Is Blood Thicker than Inheritance Money?

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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 »

Should you “Occupy Wall Street”?

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You may be aware of a growing social protest movement that began on Wall Street a few weeks ago. According to their website: “Occupy Wall Street is leaderless resistance movement with people of many colors, genders and political persuasions. The one thing we all have in common is that We Are The 99% that will no longer tolerate the greed and corruption of the 1%. We are using the revolutionary Arab Spring tactic to achieve our ends and encourage the use of nonviolence to maximize the safety of all participants.” And now this protest is metastasizing and spreading to 25 […] Read more »

Personal Accountability – Placing Blame Where It Belongs

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A few weeks ago, I was playing around with a blog post in my head. I like to have full conversations with myself in there and often times I’ve got most of a blog post outlined in my head before I’ve even sat down at a computer. Working titles for this post were flowing around more easily than the actual text itself. Some of them were “Ode to Capital One: A Tragedy” and “Capital One has Ruined the Nation.” My favorite, however was the ever so poignant title “Eff You Capital One!” I spent more time thinking of catchy ways […] Read more »

Don’t Stink. Budget!

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If you’re a regular reader of Our Journey to Zero, you know I’ve been on a serious fitness kick now for over 8 months. Getting in shape is all about getting in the habit of exercising. Now that I’m in the habit of exercising, it feels wrong to not work out every day. It just feels like something is missing. Recently I skipped two days in a row for probably the first time this year. I was downright cranky. There are a lot of people who want to get in shape and lose weight. So why don’t they? They say […] Read more »

Do Our Parents Money Decisions Define Us?

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From a young age I was given the ability to choose how I would spend my money. I was raised in a “typical” family unit with two hard working parents and a younger sibling. We weren’t rich, we weren’t poor we were considered middle class, I suppose. My dad worked long hours as a small business owner (he was a mechanic) and my mom worked part-time so she could take care of us. The family business was passed onto him by my grandfather who came to the states with nothing except the clothes on his back. Read more »

Lessons for Investors from Irene

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Irene and a KFC Cup

Millions of Americans were affected by Irene, whether it was a hurricane or a tropical storm. The debate, for many, seems to center on whether reporters and forecasters “over-hyped” the strength of the storm as it approached the East Coast. The answers to that debate are not relevant but there is one lesson we can learn from the experience of forecasters as they plotted the probable track and strength of Irene. At a very basic level, there are two parts to forecasting hurricanes. The first is performed by computers and this generates a variety of possible tracks and levels of […] Read more »

Financial Lessons for the Kid in All of Us

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While gathering my things after a workout in the locker room of my health club, I noticed a little boy about 3 years old wanting to go look at the scale. Each time he wandered towards the scale, his dad would grab the boy and guide him back to the locker area. The man instructed the boy to stay by him as he finished getting dressed after swimming. The boy would stand near his father for a few seconds, then start walking back towards the scale. The father would again grab him, indicating that the boy could see the scale when he was done getting dressed. This repeated itself several times, each time the boy becoming more insistent that he wanted to see the scale, each time his dad becoming more firm that he stay next to him. Read more »

Becoming the Leader I Need To Be

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In my day job as a software engineer, I am a technical team leader responsible for ensuring that a team of 8 operates efficiently, completes work items on time, and with quality.  My team respects both my technical and leadership abilities. There is chaos in the absence of strong leadership.  I see that every day. Where weak, or even no leadership is present, projects flounder in failure until someone takes control of the situation and drives it to completion. There needs to be someone with a degree in organizational leadership to step in when another leader can not. The same […] Read more »

Enemy of Debt’s 2011 Race to Freedom

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Happy Monday everyone!! I apologize for taking so long to update you on the "Reality Series"! I was hoping to do so on Friday of last week but ended up battling a power outage due to high winds. The main delay, however, was in trying to work out possible sponsorship. I didn't want to move forward until I found out where I was and now I know. Unfortunately, I was only able to get one company excited about the prospects of my reality series idea. I would like to thank Perkstreet Financial for believing in my very spontaneous and highly ambitious project. (YOU GUYS ROCK!) Unfortunately, in order for it to work in the long term, I needed to have more sponsors on board. Needless to say, sponsorship was a bust this time around. Read more »

Reach Your Goals by Aligning Your Actions With Those Goals

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Last night I was taking a closer look at my goals and I realized something. My top two goals in 2011 are to lose weight and to save approximately $15,000 for our big emergency fund and a “newer” used car. As I was considering what I could do to make sure I do something every day that contributes to my success, I realized something. I have a blog, Enemy of Fat, just kind of hanging out in the enchanted land of blogger abandonment, all the while I’m writing for another blog I started called Inside C’ville. That blog does nothing […] Read more »

Readers and Contestants: Want to Help Me Make This the Most Awesome Reality Series Ever?

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Okay, I’ve been racking my brain about this reality series idea. The more I brainstorm the more awesome I know it will be. I need your help though, and I am giving away THREE BOOKS to the reader who helps me come up with a name for this reality series!! I NEED YOUR HELP! Here’s what I have (that I can reveal) and what I need from you — my loyal debt hating readers and soon-to-be audience members of the greatest blog reality series in blog history. 😀 What I Know (subject to change as new ideas or challenges arise.) […] Read more »

Debt Elimination Reality Series Questionnaire: How Determined Are You?

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Welcome to a new week! As you know, I am working on an idea I have regarding a reality series here on Enemy of Debt. I am completely overwhelmed by ALL OF YOU who are seriously interested and I’m super excited about the potential this idea has for a variety of reasons. Thank you for the enormous response I received from last week’s post! Here’s why I am so excited! Enemy of Debt will get some extra exposure, which will in turn lead to more people getting out of debt! 😀 The contestants will be motivated by their very real […] Read more »

Looking for 4-6 People Who Are DETERMINED to Pay off Debt in 2011!

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Hi everyone! I have an idea — something never done before on a blog — as far as I know. Think of it as the collision of Enemy of Debt and Reality Television (without the television). A reality show blog style? YES! I’m working out the details as we speak, but first need to find 4-6 of the most determined, focused, and motivated people that have decided to pay off debt in 2011! ONLY SERIOUS people need apply! I am wanting to officially launch this by the end of February or March at the latest. Nine or ten months of […] Read more »

Manage Your Money Week 2 – Teamwork, Accountability, and Kids

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WOW! Out of the 44 that signed up, only 12 showed up, leaving 32 people MIA. That’s alright though, there is still a chance to redeem yourself. Don’t give up before you even start! How are you going to change things if you don’t do the work? I know it’s hard! I know you’re scared! I know you’re intimidated! But you have to make some changes, and you may as well start now. You are still welcome, and can win some prizes. Make the changes now! To the ones that showed up, and blew me away with their honesty and […] Read more »