wine & cheese. (!!!) It was a gathering to celebrate my upcoming wedding and sure enough,
I was standing in the way of how much goodness would be
passed around at one given moment.
My co-hostess said,

“....Aren’t you cute? WAIT for the cupcakes. (insert a pat on my head)
We’ll put them out nnnnnnow.”

It would be putting it mildly to state that I’m big on discovering the root causes of why we do, or don’t do certain things; even the small things that seemingly have little meaning. The relationship that people have with success and abundance (those who have, and those who have not) in my opinion, shows up most in the our daily sequence of actions and intentions that bring us to our current position in society.

My recent search for a savvy, young investor’s book (insert FAIL) led me to literature that had nothing to do with money, but certainly shed some light on a slightly different currency: society’s perspective on giving and receiving, and why we let things in or push them away. The light bulb moment for me was when best selling author, Geneen Roth talked about two different personality types:

The Permitters and The Restrictors.

Permitters (loosely paraphrased)

• don’t like rules
• avoid conflict
• feel the need to indulge
• store up the bounty before it runs out
• merge with chaos...”and have decided that it’s best to be blurry, and numb, and join the party” *
• “I don’t need to be concerned about the future because I won’t be aware of it” *
• may thrive on denial

• love rules
• love lists
• believe in control
• chaos is imminent so they take action now to prevent it
• less is more (there is safety when there is less to lose)
• may thrive on deprivation
• “are constantly trying to contain the wild energy stomping to be released”*

What does this (or cupcakes for that matter) have to do with a self employed musician who may have taken the time to read this far?

Well, Geneen Roth was referring to other aspects of people’s lives (mainly health and nutrition) but for me, her definitions only served to enhance a much broader picture.

Quite simply:

You are who you are; how you treat one aspect of your life (career, money, dessert) may also determine the type of success you will allow (yes, I said allow) to be present in your life at any given time. I don’t know about you but, I think this kind of awareness is key for anyone whose product is: themselves.

....3 guesses which one I am: trying to figure out how the self employed, creative types gain control and become aware of how actions today affect one’s future..... Yup. BUSTED. I’m a restrictor, hands down. I want to figure things out. Get it right. Write a list. Check things off: have things go in the order that they should. The only time I will go to the “dark side” (willingly) and become a permitter of unlimited proportions is when I have an audience. “The more the merrier” I always say. Controlled chaos: 101. Welcome to my worrrrrld....

No surprise: I surround myself with PERMITTERS (all to varying degrees). The life of the party, they do not control (well, not like I do, anyway). They are open. They will even be daring and put the cupcakes out on the table WAY before the the first course has been served. (shocking, I know!)

There are plusses and minuses to both personality types as well as degrees of intensity. I realize that the way it’s presented here is pretty black and white. Many people fit into the grey areas on any given day, or may swing from one extreme to another. All of the traits listed above have value when used in the proper context. Both personalities can get you in trouble, or create a wind fall of success.... it’s all up to the intention behind the actions, and how many actions you will allow yourself to take.

We ask ourselves, “why does my character do this?” when learning a role. Sometimes, asking the person who is playing the part the very same question can be beneficial too.

Awareness, and Balance: knowing yourself. That’s all I’m trying to get at here today. The moral of the story? Take the cupcakes when they’re passed. Enjoy the bounty, and always remember to share a little goodness when you can.

Thanks for reading!

References: *Geneen Roth - Women, food, and God & Lost and found - Food and Money
please refer to www.geneenroth.com for further info on her best selling books.