With the economy in the state it is today, it has never been so important to save money. Families are trying to save money by dining out less often, shopping at secondhand stores, and cutting down on travel to save on gas and airfare.

I waited on line for approximately ten minutes to speak to Bob Richards. After I thanked Manulife Vitality him for his fine seminar we spoke briefly. Mr. Richards asked me what my position with Chubb Colonial life was, I answered, "oh I am just an Agent." With that Bob Richards said, "you must never, ever say that you are just an Agent, John, you are very important to this Company. John I want you to read a book as soon as you go home, all right?" "Of course Mr. Richards," was my response.



Exercise and Sleep - These two critical factors are interconnected. We all need regular and vigorous physical exercise. There is no debate about this. Personally I think this is the most important area of good health. If we get a good physical workout then I have found out that we can have an extra benefit of sound sleep. Nothing is so detrimental as 'sleep deprivation' when it comes to being able to function properly. Getting the proper amount of physical exercise and the proper amount of sound sleep are both critical to our health and happiness. In exercise the body can sweat out poisons and toxins and in sound sleep the body can repair Manulife Vitality Plan itself to good health.

Dirty Teeth and Smelly Clothing Bring Higher Cleaning Cost: Yep, just keeping in special toothpaste, breath mints are an added cost, but you have to have your clothing cleaned more often.

To do this try and avoid the following for a minimum of a week before you start. Caffeine, alcohol, sugar, cigarettes, artificial sweeteners and refined, processed foods. If you want to eat meat then try and buy organic meat from a local source. Cheap meat can contains steroids, hormones and antibiotics. I highly recommend shopping in your local Manulife Vitality health program food shop rather than the super-market as it is much easier to find the foods you want and some you didn't even know existed!

OProtect Your Paycheck: When was the last time you took a 12 month vacation? I am guessing never since we all live on cash flow. Likely your paycheck is your biggest cash flow asset. We spend a lot of money protecting our cars, houses, apartments and such but little to protect our number one asset; our paycheck. Statistics show that you have a one in four chance of getting sick or hurt for longer than 90 days prior to age 60. Talk to your financial adviser today about how you can protect your cash flow with a paycheck protection policy.

We must cater to the broker, and we as an Agency must be different. After all, the Broker can place their business elsewhere. We must continually give them a reason to want to do their business with us.

Just answering the above questions every 4 years really helps plan the next 4 years and gives you a valuable tool that shows possible overspending or under spending in life's financial chess game.