Personal Development | Enemy of Debt: Where Behavior Meets Reality

New Year’s Annual Review

Written by Ashley on December 28, 2011 · 8 Comments

I thought I'd take you through my annual reveiw and hopefully inspire you to do one too; and if you are really feeling inspired feel free to share yours with the group. The exercise starts with two questions. •What went well this year? •What did not go well this year? What went well this year? I started my site, Money Talks. I'm happy with the progress my blog has made. I've met a ton of amazing people and went to the Financial Bloggers Conference, which was a total blast. I exceeded my very modest income goal this year and we avoided any major financial set backs. This allowed us to pay down debt and save more than I had been planning on. Read more »

My Journey Out of Debt Has Brought Me Closer To God

Written by Travis on December 15, 2011 · 2 Comments

In November I had a series of posts published in the CareOne Community discussing positive things that have resulted from my journey out of debt. This post was meant to be the last in that series, but I held back writing it because quite honestly I wasn’t sure if I was comfortable revealing this previously undisclosed part of me to my online friends. However, as the weeks have gone by, I have felt a growing desire to write this post. As is typical of many young children, I gave my parents a hard time about having to get up on [...] Read more »

Tags: Faith, Finances, God, Peace, Strength

Are You Taking Advantage of Free Financial Information Online?

Written by guest on December 11, 2011 · Leave a Comment

Since you’re sitting there reading up on a financial blog I’ll assume you know a little bit about finding free information and advice on the web. But the amount of ostensibly clueless investors and financial irresponsible individuals in this world doesn’t seem to add up to the amount of awesome information that exists for free out there on the web. In addition, it certainly doesn’t make much sense how much money people spend on this very same knowledge through seminars, books, and one-on-one consultations. To put it bluntly, it’s ridiculous. If you ever want to become truly financially independent, you [...] Read more »

Tags: financial resources, free knowledge, internet resources, online learning

Imagination is Free

Written by Travis on November 4, 2011 · 5 Comments

I’m going to ask you to do something you may not have ever been asked to do before. Close your eyes, and think of a recent experience in your life that was extremely stressful. Go to your “nervous, anxious, so angry I want to punch a wall” place. What do you feel like doing? What would deflate the negative energy you’re feeling? Going out to eat so you don’t have to add the stress of cooking to the pile? Going shopping and buying anything you darn well please so you regain the feeling of control? Having your significant other notice [...] Read more »

Tags: gift giving, Inspiration, life, money, Relationships

Personal Accountability – Placing Blame Where It Belongs

Written by Jessica on October 8, 2011 · 4 Comments

A few weeks ago, I was playing around with a blog post in my head. I like to have full conversations with myself in there and often times I’ve got most of a blog post outlined in my head before I’ve even sat down at a computer. Working titles for this post were flowing around more easily than the actual text itself. Some of them were “Ode to Capital One: A Tragedy” and “Capital One has Ruined the Nation.” My favorite, however was the ever so poignant title “Eff You Capital One!” I spent more time thinking of catchy ways [...] Read more »

Tags: accountability, blame, placing blame

My Resolutons – Track My Progress!

Written by Brad Chaffee on January 14, 2011 · 1 Comment

Hello everyone and happy Friday! Last year I made lots of resolutions but failed to track them throughout the year. This year I am not making the same mistake. That’s why I created a page you can go to whenever you are curious as to how I am doing on the resolutions I set to accomplish. (and to hold me accountable) Hopefully, this will not only help keep me accountable, but will also motivate and inspire some of you to fulfill your own resolutions in 2011! I will be updating this page weekly, monthly, and sometimes randomly depending on the [...] Read more »

Tags: emergency fund, enter races, fitness, health, iFit Live, lose weight, new year resolutions, P90X, read books, read more, replacement vehicle, retirement savings, Saving, time management, track my progress, weight loss

My New Year’s Resolutions for 2011

Written by Brad Chaffee on January 3, 2011 · 18 Comments

Photo Credit: lululemon athletica Happy New Year everyone! I’ve gotten to somewhat of a late start this year as far as my resolutions are concerned. I have plenty to accomplish in 2011 though, so here’s what I am hoping to accomplish this year. Financial Save $10,000 Emergency Fund – In 2010 we had a few setbacks in the emergency fund department. Neither were bad things, just set backs. We ended up settling on our second mortgage which depleted our emergency fund by over $7,000. OUCH!! The other thing happened here recently where we decided to give a good portion of [...] Read more »

Tags: 2011, goals, new year, New Years Resolutions

Please Stop Saying: “I Don’t Make Enough Money To Do That!”

Written by Brad Chaffee on August 17, 2010 · 35 Comments

Do you often find yourself repeating the words that so many people spout when referring to their financial abilities? I know I have been guilty of using this phrase in my younger years. “I don’t make enough money to do that!” Those words, whether you realize it or not, condemn you to inactivity. They pave the road to nothingness because, quite frankly, if that is your response, then you are in essence claiming that there’s nothing else you can do. That is a mistake, and a tragic one! If you work your butt off at your main job, but you [...] Read more »

Book Review: Outstanding By John G. Miller

Written by Brad Chaffee on March 5, 2010 · 6 Comments

Hello everyone, Happy Friday! As you know I have been trying to put together this book review for a few weeks now. I have been very excited about sharing my thoughts on this magnificent book. Most of you will already know that I am a huge fan of John G. Miller’s work, and have talked about him more than once on this blog. He is the go to man when it comes to personal accountability, and personal accountability is what can give us the ability to resolve anything by asking the right questions. Today I am happy to announce that [...] Read more »

Tags: outstanding, personal accountability, Personal Development

Time Management – Organizing Your Time For Maximum Results

Written by Brad Chaffee on February 17, 2010 · 5 Comments

I posted this today because I find myself needing more time. Time management seems to be an area we could all improve in so I hope this is helpful to you. It’s a short video from someone that has taught me a lot about myself and my potential. Brian Tracy has helped hundreds of thousands of people improve and become more productive, more successful, and more wealthy. Today I needed this! If you are interested in learning more I have included below, a way for you to do just that. I love to read, but admit that if I could [...] Read more »

Tags: Goal Setting, organizing your time, time management

In Order To Succeed Financially, You Must Redefine The Word “Deal”

Written by Brad Chaffee on January 11, 2010 · 18 Comments

As the new year approached I thought about all of the things that changed in my life for 2009. The more I thought about it the more I realized that I could indeed be happy with my progress in many areas of my life. Since this is a financial blog, let’s talk about one of the things that I feel was the biggest breakthrough for me financially. The funny thing is that I was introduced to this in early 2008 when I took Financial Peace University, but I guess it had to marinate for a bit first. My breakthrough was [...] Read more »

Tags: buying a new car, buying bargains, getting a deal

Organize And Break Your Goals Down Into Actionable Steps

Written by Brad Chaffee on January 4, 2010 · 12 Comments

Have you made a list of goals for 2010 yet? Most of you probably saw my very comprehensive list of resolutions that I posted on Friday. In fact, some of you may have cringed at such a long list. One of my good friends, and a subscriber, sent me this message in response to that post. “Drink more beer!” Haha! Now I just want to point out to all of you that this is a first for me too. I’ve made resolution after resolution, year after year, only to lose interest fairly quickly. It seems that most people, including myself, [...] Read more »

Tags: goals, New Years Resolutions, Paying off your debt

My 2010 Comprehensive List Of New Years Resolutions

Written by Brad Chaffee on January 1, 2010 · 35 Comments

What are your New Year Resolutions? It seems to be so easy to make resolutions but even easier to abandon them as the year passes by. My main goal for the year is to stay motivated to complete all of my resolutions for the year. I plan to do that by giving you a monthly update as to my progress on these goals below. Ultimate accountability! I would ask that you help me by keeping me accountable. You can do that by actively participating in the comments section of each “Resolution Tracker” update post. Thank you and I hope each [...] Read more »

Tags: goals, New Years Resolutions, Personal Development

Are You Looking To Improve Yourself In 2010? Accept My Challenge And You Could Win $100!

Written by Brad Chaffee on December 31, 2009 · 4 Comments

The New Year Is Approaching Fast, Are You Ready For Real Change? Would you like to improve yourself in 2010 and have fun at the same time? I do, which is why I decided to join the Improve Yourself! 2010 8 Week Challenge. Dustin over at Engaged Marriage is a great friend, and the guy with the master plan to help you, me, and whoever else wants to, accomplish our resolutions for 2010. (details below) Special Enemy of Debt Challenge and Giveaway!! As someone who believes wholeheartedly in setting goals, which is a big part of Enemy of Debt, [...] Read more »

Tags: accountability, Improve Yourself, New Years Resolutions, setting goals