Kate Phillips | Total Wealth

How to Recover from a Financial Setback

Kate Phillips — Wed, 03 Oct 2018 03:57:10 +0000

Nearly every American will experience multiple financial setbacks during their lifetimes. Incomes fluctuate. Investments fail. Emergencies strike. Life happens.

Very few people travel a straight road to financial success. Most of us encounter detours, potholes, even road blocks and dead ends along the way.

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The Transformative Power of Gratitude

Kate Phillips — Thu, 24 Nov 2011 18:14:40 +0000

Yes, her challenges were greater than I could even imagine, but still… I hoped - almost ashamed at myself for suggesting it, fearing I might be wrong - there must be a hint of sunshine somewhere. (Right?)

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The Sisters of Sizzle Serve Up Wealth for Women

Kate Phillips — Sat, 27 Feb 2010 09:36:40 +0000

(I’ll bet you can’t say THAT three times fast….) What a great month this has been, I’ve been asked to partner with Rachelle, then Robin, and now… The Sisters of Sizzle Talk Radio Show! If you’re not yet familiar with the Sisters or what they’re cooking up in March, well, let me tell you all about it, because they have five shows dedicated to Women and Their Money. I’m honored to kick off the month as part of a list of tremendous guests such as Mikelann Valterra of the Women’s Earning Institute, best-selling author Molly Gordon, (The Accidental Entrepreneur), and Anna Choi, a woman I highly admire for her transformative money management work with couples. See the whole schedule HERE and if you like, subscribe to the free podcast (same page) so that you won’t miss a show! The show I’ll be featured on goes live Wednesday, March 3 at 3pm pst on 106.9 HD, channel 3. For the details of how to listen via the internet, subscribe, or hear a replay, click here. And I can’t wait to meet the Sisters in person… The Sisters of Sizzle are Elise Kloter and Jill Pagano. Amongst other things, Elise is a Passion Test Facilitator, and Jill is a Nia instructor. Together they are fun, energetic, and a perfect example of what happens when women’s intuition meets entrepreneurial synergy. The two met and got this crazy idea to start a radio show, and voila, they were getting their sizzle on in no time! Their program now has thousands of subscribers and attracts fantastic guests. (I’ll bet you can’t say THAT three times fast….) What a great month this has been, I’ve been asked to partner with Rachelle, then Robin, and now… The Sisters of Sizzle Talk Radio Show! If you’re not yet familiar with the Sisters…

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Take the Gratitude Challenge

Kate Phillips — Thu, 26 Nov 2009 06:11:13 +0000

This Thanksgiving, I’m taking the Gratitude Challenge. Will you join me? Pick up your pen, your phone, knock on a door, even use your computer, and contact ten people you are grateful for. It doesn’t matter if you see them daily or if you haven’t spoken in years. (Actually, they don’t even have to be living, you can still write them a letter). Tell these ten people the impact they have had on your life, and thank them. Go ahead, make their day. (It’ll make you feel pretty good, too!) And for “extra credit,” leave a comment below telling about your experience doing it! Happy Thanksgiving, Kate (p.s. It need not be on Thanksgiving, you can take the Gratitude Challenge any day of the year!) Stay tuned for the G.R.A.T.I.T.U.D.E Formula series! This Thanksgiving, I’m taking the Gratitude Challenge. Will you join me? Pick up your pen, your phone, knock on a door, even use your computer, and contact ten people you are grateful for. It doesn’t matter if you see them daily or if you haven’t spoken in years. (Actually, they don’t even have to be living, you can still write them a letter). Tell these ten people the impact they have had on your life, and thank them. Go ahead, make their day. (It’ll make you feel pretty good, too!) And for “extra credit,” leave a comment below telling about your experience doing it! Happy Thanksgiving, Kate (p.s. It need not be on Thanksgiving, you can take the Gratitude Challenge any day of the year!) Stay tuned for the G.R.A.T.I.T.U.D.E Formula series!

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A New Definition of Freedom

Kate Phillips — Sat, 04 Jul 2009 19:30:19 +0000

Taking a new look at Freedom on Independence Day:

"Freedom is the ability to create the lives we want, enjoying the journey as much as the destination.... The freedom to express oneself fully and without fear, whether in conversation, business, or art.... Freedom is enjoying every day, living in gratitude, living from choice."

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Winter Contemplation #1 (or, how to get unfrozen)

Kate Phillips — Mon, 16 Mar 2009 11:58:33 +0000

I live by Lake Marcel, poised between the Snoqualmie Valley and the Cascade foothills, between the towns of Carnation and Duvall (east of Seattle). It is peaceful, idyllic. It looks like the kind of place you’d go to visit your financially-secure retired relatives in their second home… nestled between tall fir trees, near the community beach. Part of my daily routine is to walk around the lake, weather allowing. I walk to stretch my legs, clear my mind, and… to listen. Sometimes, I hear Spirit speaking in Nature – perhaps through a bird or a tree, and often, through a living metaphor. Oftentimes, the answers to the very questions I have been pondering are to be found in Creation – in Universal, Natural Law, clearly observable in the physical world. (For those who have ears to hear and eyes to see…) As I’m writing my eBook on “Overcoming Financial Stress,” I’m thinking of how I manage and overcome financial stress – or any stress – in my own life. (Opt in to the right if you’d like a copy… it will be finished soon.) “Stress” is fundamentally a fear-based reaction. It’s a fear-based reaction to the past: we’re afraid we’ve made terrible mistakes that we should feel regret over; and a fear-based reaction to the future: we may have food, shelter, and love today, but surely it will disappear tomorrow! And who would we BE without the income, the home, or the “stuff” we’ve come to identify ourselves with? And perhaps things aren’t so great in the present. Perhaps we are confronted with uncomfortable challenges and find ourselves clinging to a past that no longer exists, discovering change the only constant. If only tomorrow were guaranteed to be like yesterday, if only we could predict it, manage it, control it! A natural reaction to change, challenge, and fear is to “freeze.” When we encounter a bear (or a large barking…

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In the News and on TV!

Kate Phillips — Wed, 04 Mar 2009 11:23:34 +0000

A Multi-Millionaire’s Advice on a Spending Plan Tim Robinson with King5/KongTV (NBC affiliate) interviewed me about some Tips for Financial Health. Check out the video! It was really interesting to see how things get chopped and edited down(logically and necessarily, because they are NOT going to run the whole 20 minute interview! Not even mass murders get that much time!) I love to “give credit where credit is due,” and I must say (as I did in the interview, but it was edited out!) – the “Play Fund” suggestion is one I got from T. Harv Eker, creator of the Millionaire Mind Intensive. Harv recommends dividing your discretionary income equally among several categories, such as: A Give Fund for your favorite church, charities or other organizations or causes that you wish to support. A Financial Freedom Account of money that you invest until you are Financially Free. An Education Fund to support your own learning and growth. This could be college, personal development courses, or, as Harv hopes, Peak Potentials business and self-improvement courses! A Savings for Spending Account in which you save up for special purchases or perhaps a down payment on a home. A Play Fund, that you get to spend on WHATEVER YOU WANT without ANY guilt! The Rest goes to pay your Necessities: your mortgage or rent, your food and gas, your insurance, bills and other necessities. The goal is to increase your income until your Necessities are only 50% of your income (or less!) The Key with the Play Fund is to work it into your whole Spending Plan. It is not unconcious, compulsive “spending binge” money – you’ve planned for it and budgeted for it! It is simply money that you have “planned” to spend on… whatever you like! Healthy Spending is like Healthy Eating! A healthy Spending Plan is very…

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Emotional Spending: Buying Love

Kate Phillips — Sat, 21 Feb 2009 11:42:29 +0000

A Financial Coach takes a look at emotional spending, and the link between love and shopping.

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The Daily Candy Special

Kate Phillips — Tue, 27 Jan 2009 13:17:30 +0000

Kate's special for DailyCandy readers... Sweet!

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Heroes, Villains, and Slippery Slopes

Kate Phillips — Tue, 06 Jan 2009 14:03:09 +0000

A financial coach examines the Curious Case of Bernie Madoff and the largest financial fraud in history.

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Announcement: Christmas has been Postponed!

Kate Phillips — Thu, 25 Dec 2008 01:11:57 +0000

Think about it - do you look forward to seeing your family and friends on Christmas because of the gifts that they bring, or because of the GIFT that they ARE!?

With all due respect to Santa Claus, the biggest gifts we can give this or any season do not come in wrapping paper. Bring joy, peace, and goodwill in your sleigh, and you will be a welcome visitor anytime of year.

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Paying it Forward at a Starbucks Stand

Kate Phillips — Tue, 25 Nov 2008 07:02:33 +0000

I made a stop at the QFC grocery store in Redmond Ridge Saturday night. I was on my way home from teaching a “Wealthy, Worthy and Wise” workshop and I needed a few groceries. It had been a long day with an early start, and besides the groceries, I was also in the market for a shot of caffeine. I stopped by the in-store Starbucks stand and ordered a mocha from the friendly young male barista. After writing on the cup and ringing my drink into the register, he started telling me a story before allowing me to pay for my drink. “This morning, our store’s assistant manager decided to pay for his drink and also the drink of the person following him,” he explained. “The next person did the same, and people have continued it all day long, paying for the next person’s drink.” Sure to let me know that there was no obligation, he added, “So your drink has already been paid for. If you’d like to contribute to the next person’s drink, you can.” My first reaction was surprise at hearing the words, “Your drink has already been paid for.” It felt like I had won a little scratch card prize or something. My money was already out of my purse, and it seemed natural to “pay it forward” and contribute to the next. The barista paid the cash register out of money collected in a brown paper bag, then put my money into that same bag. Then he looked particularly pleased, and announced to me, “You’re the 100th person to ‘pay it forward’ today!” I loved that he was keeping track. I loved that he recognized that something out of the ordinary, no matter how small, was happening. I loved being part of it. I took my mocha and started pushing my cart around the store, collecting the items I needed. The mocha…

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Chauncey Gardiner and the Audacity of Hope

Kate Phillips — Mon, 10 Nov 2008 08:18:56 +0000

(A tale of two political figures – one fictional as well as accidental, one real and very intentional.) As long as the roots are not severed, all is well. This week I re-watched the brilliantly constructed satire, “Being There.” (A 1979 film directed by Hal Ashby, adapted from the 1971 novel written by Jerzy Kosiński.) Peter Sellers plays a simple-minded gardner with no social or intellectual skills, being essentially raised by television sets and the plants he tended. When forced into new situations such as befriending a billionaire and meeting the president, he is mistaken for a genius of sorts. “Chance the Gardner” becomes “Chauncey Gardiner,” his simple sentences interpreted as deep metaphors about the state of the nation. Here are some lines from the “meeting the president” scene: President “Bobby”: Mr. Gardner, do you agree with Ben, or do you think that we can stimulate growth through temporary incentives? [Long pause] Chance the Gardner: As long as the roots are not severed, all is well. And all will be well in the garden. President “Bobby”: In the garden. Chance the Gardner: Yes. In the garden, growth has it seasons. First comes spring and summer, but then we have fall and winter. And then we get spring and summer again. President “Bobby”: Spring, and summer. Chance the Gardener: Yes. President “Bobby”: Then fall and… winter. Chance the Gardener: Yes. Benjamin Rand: I think what our insightful young friend is saying is that we welcome the inevitable seasons of nature, but we’re upset by the seasons of our economy. Chance the Gardener: Yes! There will be growth in the spring! Benjamin Rand: Hmm! Chance the Gardener: Hmm! President “Bobby” Hmm. Well, Mr. Gardner, I must admit that is one of the most refreshing and optimistic statements I’ve heard in a very, very long time. [Benjamin Rand applauds] The metaphors remind of my own “Autumn Contemplations”…

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Autumn Contemplations, Financial Chaos, and Spring

Kate Phillips — Wed, 15 Oct 2008 13:19:05 +0000

The chaos in our financial markets seems to stand in contrast to the serenity of a beautiful fall day, with many-colored leaves on display and the gentlest of breezes giving them breath. But look closely… I often find that my life tends to mirror and follow the season, both in exterior patterns and interior rhythms. And perhaps the financial markets, which at a glance appear to be such a contrast to this autumn beauty, are doing the same. Leaves die and fall to the ground in preparation of winter. It is “Fall,” literally, the season of falling leaves. The trees shed their leaves in preparation for winter. They anticipate the coming season of longer nights, less sun, and cooler temperatures. As fall becomes winter, visible growth comes to a stop, although the roots continue to burrow into the soil in preparation of spring. I believe we are witnessing the “Fall” of the financial markets. Literally. (I don’t mean their demise or their destruction – I’m not that dramatic or pessimistic.) It’s Autumn in the banking industries and the stock market. The crazy growth of spring seems to be an illusion. Inflated profits, inflated prices, inflated expectations…. And while much attention has been focused on the excesses of Wall Street, there has been plenty of over-reaching on Main Street too. The average American saves 1% of their income, but spends up to $104% of their income. How is that even possible!? The average American is more in debt each year than the last. I hear that Americans are more likely to declare bankruptcy than graduate from college, and now that we can’t refinance our homes due to ever-growing equity, we are up a creek without a paddle. We want, we buy. “Buy now, pay later!” “No interest for a year!” Credit is not a bad thing. Credit has…

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“Financial Therapy”

Kate Phillips — Thu, 11 Sep 2008 09:19:31 +0000

“What do you do?” It’s the simplest, most basic question, one we might be asked on a daily basis. I know exactly what I do, but I’m still trying to figure out how to answer that question in a way that people can understand. In a nutshell, I help people think and feel differently about money. I help people create wealth, but not with stocks, bonds, real estate and budgets with built-in automatic saving plans. (Yes, one must have a plan, but it’s the wrong starting place.) I help people create wealth from the inside out, through transforming beliefs, attitudes, and emotions. But what am I? Sometimes I define it by describing what I’m not. We all probably know what a Financial Planner is, or perhaps we have had experience with a Financial Advisor, Financial Services Representative, or similar animal. Some work on commission, some work for fees. All have tools to help you assess your current financial situation and panic properly as you grasp the enormity of the canyon over which you must leap in order to one day retire. Most sell financial products (investments, insurance, etc.) that might assist you in reaching your goals. I took a CFP course once. I got my life insurance license. I interviewed in the financial services field. I was well on my way to a life of using tools and charts and calculators to help people plan their financial futures. But I wasn’t sleeping well. It wasn’t my calling. I knew the world didn’t need another financial planner (with all due respect to the thousands of fine financial planners who serve a genuine need to their grateful clients). I knew what I was. I couldn’t deny it. I had been one for years. It was time to just admit it. I was… A Financial Therapist. Since no self-respecting therapist would ever call themselves…

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