Is Netflix Really the Devil?

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DISCLAIMER: If you are not mindlessly deciding to stay in debt, I might not be talking about you. 馃槈 Are you upset at the recent price hike announced by Netflix? Is seems a lot of people are lighting the torches and grabbing their pitchforks so they can lynch the once beloved company.I have an idea. How about you get that mad about your debt! Seriously, you should torch IT instead. Wasn’t it Netflix that saved us from companies like Blockbuster? Wasn’t it Netflix that made it possible to watch as many movies as we could mail off and receive in […] Read more 禄

Do You Worship the “Not So Mighty” Credit Score?

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When you were younger, do you remember hearing countless people advise you to “build your credit”? Those same voices were buzzing around in my head until I got a clue in 2007! “You’ve got to build your credit” they’d say, and the reason is usually based on the myth that says in order to be financially responsible you must build your score. I despise this myth most of all because from what I see, it has ruined more lives than it has helped. Think about it. 18 year old after 18 year old has inserted themselves into the murky waters […] Read more 禄

Reader News: “Today I Mailed Off My Last Car Payment!”

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Earlier this week Money Momma (an awesome EOD reader), left a comment on a post I wrote called It’s Not a Myth, It’s a Lie; You Don’t Need a Car Payment stating that she finally mailed off the very last car payment. I can’t tell you how excited I get when I receive news like this from my readers, but this meant an awful lot because I know just how hard she’s been working to pay off that vehicle and eventually become debt free. I DID IT!!!! Today I mailed off the last car payment. We had $1000 saved for […] Read more 禄

Debt Free Checklist: Plan a Special Meeting

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Back in May I wrote a post called Your Debt Free Checklist, which listed steps you would take action on and complete to become debt free. I also mentioned in that post that I would break down each step on the list into a series of articles. This is the first post of that series and it covers setting up a special meeting with your spouse. Some have asked me why I haven’t left it open to anyone in a relationship. Why did I specifically mention “spouse”? That’s actually very simple. I know some people that aren’t married that combine […] Read more 禄

Financial Peace University Kit Bundle Giveaway Winner

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It’s time to announce the winner of the Financial Peace University Kit bundle!! At first I planned to announce the winner like I have the others, but I decided to do this instead. I also added some prizes to this bundle as an extra special thanks from me. As I’ve stated before I really truly wish I could give everyone something. I really have enjoyed getting to know so many of you over the years and I can’t thank you enough for all of your support and participation. The winner of today’s giveaway has me really excited because she really […] Read more 禄

Financial Planning for Retirement – Be Conservative, Responsible, Realistic, and be Successful

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Not long ago I had the good fortune to gain insight with respect to one family’s financial planning that was centered around retirement. This had been a young couple with children, with both the husband and wife having lived through the Great Depression and bleak economic times surrounding World War II. Talk about a life lesson in stretching a dollar! What struck me as unusual was the constant focus, from the very beginning, on retirement and taking care of their children. It was unusual in a very good way. This couple knew that the future was coming. They knew that […] Read more 禄

Six Important Questions to Consider When Improving Your Finances

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Are you sick and tired of struggling week to week, month to month? You probably know it doesn’t have to be that way but just haven’t quite figured out how to get the ball rolling. (or keep it rolling might be more accurate) Most of the time we tend to use techniques other broke people use whenever they want to break free. The problem is most people, especially broke people, haven’t a clue as to how to turn things around. We usually need a push in the right direction, from the right person. That certainly describes our old financial patterns […] Read more 禄

Christmas is Coming, Will You Be Ready?

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Here on Enemy of Debt, I have made it a point to get people to think ahead, especially when it comes to Christmas. In 2009, I challenged all of you to have a Debt free Christmas by preparing for it early instead of last minute. Today's post comes from Tyson Morgan and promotes the same idea of being prepared for something that happens every single year. Nope, Christmas is not an "emergency", although far too often, people are putting Christmas on plastic because they failed to properly plan for what's become a MONSTER CONSUMER HOLIDAY. I love sharing different perspectives from different writers, so I hope you enjoy today's post. Will you have a Debt free Christmas in 2011? Read more 禄

Mortgage Free – Why This is Essential for Traditional Retirement

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Who in their right mind would argue that being mortgage free is the only way to be if you expect to retire in some traditional way, with a house of your own? That would be me. As they say, "opinions vary" and "results vary." But, if you pay off the mortgage before you retire, that eliminates a large financial obligation essential for living - someplace to live. That's one of the big reasons it makes sense to me. From my vantage point, as an early self-retired individual, I see being 100% debt free as an essential part of having peace of mind when you retire, and I'm up on my soapbox to explain why. Gather 'round my financially fit friends and lend me your ears. Read more 禄

The Government Wants to Raise the Debt Ceiling, But Should They?

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As most of you know I am no fan of the United States Government, especially when it comes to how they spend money. Republicans and Democrats alike have continued to spend like crazy on some of the most ridiculous and unnecessary budget items and it’s put the country in a terrible situation. There has been talk from many groups about whether or not the Government should raise the debt ceiling. Some say we need to stop with the out-of-control spending and others contend that not raising it would cause the U.S. to default on it’s debt obligations. I’m sure you […] Read more 禄

Should You Take Care of Your Parents Regardless?

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Should you feel obligated to support your parents at or before retirement — regardless of circumstances? That is the question a caller asked Dave Ramsey on the radio last week. Here was his situation. His spouse’s family wanted to put together a fund that would support their parents for the next 25 years. He and his spouse were obviously affected differently by this question but ultimately agreed that it was not their responsibility to totally care for them financially, especially since the parents said they weren’t willing to go to work. They weren’t unable to work, they just didn’t want […] Read more 禄

Your Debt Free Checklist

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Happy Friday everyone! Today’s post gives you a step-by-step checklist to work your way to debt freedom! Each one of these items could be elaborated on in a separate post, so expect to see something in the future for each one. I did however feel it was important to summarize each bullet point for a little explanation. I hope that for anyone just starting to think about their financial situations a little more seriously, and specifically, how debt is affecting it, that this checklist will give you something solid to follow to eventually reach your debt free goals. Click here […] Read more 禄

Dealing with Debt Collection Agencies

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This is a guest post. Photo by quaziefoto Dealing with Debt Collection Agencies When your debt has been turned over to a debt collection agency, it is important to gather information first. Before you agree to pay the debt, find out what the debt is for, where it originated, and the original amount. If it is a fraudulent debt, you will need to go through the process of finding out whether you are liable for it, and take appropriate steps to work with law enforcement and the credit bureaus, as well as the lender and the debt collection agency to […] Read more 禄

What Kind of Mother’s Day Gift Would You Prefer?

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Photo Credit: Crystl Mother’s Day is almost upon us! I was going to save this post for Mother’s Day but instead decided to post it early out of curiosity. Plus, if there are any men out there waiting until the last minute, because that’s what men do, perhaps the comments alone could help them get their mother (and wife) that perfect gift to show their appreciation. After all, mothers are wonderful and highly under appreciated if you ask me. The question of the day is what’s the “perfect gift”? Mothers do lots of awesome things but the one thing that […] Read more 禄