How are you looking TODAY at your money, your next wholesale order? What is on your shelf right now? Are you equipped for the BIG SUCCESS that you really want? Then you must put FIRST THINGS FIRST! MONEY, MONEY, MONEY! I was thinking about money! We have some to invest and I was thinking about the story one NSD told one time. She said that she and her husband were lolling around the pool and he said, "Oh, Honey, I meant to tell you; I invested $10,000 dollars in (whatever) and we will make 7% interest on the money in 7 years." She said, "Oh, really?" He said, "What's wrong?" She said, "Nothing." He said, "I know something is wrong; what is it?" She said, "Nothing, I know that you think of yourself as a great business man." He said, "I wish you would tell me what's wrong." She said, "Well, I was thinking that if you had invested the $10,000 in Mary Kay products, I would have received 13% (her Unit Commission) on $10,000 immediately - that would be $1,300, some gorgeous prizes, probably a TOP TRIP with Mary Kay and 50% on the $10,000 - that would be $10,000, when I sold it! And it wouldn't take me 7 years to sell it! That would be $11,300 plus we would make on our $10,000. A consultant with 5 recruits would make the same commission as the NSD! How many of us look at our Mary Kay inventory this way? Or do we look at it as something we hope we can sell. What are you making on your Money Market Account? 4%, 5%? What are you making on your savings account? 2 1/2%? What are you making on your CD's? 5%?. How about the stock market? If you are doing GREAT you may make 15%. Or you may lose it all! We have looked into different plans and found that we could buy an annuity and make 7% if we invested $15,000 and left it there for 10 years. Or we could buy bonds and make 4% or 5% if interest rates were high. But interest rates are low so that won't work. I have money in an IRA. That's good. However, I am past the age where I can add to it and if I take it out I am taxed on the full amount THIS YEAR.. Everyone is telling you to plan for your retirement. We are going to live a long time. So, I do believe that you need to start some kind of retirement account RIGHT NOW! Oh, you aren't making enough money to save any? Work your Mary Kay (along with your regular job) and put every bit of profit you make into a retirement account. You say you don't have time to do anymore than you are doing now? Sure you do. You better, if you want any money when you're 65, 70, 75, years old or older! The best interest you can get on your money RIGHT NOW is to invest in your Mary Kay Inventory and learn to be the best Mary Kay Consultant in the business. What do you listen to when you get in your car? I hope it is motivational tapes. Other consultants are doing it. Find out how. Do you get tax benefits at your other job? What if you can't sell it? Oh, well, the only reason you wouldn't be able to sell it would be if you never told anyone that you were a Consultant. What if you have to send it back to Mary Kay. So what! You had to have sold some of it at 50%. You can't lose any money. What about the interest on the loan? What about it? When you are working a profitable business, you are making a lot of money and you need tax benefits. I didn't understand that what ever I was making, I needed to get my TAXABLE INCOME down to zero or as close to zero as I could. Say you are making $40,000 at your job. You want enough tax shelter to get $40,000 down to zero or as close to zero as you can. You probably don't have ANY tax shelter working for someone else. With Mary Kay you do! Maybe you do want to quit your job but you say, "The Company pays for my insurance". That is not true! The Company doesn't pay for your insurance, you do! They just don't pay you what you are worth because they are using the money they should pay you to pay for your insurance. Do you know you can pay for your own health insurance? Think about it!