I’m Hot Because I’m Bald

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What comes to mind when you think of the stereotypical, sexy, attractive male? If the covers of magazines and romance novels are any indication, it’s a tall, tan guy with washboard abs, and of course a head of thick, long flowing hair. However, there are signs that this viewpoint is changing. Earlier this week, my friend and fellow blogger Suzanne Cramer wrote a post asserting that financially responsible men are attractive. Well, I’ve got some news, and it’ll knock the socks off of Suzanne and other women who share her viewpoint. Bald men are more attractive because they’re financially responsible. […] Read more »

Togetherness Is The Best Kind of Family Therapy.

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It had been a really rough week for my family. A close friend of ours that lived in the neighborhood had passed away recently, and we had spent the entire week in crisis mode spending time with the family and other neighbors in support of each other. As most families, we have a daily routine. Dinner at 6:00, homework at 7:00, our favorite shows of the evening after that. That routine had been completely disrupted and my wife and I felt like our children had suffered from lack of attention from us. On my way home from work , I […] Read more »

The Not-So-Pretty Story of Paying Off My Debt

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Hundreds of people emailed, commented, tweeted and direct messaged me after this post asking to hear more of my story. The number one question: How did you do it? How did you pay off $571,817.68 in less than 3 years? The answer to paying off debt is pretty simple. Stop using credit. Earn more than you spend. Use the extra earnings to pay off debt. It’s not romantic. It’s not complicated. It’s actually very straight forward. I, however, do not typically do things the easy or simple way. In hindsight, I can see that the first year of my “debt […] Read more »

Increase Your Personal Savings and Live the Life You Want

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Do you have trouble saving money? Take one look at the savings rate in America and you’ll realize you’re not alone. It goes up and down but before the gloomy recession savings rates were as low as -2%. You read that right. Americans had a negative savings rate! It’s gone up a little bit since then but there is still much room for improvement. Clearly Americans have trouble saving money but imagine if there was something that encouraged you to pay yourself first each and every month. Instead of running out of money at the end of the month to […] Read more »

Why “Go Big or Go Home” is Destroying Your Budget

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In the U.S., we like our space and we like big. We drive big cars, we like big houses, and one of our favorite phrases is even “go big or go home.” We are obsessed with size in every way, shape, and form, and it is destroying our budgets. The greatest offenders to our larger than life attitudes include: Your Home In other countries, even the industrialized ones, it isn’t uncommon to see a family of 5 sharing a small apartment. In the U.S., however, we expect everyone to have their own large room and there to be adequate space […] Read more »

An American Tale: A Life of Credit and Debt

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Credit Cards. In my college years, those two words meant freedom. They provided me with a sense of security. They allowed me to finally purchase anything I needed without having to ask my parents for help. Credit cards were the answer when I was hungry or late on a bill payment because my checking account was low. They provided a means of fun. I didn’t have to say ‘no’ to myself anymore. I could go out to dinner at a place that didn’t have a drive-thru. I could go on spring break to Florida. I could buy concert tickets when […] 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 »

Finding the Right Balance in Order to Succeed

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Earlier this week, I submitted my article to Perkstreet Financial titled 6 Ways to Change Your Financial Math, Without a Calculator. It really digs into the psychological side of money and asserts that if you're struggling to turn things around by using math and book knowledge, you may be missing the bigger picture. I've said it before; just because you know what to do doesn't mean you will necessarily do it. I mentioned 6 things in the article that I think are far more important than math. They were attitude, behavior, contentment, balance, intensity, and diligence. My point was that by working on these 6 characteristics you might be much more likely to succeed financially. Read more »

Why the Frugal Get Fit: How Fitness Can Help You Save Big

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Photo Credit: thephotagraphymuse This is a guest post written by Pam Greene. Bob was overweight as a child. He continued to gain weight throughout his life until he weighed almost four hundred pounds. When he was in his early 60s, he caught a cold. The cold turned into pneumonia and from there his health took a deathly downward spiral. His kidneys started shutting down. He had congestive heart failure. For a week, he was on death’s door in the intensive care unit in the hospital. Doctors worked feverishly to save his life. Miraculously, they did. Bob never regained his full […] Read more »

Media Deliberately Tries to Affect Our Personal Finances, so Here’s My Set of Defensive Measures

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Photo Credit: beggs Today we’re getting deeper and deeper into a culture that is influenced by media, but thankfully it’s “selective media.” I don’t mean media that selectively reports things or gives you one side of the story. That’s nothing new at all. What I mean is viewers can be much more selective about what is watched, listened to, and read. With an ever-expanding selection of television programs, radio programs, print publications, and Internet websites, we have more to select from now than ever before. And, changes in the marketplace are reflected as more new choices. Large print media are […] Read more »

Saying “I Can’t” Is Just Like Saying “I Don’t Want To”

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Photo Credit: haydnseek Have you ever said “I can’t?” I have, and you probably have too. What is it that you are really saying when you speak those words? Are you saying you lack the ability to learn, or are you saying you lack the desire to try? I personally feel the phrase “I can’t” is the equivalent of saying “I don’t want to”. If you wanted to do something, wouldn’t you try, and if you didn’t, you couldn’t say I couldn’t, you would have to then say I didn’t? (Tongue twister—I know) 🙂 Unfortunately, many people say I can’t […] Read more »