Obviously, where we live plays a huge impact in our lifestyles. Whether it be the fast paced east coast or the much more laid back western United States, where we live molds who we are.

I personally moved a little over two years ago from Chicago to Phoenix after finishing graduate school. The change has been great and I wish I’d have made the move long ago. I never knew how depressing the winters actually were until I moved to Phoenix an saw how much happier I was. Chicago, like NYC and other east coast cities is also a fast moving metropolis. It’s much more of a suit and tie kind of city still and the daily routine is much different than what I am living now in Phoenix.

Here are some questions to consider when you are looking for the place you’d like to call home:

1.) Do you prefer public transportation or do you like to drive?
2.) Do you like a cold, hot or moderate climate?
3.) Do you dream of owning a big home or do you prefer a condo or town home?
4.) Do you own your own business where you can work from anywhere or will you have to find employment?
5.) Do you want to live near family and friends or do you prefer to be a loner?
6.) Can you realistically afford the cost of living in a major city?
7.) Where would you like to raise a family?
8.) Are there good schools, elementary, high school and colleges?
9.) What’s the crime rate?
10.) How much will it cost to buy a new home? What kind of home will you get for that price?
11.) Is your family on the same page as you?
12.) Are there things there you enjoy doing such as outdoor activities, restaurants and events?

For places not so nice to live, check out America’s Most Miserable Cities for places to stay away from.

America’s Most Miserable Cities

1. Detroit
2. Stockton, Calif.
3. Flint, Mich.
4. New York
5. Philadelphia

Best of luck in your search for the place to call home sweet home!

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Getting ahead is hard work with all of the distractions in our everyday lives. It seems like we make a list of things to do and as we scratch one off the list, we add 3 more! How can we ever get caught up to a point where our lives don’t seem like total chaos? Chances are there will always be a little bit of craziness to life but these following tips can help you get through your day and feel a little more accomplished.

Don’t plan meetings that are not needed. I cannot tell you how many meetings at work I’ve been to in the past year that were an utter waste of my time and most of these lasted at least an hour if not 2-3 hours. People like to talk and when you get a bunch of people in a room, this will take up your day. Everyone wants to get there say. Most meetings can be solved by a few simple emails instead of planning an hour or two to go over things. Only set up meetings when they are absolutely necessary. Figure out all of the minor details before the meeting through email that way time doesn’t have to be wasted during the meeting and everyone can actually talk about the core subject.

Check your email as often as you feel you need to. Some productivity books tell you to check your email first thing in the morning and then at the end of the day. If you are in a profession like mine (web marketing), you will be out of business. Email is my lifeline and if I don’t check it every hour, I would get so backed up that I would loose focus on other things. So, take your emails as you get them and respond when you feel necessary.

Commute earlier or later for work. This is one that I have to improve on personally. Right now, I have a 38 mile commute and it takes me anywhere from 1-2 hours each way to get to work and home. So, think about it. This is 2-4 hours in the car each and every workday. This is equivalent to spending 21-43 days in the car each and every year and this is just driving to and from work. Imagine sitting in your car for 21-43 days straight! Talk about going cooky! Getting up earlier and beating the rush hour is one option if you can get into a routine. Or you could work out a plan with your employer to work from home for a few hours each morning and then take a late morning commute to avoid the traffic. Best case scenario: get a telecommuting gig or start your own business. The good ole’ American dream!

Make a “to do” list. This sounds simple enough but how many people actually do it? Not many! You can go the Blackberry route and program your list into your phone or you can do it the old fashion way (with pen and paper) and write it down and cross off something when you complete it. Be realistic with your list. If you put 100 things on it for the day, you are setting yourself up for failure. Prioritize your tasks and do the essentials first.

Some people are so detailed that they even add “showering” or “brush teeth” to their list. If this is you, then you have more than productivity problems!! Only kidding!

Last but not least…take time for yourself. It’s proven that if you are well rested, you are more productive. It’s also true that people can run on little sleep but this will eventually catch up with them. Get enough rest…at least 6-8 hours a night and stick to that routine. Take time to enjoy your family too. Take vacations. Go to a nice dinner. Treat yourself to a massage. Just do something for yourself to relieve stress.

Okay…try these out for a few weeks and see if they help. Everyone will find their own little ways to be more productive. Figure out your schedule and create a routine that is doable. In the end you will be happier, feel better and be more productive…which is what we all want, right?

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If you’re are having trouble picking winning investments in this turbulent stock market, you are not alone. The state of the economy is shaky at best and the term recession is lingering closer each day. Picking a good investment is extremely difficult as Americans are facing fear and hesitation as to what the future economy will bring. With this said, there is one investment that remains a great choice even in the toughest of markets: Vanguard 500 Index Fund Investor Shares (VFINX).

If you are not familiar of what an index fund is, it’s basically a mutual fund that tracks a stock index. In this case, the Vanguard 500 Index Fund tracks the S&P (Standard & Poors) 500 Index. This fund benchmarks itself against the S&P utilizing large-cap stocks.

To open up the Vanguard 500 Index Fund, you must deposit an initial $3,000. The typical investor for the Vanguard 500 should be a long-term investor who wants a low cost entrance into the stock market.

As of January 2008 here are the top 10 largest stock holdings for this index fund:

1. ExxonMobil Corp.
2. General Electric Co.
3. Microsoft Corp.
4. AT&T Inc.
5. The Procter & Gamble Co.
6. Bank of America Corp.
7. Johnson & Johnson
8. Chevron Corp.
9. JPMorgan Chase & Co.
10. Pfizer Inc.

Since the Vanguard 500’s inception in August 1976, it has a return of 11.75%. In a market like we are currently in, people would kill for this rate of return. You can purchase this index fund through Vanguard or by opening an online brokerage account such as TD Ameritrade.

Disclaimer: I am not a financial advisor and this is not investment advice. It is merely information about an index fund that has performed well over the past few decades.

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If you are one of the millions of students who rely on student loans to fund your education, you might want to consider alternative methods soon. According to The coming student loan crunch by Liz Pulliam Weston, a student loan crunch is on it’s way. This is a sign of our economic state and a sign of the upcoming future of educational funding.

Students trying to get loans in the near future might run into:

• Higher loan costs.
• Fewer lenders, which could mean tens of thousands of college students scrambling at the last minute to find money.
• Tougher standards that could prevent some students from borrowing at all.

This is not good news if you are an upcoming student or plan to further your education in the near future. But, there are other methods of funding your education.

1. Work out a payment plan with the college or university. Many colleges and universities have payment plans that you can sign up for that allow you to pay your tuition on a monthly, quarterly or semester basis. This can be a very manageable option if your tuition is not sky high.
2. Use a low interest credit card.Federal loans generally have low interest rates but if you opt for a private loan, these rates are often higher than what you would see on a credit card and you will be overwhelmed with interest payments just like a high interest credit card. If you choose this option, make sure you read all the terms of the credit card and make sure you pick the right one for your situation. Once again, this option is probably best suited for lower tuition costs.
3. Borrow money from a friend or family member. Just like a student loan agreement you can borrow money from friends or family and draft a re-payment agreement to make it a bit more formal. This can be a great option as family members will be more trusting that a bank if you are a responsible individual. This can also be a great way to learn money management skills.
4. Start a business. If you are business savvy, you can start your own side business to put yourself through college. Many students now pay for their own education by creating Internet start-up companies that provide online revenue. There are a world of Internet related businesses you can start and many you can get off of the ground with very minimal cost. For example, if you are a web developer or designer, you could do side website projects to pay your tuition or you could create a website around one of your interests that place affiliate advertising on it to create revenue. The possibilities are endless.
5. Join the work/study program at your college or university. This is a great option for paying college tuition and fees. You will work a set amount of hours per week or month and in return, all or part of your college expenses will be paid for.
6. Break into that mutual fund or stock stash. Many college bound students have mutual funds or stocks that were given to them as gifts while growing up. It might be a wise investment to sell these off and take the cash to fund your education. Be sure to check if there are any early withdrawal penalties and also the tax implications.

There are many other options as well. You can also combine a few of these methods to create enough cash to pay for school. Just think out of the box and you might find your solution to pay for school without having to take out student loans.

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For those of you who have not gotten the chance to participate in wedding planning, here is your guide to wedding planning survival. I am getting married this April and am on the tail end of the planning. This I tell you from first hand experience. So, here we go…

1. Find a way to get involved. Realistically, wedding planning is primarily a female hobby but it’s not to say the guy can’t get involved. I can personally say that I have not been a whole lot of help in planning my own wedding. It’s understandable that most guys are not interested in floral arrangements, invitations, cake toppers and bridesmaid dresses. This is normal. However, there are many areas of planning that you can get involved in such as food tasting, the honeymoon, the rehearsal dinner, the ceremony and of course the infamous bachelor party! Learn from my mistake and do what you can to participate. It’s only once (we hope!) that you will have to do this so make the most of it.
2. When asked for your opinion (and you will be asked), be honest as it most likely won’t matter anyway. Honestly, the bride already knows what she has her mind set on. Your soon to be wife just wants you to be a part of the decision making process even though she actually has full authority to make all final decisions without your help or input. This is her way of making you feel included.
3. Support your future other half! I am telling you right now that stress will arise and there will be nights when your fiance lays in bed all night with her eyes wide open thinking about wedding stuff. Be there for her. At the very least, assure her everything will be okay and tell her that everything will turn out perfectly, because in the end, it will.
4. Take a break every now and then. Get her mind off of the wedding planning every now and again. It helps clear her head. Go our for a nice dinner or a weekend away to clean the slate. Do what you can to keep her mind off of planning even though she will still try and think about it.
5. Plan your bachelor party plenty of time before the big day! Give yourself time to recover adequately because if you’re anything like me (an old fart…31 years old next this Saturday!), you will need the rest and relaxation. You don’t want bags under those eyes, do you?

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If you are like me, you want to enjoy life more and not worry so much about the day to day things that stress us out. In an effort to improve my own lifestyle, I am going to write about my daily routine and how I plan to give my lifestyle a makeover. Hopefully my blog will motivate others to live the way they wish without having to rely on others to get by.

Best of luck in your LifeStyle Update and be sure to check in regularly to keep on track!

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