To Be or Not To Be…That is the Question

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Thankful that is…today is Thanksgiving a time to spend with loved ones and reflect on what you are thankful for. It has been a tough year for my family and some days I didn’t feel so thankful, but today I have a renewed attitude of thankfulness and realize just how lucky I am to have my health, my family, and the support of communities like this one. Unexpected Gifts of Thanks Sometimes we are dealt a bad hand and just need to make the best of less than perfect situations. Divorce.  On April 5th of this year my divorce was […] 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 »

Watch College Conspiracy (The Documentary Colleges Don’t Want You to See)

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I've always thought college tuition was out of control so when I sat down to watch this documentary I didn't think I would be surprised by the statements made but I was wrong. Being that a college education is considered "good debt" I thought it would be a good idea to share this video with all of you. It's only an hour long but very eye-opening if you have bought into the lie that it's a good idea to go into debt for a college education. Who's responsible for most of the problems with education inflation? Read more »

How to Deal With Taking a Pay Cut

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In the last few years our economy has taken quite a hit.  This has resulted in pay cuts and layoffs around the country.  Perhaps you have been affected by this and are now struggling to live off of lower pay.  If readjusting to a less luxurious lifestyle is proving to be a challenge, there are a few simple things you can do to ease the strain. Try to offset your primary expenses by cutting back elsewhere.  This means that if you are still committed to a lease or are paying off loans and are unable to reduce the monthly costs […] Read more »

These Are the Times!

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“These are the times that try men’s souls!” These often remembered words of Thomas Paine were written in “The Crisis” a series of articles published during the American Revolutionary War. On December 23, 1776, when Paine wrote these words he described in detail the time of the revolution. He began the closing to this article with the following quote: “I thank God, that I fear not. I see no real cause for fear. I know our situation well, and can see the way out of it.” Despite the drastic and incomprehensible moves of the market, with all indices falling substantially […] Read more »

A Lost Decade, Really?

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We’ve heard so much about the “lost decade” we may feel investing for the long-term is foolish. Numerous articles suggest the tried and true method of asset allocation is dead. “Buy Gold!” “Buy gold, guns, and two years worth of food” “Time the market” “Buy bonds, sell stocks!” But, did investors really lose a decade? Most people, particularly those working off debt, invest mainly in their 401k or other retirement plan. Few limit their investments to the Dow Jones Industrial Average (30 stocks), or the S&P 500, both representing large US based companies. The fund choices within a retirement plan […] Read more »

Brad & J’s 2010 Christmas Stimulus WINNERS!

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Photo Credit: www.metaphoricalplatypus.com Merry Christmas everyone!!4 Days Left! I am so very happy to announce the winners of Brad & J’s 2010 Christmas Stimulus!! First, I’d like to thank each and every one of you for giving me a reason to continue blogging. It’s because of you that I have been able to do this for almost 3 years now! I NEVER imagined that I would ever have a blog, let alone end up with nearly 1000 subscribers! You ROCK! I LOVE YOU ALL! In 2010, I added 600 subscribers, and in 2011 I fully intend on stepping up my […] Read more »

Brad & J’s 2010 Christmas Stimulus

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Oh man!! Today didn’t come fast enough for me. I was a little antsy to say the least but the day has come. FINALLY! Last year, J Money and I decided to bring Enemy of Debt and Budgets Are Sexy together for something truly awesome! The economy was broken, unemployment was high, and we wanted to help. Brad & J’s 1st Annual Christmas Stimulus 2009 was born! Last year was awesome! We gave away $150 each and had a great time doing it! Two blogs, two giveaways, two winners, $300! We are extremely happy to announce the second coming. The […] Read more »

Brad And J’s 1st Annual Christmas Stimulus 2009

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Are you ready to hear my super secret surprise? You should be because I am so excited to tell you about it! It all started with a post I wrote titled, “Help Your Neighbor Christmas Stimulus“. My idea at the time was to take a portion of your Christmas budget and use it to help someone close to you feel a little less stressed this holiday season. Originally, our Christmas budget was $250, and I pledged to take $150 of that, and use it to “help my neighbor”. Although I will admit we spent a little more than the $100 […] Read more »

Aaaand…It’s GONE! (Video Post)

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I came across this video and thought you might like a good laugh! I know that for the people that actually were saving and investing their money, this must have been how they felt.  It made me start to wonder if their were some of you that stopped saving and investing when the market tanked…did you?  Why or why not? What’s the consensus? “Market timing is a not a good idea. Investing with a steady hand and for the long-term is a good idea.  However, standing out of the way of a train wreck is not market timing.” – The […] Read more »

Monkey See, Monkey Don’t!

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MONKEY SEE, MONKEY DON’T   I have said before that Washington is in desperate need of a Total Money Makeover.  If you have been keeping up with current events in Washington then you probably are aware of the current spending proposal to “stimulate” the economy.  If not, then you should be, because your tax dollars are being wasted on a daily basis.  (Nothing new right?)  In fact, your grandchildren are going to be footing the bill.  It’s no wonder that most of America has a hard time managing their money, when they watch “supposedly” intelligent minds in Washington giving them […] Read more »

Bad Economy=Record Sales?

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Bad Economy Should Equal More savings! Bad economy and record sales do not seem to go together, unless of course you are a credit card company.  As most of you know I deliver pizza for Papa John’s Pizza.  I have been there for just over 3 years and during this time my boss has been trying to reach a store record of one million dollars in sales for the year.  Even when the economy was booming he came close but never reached the goal. Here we are in what some refer to as the worst economic crisis since the early […] Read more »

Invest Your Dollars Wisely Without Fear

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Are You A Nervous Wreck? No matter where you go it is impossible to avoid the dreadful banter regarding the economy. The television is loaded with reasons to be fearful of your life coming to an end, because of the falling market. It's no secret that one reason for this is due to the upcoming election. After all, both sides have only a little time left to convince you that they are the one that is going to make everything all better. (Just lay back, dry your thumb, and prepare to be coddled. Oh, and here is your free Government pacifier!) Read more »

Are You Waiting For Washington To Save The Day?

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  As it stands now this is not a political blog, and I want to keep it that way.  However, with the upcoming election, coupled with recent events (bailout, mortgage crisis) and the state of our economy, I feel it is important to address this issue.  It seems that so many people are putting all of their faith into electing a President that they feel will fly down from the sky with his Presidential cape and leotards to save the day.  Why is that?  Do people really believe that Washington is going to come to the rescue? Do you really […] Read more »