A Better Way to Manage Your Everyday Money - Book - Page 13
The turnaround in Fred's finances was nothing short
of incredible. After a few short months with my set
of forms, Fred consistently faced the pleasant
problem of having excess money every month. His
income had not changed, only the way he managed
it.
Our success with the original set of forms was
difficult to keep secret. It wasn't long before I
started receiving inquiries from people I knew as
well as strangers, some of whom lived out of state.
Since I couldn't make copies of the forms and
personally instruct everyone on how to use them, I
decided to write a how-to book. I self-published the
resulting three-ring binder, titled Payday
Management System, in 1976. I still have two
copies.
Without exception, everyone who purchased a copy of that first how-to binder had the same
success in gaining control of their finances that Fred had experienced. I began receiving letters
from very pleased customers. Sales were slow since all advertising was strictly word of mouth,
but it appeared that, given enough time, sales of the Payday Management System could have
taken off. So, why haven't you heard about that first book in the last 50-or-so years?
At the time I was still very much involved in my military career. Shortly after publishing Payday
Management System, I was transferred to my next sea tour. I put the binder aside and forgot
about it.
After my last duty station, I was remiss in not returning to using
my own money management technique. Between retiring from
the Navy in 1980 and moving to Idaho in 1992, I managed to get
involved in a failed business venture and ran up considerable
credit card debt. In 1993, Lois and I filed bankruptcy. That was
an experience I vowed to never repeat.
When a friend asked for financial help in 2000, I got back on
track. After setting up a spreadsheet using the algorithms from
the original workbook, our friend repeated the same phenomenal
financial recovery that I and others had experienced. However,
the spreadsheet proved cumbersome to maintain. I was inspired
to write a software application.
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