financial planning | Enemy of Debt: Where Behavior Meets Reality

P90X Your Finances this Year

Written by Suzanne Cramer on January 5, 2012 · 5 Comments

Unless you have been living under a rock, chances are you have heard of the P90X workout system and its charismatic fitness guru, Tony Horton. On January 1, 2012 I started the P90X system and have embraced both the diet and exercise requirements, hoping to take my health and fitness to the next level. I don’t know about all of you but I need a regimented diet and exercise plan to have any chance of staying on track. In fact last year I completely fell off the wagon and gained 30 pounds! I made 2 resolutions for 2012: Get healthy [...] Read more »

Tags: accountability, Behavior, budget, Change, debt, determination, financial planning, pay off debt, personal finance, saving money, savings

Is Blood Thicker than Inheritance Money?

Written by Suzanne Cramer on October 13, 2011 · 15 Comments

According to study by the AARP roughly 2/3 of baby boomers are expecting some sort of an inheritance and are spending it before they even have it. They dig deep holes of debt with inheritance money in the back of their mind; failing to understand using inheritance money to pay off debt is not a sound financial plan. In fact inheritances often don’t turn out the way those expecting them think they should. A Family Torn I have a friend who recently had a grandmother pass away. Her frugal lifestyle and previously deceased husband’s good business sense left her with [...] Read more »

Tags: accountability, debt, financial planning, Giving, inheritance, Motivation

Take a Step Back…Put your Financial Behavior in Check

Written by Suzanne Cramer on September 15, 2011 · 7 Comments

Debt is sometimes inevitable, unavoidable, and well a fact of life for many. No matter what your stage of life you may be faced with financial issues. Life can take its toll on your finances; unemployment, an unexpected illness, divorce or a death in the family can send you into a financial tailspin. But sometimes financial issues stem from a cause deeper than the unexpected; the way you think about money. To snap out of bad financial habits it may require some lifestyle and behavioral changes. 10 Financial Principles Dr. Bernard Poduska, author of For Love or Money writes about [...] Read more »

Tags: budget, debt, Debt free, debt freedom, financial planning, life, money, personal finance, sacrifice, saving money

Thinking About Joining the Gold Rush?

Written by Paul Puckett on August 23, 2011 · 7 Comments

The latest Gold Rush made history yesterday when the SPDR Gold Shares ETF, Ticker GLD, passed the SPDR S&P 500 ETF in value. Both funds are managed by State Street Corp. As fearful investors sell stocks and invest heavily in the precious metal, GLD climbed to a total value of $77.5 billion to the SPY at $76.7 billion. The Wall Street Journal provided an excellent article yesterday “Gold Reigns even on the Stock Market”. What do you own when you buy gold? Read more »

Tags: commodities, financial planning, gold, gold rush, Investing, investment portfolio

Financial Planning for Retirement – Be Conservative, Responsible, Realistic, and be Successful

Written by Clair Schwan on June 1, 2011 · 6 Comments

Not long ago I had the good fortune to gain insight with respect to one family’s financial planning that was centered around retirement. This had been a young couple with children, with both the husband and wife having lived through the Great Depression and bleak economic times surrounding World War II. Talk about a life lesson in stretching a dollar! What struck me as unusual was the constant focus, from the very beginning, on retirement and taking care of their children. It was unusual in a very good way. This couple knew that the future was coming. They knew that [...] Read more »

Tags: Debt Elimination, financial characteristics, financial planning, finanical principles, Personal Responsibility, Retirement

Debt Free News From A Debt Free Reader #19

Written by Brad Chaffee on December 17, 2010 · 11 Comments

Happy DEBT FREE FRIDAY everyone!! Christmas is almost here. Are you ready? Will your Christmas be a Debt Free Christmas in 2010? I know someone who will be having a debt free Christmas this year. Dave, the author of I Heart Money. He has a book about how to change your relationship with money so that you can pay off your debt and build assets! Regardless of how it sounds, if you are still in debt you can have a debt free Christmas. That’s right and it’s real simple too. Buy Christmas with money you have! If you use credit [...] Read more »

Tags: Debt Elimination, debt free news, financial planning, personal finance, Q&A

Debt Free News From A Debt Free Reader #18

Written by Brad Chaffee on November 19, 2010 · 8 Comments

If you act responsibly and understand that it's up to you to secure your own future, you can have the fun you want without all the stress that comes with running up debt to do so! I recently met some folks who were down on their luck, but it wasn't their luck that was keeping them down, it was their attitude about their situation that was doing the most damage. They seemed to have given up and were ready to accept that life would always be this way for them. NOT TRUE! Don't believe that for one second if you find yourself in similar circumstances. Read more »

Tags: Debt Elimination, debt free news, financial planning, personal finance, responsibility

Debt Free News From A Debt Free Reader #16

Written by Brad Chaffee on October 29, 2010 · 8 Comments

Happy Friday everyone! Right now I am enjoying myself on a fishing trip with my father-in-law, so I hope I catch some yummy fish! Have a great weekend, but before you do, I hope you enjoy this wonderful and inspiring debt free story. I love these kinds of stories!! I checked out Our Debt Free Path and knew immediately that these were my kind of folks. They are passionate, and best of all, they too, are doing the Total Money Makeover! Whether you like Dave Ramsey or not, you have to admit the guy has an awesome game plan for [...] Read more »

Tags: Dave Ramsey, Debt Elimination, debt free news, financial planning, personal finance, total money makeover

Dessert Before Dinner? Why America Sucks At Managing Money

Written by Brad Chaffee on October 4, 2010 · 15 Comments

Photo Credit: Memory_Freak Have you ever wondered why America sucks at managing money? We’re not exactly a country that’s living off of table scraps ya know. We’re considered by most to be a prosperous nation. That may be true in terms of what we have compared to other countries, but certainly not true in terms of how we manage it. When it comes to the money and financial planning department, most Americans appear to be lacking! In America debt is a WAY OF LIFE! From the Joneses to [insert name of Government Bureaucrat here], America has lost its way. People [...] Read more »

Tags: discipline, financial planning

Consumer Debt: The Black Hole of Personal Finance

Written by Brad Chaffee on September 20, 2010 · 6 Comments

A black hole is considered to be the most dangerous place in the universe. And in matters of personal finance, I consider debt to be that place. Sure there are other areas of the financial universe that can cause dangerous circumstances to arise, but the same can be said for the universe. A black hole is not the only way to “meet your maker”, but it probably is the fastest and most destructive. The major difference I can see, is that unlike getting sucked into a black hole, with debt, you CAN escape its gravitational pull. The only way to [...] Read more »

Tags: black holes, Debt Elimination, financial planning

It’s Your Money, YOU Spend It!

Written by Brad Chaffee on February 23, 2010 · 29 Comments

Hello debt haters! A few weeks ago I received an email from a reader that suggested I write a post about how other people spend your money for you. I have to admit it is a great post idea, and I am really surprised I had not come up with it earlier. You see, I have my own issue with this very problem. Kelly in Cleveland Ohio wrote in: “I’d love to see an article on “When others spend your money for you”. For example, a 50th wedding anniversary for my fiance’s parents. We were just notified that we’re paying [...] Read more »

Tags: financial planning, Money Management, Spending Money

Are You Smarter Than The United States Government?

Written by Brad Chaffee on February 10, 2010 · 16 Comments

Today I decided to present you with my version of Are You Smarter Than A 5th Grader with an EOD twist of course. What I want to know though, is Are You Smarter Than The United States Government? On the regular…I hear average people complain about the current state of our economy. I hear average people complain about Government spending and how wasteful and inefficient it is. I hear average people complain about the rising U.S. debt, which is now over 12 trillion dollars. I hear average people complain about the U.S. budget which seems to be compiled of massive [...] Read more »

Tags: Debt Elimination, financial planning, smarter than the US Government