My Story: A Mortgage Nightmare Confession

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Have you ever looked back in time and wished you could do something all over again, or not at all? Hindsight always objectively highlights mistakes that we make, and often causes us to play the “if I knew then what I know now” game. Fortunately for us, this story has a light at the end of the tunnel. If anything, we learned a very valuable lesson in home ownership, specifically in terms of getting the right mortgage. As most of you know though, my wife and I decided long ago that once we were free from the bondage of mortgage […] Read more »

Book Review & Giveaway: The New Rules for Mortgages

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Hello everyone, I hope you are all having a magnificent week so far! Before I get started, I feel I need to clarify a few things about my views and beliefs concerning a mortgage. As most of you know, I am against debt, but I do realize that not all people are going to go out there and save, save, save, in order to pay 100% cash down. Some people, if not most, would even consider that to be impossible. I’ll save that discussion for another day, but I just want to point out that I understand that the average […] Read more »

Should You Grow Your Nest Egg Or Pay Off Your Mortgage?

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If you have ever found yourself in a position to ask yourself, “Should I save more money or pay off the house?”, first I should congratulate you because you are gem in matters of personal finance. With the majority of people living paycheck to paycheck, having this problem is a pleasant one indeed. Be sure to check out the other articles written by my fellow Money Mavens team listed at the bottom of this post. A little diversity on the subject can’t be bad.  😀 So…should you grow your investments or pay off your mortgage? Just as I tell anyone […] Read more »

Does Taking Advice From An Expert Relieve You Of Responsibility?

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Ever since I wrote My Beef With Rich Dad Poor Dad Author Robert Kiyosaki, I’ve been thinking. When it comes to taking advice from anyone, even if they are considered to be an expert, should we just do what they suggest without doing our own homework? I believe that we are still responsible for making sure that any advice that we follow is sound advice. Doctor’s are considered experts and you still hear people say “Did you get a second opinion?”. Being an expert doesn’t mean that you always have the right answers, it simply means that you should be […] Read more »

The American Dream Is Only As Good As Your Plan To Achieve It

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Go to www.daveramsey.com/fpu to learn more! Decisions, Decisions! The American dream is to own a home, but at what cost?  Should you sacrifice financial security just to buy a home?  Should you take advantage of creative financing in order to bypass the red flags?  Should you buy a home if you have absolutely no savings and no down payment?  The answer is NO to all of the above.  If you attended the Town Hall For Hope event then Dave Ramsey attempted to teach us a new word.  That word is “NO”. His point was that we need to learn how […] Read more »

Buying vs. Renting – What Should You Do?

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I think a majority of people would say it is better to buy simply because of the “I own it”, way of thinking. I used to believe the same thing. I think people do not take into consideration all of the things that should change that “normal” way of thinking. Dave Ramsey believes that if you are in debt, have no savings and no plan you SHOULD NOT buy, and I am right there beside him in agreement. You need to consider insurance costs, property taxes, as well as being responsible for ALL repairs. All of which does not enter […] Read more »