Using Checks is Bad For My Finances

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I stared in confusion at the papers laying on the kitchen table as I attempted to reconcile our checking account. My mortgage statement said the amount due was $1543 as it always does. The numerical dollar amount written on duplicate of the check I dropped off at the bank matched, as did the receipt I got from the teller. But that’s NOT what the written amount on the check said. The written amount was, “One thousand forty three dollars.” I had apparently omitted the “five hundred” when I wrote out the check. I needed to find out exactly how the […] Read more »

My 8 Step Plan to Resolve Financial Conflict and be a Super Hero Husband

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My wife is a “Go big, or don’t do it at all” kind of person.   We once had a Valentine’s Day themed Pampered Chef party which included tables in our living room set with tablecloths, centerpieces, and a full dinner. While we were planning the party, we had several disagreements regarding how elaborate it should be.  It even became a joke of sorts between us as every time we disagreed, she would utter the phrase, “Don’t you see my vision?”  We had a huge turnout, and earned a ton of product credit from the sales. Taking into account the […] Read more »

Reduce Expenses and Get Out of Debt – Use Mental Toughness

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When I was a two-mile runner in high school, many of the runners complained about aches in their sides from running long and hard. It was just part of the game. If we were going to push ourselves, it was going to hurt. During a race, you can't just stop and rest a while when it starts to hurt, you have to keep going. Nevertheless, the pain and fatigue affected many runners and their ability to improve their times. Our track coach offered a solution, he called it "mental toughness." It's a concept that stuck with me and has served me well. Sometimes we just need a mental image, a concept, a focal point to help us achieve success. This was the concept for me. Read more »

I Will Now Cease Any and All Complaining

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It was a 30 minute ride to and from the office during my two week stay in India, and since I wasn’t driving I had a lot of time to look at the scenery. I was surprised to see empty lots in the middle of a metropolitan area of millions of people. The driver told me that owners don’t want to leave their property empty for very long, or they’d end up with squatters which are almost impossible to get rid off. He pointed at just such an empty lot, which was dotted with small tin shacks covered with blue […] Read more »

Lessons Learned in Financial Literacy

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financial literacy

My financial education has come at a very slow pace. I have not been a fast learner. I have failed tests, repeated classes and expressed a general sense of apathy. It wasn’t that I didn’t want to learn. Initially I never even knew I was supposed to be looking for financial education. No one told me about it. I wasn’t given the tools I needed early on in life. And therefore, in my adult years I simply learned as I went. The problem with this method is that I learned a large number of lessons incorrectly. This caused me to […] Read more »

You Definitely DON’T Need a Credit Score

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This guy thinks he needs a credit score

Do you have a credit score?  Probably so.  Do you have any idea what your credit score is?  Maybe you do, maybe you don’t.  Do you really believe that it’s totally necessary to have a credit score?  Most people do, and I think they are wrong. First, let’s take a quick look at exactly what your credit score is and why you have one.  Your credit score, also known as the FICO score, was created by the Fair Isaac Company (Thus “FICO”) to estimate a person’s credit worthiness.  Your FICO score is really just a number that tells people how […] Read more »

Have You Ever Considered Hiring a Financial Advisor?

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I’ve always held the position that if you can do something yourself, you shouldn’t pay someone else to do it for you. From car repairs and home remodeling to weight loss and personal finance. Over the last year I have realized some things that have caused me to reconsider that approach. Until I met Travis Pizel, you would have heard me say things like “avoid debt relief companies like the plague”, but have since realized that what method you choose should depend on what’s best for you. I generally try to base my opinions on a case-by-case basis. I think […] Read more »

401k’s and Anything Goes

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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 »

Financial Asset Management – A Different Perspective

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Almost crayon level financial asset management

When it comes to my abilities in the arena of financial asset management, I don't consider myself to be more than a couple of notches above the crayon level. Although I've been free of debt for quite some time now, it's not because I'm a financial wizard, it's mostly because of my natural inclination to aim high and be financially conservative. If you listen to my sweetheart Ellen, she might also suggest that I have some sort of a crystal ball. Whatever the case may be, I'd like to offer a different perspective on wealth preservation in light of what I see as our ever-changing economic climate. I think you'll find much of this discussion to be applicable, regardless of where you might be in terms of debt. Read more »

Improve Your Blog, Improve Your Finances

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As a blogger who writes about money, I often draw parallels to money and life. But it wasn’t until recently that I realized how closely improving a blog is to improving personal finances. Here are just a few ways that I’ve noticed: Start with one thing When I decided I wanted to write a personal finance blog, I had to pick what I wanted to write about. I wanted it to be more focused and detailed than my previous blog and I knew that I had to write about what I know. Since I know nothing about investing and I […] Read more »

The Most Important Money Advice You Will Ever Receive

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You do not need to buy a bunch of books from Dave Ramsey, Suze Orman or David Bach to get this kind of advice. You don’t have to go to week long seminars to learn this powerful tool either. You don’t even have to leave your home. Look no further than this blog post and you will get the most valuable money advice you could ever need. The power of this strategy is amazing! It will teach your children a valuable lesson. It will save you thousands of dollars. It will help your marriage. It will even allow you to […] Read more »

Dave Ramsey Financial Peace University Week 8

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If you are just tuning in I’m currently taking the Dave Ramsey Financial Peace University classes and reviewing them each week. If you missed any you can catch them here; Week 1: Super Saving Week 2: Relating To Money Week 3: Cash Flow Planning Week 4: Dumping Debt Week 5: Credit Sharks in Suits Week 6: Buyer Beware Week 7: Clause and Effect The Class This week’s Financial Peace University is called “That’s Not Good Enough” and is about bargain hunting. Or more specifically it’s about negotiating a deal. The real trick to getting good deals by negotiating is by […] Read more »

What Are You Doing on Bank Transfer Day?

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Editor’s Note: This post is in no way linked to the Occupy Wall Street movement. The only thing I support about OWS is their right to assemble and protest, but even if I did agree with them — which I don’t — I would definitely not support the rapes, the violence, and the complete disrespect of others as well as the destruction of public and private property. Bank Transfer Day? Did you know Bank Transfer Day existed? I didn’t either, but I like the sound of it and here’s why. For starters, I used to be a “customer drone” with […] Read more »