Investing — Medically Speaking

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Investing is like medicine. If you want to lose weight, any doctor can offer medically proven suggestions such as reducing calories and/or increasing exercise. If you want to grow your portfolio, over time, any professional can offer recommendations to help you by increasing your investments in the market and helping you remain invested when times are tough. But, neither doctors nor investment professionals can help everyone. Imagine a man telling his doctor he wants to lose 30 pounds without exercise and to include a dozen donuts per day in his weight loss plan. You can imagine the doctor’s response. It […] Read more »

An Idiots Guide to Investing

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“You’re an idiot!” She said this to me in response to overhearing me discuss the theme of my book, Investiphobia: Overcome Your Deepest Investment Fears with a friend on the deck at Starbucks. At least she waited until my friend was gone to make her observation. So, I asked her why she believes I am an “idiot” and had a reasonable discussion despite her comment. Surprisingly, she based her conclusion on two observations she made relating to the purpose of my book and it’s message. She said if my purpose is to help people overcome and eliminate their fears, I’m […] 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 »

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 »

Where Debt Begins: The Disconnect Between Perception and Reality

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If you are like most people today, you have debt payments challenging your future and creating a drag on your ability to invest. In addition to the financial issues debt creates, it also affects how we feel about ourselves and how we look at the world around us. We may think to ourselves, “what’s wrong with me?” or “where did I go wrong?” To move past these feelings, it might be helpful to consider where it might have all started. Read more »

Welcoming a New Baby into Our Family

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Hello everyone! I hope you’re having a great week so far! 😀 I just wanted to announce something I am very excited about. In fact, it has been hard not to spill the beans before now, although a few of my closest family and friends know. It’s TOUGH keeping a secret like this one! We’re having a baby, due on October 3rd!! We haven’t yet found out the sex of the baby but like any other time, we’ll be happy with whatever we have — boy or girl. My daughter Caitlin is 15, Isaac is almost 5, and Noah is […] Read more »

Brad Goes To Sweet Briar

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Well everybody, the big day has come and gone.  Friday was quite the day indeed.   For those of you that do not know I was asked to speak at Sweet Briar College (a girls college) about starting out with topics such as savings, budgeting, student loans, and buying a house.  The event was being held for a local Grapevine group called Virginia Network of Black/African-American Women in Higher Education.  It was a great bunch of ladies! As far as  being nervous I never really got nervous.  That came as a huge surprise for me but I am pretty sure my […] Read more »

Roundup: You And Your Money Plus A Carnival Edition

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The Power Of You I am constantly trying to learn how to better myself.  I make mistakes all the time, but it’s what I learn from those mistakes and how I address them that matter the most.  As I always say, YOU are the key to making things happen. If you wait for someone else, then you will live life waiting.  Live life growing instead.  How can you be better? The Death Of Becoming Something by Illuminated Mind The Magic Of Doing Things Slowly by The Happy Self Winning Teams – How To Stop Being A Loser by My Super-Charged […] Read more »

Top Ten DUMBEST Reasons To Get A Pay Day Loan!

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WARNING: The list below has been known to cause delusional thoughts and irrational behavior. If what you are about to read sounds like a good plan, you have been hypnotized and must vacate immediately.  You are in DANGER!  If you want to know what using a pay day loan company feels like, go donate ALL of your blood.  It’s the same thing.  You won’t be doing much with what’s left!  To weaken the effects, complete this exercise immediately! The following was said to be the Top 10 Best Reasons To Get A Pay Day Loan.  Some of them are considered, […] 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 »

No College Degree Equates To Poverty And A Life Of Debt?

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I got a little annoyed last week, when it was suggested that for someone with only a high school diploma, they were limited to working at the checkout at Walmart. (This argument was used to explain why debt was needed by low income families to get by.) Believing this is ridiculous, and spreading it around for someone without a degree to hear, is irresponsible!  This is America!! Imagine someone with only a high school diploma, hearing someone say this and believing it. Dreams can be crushed before they ever have a chance to germinate.  This is why I am such […] Read more »

Motivation 101 – What You Believe, Is What You Achieve!

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Dawn and I have been going back and forth for days now.  I wanted to share with you the difference between her and I, mainly by pointing out why I think she is wrong in her thinking.  Her thinking is how most people look at it, and what I am trying to do here at EOD is to show people that there is another way that provides more options.  I believe that more options translates into a higher success rate.  A lot of people limit themselves by not realizing their options.  I think Dawn dwells on the problem instead of […] Read more »

12 Steps To Debt Freedom

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I am addicted to becoming and staying debt free! Are you addicted to becoming and staying debt free? If so, these are the principles and ideas that you would follow to achieve such a thing.   You have probably heard about the 12 steps of Alcoholics Anonymous, and how they really help these folks cope from day to day.  I just created 12 principles very loosely based on those of AA, with a debt free spin. I really just got the idea of where and how to list them, and then I just started thinking of all the things one […] Read more »

Are You A Super Saver?

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Are You Looking For Ways To Save Some Money? We are!  Here recently we took a trip to a neighboring city just for that reason.  We jumped on the interstate, and headed about 30 miles west, to visit a store that has deeply discounted food.  My wife loves going here but I have been a little hesitant because of the fact that some of the food is past the expiration date.  I have always been a little finicky when it comes to this sort of thing, and that does include leftovers in the fridge past a few days old.  You […] Read more »