Practicoe

We all love to be in relationships. But the truth of the matter is that not every relationship will be healthy in the long run. Some relationships can be very harmful. You may be in a toxic relationship but you won’t know.

In this article, we are going to examine why it is difficult for people to realize that they are in a toxic relationship.

The love between you both is head over heels

They say “Love is blind.” This statement is very true. Because you love your partner, it will be very difficult to make sound and rational decisions. And you never want to admit that he is the wrong person even if your intuition is telling you the fact.

The chemistry between you both is very strong

Another reason why it may be so difficult for you to realize that you in a toxic relationship id the chemistry between you both which you have been able to build over the months or years. And it has been built on a solid foundation so much so that no one can easily fight to break the relationship.

Because he is the best person you have ever met

Weeks after you met him, things began to change for the better. He always complimented you. You won his respect and he made his way into your heart. And now, do you think it is possible to quickly conclude that you are in a toxic relationship even if your friends are telling you that?

You think it is normal to fight

True in a relationship, it is right to fight. But are you fighting for love, compassion, and respect for each other? Couples who love each other and want to remain in relationships don’t fight dirty. They don’t fight to inflict pain.

Work hard to resolve the problem you have with your partner so that it won’t escalate to a state of no solution.

Study isn’t just for the night before an assignment’s due or the night before an exam.

It’s never too early – or too late – to develop good study habits. The sooner you get into a good study groove, the easier everything will be and the more your chances of getting good marks will improve.

Here are our top tips for getting the most out of study.

1. Pick a place and time

Everyone has their own idea about the best place and time to study. Whether it’s your bedroom at night or the library after school, find a study space and a regular study time that works for you and stick with it.

• Set up your study space – Your study space should be quiet, comfortable and distraction-free. It should make you feel happy and inspired. Decorate it with your favourite pictures or objects. If you want to listen to music or burn incense, pick a space that lets you do that.
• Find your best time – Some people work better in the morning. Others work better at night. Work out which time suits you and plan to study then. Don’t study much later than your usual bedtime – pushing yourself late at night can make you too tired to study properly.

2. Study every day

If you study a little bit every day you’ll be continually reviewing things in your mind. This helps you understand things. It also helps you avoid the stress of last-minute cramming.

Early in the year an hour or two a night might be enough to stay on top of things. Later in the year you might need to study more each day.

If you’re finding it hard to find time to study, cut back on some (but not all!) of your other activities. Prioritising study might mean spending less time online, or it might mean cutting back on shifts at work, or giving weekend sport a miss for a while.

3. Plan your time

It helps to have some plans in motion so you can make the most of your study time.

• Set alarms – Set alarms to remind you about your study plans. A regular reminder keeps you honest and your plans on track.
• Use a wall planner – Stick a calendar or wall planner up so you can see it whenever you’re studying. Mark it up with important dates, like exams and assignment due dates. Use it to block out your regular study timetable too.
• Make to-do lists – Lists break tasks down into manageable chunks. At the start of the week, make a list of the things that you need to have done by the end of the week. Make a to-do list at the start of each study session too, so that you’re clear about what you need to be doing with your time.
• Set time limits – Before you start your study session, have a look at your to-do list and give yourself a set time to spend on each task. If you don’t get something done in the set time, consider whether it’s the best use of your time to keep going with it, or to start working on something else.

4. Discover your learning style

Most of us have a preferred way of learning. Get to know the learning style you’re most comfortable with and study in the ways you learn best.

Note that these styles are just a way to think about diffent studying techniques – they’re not hard and fast rules that say you should only study in one way. Try each of these out and see which ways you prefer.

• Auditory learners prefer to learn by listening. Try reading your notes aloud and discussing them with other people. You might like to record key points and play them back.
• Visual learners prefer to learn by seeing. Try using colours in your notes and draw diagrams to help represent key points. You could try to remember some ideas as images.
• Tactile/kinesthetic learners prefer to learn by doing. Try using techniques like role-playing or building models to revise key points.

5. Review and revise

At least once a week you should go back over the things you’ve studied in class. Thinking things over can help you to understand the concepts and help you remember when you need them the most.

• Quiz – Get a friend or family member to quiz you on key concepts. Offer to help your friends with their work too. Quizzes are great ways to get confident about what you know and find out what you still need to learn.
• Make your own study materials – Think up some practice exam questions or create your own flash cards to help you study. This way you learn it all twice: once when you make the study materials and once when you use them to revise.

6. Take breaks

It’s important to take breaks while you’re studying, especially if you’re feeling tired or frustrated. Working too long on a task can actually decrease your performance.

When you take a break, make sure you get away from your desk or study space. A bit of physical – even just a walk around the block – can sometimes help you to look at a problem in a different way and could even help you to solve it.

7. Ask for help

If you’re stuck on something, or something just doesn’t seem to make sense, you can always ask for help. Talk to your teachers or lecturers about the things you don’t understand. Talk to your friends and fellow students too.

8. Stay motivated

When you’re studying it helps to keep in mind your reasons for doing all this hard work, like a course or career you’re working towards. It can help to have something in your study space to remind you of your goals.

You could also decorate your study space with inspirational quotes or photos of people you admire and family members you want to make proud of you.

9. App it up

There are heaps of apps out there for helping students with all aspects of study. Have a chat with your friends and teachers or lecturers to see which apps they recommend.

You should also check out the iTunes Collections page on iPads for Learning, which provides links to Australian Curriculum courses on iTunes U as well as educational apps aimed at high school, middle school and primary school students.

10. Look after yourself

You’ll study better if you take care of yourself. Make sure you eat well and get enough sleep and physical exercise. Don’t reward yourself with too many sugary or fatty snacks or push yourself to study late into the night. It’s also a good idea to make sure you drink lots of water when you’re studying.

Now come up with your own strategies

These tips are only some of the things you can do to get the most out of your studying. You might already have other things that work better for you. Find out what your friends do when they’re studying. Maybe your teachers have some good recommendations too.

Whatever it is, whatever strategy you come up with, when you find something that works for you, put it into practise and go for it!

Links

If you’ve got an exam coming up you might also like to have a look at our Top Ten Exam Tips page. You should also check out the links below.

Ergo – Study Skills
The State Library of Victoria’s Ergo website has a helpful range of studying tips and advice.

iPads for Learning – iTunes Collections
Links to collections of apps and iTunes U courses.

We tell you how In short, financial planning gives you a cruise control of your life and your future

Future is very unpredictable. No matter how hard we try, you cannot really predict what is in store for you in the times to come. However, what you can do is to prepare yourself for it with the best of your abilities. Each one of us has his/her own goals, desires and objectives that we dream to fulfill at some or the other stage of our lives. These objectives cannot be achieved without a solid financial planning.

Financial planning is a strategy to achieve your life’s objectives through meticulous management of your finances. Financial planning is important for each and every one of us and we should take it more seriously to better shape and safeguard our futures. Allen Lakein has famously said, “Failing to plan is planning to fail.” Thus, it is critical that you need to plan your finances better for a secure future. You should carefully choose a financial planner who can understand your needs and devise a plan that will lead you throughout your professional life to retirement. Also, the sooner you start, the better it is for you.

Let me share some critical factors that will help you to understand the importance of financial planning for your future.

• Growth in income: Financial planning helps you to properly monitor your income source and grow it further. It lets your money work for you. It allows you to multiply your money that you can utilize at the time of need, be it short-term, mid-term or long term. With accurate planning, you can take the pole position to control all the aspects of your income and work towards building a solid financial platform in terms of your personal as well as professional life.
• Growth in cash flow: Growth in income naturally leads to growth in the overall cash flows. Financial planning is necessary for the day-to-day activities of your business and personal life where you are required to honor various obligations as and when they come up. With careful analysis of your spending patterns and budgeting, you can easily identify activities or responsibilities that need more attention. Such prioritization of expenditure can significantly help you to monitor your cash flow, cut down unnecessary expenses, and subsequently build up the overall capital.
• Secure the future your family: Providing a safe and secure future to your family is a very critical aspect of financial planning. Savings generated from careful financial planning can turn out to be very helpful at difficult times in life. It strengthens you to face the adversities in life without disturbing the overall financial structure of your life. For instance, a good insurance cover will keep you and your family secure in cases of hospitalizations or other difficult times. It also offers a solid financial platform for your family members to thrive on in the future.

• Investments: A good financial plan covers your personal circumstances, risk appetite, and future objectives. It then guides you to select the right investments that suit perfectly with your requirements, objectives, and personality. Financial planning helps you plan and create financial assets for the future.

• Asset creation: Having assets gives you a great sense of comfort and peace of mind. It is critical to understand the true value of an asset. Financial planning gives you those insights on asset creation and makes sure that you create those assets that don’t become a burden for you in the coming years of your life

• Better prepared to deal with inflation: Inflation has been labelled as the biggest destroyer of the buying power. There has been a steep decline in the value of money, over the last decades. Looking ahead, it is only expected to continue further. Thus, it is imperative to plan your finances for a better and safe future. With acute financial planning, you are better poised to deal with the rising inflation in coming years, as your grow old.

• Achieve your long-term goals: Some objectives are very crucial in our lives. Be it to own a house, buy a family car, education and marriage of your children; it is important for you to achieve these objectives. Financial planning helps you devise an accurate plan to achieve your objectives in a specific amount of time

• Happy Retirement: While fulfilling your family responsibilities and professional duties, it is important to plan for your life after retirement. Financial planning helps you generate enough wealth for a happy retirement. You need to plan today for a better and brighter tomorrow

To sum it up, it would be right to say that financial planning ensures that you are in complete control of your finances, incomes, liabilities and know exactly what you need to do if a certain situation comes up. In short, financial planning gives you a cruise control of your life and your future.

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Your 20s are a pivotal age. It’s a time to enjoy the greatest freedom you’ll ever know until retirement. It’s also the ideal age to begin investing because you have so much time on your side and can enjoy the magic of compound interest.

Over the years, I have built 7-figure businesses for myself and made strong investments with significant returns. But making the right moves in my 20s saved me years of pain, heartache, and frustration —and it can for you, too.

There’s a saying: “The more you risk, the more you can earn.” Here are eight financial principles you can start practicing in your 20s that will help set you up for long-term success.

1. Understand compound interest and valuation

One concept that usually gets overlooked when people are making long-term financial decisions is the impact and concept of inflation. My parents always told me to put at least 10 percent of earnings into a savings account and another 10 percent into a retirement account. Saving small today can add up to real wealth in the future thanks to compound interest. But be warned: Compound interest is a double-edged sword: A small debt today can add up to a large debt tomorrow.

In addition, try to make financial decisions based on valuations. Buying a home is not always a bad decision. In fact, one study from Harvard University found that homeowners have a higher net worth than renters. In contrast, investing in stocks at higher valuations is not a good decision. You should aim to invest in assets that are available at an attractive valuation.

2.  Generate passive income 

The quicker you can get your money working for you and generating revenue while you sleep, the quicker you’ll be able to live the life of your dreams, reduce your stress, and likely live longer too. This one is hard to grasp especially for high earners. Every dollar that you earn passively is worth $10 that you earned by trading your time. When you generate passive income, you create the ultimate form of freedom. Your time on this planet is limited, and it’s important to find ways to ensure you can maximize earnings while minimizing your time spent on working.

3. Avoid bad debt

Whether it is credit cards or student loans, make smart decisions when borrowing money. Borrowing money using credit cards, payday loans, and short term loans from a bank have the potential to lock you into a cycle of debt that seems impossible to overcome. This type of debt comes with a high-interest rate and should be avoided except in emergencies, and this type of debt should never be used to finance conspicuous spending.

4. Make friends with good debt

Not all debt is bad debt. Take, for example, a mortgage on a home. The median home price in the U.S. is around $310,000. If you take out a 30-year mortgage on a home at this price with a 20 percent down payment at 4 percent interest, you’ll end up paying a total of $532,795.47 (including interest). However, the inflation-adjusted value of the home after 30 years is expected to be $613,240.33 — so you actually earn a 15.1 percent profit on your debt. In contrast, had you spent that money on rent over the same 30-year period, you would own nothing.

5. Save to invest

Some young people, especially millennials who came of age during the 2008 financial crisis, are understandably wary of stocks, mutual funds, and other financial instruments. They would rather hold their money as cash instead of risking it in the market. But history has shown that, over long periods of time, giving yourself exposure to the market is the best way to ensure your money grows faster than inflation.

Sure, markets fluctuate over time. But on average, the S&P 500 has earned an average annual return of 4.2 percent since 2000, while average annual inflation over this period was 2.3 percent. One dollar invested in 2000 would have turned into $2.10 today. This is despite the recession following the dot-com bust and the Great Recession in 2008. If that same $1 was held as cash, it would only have 66.4 percent of its buying power today.

I would also recommend investing in assets that have these three benefits:

1. Increase in value over time which can later be sold for a profit
2. Pay you positive cash flow monthly/quarterly
3. Have tax benefits like a 1031 exchange on real estate proper

While making investments, you should always think about the worst-case scenario and be ready for it. People generally expect handsome returns considering the best-case scenario but have no strategy in place when things go wrong. Diversification is also key —remember to never to put all your eggs in one basket.

6. Only borrow what you need

While having the right degree opens up opportunities for earning more over your lifetime, no one educated me on the debt I would accumulate in the process. Student loans can be a form of good debt, but only if your future income can support it. The debt you take on to finance higher education should never exceed your expected future income.

7. Avoid conspicuous consumption

The simplest principle that will help you gain immediate control over your financial destiny is to embrace minimalism and shun consumerism. Truly wealthy people don’t flaunt their wealth. They save and invest their money instead of spending it on trinkets to make themselves appear wealthy. You might have to forgo that new pair of Nikes or eat in more often, but at least you won’t be stuck eating cat food at age 70. This study from Integer Group reveals that 64 percent of consumers don’t necessarily think that brand-named products are better than more affordable options. Truly wealthy people are not concerned about what others think of them and have no desire to impress others around them.

The way that I define minimalism is simple: Only spend money on the things that you need or that bring real value to your life.

8. Be patient

When I was younger, I wanted success and I wanted it now — and I was willing to go into debt to get it. If you watch a lot of television, you might have the impression that people become financially independent and amass the trappings of an upper-middle-class lifestyle overnight. Later, I realized that wealth accumulates over a period of time. I had to learn to be patient and disciplined with my investing and spending.

Your health and mental peace are your biggest assets. Never compromise your health for money—even though you think you can when you’re 22. We all have potential. We’re unique, but we’re not so different from one another. We all can be someone, but how much we want to become that person is what shapes your actions from today. And there’s no better time than your 20s to dream big, think big and, most importantly, act big.