Are You Taking Advantage of Free Financial Information Online?

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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 »

Under Pressure: Teaching Our Children a Lesson in Wants vs. Needs

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“Mom, can I have a DS? Please! Everyone else has one.” I have heard this off and on for a couple years. My son really wants a Nintendo DS Handheld game system. He has asked for one for every holiday and birthday for years. I have been reluctant to purchase one for a few reasons. First, he doesn’t need it. He does have an older model Gameboy that was given to us for free. Second, I would rather he spend his time reading, playing outside, interacting with his family and using his imagination. Also, I just don’t have the money. However, […] Read more »

4 Ways to Start Getting Out of Debt This Weekend

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Do you have debt? Have you thought about tackling it but aren’t able to get started? If so, you’re not alone. Even when you realize that you need to get out of debt, it can be hard to know where to start. So today, since it’s Friday, let’s take a look at 4 things you can do this weekend to begin conquering your debt. If you do these, then on Monday morning you’ll feel 100% better about where you stand because you’ll have some forward momentum and you’ll be excited about continuing your progress. 1.  Demand a lower interest rate […] Read more »

Just Say No to Inflatable Santa’s

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“Mommy please can we get one of those inflatable Santa’s?” This is the plea I have heard from my eight year old son since we began to decorate (with our already purchased) holiday decorations the day after Thanksgiving. My answer remains constant, “Not right now buddy, we don’t need an inflatable Santa.”  Unfortunately millions of Americans apparently do feel they need inflatable Santa’s, two Christmas trees, and thousands of twinkle lights to adorn their homes so they can feel the magic of the holidays.  According to a Bloomberg report, “This year U.S. consumers will spend $6 billion on decorations, the […] Read more »

Dave Ramsey Financial Peace University Week 11

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This week was about making money, and was my favorite class so far. I'm really hooked on the idea of making more money right now. Dave talked about how we always must be learning new skills and information. Gone are the days of getting a job and working at that one job for 20+ years. He says "Find something that blends your skills, abilities, personality traits, values, dreams, and passions." Well that's the hard part isn't it? He goes on to give tips on job hunting and some tips for getting your resume seen. He says to first research the heck out of the company you are trying to get to hire you. Then send an introduction letter, then your resume, and then follow up. Dave also reminds us that most people find a job through someone they know, not through the classifieds. Read more »

Managing your Investments is Like Baking a Souffle

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I love to cook! A few years ago, I decided to try to bake the often dreaded souffle. NPR had a feature on The Science of the Perfect Souffle that made me crave the delicate and light texture of the aerated eggs for a nice brunch. There are a few challenges if you want a perfect souffle and NPR’s Joe Palca turned to Jeffrey Buben, owner and head chef at Vidalia, a restaurant in Washington, D.C, for the perfect souffle. The really neat thing about souffles is they can be a main dish when the eggs are mixed with herbs […] Read more »

No Restaurants in November 2011 – Final Results

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Hello everyone. First let me apologize to you all for the delay in getting this post up. Last week was a beast of a week and Friday was probably the most insane day of them all. My wife went back to work after 3 great months of maternity leave. 🙁 We did learn some things and feel very blessed to have been able to share that time together. For starters it inspired and motivated us to develop a plan to bring my wife home so we’re both stay-at-home parents. My wife is a great nurse and loves her job but […] Read more »

An Uncomfortable Conversation

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With me sitting on the edge of our bathtub, and my wife brushing her teeth as she prepared for bed we began a very serious budget discussion. We were on day three of a week long visit from our Kentucky friends and were burning through our discretionary funds at an alarming rate. We needed to reign in our spending, and ensure we kept ourselves on budget, or we were going to run out of money fast. The next day the four of us were planning on going shopping for the supplies needed for Thanksgiving Dinner. As a group, we had […] Read more »

Dave Ramsey Financial Peace University Week 10

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This week's class is called From Fruition to Tuition, it's about planning for retirement and college. Dave talked about all the different kinds of retirement plans including traditional and Roth IRAs, SEPs, 401(k)s, 403(b)s, and 457s. He says you should invest 15% of your income in "qualified plans", which are the plans mentioned. Hey lays out the order of that you should attack your retirement planning; employer plan up to the match, max out a Roth IRA, then max out your employer plan. Read more »

Investing Tip: Don’t Be Like an “Overly Emotional Teenaged Girl”

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CNNMoney features an excellent column by Paul R. La Monica today contrasting the “overly emotional teenaged girl with an unrequited crush. OMG! My life is over!” stock market investors with the seemingly apathetic and “too-cool-for-school kids that don’t get bothered by anything” bond market investors. I encourage you to read the column as Paul, (who has a really great first name), hits the nail firmly on the head. You can find it here: The United States of Apathy. Investing in the stock market is a long term process. In any given year the market may rise or fall significantly and, […] Read more »

No Restaurants in November 2011 Update and a New Challenge

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Well the month has almost come and gone and I cant say I’ve really missed going out to eat all that much. For the most part it has given our family extra time in the kitchen to bond. My wife and I have tag teamed the meals as well as taken turns cooking meals individually. When it’s time to do dishes Isaac has enthusiastically helped clear the table and load the dishwasher. So we have saved money but also created a fine little helper in the process. Isaac helped in more ways than one too. We really only had a […] Read more »

Are You Making Excuses for the Money You Spend?

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spending too much money on shopping

Yesterday was Black Friday. Did you hit the stores at 4am? Were you one of the million of folks out on Thanksgiving to shop the stores that opened in the evening? Or maybe you are like me, you avoid stores on Black Friday (and the days surrounding it) like the plague! I wasn’t always this way, there was a time when I hit the mall bright and early on Black Friday. I was armed with nothing more than my credit cards and a large cup of coffee. The problem with my “plan” was that I didn’t have a list (and […] Read more »

The Worst Day of my Entire Life

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As I sat on the park bench watching other families laugh and play, I couldn’t help but feel resentment. That was supposed to be me and my family, but recent events would clearly make that impossible. How could my wife do this to me? What did she do? Only the worst thing a wife could do to her passionate husband dedicated to ridding the world of debt that’s all. I checked the mail and found out that my wife racked up almost $2,000 on a credit card she had been hiding from me for over a year. Imagine the look on my face – THE Enemy of Debt – as I peeled open the envelope to reveal such news. We’ve been through so much together financially and I thought we were on the same team. It was only four years ago that we pledged to eradicate our debt together once and for all. At that time we were like everyone else -- broke, living paycheck to paycheck, and seriously on edge about our finances. Read more »