I love to challenge commonly accepted axioms. One theory that I really love to argue against is the theory of the “big idea” or the “great idea” (or whatever you want to call it). What’s this theory all about? It’s the mindset where you don’t get anything done until you have figured out the next big idea. It’s all about figuring out how you will dominate the world. It’s not about focusing on the basics.

In the past I spent countless amounts of hours on discussing so called great business ideas with friends. We always used to talk about what the next Facebook would be. While we were busy with day dreaming, Twitter was created.

I thought about the idea of a financial help service for a really long time (more than I care to admit). I would meet up with various buddies and discuss this big idea that we would implement “soon.” Well soon never came. One day I went out on the internet and realized that plenty of financial help was available via personal finance blogs. That’s when I decided to start a personal finance blog.

You must accept the fact that you won’t come out with the next Google or Facebook. Its okay though. The great news is that you don’t have to.

Below are a few quick tips to help you get over the myth of the great idea:

People love the fundamentals.

Facebook and Twitter are nothing more than communication tools. Instead of trying to focus on something outside of the box, perhaps you could offer an extension of a popular service. Twitter is essentially nothing more than “Facebook status updates.” Its nothing Earth-shattering. Instead of trying to think of the greatest idea known to men, why not follow up on a fundamental that isn’t being addressed at the moment?

Just deliver consistent quality.

No mater what you decide to do, you better do it right.People love to receive quality service consistently. The service or work that you decide to offer won’t be something completely new, but it will be something that people need. People pay to have their problems solved. As long as you are solving problem, you are on the right track.

A rising tide floats all ships.

Remember that you don’t always have to come up with the most ground breaking concept. You could simply jump into an industry that is booming. There’s nothing wrong with this. When I started a personal finance blog I knew that I wasn’t going to be the first one. I also did know that people in the field were making money through helping others.

Stop wasting time.

You need to stop wasting precious time. Every day that you spend pondering about “great idea” is another day where you don’t make any money. We feel good after we discuss stuff. Unfortunately, all that were doing is wasting time. You need to ask yourself: what did I really accomplish? Discussing future projects is exciting, but are you taking the necessary steps to meet your goals?

What action have you taken? Are you waiting around for the big idea to hit you? If you’ve taken any actions in the last little while, then please do share with us.

Img src: yasuhisa

As previously announced by Laura, she recently sold her blog to a guy called The Financial Blogger. Well that guy is me, Mike, and The Financial Blogger is the name of my first blog. Selling a blog is a tough decision to make for both the seller and the buyer. While Laura has to “leave a part of her life”, I am taking a risk that you won’t enjoy my articles as much as her’s. This is why I thought of introducing myself as my first article.
 
First of all, I have been married for 6 years to my lovely wife; my very first and only love (we have been together since we were 15!). I am a happy father of two beautiful children; William (4) and Amy (2). I work in the financial industry since 2003 and have been a financial planner since 2008. What I really like about my job is helping my clients achieve their dreams. Whether buying their dream home (first or otherwise), quitting their job to return to school, retiring financially safe, happy (and wealthy), these are the kinds of dreams I can help my clients achieve. I always say that I can’t complain about the pay cheque, but what I enjoy the most, is coming back home with the feeling that I have helped someone today.
 
I have been blogging on The Financial Blogger since November 2006. What I really like about blogging is that I can share my knowledge with a lot more people than I can at work. It also gives everybody a great opportunity to ask questions and add comments to my thoughts. Personal finance is a very wide and interesting topic since there are no single right answers. Each situation is unique and there is more than one good solution for each of them.
 
I started my blog with the help of one of my friends and partner in our online business: Pierre. He is my best friend (and William’s godfather too!). He also works in the finance industry, more precisely in the wonderful world of stock markets. He runs a blog, as well, called The Intelligent Speculator. Pierre has had some interesting financial adventures.
I will be working really hard to provide the best financial content on the web. We believe that there is a serious lack of financial education in North America, a huge gap to fill. There are no such programs in school curricula and we basically send future generations into the World at the age of 18 with credit cards in hand and tell them to buy whatever they feel like.
 

Back to what I learned in college
 
At the tender age of 16, I started to look at different ways to make money while studying. I want to share the positive and challenging experiences I went through while dealing with work, creating small companies, paying off debt while going to school at the same time. Our 20s is a very important decade of one’s life since it could lead you into deep financial distress or help you emerge from the middle of the pack.
 
Good news! I am able to keep Laura with Green Panda!
 
In order to avoid significant changes and because I like her writing skills, Laura will keep writing for Green Panda regularly. If you have specific questions, please feel free to ask them by email at thefinancialblogger(at)gmail(dot)com. If you want to know something about me, I invite you to ask your questions by commenting on this post.

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I’ve been having an eventful couple of months between work and family. After some honest and tough self examination, I realized I needed to simplify my life to improve it. It’s hard for me to do this (writing this post was difficult), but I want to let you know that I’ve sold Green Panda Treehouse.

I didn’t make this decision lightly; I have started this site almost 3 years ago. It started as a personal blog and as a way to keep an account of things that interested me at the time. In July 2007, I focused on personal finances and how it related to me as a college student. Slowly it evolved as I graduated and the topics reflected finance issues I dealt with out of college and included our hunt for our first place.

This site is very special to me and I’ve really enjoyed writing about personal finance topics. I’ve learned so much from your personal experiences and from the books I’ve studied while preparing for posts.  While I know this is the best decision for me,  my family, and my readers, it’s still sad.

I want you to know though, I’m not abandoning Green Panda Treehouse. I love this site and I’ll be around with writing weekly posts here. I’m hoping to see Green Panda Treehouse grow and I hope that you’ll notice some great things happening here. As always, leaving comments with your genuine feedback is always appreciated. I’ll be keeping an eye out for the community and I’m going to chatting with you here on the blog.

One thing that makes this process much more easier is knowing who’ll be handling the reins now on the site. I have utmost confidence that the site will improve and you’ll continue to find useful posts on handling your college and post graduation finances. I genuinely believe this is a win-win for everyone. You’ll continue to get fresh perspectives and posts here on GPT and I hope you’ll  continue to share your own thoughts here.

So I’m not saying good-bye (more like ‘see you around’) as I’m still a part of the community and plan on being so for a while. I just wanted to say thank you for everything. I appreciated the support and advice of everyone.

Financial Goals for 2010

I’m really happy with the success of our 2009 goals. I’m hoping 2010 will be a great year and I wanted to change it up a bit to make it easier to succeed.

I’m not having several goals as I did last year. Instead, I’m going to focus on having 2 maybe 3 goals at a time. As I accomplish one goal, I’ll decide on something else to work towards. I think this will help me to focus more instead of worrying about several different things at once.

I'm focusing my goals a bit more than last year.

Consolidate my student loans by March 2010.

I’m planning on consolidating the loans to lower the interest rates soon since they are really low right now.  Currently consolidating student loans can lower them to 2.49%, which is a great deal and would decrease the monthly payment a bit if the budget gets tight. Our plan, though, is continue the payments we’re making with the difference going towards the principle.

Invest at least $3,000 into my Roth IRA for 2010.

I really need to get serious about investing for retirement. Right now the only debt I have is my student loans and by looking at the numbers, I’m going to divert and invest money instead of paying off my student loan as fast as possible.

Your Goals

How did 2009 go for you? Did you reach your goals? Please let me know what financial goals you have for 2010.

Photo Credit: QueenNeveen

We're working towards our goals slowly, but surely.

I don’t think we have a more stressful month than November. We started optimistic with the house the beginning of this month, but it didn’t work out. We’re now trying to get our earnest deposit back and hunt for another place. How quickly things can change in a month! I’m so grateful that my husband is cool throughout this ordeal.

I’m also glad we’re pushing a ahead with our goals. It has been a bit crazy, but we’re making it. I think next month will have some exciting news.

Our Financial Goals for 2009

We have two goals and one month left until the end of the year and I’m hoping we’ll be able to meet them.

• Debt: We would like to pay off my car loan by March 31, 2009.Goal Met.
• Debt: I’d like to reduce our expenses in September by 10%. Goal Met
• Spending: We’re going to limit eating out $100 this month. Goal Met
• Savings: We want to have 3 months worth of expenses saved by December 31, 2009. Almost there…

How We Did in November on Our Financial Goals

Spending: We’ve ate out more this weekend, but most of the places we went to were cheaper. As the closing date was coming up, we wanted to reduce our expenses.

Savings: Our savings are still there as we did not purchase the house. Now we just have to get our earnest deposit back.

Your Take

How are you doing with your 2009 goals? Have you had some unexpected changes? What successes have you had so far?

Top Posts This Month

I wanted to share of the most popular posts this month on the blog.

• Delay in Our Closing: I really appreciate the support and encouragement with our bad news.
• Making Student Loan Payments Affordable: If your budget is tight, please consider looking into lowering your student loan payments until you get everything squared away.
• Promoting Your Side Business Without Going Broke: Having a side business can be a great way to boost your income, just don’t spend too much promoting it.
• $8,000 Tax Credit for First-Time Homebuyers Extended and Expanded: This is good news for us since our house deal felll through.
• Apartment Hunting For Short Term Leases: You have to start over again with the house hunt and we’re trying to find a solution that works for us.

Five Cent Nickel Posts

Some great discussions were happening with my post on home inspections and preparing for a move.

• Preparing for a Move
• How to Save Money on Vacations
• Getting a Home Inspection
• How to Save Money on Pet Care
• Save Time and Money by Asking for Help

Thank you all for your support. This blog has grown thanks you telling others about it. Please keep in contact with me through email and Twitter, as I try to make the site better everyday.

Photo Credit: Armando Maynez

We're working towards our goals slowly, but surely.

The end of the year is coming soon and I’m again amazed at how quickly this year is going. We’ve been busy this month and one of our personal highlights was painting our friends’ new house.  We’re really happy for them and can’t wait to see what they have in store for the new place.

I think a financial highlight this month was socking away 78% of my temporary job’s paycheck. We’re trying to build a bigger buffer for our emergency fund into our joint savings account. Grabbing whatever is quick and easy has been a weakness of mine. I did spend more eating out, but once I planned a bit more, the lunch expenses were lowered.

The other week I signed up for Wachovia’s Way2 Save  program to try and stow away some money at a higher rate than ING Direct.  My husband also wrote Panda Budget,a quick little budgeting tool for GPT readers. It’s beta and it’s completely free.

Our Financial Goals for 2009

We have two goals left until the end of the year and I’m hoping we’ll be able to meet them.

How We Did in October on Our Financial Goals

Spending: We went out a few times this month with friends and discovered two new places with some nice happy hour specials. I enjoyed Brio’s specials and I really think you should try it. We ordered their Brio Burger with chips and pepperoni and sausage flat bread.

I’m looking at something special for my husband for our anniversary next month, so I’m cutting down spending on lunches a bit more to set aside some extra cash.

Savings: I was really happy that we were able to save a big chunk of the temporary job’s paycheck. It was shorter assignment than I expected, but more money is still good.

Your Take

How are you doing with your 2009 goals? Have you had some unexpected changes? What successes have you had so far?

Top Posts This Month

I wanted to share of the most popular posts this month on the blog.

• Quicken 2010 Home and Business Review
• What Comic Book Characters Taught Me About Personal Finance
• How Much Life Insurance Should You Have?
• Eating Out with New Job
• Help a Reader: Raising Credit Score

Thank you all for your support. This blog has grown thanks you telling others about it. Please keep in contact with me through email and Twitter, as I try to make the site better everyday.

Photo Credit: Armando Maynez

We had a small and relaxing vacation early in September. Not having an internet connection or TV was a good thing and we got to recharge. I managed to get a lot of writing done and had sailing lesson. While I enjoyed it, I completely forgot almost every sailing term thrown at us.

Compared to the past few months, this month has been low key. I’m now ready to get out.  If the weather is good, we’re going out of town this weekend to visit a vineyard and take the tour.

Since you have an ideas of what we did with our free time, I guess I can jump to a review of our financial goals.

Our Financial Goals for 2009

How We Did in September on Our Financial Goals

Debt: We’ve been able to cut down expenses as we didn’t have the air conditioning as much as we did this summer.

Spending: I was surprised how well we did with this. We didn’t mean to cut back; I think it’s now become a habit to think before we go and eat out. We had a couple of great dinners with some new and old friends.

Savings: I’m getting my first paycheck next week from the temporary job and 80% is going to the joint savings account. Since it’s a short project, I want to be as aggressive as possible.

Your Take

How are you doing with your 2009 goals? Have you had some unexpected changes?

Top Posts This Month

I wanted to share of the most popular posts this month on the blog.

• 5 Things Your Parents Didn’t Teach You About Money
• Mortgage and Down Payment
• Find the Best Community Colleges for You
• House Hunting: Mortgages and Interest Rates
• Walking: Good For You, Good For Your Wallet

Thank you all for your support. This blog has grown thanks you telling others about it. Please keep in contact with me through email and Twitter, as I try to make the site better everyday.

August like many months this year has been busy. It got started with a bang with the wedding and now we’re also working on buying a townhouse. This was not a spur of the moment puchase, but we’ve been keeping an eye out for awhile while we were building our savings.

We carefully looked at the costs of home ownership before we went looking at specific places. Hopefully this will work out and I’ll share pictures in a month or so of our new place.

Before you buy a home, see if it makes sense.

Last month I was also a part of HP’s Better Together Back to School Giveaway. It was definately exciting and I’ve met some new readers on Twitter.

Our Financial Goals for 2009

How We Did in August on Our Financial Goals

Debt: I really need to work on this a bit more. Our current bills are pretty much the same which is good. I did search for home insurance options this month and found somecompanies with premiums 30% less than competitors. That counts for something, right?

Seriously, I will be working on reducing some of our expenses this week, so we can free up some money to build the savings a little more than usual.

Spending: We only we went out last month once with some friends. It wasn’t intentional; we just didn’t see something that intrigued us. I’m kind of proud of us. We’re now looking at eating out as a special event and inviting people over more often.

Savings: We’re trying to sock as much money as we can for house expenses and savings. We will not empty out our savings for this house. The plan is to have some money still in savings as a cushion.

Your Take

How are you doing with your 2009 goals? Have you had some unexpected changes?

Top Posts This Month

I wanted to share of our most popular posts this month.

• Deciding on Home Ownership
• Marriage and Money: Financial Game Plan
• Marriage and Money: Joint or Separate Accounts
• What’s Happening with Cash for Clunkers Program?
• Achieve More By Having Smart Goals

Thank you all for your support. This blog has grown thanks you telling others about it. Please keep in contact with me through email and Twitter, as I try to make the site better everyday.

Photo Credit:  Fabio