John Buerger

Here's the idea ...

THE IDEA
A weekly financial planning and personal finance tip. 
Simple, easy to implement ways to build wealth. No hassles. No embarrassment. No fees - All free.

MAKE IT BETTER - Rather than deliver this in the old-school written format (how 20th century is that ... even when it is on a website?) ...

I'm going to dish out this free information on video.

Hmmmm...

I haven't done much video before - for a lot of reasons.

This blog (mostly written but with some video bits) is about the MAKING of the Wealth Health Personal Finance Video Tip Series. You'll hear about my successes, frustrations and the actual process of putting this project together. You can see the end results on the video blog, but the behind-the-scenes stuff will all be here.

MAKING IT THE BEST ... FOR YOU - Here is the part where I could really use your help. I've got plenty of material to do all 50 weeks in the first year. Heck, I'm a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ professional. I've got enough material to fill a couple of books.

But ...

I want to answer your questions.

I can't do that unless you ask them. You can do it by  This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it (the private, nobody-else-will-see-it way). You can comment on this blog. You can call me at 805-476-0333. You can tweet me at @jdbuerger ... or you can leave a comment on the ALTUS Wealth Solutions Facebook page. We monitor all of these social media points.

Whatever works best for you, use it. This is a free resource and if I can answer your question ... I will.

I hope you enjoy this as much as I am enjoying putting it together for you.

First Release Monday

Written by John D. Buerger, CFP®.

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John Buerger

We're almost ready.

The first Video Wealth Health Tip has gone through final shooting and editing. It will be uploaded to YouTube and released on Monday.

This whole project has taken a boatload of time and effort to get off the ground. I can't say I'm completely surprised. One of my commitments was to releasing a quality product and I knew that the learning curve to make that happen was going to be steep.

I have been surprised by WHERE the challenges have been. I thought it would take me a long time to get over the self-conscious part of seeing myself on camera. Nope, that wasn't an issue. How about keeping eyes on the camera? Not it either.

The biggest challenges have been in getting the environment right - with a backdrop that looks professional - and the technical stuff (sound, lighting and image framing) up to my quality demands. For example, we got the muslin for the backdrop and put it up, bathed it in extra light (it's supposed to be a white background) and figured that was good enough.

Whoops. The camera showed the cloth in almost as good focus as my face ... including every little crease and wrinkle. That was nothing that an iron couldn't fix but that added time to bring it in and do the work. Then I discovered that some colored shirts work better with the white background than others. And my favorite green (money) shirt went neon in that environment. Coordinating my wardrobe and all these other factors added almost a whole week to the process.

I can't complain, though. The final product looks good, is entertaining and professionally delivered. The nice thing about learning curves is once you're past that point you don't have to go back and re-learn everything. While there is probably 20 hours or more of work in this first 3-minute video, future Video Wealth Health Tips will be happen a lot more easily.

Outside My Comfort Zone

Written by John D. Buerger, CFP®.

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John Buerger

I haven't done much video before - for a lot of reasons. The biggest of my challenges - getting used to seeing my own face on screen. I remember when I first started in radio (fresh out of college). Most people do NOT like how their recorded voice sounds. I was one of them. It took awhile (I worked in radio for 12 years) but hearing my voice today doesn't bother me.

But when you're captured on VIDEO, you SEE everything. Every tick, gesture, wart, wrinkle and nose wipe.

I like to keep a pretty good image of myself in mind. That level of confidence helps me help others. Watching my trial runs for this project has been a humbling experience. If you ever want a dose of reality check ... stick yourself in front of a camera and try to tell a story without looking like a clueless blithering idiot.