Motivational Money Management
I still remember the shock of realizing how much debt we had – after all, it is not every day you hear you are in $160,000 of consumer debt. How is so much debt to be paid off? (I am not big on suspense, so I’d tell you: we paid off $160,000 of consumer debt in three years, and we have lived debt-free since February 2013.) But let me get back to when I found out we are in so much debt. At first, I went numb. Later, I got angry. I was furious with my husband, with myself, […] Read more »
It stinks to lose your job! Losing your job is one of those things that can completely upend your life, causing tremendous stress and a loss of confidence if you let it. Conversely, sudden unemployment can also be an opportunity for a new direction or a whole new career. Either way, you have to take control over your situation if you want to move forward successfully. In this post I’ll show you 13 essential things you must do when you lose your job. You’ll also discover some awesome resources that’ll help you find your next job or transition into a […] Read more »
In the first article in the series, I covered eight things that might cause you to end up trapped in a paycheck to paycheck life. In this second post, I’m going to show you a few things you can do to get your finances under control, stop spending more than you make, and end the paycheck to paycheck cycle for good. If you read the last article, at this point you’ve probably figured out some of the top reasons why you’re struggling financially. Once you understand those reasons, I explained that it was important to get your mindset right and […] Read more »
Some recent studies showed that more than two thirds of people are living paycheck to paycheck at least some of the time. That’s pretty incredible! It seems to be getting harder and harder to keep your head above water financially, and there is no lack of reasons why that’s happening. Some of it is because our attitudes about money have changed over the years. Some of it is also because of the changing economy, and some of it is probably due to the fact that the world is rapidly changing, and some are getting left behind because they refuse to […] Read more »
Let me start off by saying: I hope you never find yourself in this difficult situation! Life gets really stressful when money is tight. People get sick, layoffs happen, and the household income drops due to unforeseen circumstances. When you find yourself short on cash, which do you let be late: The mortgage or credit cards? According to TransUnion, one of the major credit reporting agencies, more Americans choose to pay their credit card bills to keep from being late than keep a mortgage current. Is this wise? Let’s walk through a few scenarios to expose the pros and cons […] Read more »
Dealing with overdue debt stinks. Dealing with a debt collector harassing you can be just plain scary. When you have debt that’s gone bad and been placed in a collection agency, it very easy to avoid the situation or even completely ignore it when you feel like there is no way you’ll be able to pay it. That’s why some debt collectors will resort to whatever it takes get your attention, even if it’s illegal. Some Debt Collectors Do Crazy Things Most debt collection agencies are very professional and do their best to follow the rules on debt collection […] Read more »
If you’ve been following my posts here on EOD for a while now, you may know that I offer a popular Christian get out of debt course that I’ve taught at various venues over the years. The course has always been offered in a physical version with a workbook and CD’s. I’ve been asked many times if I have the course available in an online format, and I’ve always had to say “no”. But not anymore. You Can Win Access to the Course for Free! (Continue Reading) You Asked, I’m Making it Happen Over the last few months, I’ve […] Read more »
Are you stressed out about the holidays? It’s hard not to get stressed out just a little bit this time of year, especially if you’re struggling with your finances. With countless gatherings to attend and gifts to buy for loved ones, this time of year can be very difficult to handle when you’ve been fighting just to pay the bills each month. I read a post recently from a fellow debt relief customer who is in just that kind of situation. She is extremely stressed out because Christmas is getting closer every day, but due to some unexpected expenses, they […] Read more »
Not long ago, I was reflecting back about the first time my wife Angie and I were scheduled to make announcements and greet visitors from the platform at our Sunday church service. I’m an introvert, so I was pretty nervous. I wanted to make sure and do it right, make people feel welcome, and keep from screwing it up. So with Angie by my side we made it through the greeting and announcements just fine. At that point I realized that no one had told me who to hand the mic off to next. I froze like a gallon of […] Read more »
I read in a Wall Street Journal article that almost half of all Americans would have to sell some of their possessions if they needed to come up with $2,000 cash within 30 days. The author called these people “financially fragile”. Wow! That’s disturbing statistic. It’s especially surprising when you realize that a normal emergency expense like a major car repair or a child’s broken arm (which happened to my son a few weeks ago) can pretty easily set you back a couple of grand. Why Are So Many of Us Financially Fragile? So what’s the deal? Why is it […] Read more »
During the last few years of economic upheaval, some people have begin to return to a more sensible way of dealing with their financial situation. The last few decades have seen the American public give themselves over to the “anything goes” mentality of personal finance by taking on unprecedented levels of debt, which has come back to kick them in the tail over the last few years. Lately though, some stats have been showing that more and more of us have finally started to wake up from our “anything goes” hangover and have begun to pay down our debts substantially. […] Read more »
Recently, I had a conversation at the Financial Blogger Conference and Pay Day Loans came up. First off, I was kind of surprised to hear a financial blogger say that these loans had their place because most bloggers agree that these types of loans are dangerous and avoidable. At the time my mind was spinning a hundred miles a minute but I said nothing because not only had I just arrived at the conference, but I know that debates like this are rarely productive (especially with a financial blogger). So I bit my tongue but I do have an opinion […] Read more »