I’m a lot like Cardi Bin that song Money and I like it because like her, Now I like dollars, I like diamonds! However, in order to fund that lifestyle you have to have money in the bank.
I want deep-pockets; therefore, I avoid debt, save and invest.
And between you and me, I can’t stand debt. That’s no secret if you have been reading my blog. It just weighs you down.
I figured out a way to make myself feel better about paying off debt. I tend to use the debt-snowball method. I like small wins. And you should too, if it helps you continue to work on paying off your debt over several years, which can be 2-5 years.
The debt–snowball method is a debt reduction strategy, whereby one who owes on more than one account pays off the accounts starting with the smallest balances first, while paying the minimum payment on larger debts. You typically use this method when paying off revolving credit card debt.
Dave Ramsey discusses this and the debt avalanche, paying off debt with highest interest rate first, both are good methods of paying off debt.
But my favorite is the debt-snowball method. This strategy is where you pay off debt in order of smallest to largest, gaining momentum as you knock out each balance.
When the smallest debt is paid in full, you roll the money you were paying on that debt into the next smallest balance. You get a chance to celebrate your hard work by knocking out small debts and slowly working your way toward paying them all off.
For example, I have done the following:
Paying off my payday loan in the early 2000’s, I wrote the final check for $333.
Paying off my car note in 2009, once it got down to under $2,000, I wrote the final check for $1,500 and paid that sucker off!
Paying off my personal loan for $20,000, once I got down to the end, I wrote the final check for $3,500.
Paying off my credit card I got in 2005, once I got it down under $15,000, I wrote the final check (electronic) payment for $14,745, so then I could continue to live my best life.
I did this by saving up my money, paying the minimums on all my accounts until I saved up a certain dollar amount and then I wrote big fat checks to pay off what I owe. I like to pay in lump sums and pay off huge chunks of debt at a time. It makes me feel better. I call it the debt-chunk method. I like to see big results.
I got this idea from reading personal finance blogs like Millennial Money and books like I Will Teach You To Be Rich and Set For Life. In addition to studying the self-made. I combined my knowledge of reading about the money habits of Grammy-winner John Legend and Millennial Money founder Grant Sabatier.
Basically, I combined two different philosophies on saving and debt.
From John Legend I learned that once you have money in your hand you should pay off your debt IMMEDIATELY. If you have the full amount, then pay it all off. Thereby, paying off debt in huge chunks!
From Millennial Money I learned to save huge amounts of money over time by making small increases in may savings rate. I also make sure to take other good advice as well.
For instance, over the years, I have learned to listen to the following:
My partner Charlie says there is only three ways a smart person can go broke: liquor, ladies and leverage – Warren Buffett
Find ways to advertise for less or free. Leverage what you know by thinking outside the box. – Daymond John, The Power Of Broke
Find ways to start or build a business for less, cheaper alternatives out there or for $0 to start. – Zac Bissonnette, Debt Free U
There has never been a time when reading a book has not helped me. Work 10X harder, get 10X the results. – Grant Cardone, The 10X Rule
Work out. Have Discipline. Save and invest your money. I started in real estate and built wealth that allowed me to devote more time to the things I wanted to do. – Arnold Schwarzenegger
Try to save $5 a day. And increase your savings by 1% a month or more. Network. I bought coffee for those I wanted to learn from every week! – Grant Sabatier, Millennial Money
Save $25,000 to stop living paycheck-to-paycheck. Spend more on fun not less. Spend money on the things you care about and cut spending on the things you don’t. – Scott Trench. Set For Life, Bigger Pockets podcast
Spend extravagantly on the things you love, and cut costs mercilessly on the things you don’t. – Ramit Sethi
Focus your energy on the big wins!
If you can cut your housing and car costs, your stand a chance to save $500 or more per month. That is a nice amount to start stashing away in your 401k.
Cutting out $5 lattes and couponing alone are not going to get you to amassing a fortune. But first, before you do anything, you must save!
It is far easier to control and cut your spending than it is to go out and earn more.
Besides, the more you make the more Uncle Sam takes! I am all for people earning more money, but it will make no difference if you spend every last dime.
Therefore, start focusing on slashing expenses, cutting costs, saving an emergency fund (for big expenses), a rainy day fund (for short-term expenses i.e. a flat tire) and paying off ALL YOUR DEBT!!! Doing those five things can start you on the path from broke millennial to millionaire.
And that is because all millionaires know you get there by saving $10 bucks at a time. – Mr. Money Mustache
Therefore, if you want to get rich, just start by saving $10 bucks at a time.
You get what you give. What you put into things is what you get out of them. – Jennifer Lopez
I took this picture while I was waiting to get in to the concert.
I have learned to choose experiences over things. You put those pair of expensive jeans on a credit card and 10 years later those $80 jeans could really cost you $300 with 25 percent interest attached. That wasn’t on the price tag! Those jeans will be long gone by then, but that time you went camping with your family and friends will be great memories that last a lifetime.
In the last several years, I have decided to spend money more on experiences. After seeing that episode of Gilmore Girls Concert Interruptus, I knew one day I would go to a concert so I could be as happy as Loreali and Sookie was to go see their favorite band. Those great feelings you get from actually doing something and paying for it with cash are priceless.
That is exactly what I did on July 17, 2019. I went to see Jennifer Lopez in concert. And I loved every minute of it!
Went to the JLo concert. It was awesome.@JLo says: You can be anything you want to be with hard work.
Took this short video on my phone while at the concert.
She stopped by DC and performed at Capital One Arena after doing her make-up concert in Madison Square Garden in NY after the blackout on Saturday July 13. What a professional.
And let me tell you. I looked into what it takes to do concerts and JLo’s setlist and tour dates. Performing is grueling work.
Jennifer Lopez – It’s My Party – The Forum – Inglewood, California – June 7 2019 – setlist
Want to help celebrate JLO’s birthday with her! See remaining tour dates below. Jennifer Lopez – It’s My Party Tour dates: June 10 – San Diego, CA – Pechanga Arena June 12 – Sacramento, CA – Golden 1 Center June 13 – San Jose, CA – SAP Center June 15 – Las Vegas, NV – T-Mobile Arena June 16 – Phoenix, AZ – Talking Stick Resort Arena June 19 – Denver, CO – Pepsi Center June 21 – San Antonio, TX – AT&T Center June 22 – Edinburg, TX – Bert Ogden Arena June 24 – Dallas, TX – American Airlines Center June 25 – Houston, TX – Toyota Center June 28 – St. Paul, MN – Xcel Energy Center June 29 – Chicago, IL – United Center July 3 – Milwaukee, WI – Summerfest July 5 – Detroit, MI – Little Caesar’s Arena July 7 – Toronto, ON, CA – Scotiabank Arena July 10 – Montreal, QC, CA – Centre Ball July 12 – New York, NY – Madison Square Garden July 16 – Mansfield, MA – Xfinity Center July 17 – Washington, DC – Capital One Arena July 19 – Newark, NJ – Prudential Arena July 20 – Philadelphia, PA – Wells Fargo Center July 22 – Atlanta, GA – State Farm Arena July 23 – Orlando, FL – Amway Center July 25 – Miami, FL – American Airlines Arena
Instead of spending a fortune and being close enough to the stage to reach out and touch the artist and see the white of their eyes, I selected a seat that just fine to see how different my experience would be. My seat cost $49.95 and I have a blast!
You do not have to go in debt or sell your belongings on Craigslist or drive for Uber or Lyft just to spend $500 on concert tickets. The jumbo screens show you all the action just fine in my book.
This was also her first tour since ending her Las Vegas Residency which made like $100 million in ticket sales!
For a night out on the town it cost me about $100 bucks!
So if you want to paint the tow red, I suggest you stay in the black and pay cash and not go in the red and use credit. Cause you know your girl Greenbacks Magnet is all about saving a dollar!
If you read my tweets then you know I can’t stand debt. I would stop doing just about everything in order to save up huge chunks of money to pay off debt. I once saved up $15,000 to pay off $14,745 worth of debt! Paying debt off in chunks feels awesome.
I learned to pay off my credit card and other debt in lump sums from reading about how Grammy award-winning artist John Legend doing it after he got his first big paycheck. Smart!
Just hearing about another pro athlete going broke is enough for me to change my free willing money spending ways.
Breaking News: Adrian Peterson is in debt after making $100 million in earnings in the NFL. This is my version of Scared Straight. Scared Debt Straight that is. Is he not reading my blog?!!!
I encourage you all out there to stop what you are doing and find a way to start saving 5 percent of your income.
Start with just $500 in the bank and work your way up to one month of expenses. That Is how I went from $25 in the bank to $5,000. Save for the things you want. Paying with cash is freedom.
It’s like JLo says, “you get what you give.” You have to work for what you want. She says she gets nothing for free. And that she has to pay for everything.
The harder you work, the more you get. I’m taking my money earning and saving cues from Jlo. I like to study the self-made. And Jenny from the Bronx is as self-made as they come. So happy birthday JLo. Make a wish. I’ll tell you mine. It’s simple really. I want to always spend less than I earn. Your turn.
For those of you out there that grew up in the in the 90’s, then you may remember a video game by the name of Maniac Mansion.
It was released on October 5, 1987 on multiple platforms such as Apple II, Atari and Nintendo to much fanfare and critical acclaim and was developed by the man who created Luke Skywalker and the Star Wars franchise, George Lucas, through Lucasfilm Games.
This was long before the iphone was released to worldwide sensation back in 2007, which was developed by another pioneer, Steve Jobs of Apple.
What I absolutely loved about this game was the character development. They were so much fun. Interacting with Weird Ed and Edna and the tentacles was a riot!
Even how the characters spoke to each other was hilarious. Let me provide you with this example.
However, as with anything, you have to look below the surface and take a deeper look. Therefore, I wrote this post focusing on the financial aspects of this game in regards to how you can relate money to the world around you. Even a video game.
And do not even get me started on the price of games today! Growing up we thought $60 a pop for one game was outrageous! Boy, were we wrong.
Today, you can spend $80 or more for a subscription to play your Playstation or Xbox console. Another subscription! Come off it marketing departments across America! You know people can’t afford to barely buy toilet paper out here, let alone video game subscriptions!
Don’t believe me?
When the longest government shutdown in United Sates history, it lasted 35 days, happened people were in line at soup kitchens!
Missing one check caused people absolute panic. And I don’t mean at the disco! One lady said that she was down to $1.26 in her checking account; that was all the money she had and she didn’t know what she was going to do.
You see back in the good old days, you would go to the store, buy an item, do the transaction one time, and like Cinderella’s fairy Godmother’s would say, “bibbidi-bobbidi-boo” and you owed the thing free and clear as the transaction was done, over, finito.
This post will show you how to save money, get rich, and maybe decide to put a down payment on some property, but it doesn’t have to be a mansion. So here we go.
5 Money and Life Lessons from Maniac Mansion
But first… What is Maniac Mansion?
Maniac Mansion is a 1987 graphic adventure video game developed and published by Lucasfilm Games.
It follows teenage protagonist Dave Miller as he attempts to rescue his girlfriend from a mad scientist, whose mind has been enslaved by a sentient meteor. The player uses a point-and-click interface to guide Dave and two of his six playable friends through the scientist’s mansion while solving puzzles and avoiding dangers. Gameplay is non-linear, and the game must be completed in different ways based on the player’s choice of characters.
MONEY AND LIFE LESSON ONE: MANSIONS COST MONEY
It has been over twenty years since a mysterious purple meteor came hurtling out of the sky and made a large crater in the front lawn of a large Victorian mansion belonging to the Edison family. Dr. Fred, his wife Nurse Edna, and their son Weird Ed were reclusive people who left the house very rarely, but the meteor’s arrival brought about a strange change in Dr. Fred. Now, a local cheerleader has vanished without a trace. Dave, her boyfriend, has gathered a few of his close comrades on a mission to invade the mansion and save Sandy!
However, if we just focus on the part about the mansion…basically, big homes costs big bucks! For fun, I looked up the cost of Victorian homes.
The Main House at Skywalker Ranch inspired the design of Maniac Mansion‘s setting, which is reported to have cost self-made millionaire George Lucas around $100 million dollars.
The Skywalker Ranch
So unless you are onstage with your two friends Kelly and Michelle or creating the next new franchise, you may want to stick with buying a home you can afford.
Let’s not forget that property taxes are forever! If you can’t pay your taxes, you can still lose your home, even if you own it free and clear.
Taxes are an ongoing expense to owning a home.
Let us not forget that even celebrities have to sell homes for unforeseen reasons and sometimes at a loss.
It was reported that Johnny Depp was suing his management company for $25 million and in the court filing it detailed his spending at at $2 million- a-month! He had considerable property holdings and it was also reported that he was advised to sell a family home located in Paris, France or something along those lines and possibly at a loss at that!
Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson was also recently in the news as his Connecticut manse was costing him $70,000-a-month to maintain. That basically is the cost of running a small boutique hotel or miniature bed-and-breakfast. He ended up selling the property at a loss, he paid $4.1 million and sold at $2.3 million, to stop paying the exorbitant cost of owning the place.
Lastly, Mary J. Blige was reported to own a couple mansion-style properties in New Jersey that were unable to be rented. You read that right. She is paying for properties that are uninhabitable, costing her money every single month night and day, and collecting no rent on the properties. In her divorce filing, she was reported to make over $300,000 a month so it is unclear why exactly these properties are unable to be renovated and sold without a closer look at her financial records and proper accounting.
The reason I refuse to buy a big home is because they along with cars can be wealth suckers.
Doing the math, if you buy a $350,000 at a 5% interest rate and take 30 years to pay it off it will cost you around $700,000! Or a $500,000 home could cost you $1,000,000. Yes, twice what you bought the home for.
And most people are working to pay for this behemoth, fancy vacations, and expensive nights on the town with bottle service meaning they are not even home enough to enjoy paying double the cost of it!
All good things come in time. Building wealth is no exception to the rule.
I started out with a toothbrush, a bag of clothes, and some books.
Now I have a home, paid off vehicle, stocks, investments, and even more books. The point I’m trying to make here is that you accumulate money and things over time. You may not have everything you want right now, but keep working.
Never let yesterday use up too much of today. – Will Rogers
If you are working towards something, the don’t stop or quit for anything. I turned a $450 car payment into $100,000. It took like a decade.
Come to think of it, it usually takes people 10 years or more to perfect whatever it is their doing so you may as well chill out.
The humorist Will Rogers (1879-1935) once told a young John Wayne some sound and simple advice. I will share it with you here.
After John Wayne (1907-1979) complained for a full 10-15 minutes of why he wasn’t being paid more to act on film, he asked Will Rogers what he should do? Will Rogers replied, “Well kid, are you working?” To which, John Wayne replied, “yes.” Then Will Rogers says, “keep working.” And then proceeds to walk away.
So my reply to anyone who wants something NOW, “have patience.” This is me NOW moving on to the next paragraph and lesson in this post, which is my equivalent to Will Rogers walking away. I have given you all the advice you need on that topic. Moving on.
MONEY AND LIFE LESSON THREE: MAKE FRIENDS NOT ENEMIES
One of the best things about the game are the characters. Each have different looks, mannerisms, ways of speaking, talents and abilities. This is part of what makes the game so much fun.
Dave is on a mission. To save his girlfriend Sandy. But he can’t do it alone. He brings along his friends to help him out and watch his back.
This is also sound advice if you want to build a fortune and an empire. Nobody does it alone. Eventually you will need to work with bankers, lawyers, businesses, investment professional, and tax attorneys.
It is always best to make friends than enemies as you never know when it is the next time you will see someone again.
When you are climbing that corporate ladder, those same people you tried to step on on the way up, you may see them again on the way down.
Hopefully, you offered them a piece of the pie instead of one to the face.
Mark Cuban said some great business advice in that if you start a company, then make sure your employees have some stock options invested in it as part of their compensation. That way if the company is successful and gets sold then the employees make money too.
This does two things: 1) eliminates wealth inequality (many of Mark Cuban’s former employees, 300 out of 330, became millions); and 2) encourages people to pay it forward through philanthropy and spend money that gets circulated back into the economy.
MONEY AND LIFE LESSON FOUR: RESCUE THE GIRL OR GUY FROM FINANCIALDUNGEONS
In the game, if you get caught snooping around the mansion, then you are sen t to the dungeon.
The game is notorious for constantly getting you thrown in the dungeon by almost every member of the household if you are seen.
Fortunately, the game has a cheat in which you can get the dungeon key and let yourself and others that have been captured out of the dungeon. Without this trick in the game, you are toast.
Speaking of toast, avocado toast is not causing millennial’s to be broke. It is the ever escalating cost of education, housing, and healthcare that makes it harder to save.
All wealth building starts with saving. Period. A good cash reserves is a must. Here is a tip for you. Pros have cash. Amateurs do not. Pros are not under any kind of financial pressure. They remove the pressure and make rational decisions because they have money in the bank. Only amateurs allow pressure to get to them. Remove much of the pressure in your life by having cash reserves.
I recommend that being $10,000 or more in savings. That is how you are able to rescue yourself from being trapped in a financial dungeon. Just have cash.
MONEY AND LIFE LESSON FIVE: ALWAYS HAVE A BACKUP PLAN
The video game Maniac Mansion has 5 possible endings. Depending on what players you chose to play and what actions you take.
The game allows you to have 3 characters for game play out of about 6. These are the people that have your back in case things should go wrong.
In addition, their different talents and unique abilities allow each kid to be an asset to the team. You must too do this in life. You must have back up…plans that is.
For example, I try to keep a minimum of 2-3 months or more of savings in the bank at ALL TIMES! Then I ramped it up to a goal of $10,000.
In addition, if you can save $233,000 in your 401(k), then you do not have to add another cent! After 20 years, with a return rate of 8 percent, you will have $1,001,857.35 in your retirement account. That’s Plan A. Cant’t envision making that happen? Then go to plan B. Save $168,000 in your 401(k), then do not add another penny. After 25 years, with a return rate of 8 percent, you will have $1,001,358.03 in your retirement account.
Are you starting to get the idea?
You can move the finish line and change your actions according to what is happening in your life, but keep the goal. If necessary, you can have a Plan A, B, C, D, etc. The point is to make it so that you are always moving forward by planning ahead.
Just like you have to do when playing Maniac Mansion.
So let’s get out there, have some fun, and start saving!
Why the difference? Because women earn on average $0.80 for every dollar a man earns.
Therefore, men have to save less and women have to save more in order to reach the same goal of fill in the blank $ dollar amount here.
WHY IS SAVING SO CRUCIAL?
No one can arrive from being talented alone, work transforms
talent into genius. – Anna Pavlov
All wealth building starts with saving.
Don’t let anyone tell you any different.
Sure you may have to invest and diversify your money such as investing in stocks, real estate, and bonds, but you have to save money FIRST before you can buy or invest in anything.
If you have ever read a Jane Austen or Charles Dickens novel, then you know the theme always comes around to money.
Considering that Jane Austen never married and Charles Dickens grew up in a poor house, it is not surprising that the authors chose to hone in on this topic.
The sorted topic of coin. Both authors are British and in that society they have a class system.
You are either born into wealth and inherit it or you must
work for many years and earn your fortune.
Many of the landed gentry lived off of their land. Profits that were made from owning land was how they made a living.
That monthly sum could be the difference between prosperity
and being locked away in poor houses, which were a form of jail for the poor.
Here in America, we do not have a class system of royalty, nobility, tradesmen, shop keepers and owners, or farmers.
However, we do have a social ranking and social class. Those are the haves and the have nots.
If you want to find yourself in the realm of having, then
you best start saving money for your future today.
Many years ago, I was laughed at for my paltry savings
amount of 9% per year.
Now I am saving over 40% of my income.
No one laughs at me now.
HOW SAVING MONEY CAN MAKE YOU HEALTHIER
They say wealth equals health. And that is an understatement
if I ever heard one.
Having money allows you to pay for all of your needs.
This includes doctor visits, healthy food, and medicine.
Eating well not only affects your waistline, but also your
brain functions.
It is said that children that do not get the proper rest,
nutrition or eat breakfast before school perform lower on tests and have harder
times concentrating.
Success depends in a very large measure upon individual
initiative and exertion, and cannot be achieved except by a dint of hard work. –
Anna Pavlov, Prima Ballerina
When you have the means to pay your bills, eat, and work in
good health; then you are fortunate indeed to be able to pay your own way.
Being able to afford your monthly nut just makes you happier
overall.
You are protected from the pitfalls of many of life’s
hiccups.
You can get just as much pleasure saving as you can from spending.
I seem just as happy being able to have the ability to
afford items than am to actually purchase them.
It is a great feeling to payoff debt. Every check you write frees you from obligation to lenders. Then your money can stop serving THEM and start serving YOU.
Make a goal to write down evet single bill you have and
person you owe.
I started doing this and tackling every debt I had one by
one.
Once I paid of my car, I owed $30,000 and my personal loan,
I owed $20,000, then things started really taking off from there.
I was able to take these monthly payments, $450 and $333
respectively, and start investing that money. Now that money works for me in
the stock market.
Here is one stock I recommend: VFINX or VFIAX. (You can also invest in the VTSAX or any equivalent)
Portfolio composition of VFIAX
Month-end 10 largest holdings (22.40% of total net assets) as of 03/31/2019
1
Microsoft Corp.
2
Apple Inc.
3
Amazon.com Inc.
4
Alphabet Inc.
5
Facebook Inc.
6
Berkshire Hathaway Inc.
7
Johnson & Johnson
8
Exxon Mobil Corp.
9
JPMorgan Chase & Co.
10
Visa Inc.
Whatever you do just make sure you not just SPEND money but SAVE money.
As you may know, I am on a mission: financial freedom.
Therefore, I started to study the self-made.
How did they get so wealthy? What did they do? What do they
do with their 24 hours we are given in a single day?
Today we talk all things J to the L-O! Hello!
Let’s go!!!
STARTING OUT
Jennifer Lynn Lopez was born on July 24, 1969 in Castle
Hill, New York City. Growing up in the Bronx with her parents and siblings she
watched how hard her parents worked to make a living as Puerto Ricans living in
the richest country in the world.
She knew that she had a responsibility to do well because
her parents gave and sacrificed so much.
She was quoted in an interview as saying, “I had to do well.
I couldn’t let them (her parents) down.”
Jennifer says she was always training for something. And dance become her go to activity.
DANCING TO THE FRONT
In 1991, Lopez began appearing as a Fly Girl dancer on In
Living Color, where she remained a regular until she decided to pursue an
acting career in 1993.
These are HER lyric from “Jenny from the Block.” Let J. LO tell you her story.
From In
Living Color and movie scripts
To On the 6
to J. Lo to this headline clips
I stayed
grounded as the amounts roll in
I’m real, I thought I told you
I really been on Oprah
That’s just
me
Nothin
phony, don’t hate on me
What you get
is what you see
If you have ever seen the Janet Jackson video “That’s the way love Goes,” then you will see a young Jennifer Lopez dancing and talking to Janet. She performed as a dancer for her while as pursuing her dreams of acting.
I love the lyrics to that song and how it starts out.
Like a moth
to a flame
Burned by
the fire
My love is
blind
Can’t you
see my desire
That’s the
way love goes
So you could say like a moth to a flame, J. LO gravitated towards acting. Haha
You also may remember her dancing with Puffy or P. Diddy, as
he goes by now, in the music video “Been Around The World.” That was in 1997.
Haven’t seen it. No problem.
JLoThis 1997 music video Puff Daddy Been Around The World
I have the footage right here thanks to Youtube 😉 Enjoy!
Jennifer Lopez HOT Dance Scene With P Diddy
HER BIG BREAK STARRING AS TEJANO MUSIC SUPERSTAR SELENA
In 1995, the world lost Tejano music’s biggest star Selena Quintanilla. Due to widespread reports of unknown causes of events that surfaced, her family decided to tell the world her story. That became the 1997 film Selena.
A story of a girl who had the spirit to believe in a dream and the courage to make it come true.
Movie poster reads: A story of a girl who had the spirit to believe in a dream and the courage to make it come true.
The film that made Jennifer Lopez a star: Selena.
Released in Summer 1997. Based on the life of Tejano superstar Selena.
In 1997, Lopez played the title character of Selena
Quintanilla-Pérez in Warner Bros. “Selena.” Lopez was 28 years old
when she portrayed the late singer.
After an intense media frenzy, auditions for the role of
Selena sparked applications from about 20,000 Latinas from around the globe,
one woman was selected that stood out from the bunch: Jennifer Lopez.
The role of a lifetime was won to play Mexican-American music star Selena.
People Magazine
Jennifer Lopez Reflects on Selena Quintanilla and Where She’d Be Now: ‘She Was a Star’
Jennifer Lopez in the film playing Selena.
Fun Fact: People Espanol was started because of Selena.
The real J. LO. She too likes to wear white.
Jennifer Lopez as Selena.
Jennifer Lopez wearing Selena’s iconic red lipstick in the film Selena
Fun Fact: Selena favorite lipstick was Brick by Chanel, she did her own makeup and her favorite shoe store was Payless. Favorite pizza: Pizza Hut thin crust double pepperoni.
One of my favorite scenes from the film.
If you watch Selena perform, you not she is doing tons of cardio.
Fun Fact: Selena would walk around her neighborhood EVERY. SINGLE. DAY.
And don’t take no crap from anyone.
The real Selena Quintanilla Tejano singer and superstar
The album that put her on the map. Selena Live!
Nominated for a GRAMMY in 1994 Selena Live! Best Mexican/American Album
Selena won her first career GRAMMY for Best Mexican-American Album for Live at the 36th GRAMMY Awards in 1994, marking the first time a female Tejano artist won the category.
She was gone less than a year later.
Awards/Accomplishments. In 1987, Selena became a spokesperson for Coca-Cola. Selena won the Tejano Music Award for Best Female Vocalist running every through 1986 to 1996. Received 8 awards at Lo Nuestro Awards, 34 Tejano Music Awards, Kuno’s People’s Choice award, and first Tejano artist to win a Grammy.
Always smiling, laughing, and joking around. That was Selena.
So full of life and light
Selena Quintanilla 1971-1995 May she forever Rest In Peace.
The movie Selena would make Jennifer Lopez one of the highest paid Latina’s in film.
It was estimated that she received a $1 million payday for
the film.
Her life and BANK ACCOUNT has never been the same.
A STAR IS BORN TO SING
Just keep your head
down and work. Success comes when you work harder than everybody else. –
Jennifer Lopez
After wrapping the film, Jennifer Lopez decided her next
ambition would be recording an album. She set her sights on making this goal
happen.
She got a record deal and worked with music super producer Tommy Mottola of Sony.
In an interview she said that people did not believe in her
project; therefore, she had to put some of her own money into it.
You get what you give.
What you put into things is what you get out of them. – Jennifer Lopez
That pet project would become her first album: On the 6.
As reported by Insider, Lopez’s debut single “If You
Had My Love” was released in May 1999, and it immediately landed on the
Billboard charts. In fact, “If You Had My Love” became the first
debut single to top the Billboard Hot 100 since Britney Spears’ “…Baby One
More Time” a mere four months earlier.
One month later in June, her debut album “On the
6” was released, effectively solidifying Lopez’s status as a Latin pop
artist. Certified by the RIAA, “On the 6” is 3x platinum, selling
3.42 million units worldwide.
She never looked back.
AIN’T IT FUNNY HOW THINGS WORK OUT
When Jennifer Lopez was at her peak, in 1999-2002, she was deigning clothes, singing, dancing, performing, acting, starring in hit films, on the cover of magazines, and putting out perfume fragrances.
The iconic green Versace dress! GRAMMYs 1999.
Caused a sensation and put her on the top of the map. Every news outlet had a picture of THAT dress! A great way to get people talking about you, if they weren’t already.
Caused a sensation
One of the things that sticks out was when she started going by the name J. LO. She put out an L.P. of the same name. She said her mother loved that name and would say it over and over…J. LO J. LO.
However, what made her a household name was the infamous video
with Ja Rule “I’m Real” that was in constant rotation on MTV and BET Total
Request Live (TRL).
Fun Fact: Jennifer Lopez Says She Personally Chose That Juicy Couture Tracksuit for Her 2001 “I’m Real” Video with Ja Rule
I’m Real video
Here is the video just in case you have not seen it.
She also did the song “Ain’t it Funny.” Again featuring her
partner in crime (of making sweet music that is) Ja Rule. Together this pair
made magic happen. They just had great chemistry when working together.
Ain’t it funny dropped off the J. LO album on June 20, 2001.
Here are some lyrics for you.
J to the L-O
Hello
Well now you know where I got that from, which I state at
the beginning of this post. 😉
Here is the chorus
Ain’t it
funny
Baby that
you want me, when you had me
Love is crazy,
I’m glad I can smile and say
Ain’t it
funny
Then came “Jenny from the Block.” This song dropped on
September 26, 2002. One of her HOTTEST
music videos! If you had no idea what she was capable or of who she was, then
this video stopped all doubts.
The lyrics go like this.
Don’t be
fooled by the rocks that I got
I’m still,
I’m still Jenny from the block
Love my life
and my public
Put God
first
Then can’t
forget to stay real
To me it’s
like breathing
Ah yes, she
says to stay real or I’m real in this song. An obvious
reference to her song I’m real with Ja Rule. 😉
Here is the chorus.
Don’t be
fooled by the rocks that I got
I’m still,
I’m still Jenny from the block
Used to have
a little, now I have a lot
No matter
where I go, I know where I came from (from the Bronx!)
Check it out here.
JLo pictured in her 2002 music video Jenny from the Block
Unlike her previous studio albums: On the 6 (1999) and J.Lo (2001), Lopez had a more “hands-on” role on This Is Me… Then. The 2002 album also had more of an adult-R&B sound. Musically, majority of the songs on This Is Me… Then were lyrically “dedicated” to her relationship with then-fiancé, actor Ben Affleck.
All I have video 2002 featuring LL Cool J
The Age newspaper said the album was a “declaration” of love for Affleck.
The many looks of J. LO.
J. LO is Pretty in Pink.
During an interview,
Lopez said “I wrote a lot of songs inspired, in a way, by what I was going
through at the time that this album was being made, and he [Affleck] was
definitely a big part of that.”
MTV VMA 2002
Magazine Covers of Jennifer Lopez.
JLO $100 Million Woman
ON A WORLD TOUR WITH A MIC IN HER HAND
“I have to work,
for my soul.” – Jennifer Lopez
Nearly two decades since the release of “On the
Six,” Lopez has dropped seven more albums, and has a ninth album slated
for release this year.
Lopez has embarked on five tours, and that has undoubtedly added to her net worth. Her first tour, aptly titled “Let’s Get Loud” was in 2001 and she walked away with a reported $765,000 in earnings, according to Money Nation.
A decade later, in 2012, J. Lo set out for her first worldwide tour, the Dance Again World Tour. After 78 shows, this would be Lopez’s highest-earning tour, and she pocketed $50,362,300, according to Money Nation.
If you look at the difference in her first tour in 2001 and
her one in 2012 ($765,000 to $50,362,300), you will notice it took over a
decade to earn this type of money.
Angel Eyes 2002
What does that tell me?
That building wealth TAKES TIME.
It took me 6 years to go from saving $1 a day to $50 a month to $15,000 a year!
I make a goal and then chart a course to get there no matter how long it takes.
Just like Jennifer Lopez.
Between her current residency in Las Vegas and worldwide
clothing line, J. Lo is hardly short on funds.
On January 20, 2016, she debuted at Planet Hollywood Resort
& Casino her “All I Have” residency, dazzling fans with sequined
pieces and elaborate sets.
On August 13, her shows reached an incredible milestone: $1
million in ticket sales, the highest grossing show in Planet Hollywood’s
history, according to Billboard.
Between June 2016-June 2017, Lopez made $38 million dollars,
consequently landing her at the #11 spot on Forbes’ Highest-Paid Female
Celebrities of 2017. She’s also already made an estimated $47 million in 2018,
according to Forbes.
Jennifer Lopez performing with Pitbull
Given her newly announced acting project, anticipated 9th
album and a just-released makeup line, Jennifer Lopez will likely only see her
cash flow increase.
All I have to say about JLO is this: Veni, vidi, vici. Latin
translation: “I came; I saw; I conquered.”
Well Jennifer Lopez came, saw, and conquered show business.
In the illustrious words, and famous favorite saying of Selena: “You go girl.”
I have learned a lot from Jennifer Lopez. That with hard work, drive, passion, determination, consistency, and persistence you can achieve great things.
However, what I have learned most of all…is that she is still Jenny from the Block. 😉
For more posts I have written about the self-made you can
check out my other posts
I agree that beauty is not just physical. Beauty has many
forms, and I feel that confidence, self-respect, and loving yourself are some
of them.
These are some other beautiful things to behold:
A child at play; while living in a safe
neighborhood.
Reading a book on a beach at 1 o’clock in the
afternoon.
Taking a nap in a hammock.
Walking in Central Park.
Seeing the sun come up while vacationing on the
lake.
Seeing the sunset on the beach.
However, all of those beautiful things, albeit free; still
cost money to be able to do and enjoy them.
Many of these things require that you have some form of
prosperity or relative financial cushion to enjoy creature comforts that can
easily be taken for granted such as taking a nap in the afternoon beyond the
age of five.
Instead of having some semblance of wealth, you will need to
actually have a few coins in the bank in order to have any sort of comfort
EVER.
That being said, I had to stop and think. Why Do I Save So
Much?
I remember reading an article in which they decided to pose this similar type of question to Academy Award winning actress Halle Berry who is worth an estimated $80 million.
She answered that the reason she saves is because she knows
the business she is in (showbiz) this Hollywood stint may all come to an end
one day. Specifically, she says that she saves because she never knows
“when this trip will end.” And that she wants to have enough savings
to make sure she is secure, comfortable, and financially independent when the
paychecks stop pouring in and the fame starts to wane. In addition, she carries
tons of life insurance.
I too carry tons of life insurance!
If it’s good enough for Halle, then it’s good enough for me.
Halle is a saver.
Here is why I am a saver too.
WELCOME TO THE GOOD LIFE
When I was a kid, my
mother told me that if you could not be a good loser, then there’s no way you
could be a good winner. – Halle Berry
There’s a place in me
that can really relate to being the underdog. – Halle Berry
I always had to prove
myself through my actions. Be a cheerleader. Be class president. Be the editor
of the newspaper. – Halle Berry
By the time I left
school, I had a lot of tenacity. – Halle Berry
If you think money will change who you are, then think
again. Money just gives us a bigger stage to project who we already are.
Will Smith said it best: “Money and success don’t change people; they merely amplify what is already there.”
Many people may not know this but Halle Berry was elected Homecoming or Prom Queen at her high school. It was predominantly white. Not believing that she had won, the other contestant asked for a recount. Halle agreed. Halle won again. She demanded another recount. Halle refused. Halle then graciously accepted her crown.
If you think about that, you can see from a young age that Halle has always had to work for what she’s got. Being PRETTY is not enough!
I actually was on my school newspaper. It was one of the
only times in high school that I did not feel like I was being judged and I had
some say in what was going on around me. I too have always had to prove MYSELF!
I get it. No one believes what they can’t see. Seeing is
believing.
However, I was actually working towards my goals – buying a
home, getting a bachelor’s, finishing a Master’s – all tangible things that
people can observe my actions and see me doing such as studying, house
shopping, and walking across the stage to accept my diploma.
It was not until AFTER I had done all those things that people started to take me more seriously and show me SOME RESPECT!!
It just would have been nice to get a little more of it while I was the UNDERDOG and working towards MY GOALS with people around me that had WAY MORE PRIVILEGE.
I paid WAY LESS than $50,000 for a degree.
I paid WAY LESS than $1 million for a home.
I did that because I knew what I could afford and that I
didn’t want to be in debt forever.
I wanted freedom. And that doesn’t come cheap. You have to EARN your freedom through work.
CAREER IS IMPORTANT
Career is important,
but nothing really supersedes my roles as a mother. – Halle Berry
I never wanted to be a
model. My modelling career was nothing but a stepping stone to my acting career
and that’s all I ever saw it as. A pointless rock in the river that has to be
stepped on in order to get to the meaningful oasis of acting. – Halle Berry
Throughout my career I
have been talked out of things I wanted to do, and when I look back, I think I
should have followed my instincts. – Halle Berry
What’s the worst that can happen? If it doesn’t do well I can put on my big girl panties, deal with it and move on. – Halle Berry
I have learned that having a CAREER and not just a JOB is
important.
A job is what you do to pay the bills.
A career is what you do when you have passion for something
and can skip to work.
I decided at the age of 15 to get my degree as a STEPPING
STONE towards a career. I ended up working in Financial services which is right
up my alley as you can tell from this blog. 😉
However, I have mostly done the things I wanted to do and
rarely let myself get talked out of those things. Maybe that is why I am so
happy.
The secret to happiness: Do the things that make you happy
and don’t do the things that make you unhappy. The End.
No matter what. Good or Bad. MOVE ON. Keep moving forward. It’s
like Ariana Grande says, “thank you, next.”
I knew if I wanted to make more than minimum wage that I had
to get some skills or education. Not knowing what trade to do I went for the degree.
I knew not to just drift or stand still.
I didn’t want to end up at 35 with no savings, no home, no
family, and no decent job.
I had no shame working as waitress to make ends meet until I
could do better. I was making about $2.39 an hour plus tips.
Now I’m making and saving more than 40% of my income.
All things come in time.
BEAUTY FADES
Let me tell you something – being thought of as a beautiful woman has spared me nothing in life. No heartache, no trouble. Love has been difficult. Beauty is essentially meaningless and it is always transitory. – Halle Berry
While being called
beautiful is extremely flattering, I would much rather be noticed for my work
as an actress. – Halle Berry
A person’s self-esteem
has nothing to do with how she looks. – Halle Berry
Your preaching to the choir. Tell me something I don’t know.
Beauty is transitory alright meaning it is not permanent. CORRECT.
As you age, you will change. It is inevitable. So you need to be able to do something more than stand still, look pretty, and to quote Miss Congeniality, “be on stage with nothing to do but convert oxygen into carbon dioxide.” Haha
So enjoy your life! And pass me some more pizza 😂
INNER PEACE
The first step is
clearly defining what it is you’re after, because without knowing that, you’ll
never get it. – Halle Berry
If you set out to do
something and you give it your all and it doesn’t work out, be willing to
modify your goal slightly. Have the ability to look in another direction. A
small shift could guide you to the real purposes of your life. – Halle Berry
There have been so
many people who have said to me, ‘You can’t do that,’ but I’ve had an innate
belief that they were wrong. Be unwavering and relentless in your approach. – Halle
Berry
I’m not afraid of
portraying anything on-screen. – Halle Berry
I’m just going to live my life and be who I am. – Halle Berry
If you are a wrestling fan, then you have heard of the moniker BE FEARLESS from the Bella Twins.
And that is how you should live your life. Be fearless. Be
relentless in your pursuits. But always try to do the right thing.
During an interview for the cover of the April issue of
InStyle, which hit the Internet on March 12, Ciara said, “If you want to get
somewhere in life, you’ve got to have a compass. You’ve got to know where you
really want to get to.”
I have a pretty strong professional and Morale Compass. I
try to, like Spike Lee says, “Do the right thing.”
If you read my last post on The Rock, then you know that
being who you are can get you far in this world, but nothing happens without a
dint of hard work.
Academy Award winning actress Catherine Zeta-Jones said in
the book Rise and Grind that she informed her parents at a young age she wanted
to be an actress. They did not approve until she got them an appointment with
her school guidance counselor.
They informed her parents that Catherine would never be
satisfied with being an accountant as she is too artsy. Let her PURSUE her
passion. Since Catherine was a good child and student, they agreed to let her
pursue her dreams and would support her!
At that point my mouth drops open. You could hear crickets and a pen drop. I could not believe it. All that from a conversation. WELL DONE! Never underestimate the power of your words.
AGE AIN’T NOTHING BUT A NUMBER
I see women in their
30s getting plastic surgery, pulling this up and tucking that back. It’s like a
slippery slope – once you start you pull one thing one way and then you think,
‘Oh my God, I’ve got to do the other side.’ – Halle Berry
I’m not sad at all
about turning 40. – Halle Berry
I’m not a fanatic
about exercising. For me, it’s about moderation and balance. – Halle Berry
I think I am at my best when my hair is short. It’s easier to take care of and more of who I am. Women are conditioned to think we need long hair. – Halle Berry
I think it’s always
best to be who you are. – Halle Berry
Be who you are.
If you ever saw the 1997 movie Selena starring Jennifer Lopez, then you may remember the scene where Abraham Quintanilla (played by James Edward Olmos) says that he learned a very important lesson in life, which is that you have to be who you are.
That is not just wisdom in old age talk. That is the TRUTH.
Everything have that was GOOD came from me being WHO I AM. Whatever you do or whomever you are…OWN IT!!!!
SUCCESS AT LAST OR IS IT?
Don’t take yourself
too seriously. Know when to laugh at yourself, and find a way to laugh at
obstacles that inevitably present themselves. – Halle Berry
I know I’m only one
human being and I’m only making one tiny contribution and it’s nothing more
than that. – Halle Berry
I think there’s a
certain level of trust that I have with women. I’ve always been honest, even
when I haven’t had good times in my life or my movie bombed or I’ve had great
success. I’ve owned up to all of it. – Halle Berry
People win Oscars, and
then it seems like they fall off the planet. And that’s partly because a huge
expectation walks in the room and sits right down on top of your head. The
moment I won the Oscar, I felt the teardown the very next day. – Halle Berry
I repeat, whatever you do…OWN IT!
I’m told that I am sassy and dominating. I take that as the
compliment I know it is supposed to be. 😉
Well this sassy Miss started doing the following with her money:
Savings Year
Monthly Savings Amount
End of Year Total Savings
2013
$50
$600
2014
$100
$1200
2015
$150
$1800
2016
$250
$3000
2017
$333
$3996
2018
$1,111.04
$13,333.06
2019*
$1,211.09
$14,533.06
As of this writing, I am on track to save $15,000 for 2019.
I have already set a saving goal of $16,000 for 2020.
I always look to the future because it is coming one day after all. So I set savings goals for the coming years of 2021-2025 of $17,000+ each and every year. My ultimate goal is to save $20,000-$25,000 each year. That would allow me to save $100,000 every 4 to 5 years.
I also believe in donating money to good and charitable
causes like Halle.
This is what Halle told MainStreet: ‘Many people utilize
charitable giving as a great tax write off, and it is. But more than that, for
me, charitable giving is a financial investment in the human spirit. When we
invest in each other, we invest in ourselves. There is no single investment
that I have pursued that has brought a greater return, than helping someone who
needs it.’
Well said, Ms. Berry.
So now you know why I save so much and how much I save.
