Issue link: https://www.epageflip.net/i/341570
Atthetenderageof11,Imade a solemn vow that when I grew up I was going to be rich. My plan was simple: Marry well. I bless the day I married my husband, a man who is rich in character and unfailing love. I assumed his money would follow. While waiting for wealth to descend upon me, I made the near-tragic error of spending as though I were already rich. That landed us in so much financial trouble that it took 13 years to repair. The experience taught me a very important principle: How much you spend matters much more than how much you earn. It's the money you don't spend that gives you the freedom to build wealth and live the life you love. Rule No. 1: Live smarter Living below your means is the secret to prosperity. In this country we define rich as having a lot of material things. Look at what you have already and say with confidence, "I have enough." You don't need to borrow more money to get more stuff, because all that means is you'll have to work more to pay for it. Rule No. 2: Make your money grow Pay yourself first. Invest money automatically taken out of your paycheck or bank account on a regular basis. Sign up for your employer's retirement-savings plan or open an IRA. Increase your automatic deposit whenever you get a raise. In your 20s, save at least 10 percent of your salary. In your 30s, save 15 percent; maintain that level in your 40s and 50s. Even small amounts of money invested regularly in a tax- sheltered retirement account using a diversified stock fund with dividends reinvested can create great wealth over the long run. Rule No. 3: Protect your main asset Buy a home and live in it. You cannot get rich renting; it's impossible. Over time, despite the ups and downs of the housing market, owning your home is one of the best financial moves you can make. Homeowners in America are many times wealthier than renters. Leave your home equity alone. Don't borrow against it. Let it build, so you'll own the house free and clear by the time you retire. That equity is potentially a big pot of money you can use. Rule No. 4: Avoid toxic debt Pay your credit card bill(s) in full every month. No exceptions! It's easy to let a month slide by paying just the minimum, but get in that habit and your credit card debt can quickly grow huge. Credit card debt is the most toxic debt there is; you'll wind up paying a fortune in interest charges. Paying late fees just throws more good money away. Rule No. 5: Be patient! Despite all the infomercials that tell you the secrets of getting rich quickly with real estate, gold coins or llama farms, the truth is there's no secret formula. It just takes time. You already know that the key is to spend less than you earn and invest those savings wisely. You'll sleep well knowing that you have the cushion to meet any financial problems that arise. Wouldyouliketosendatip to Mary? You can email her at mary@everydaycheapskate. com, or write to Everyday Cheapskate, P.O. Box 2099, Cy- press, CA 90630. EVERYDAY CHEAPSKATE 5 rules to build wealth If you're trying to make ends meet, here's a pitch that might catch your interest: "Con- vert tomorrow's pension checks into hard cash to- day." Sound tempting? Think again. The Federal Trade Commission, the nation's consumer pro- tection agency, advises consumers that pension advances, also known as pension sales, loans, or buyouts, come at a very steep price. Most pension ad- vances require you to sign over all or some of your monthly pen- sion checks for five to 10 years. The lump sum payment you get in re- turn is less than the pen- sion payments you sign over, so you're signing over money you need to live on. And pension ad- vances often require re- tirees to buy a life insur- ance policy — with the pension advance com- pany as the beneficiary — to insure that the re- payments continue. The Federal Trade Commission works for consumers to pre- vent fraudulent, decep- tive, and unfair busi- ness practices and to provide information to help spot, stop, and avoid them. To file a complaint in English or Spanish, visit the FTC's online Complaint Assis- tant or call 1-877-FTC- HELP (1-877-382-4357). The FTC's website pro- vides free information on a variety of consumer topics at http://www. consumer.ftc.gov/. SCAM ALERT Consumersbewarepensionadvanceplans Today REDBLUFF CelebrateRecovery:7 p.m., Bethel Assembly of God, 625Luther Road, 527-0445or 366-6298 Fireworksshow: dusk, River Park CORNING CarShow: 5-9p.m., Bar- tels Giant Burger, 22355 Corning Road, local car clubs welcome, 824-2788 Saturday RED BLUFF ChamberCertifiedFarm- ersMarket: 7:30a.m. to noon, River Park, 527- 6220 FrontierVillageFarmers Market: 8a.m. to 1p.m., 645Antelope Blvd. TEHAMA TehamaCountyMuseum: 1-4p.m., 275C St., groups by appointment, 384- 2595 Sunday RED BLUFF AALiveandLetLive: noon and 5:30p.m., 785 Musick St., seven days a week except Thursday meets at 8p.m. Al-AnonNewComers AtHeart: 6:30-7:30p.m., Presbyterian Church of Red Bluff, 838Jefferson Road, Room 2, 690-2034 KnightsofColumbusAll- You-Can-EatBreakfast: 8a.m. to noon, $5adult, $3 child or $12family, Sacred Heart Parish Hall, 2285 Monroe St., 528-1991 TEHAMA TehamaCountyMuseum: 1-4p.m., 275C St., groups by appointment, 384- 2595 Monday RED BLUFF BendJelly4-H: 6 p.m.,Bend School, 527- 3101 CommunityBandCon- cert: 8p.m., River Park, free DiabeticSupportGroup: 6-8p.m., St. Elizabeth Community Hospital, Coyne Center,Columba Room, Gail Locke 527-5290 EnglishasaSecondLan- guageclass: 5:30-8:30 p.m., Red Bluff High School Adult Ed building, 1295Red Bud, 736-3308, same time Tuesday and Wednesday and 9a.m. to 12:20p.m. Thursdays, free childcare from 9a..m. to 12:20p.m. classes in Richlieu Hall, 900Johnson St. HeadInjuryRecreational Entity: 10a.m.-2p.m., St. Elizabeth Community Hos- pital, Coyne Center, Rusty, 529-2059 KeytoLife: 6p.m., Fam- ily Resource Center, 220 Sycamore St. Ste. 101, 528-8066 Nutritionclasses: 10:30 a.m. to noon, 220Syca- more St. #101 PALMartialArts: ages 5-18, 3-5p.m., 1005Vista Way, Ste. C, free, 529- 7950 RedBluffCommunity BandConcert: 8p.m., Red Bluff River Park., 527- 3486 RedBluffSeniorWriting Class: 10a.m. to noon, Ex- ecutive Room at Sycamore Center, 220Sycamore St., 527-5762 SalvationArmyWriting Class: 9:30-11:30a.m., 940Walnut St., 527-8530 SonsinRetirement: 11:30 a.m., Veterans Memorial Building, 529-5700 SunCountryQuilters CommunityService Group: 9a.m. to noon, Family Resource Center, 220Sycamore St. Ste. 101, 528-1126 TeenScreenMental HealthAppointments: 10a.m. to 2p.m., free, by appointment only, Youth Empowerment Services, 1900Walnut St., 527- 8491, Ext. 3012 TOPSClub(takeoff poundsSensibly): 8:30 a.m., First Christian Church, 926Madison Ave., 527- 7541or 347-6120, visit www.tops.org UScitizenshipprepara- tionclass: 5:30-8:30 p.m., Red Bluff High School Adult Ed building, 1295Red Bud, 736-3308, same time Tuesday and Wednesday VentureCrew1914meet- ing: 6:30-8p.m., Moose Lodge on 99W, coed ages 14-20welcome CORNING AlcoholicsAnonymous: noon Monday through Friday, 5p.m. Thursday, 7 p.m. Monday, Tuesday and Saturday and 1p.m. Sun- day, 783Solano St., behind the church Bingo: 5:15p.m. early bird, 6:30p.m. regular games, Maywood Grange, Highway 99W just past Liberal Avenue, 833-5343 ExchangeClubboard meeting: 7p.m., Holiday Inn Express NarcoticsAnonymous: 7 p.m., 820Marin St., 824- 1114or 824-2090, meet- ings are every day through Saturday with an additional meeting at noon Mondays Sewing class, 9a.m., Family Resource Center, West and South streets, 824-7670 SpanishAdultEducation: 5p.m., Family Resource Center, West and South streets, 824-7670 StrategiesforSuccess, LifeSkillclasses: 1:30 p.m., Family Resource Center, West and South streets, 824-7670 WeightWatchers: weigh in 5:30p.m., meeting 6 p.m., Senior Center, corner of South and Fourth streets, Kayla Deihl leader LosMolinos SeniorDance: 7p.m., Senior Center, Josephine Street, 384-2100 Tuesday RED BLUFF CommunityBasicLife Support: 6-10p.m., St. Elizabeth Community Hospital, Columba Room, 888-628-1948 CribbageClub: 6p.m., Cozy Diner, 259S. Main St., 527-6402 FunSeniorAerobics: 8-9a.m., $1, Community Center, 1500S. Jackson St. 527-8177 HealthierLivingwith ChronicConditions:5:30- 8p.m., St. Elizabeth Com- munity Hospital, Wright Room, 888-628-1948 HomeschoolSupport Group: 7p.m., North Valley Baptist Church, 345David Ave. InternationalOrderofthe RainbowforGirls: 6:45 p.m., Masonic Hall 822 Main St. 527-6715 PALKickboxing: 6p.m., 1450Schwab St., 529- 8716or 200-3950 PennyBingo: 9:30a.m., Community Center, 1500S. Jackson St. Photoclub: 6p.m., Com- munity Center,1500S. Jackson St., 528-8066 PinochleforSeniors: 12:30-3:30p.m., 1500S. Jackson St., free, 527-8177 RedBluffDerbyGirls opentryoutsandprac- tice: 6:30p.m., Tyler Jelly building at Tehama District Fairgrounds RedBluffRotary: noon, Elks Lodge RedBluffUnionElemen- tarySchoolDistrict boardmeeting: 5:30p.m., 1755Airport Blvd. TakeOffPoundsSensibly TOPS: 10a.m., First United Methodist Church, 525 David Ave., 824-0556or 529-1414 Tehama4-H: 7p.m., First Baptist Church , Pine Street, 527-3101 TehamaCountyBoardof Supervisors: 10a.m., 727 Oak St. TehamaCountyFishand GameCommission: 8 a.m., Conference E, court- house annex, 527-2095 TehamaCountyFlood ControlandWaterCon- servationDistrict: 8:30 a.m., 727Oak St. TehamaCountyGe- nealogicalandHistorical Society: 6:30p.m., library, 529-6650 TehamaCountyTeaPar- tyPatriots: 6p.m., Grange Hall, 20794Walnut St. TehamaCountyYoung MarinesParentMeeting: 5:30-7p.m.,332Pine St., 366-0813 VeteransofForeignWars Post1932: 1p.m. Veterans Building, Oak Street Westside4-H: 7p.m., Reeds Creek School Gym, 527-3101 WWEselfdefensetrain- ingforwomen: 5:30-7 p.m., 1005Vista Way, Ste. C CORNING CityCouncil: 7:30p.m., City Hall, 794Third St. DancewithJuana: noon to 1p.m., Family Resource Center, 1488South St., 824-7670 ESL/Citizenship classes: 9a.m. - 11a.m., Family Resource Center, West and South streets, 824-7670 Soccer training: 4-6 p.m., Woodson School Soccer Field, 150N Toomes, 824-7680 Women's Support Group: 6p.m., Family Resource Center, West and South streets, 824- 7670 GERBER El Camino 4-H: 7p.m., Gerber School Cafeteria, 527-3101 El Camino Irrigation District: 6p.m., 8451 State Route 99W, 385- 1559 LOS MOLINOS Los Molinos Women's Club meeting: 1p.m., Veteran's Hall, 7900 Sherwood Blvd. School Readiness Play Group: 10-11:30a.m., up to 5years, free, First Steps Family Resource Center, 7700Stanford Ave., 384-7833 MANTON Manton 4-H: 7p.m., Manton Grange, 527- 3101 COTTONWOOD Evergreen School Board: 5p.m., 19500 Learning Way CALENDAR COURTESY PHOTO BY ROSS PALUBESKI Red Bluff Fire, Cal Fire and the Tehama County Fire Department were dispatched around 5:45p.m. Wednesday to a vegetation fire behind 401James Ave. in Red Bluff. The first unit at scene reported a 100- by 100-foot spot of grass on fire with no threat to structures. The fire was controlled in about 15minutes. Extinguishment took about 90minutes. FIRE BLAZE STUFFED OUT BEHIND JAMES AVENUE HOME 100JacksonStreet, Red Bluff (530) 529-1220 NEW Membership Specials CallorComeIn for details Smog Check (MOST CARS & PICK-UPS) 527-9841 • 195 S. Main St. starting at $ 29 95 + $ 8 25 certificate SERVICESATLOWERPRICES All makes and models. We perform dealer recommened 30K, 60K, 90K MembersWelcome FORRENT Car Guys Dream Totallyremodeled6car garage with a 3 bedroom, 2 bath house included on acreage. River access, dead end county road and driveway. Antelopearea. $1,200 per month 530-528-0680 527-2720 365S.MainSt, Red Bluff www.lariatbowl.com Saturdays at 7:00 pm 3Games9PinNo-Tap Must bowl a real strike to win $ shots Starts May 31 $$SPLITS JACKPOT SHOP COLORED PINS $$ STRIKES PLEASE BE ADVISED That the present owners of Gibbs Auto Body are in NO WAY related to Rex Gibbs, the original owner Take15%offyourentirebill dineinonly Open Tues-Sat www. palominoroom .com 723 Main St. 527.5470 LIFESTYLES » redbluffdailynews.com Friday, July 4, 2014 » MORE AT FACEBOOK.COM/RBDAILYNEWS AND TWITTER.COM/REDBLUFFNEWS A5