Bruce Brinkman, CFP, a business columnist for the Rockford Register Star, wrote a very positive review of The Financial Wisdom of Ebenezer Scrooge in his Sunday column on December 3. As always, we appreciate the kind words we’ve received from the financial press on our groundbreaking work, and we look forward to Scrooge hitting the New York Times best seller list, soon!  You can read his review by clicking here.

Also, if you haven’t filled out your Christmas list, consider giving the gift of financial transformation to those you love by stuffing a copy of Scrooge in their stockings this year.   You can order Scrooge online by clicking here.

The Chicken Pox epidemic at the Kahler household has changed more than our planned family vacation over Thanksgiving.  It moved it to being over the Christmas Holiday.  So, unlike most years, I will not be around for the last two weeks of December.  My last day in the office is December 15th.

I will contact all KFG clients, of whom I am aware that need last minute sales and retirement plan funding, so I am hoping that I’ll have everyone taken care of by the time I leave.  However, if you are anticipating any year-end needs of which I may be unaware, whether investment oriented or otherwise, please contact me this week so I can be sure you are taken care of in a timely manner.

Darla and Lindsay will also be on shorter work weeks, due to the holidays, making contacting us unusually difficult.  I have arranged to carry an international phone and I will be checking my email daily, so it won’t be as if I’ve dropped into a black hole, but I may be somewhat hampered by timezones and Internet connection to get things done as efficiently as normal.

London woke up this morning and told me, "Dad, I had a dream last night I got the chicken pox." She’s not only an author, but also a prophet.

Two weeks ago, when Davin broke out with the chicken pox on the eve of our annual family vacation, Marcia calculated that London would probably come down with them on Thursday, November 30th.  She was one day off.

Tonight, as London and I were putting the finishing touches on uploading her first book to the blog, London said she was feeling a bit itchy.  Lifting her shirt, I counted 14 pox on her back.  She felt a little warm and quickly I confirmed she had the tell-tale fever. Indeed, she had the pox!

By Saturday she was in full bloom, I stopped counting pox at 50!  I would call her case "classic."  Right now, London is on the living room couch with a stocking cap on her head, oven mitts on her hands, socks on her feet, and Calamine lotion smeared on her from head to toe. And, yes, London also had the chicken pox vaccine.   

The good news is that had we gone on our vacation, London would have gotten the pox just as we arrived in Rome for a two-day stint. So, it is a good thing we are here in Rapid City and London can be sick in her own bed.

But this tale is not without a money twist. About one week ago, I made her a bet that if she got the chicken pox I would give her $5, but if she didn’t she would give me $1. I figured, statistically, it was a good bet. Since only 10 to 20% of kids vaccinated come down with the pox, the odds were in my favor. Oh well.  Within two minutes of my official declaration that she had the pox, she asked for her money!   

Probably the biggest takeaway from this for readers of this blog who have young children is to take the advice of the CDC. If your children have received the vaccination, make sure they get a second one, soon!  And, for me, the lesson is don’t bet with Miss London.

by Rick Kahler

After two years of wanting to be a paleontologist, London changed her career choice.  She was four years old when she decided she would rather be "an author and illustrator of children’s books." At age ten, nothing has changed.

So, authors must write, and London just recently completed her third book. All three books were written in script with accompanying illustrations. I suggested if she were to put her books into Word, that I would publish them on this blog. London took me up on the challenge, and true to my word, here is her first book, The White Filly.

The story is about a horse and the romantic interludes of a young girl.  I suggested that she rename the story The White Fillies, but London failed to see the humor in that. And, as London’s father, I am also just a bit concerned about my ten-year-old writing a semi-romance novel.  I thought I might have a few more years before this stage!

Anyway, London accomplished this literary achievement about 40 years before her father, so Marcia and I are pretty proud of her!  Also, for all you English majors and teachers, the story is unedited by either of her parents’ hands.

You can read London’s book by clicking here: Download the_white_filly_london_kahler_12206.doc

Once again, ’tis the season. To be jolly? No, to be shopping. One recent news report included the extraordinary statement that "holiday shopping is no longer discretionary spending." No wonder the month of December can be a source of stress rather than joy for so many of us.

Here are a few suggestions that might help you do your holiday shopping more consciously.

1. Examine your own beliefs about Christmas spending. One way to begin this is to quickly write down answers to the following questions: What do I believe about money and each of the following? Christmas? Presents? Giving? Spending? Receiving? You may uncover some "money scripts" that aren’t necessarily true but that govern your spending. Examples might be "The more money I spend, the more I am showing love" or "I have to buy gifts for everyone in my extended family." This exercise can help you consider whether you might benefit from changing some of your holiday shopping patterns.

2. Take a deliberate look at your expenses and your available income, and then set a spending limit. For couples, it’s a good idea to do this together.

3. If, after examining your budget, you need to cut back on Christmas spending, communicate that to your family members as early as possible.

4. Consider creative ways to limit holiday spending. These might include drawing names instead of getting gifts for everyone, giving homemade gifts, or giving gift certificates for services such as babysitting, snow removal, lawn care, cooking, or housecleaning.

5. Once you’ve decided on your spending limit, do your shopping with cash. Studies show you will probably spend 15% to 30% less than if you use a credit card, and you’ll save yourself that miserable January "credit card hangover."

6. If you must use credit, do so consciously. Use only one card, check the balance often, and keep a running total of your purchases to help you stay within your spending limit.

7. Make a list before you go to the store to reduce impulse buying. If you need gift ideas, browse ads, sale flyers, catalogs, and the Internet before you go shopping.

8. Don’t wait till the last minute. For some people, shopping early means buying gifts in August; for others it means getting to the stores before December 15. However you define it, shop earlier rather than later. Waiting until a few days for Christmas means you have fewer choices, less time, and more stress.

9. Use a system that fits your style, but get organized. Some people plan ahead far enough to pick up gifts throughout the year. Others get everything done in one well-planned shopping trip.

10. As much as possible, avoid "black Friday" and other busy shopping times. Fighting your way through crowds of other shoppers is stressful, and it’s too easy to get caught up in a "gotta have it" frenzy.

11. Look for sales and comparison shop. Do as much of this as possible through phone calls and reading ads instead of running from store to store. A couple of places to consider checking online include www.wow-coupons.com and www.gottadeal.com.

12. Consider planning now for next year. As you do your shopping, keep track of what doesn’t work well. Then think of ways you can do something different next year. Many people buy next year’s ornaments, gift wrap, and cards the week after Christmas when they are bargain priced.

Doing your holiday shopping more consciously can make this time of year truly a season to be jolly instead of stressed. I hope these suggestions help you enjoy giving, receiving, and spending time with those you care about.

Rick’s note:  Our "guest blogger" today is Olivia Mellan, psychotherapist, money coach, speaker and business consultant, who hosts "Money Harmony with Olivia Mellan" on WWDB-AM 860 on Wednesdays at 10 am in the Philadelphia area. She’s appeared frequently on the TODAY show, Oprah, and ABC’s 20-20. Her column, "The Psychology of Advice," appears regularly in Investment Advisor magazine.

by Olivia Mellan

More than 20 years ago, my professional and personal life was changed forever when a colleague, with whom I was about to offer workshops, said, “You know – we should really do one on money. It’s harder to talk about money than sex or childhood trauma.”

I realized that when clients were in my therapy office, and the topic of money (rarely) came up, it was as if there were ghosts of family members sitting all around – their ghosts and my own – and NOBODY was talking about it. So we did the first “money harmony” workshop in 1983, helping individuals and couples explore their ongoing, lifelong relationship to money.

We discovered that not only was this the last taboo (and for some, it still is!) – but that when you unload the symbol of money and what it represents, you are provided with the most wonderful opportunity for personal, spiritual, emotional (and financial!) growth and transformation.

I never intended to write four books, have my own radio talk show, do teleclasses and workshops, or write a column in Investment Advisor that’s been going on 7 years – but the work was so satisfying that it transformed my professional life into a much more vibrant and varied practice. Some of the most fulfilling activities I’ve loved lately are the teleclasses and workshops I’m doing, and my new call-in radio talk show on WWDB-AM 860 in the Philadelphia area.

The teleclasses are an opportunity for financial professionals, therapists, counselors and coaches (that’s Money Psychology 101 and 201) to learn from each other as they learn from me, and to practice “money harmony” principles and exercises as they do. Reading these folks’ “money dialogues” – conversations between them and their money about how it’s going, with commentary by mom, dad, other strong influences, and God/Higher Power/voice of inner wisdom – is always inspiring to me. Watching them “practice the non-habitual” in their moneylife and come back to talk about it is wonderful, too.

And since I began as a couples therapist (now couples coach), and have specialized in this for over 30 years (gosh, I sound old!), starting a new teleclass exploring gender differences, couples polarization patterns, and good communications tools, seemed the logical next step.

Another exciting area that I’m thinking about is finding deeper meaning in our lives as all of us baby boomers enter their 60’s. (For me, that was last month). Besides writing some spoof songs about the experience (“I Enjoy Being a Crone,” “There Is Nothing Like A Crone,” and “Try to Remember” about memory loss), I loved being on a recent panel in Sarasota, Florida, on “Living Your Legacy – Not Just Leaving It.” Entering the world of ethical wills – where folks write down, videotape, or record their memories, life lessons and precious messages of love and respect to their loved ones – is a vehicle I want to embrace more and more fully in my own life.

Several years ago, when I was about to have surgery for a condition that turned out to be minor, I was moved to write a letter of love and gratitude to my husband, Michael and my son, Aniel. I wanted them to know how filled up I felt in my life, and how much I loved them both. It was the beginning of an “ethical will” for me, and they both loved reading what I wrote and shared. I urge all of you to begin doing this while you are well and fully functioning. It’s never to soon to start!

In general, I enjoy helping folks move from guilt to gratitude, from “poverty consciousness” to rooting themselves in abundance. Once of my favorite exercises to do in my workshops, for those who believe in the money myth that “Money is Happiness,” is to ask folks to write down what makes them happiest, how much it costs to do that, and whether it’s better done alone or with a partner. Invariably, almost everyone comes up with one or both items that cost little or no money (walks in nature with loved ones, sex for free!). So, though having enough money (how much is enough is always an important question!) is important, living a life of balance and meaning is what creates a sense of true abundance. Creating money harmony in the context of life balance is what it’s all about.

I invite you to call into my radio talk show some Wed am EST between 10 am and 11 am (610 664 4100) and ask a question or make a comment. My next live show will be on December 13th (they’re taped repeats till then, since I’m out of town). And consider joining me for my teleclasses, beginning January 2nd and 9th , every other Tuesdays, from 5:30 pm est . Download 0612mellanteleclass_registration_form_january_2_and_9_2007.doc