I have to admit I have an addiction.  I am addicted (once again) to the game Tetris.  I downloaded the game to my cell phone and will mindlessly play it when I am at home.  There is just something fascinating about moving all those pieces around and manipulating them to build a good score.  Now in college we used to have tetris tournaments with guys in the dorm so I have watched many people play this game.  Some were terrible and just never seemed to see the big picture of how to set up the pieces.  While others seemed to be able to fit the pieces in places where you would think it just was not possible.  No matter what the skill level one thing remained true with all players; eventually a piece comes up that does not fit and you just have to deal with it. 

This works exactly the same when it comes to finances.  Some people are skilled at manipulating their finances moving and stretching their money in ways others think just isn’t possible.  Some people take bigger risks in order to gain larger rewards and others play it conservative happy to take one row at a time and continue winning.  And with everyone, eventually a situation comes up that does not fit into the picture of how you want your finances to go.  The difference between people that win with finances and those that lose is how they have prepared for that situation.  Do you have a strategy for when the going gets tough you have a way to be tougher?  Or are you just hoping and praying that the stupid crooked piece doesn’t pop up on the screen.  

In troubling times I find that people are much more willing to listen to advice on how to take care of themselves financially.  In this series of posts I hope to help people look at their financial situation and think about if they are ready for the crooked pieces that fall in life.