Personal Finance Advice

The other day I heard someone make the argument that most financial advice was of no use to them because it assumes that you have some extra money, you just need to “find it.” “I literally have no extra money,” this person said. “Every dime I have goes to the mortgage, food, or the utilities. [...]

Lately there seems to be a sense that perhaps the worst of the recession is behind us. Consumer sentiment is up and the jobless rate is falling in many places. People are relaxing a bit and thinking that we might soon be back to business as usual. They’re heading out to the malls and taking [...]

I’m a big fan of the yoga program “Inhale” on the Oxygen network. The host, Steve Ross, likes to say (when talking about mental health) that, “Psychology is based on suffering. Yoga is based on bliss.” What he means is that psychology generally assumes some misery is present and tries to rectify it. You’re depressed, [...]

After thirteen weeks, Financial Peace University has come to an end. So, was it worth it? Was it something that I would recommend to someone in financial trouble? The answer isn’t a simple yes or no. There were many things about the class that I enjoyed, but there were many things that left me shaking [...]

I’m frequently asked how I stay motivated to remain out of debt. After all, there are so many temptations and so many fun things that I could blow my money on. People assume that it is hard for me to remain motivated and disciplined. Sometimes it is. Like anyone else, I have days when I [...]

This final lesson was about Baby Step 7, Build Wealth and Give. Everything has been leading up to this. We’ve been taught how to get out of debt, save money, and invest so that we can build wealth, not only for ourselves but so that we can give some away. I’ve mentioned the religious nature [...]

One of the best ways to become and remain debt free is to simply learn to love what you already have. It’s human nature to be swayed by the glitter and gloss of new items. You drive past a new car lot and think, “Wow, those cars are so great.” Or you walk into Target [...]

This week we tackled Baby Step 6: Pay Off Your Home Early. Or I should say that was what the lesson was supposed to be about. Instead we got the most boring lesson of the bunch, and one of the longest. I was looking forward to some creative and sound ideas for paying off a [...]

Congratulations! You paid off that last debt and you’re officially debt free. After the celebration party ends, you’re likely to be confronted with one thought: Now what? You’ve just spent months or years focused on the goal of getting out of debt. Now that you’re there, what do you do next? It can be difficult [...]

I talk a lot about being debt free, but recently this question came up amongst friends: Am I as free as I think I am? I have no debt of any kind, so I am free from obligations to creditors. The bank cannot come take my house if I don’t pay my mortgage, my car [...]

In writing this column, one of the things that I see frequently in the comment trail is an argument about what counts as being debt free. Some people argue that debt free means freedom from consumer debt such as credit cards and car loans. Keeping a mortgage, whether for a personal home or a rental [...]

The other day, in a different context, I heard someone talking about “embracing a different way of life”. It got me to thinking about what that oft-repeated phrase really means in relation to a debt free life. When I think of embracing a different way of life, I think of going after something with so [...]

I’m often asked two things: First, how can someone become debt free and second, how does one really live debt free? The people who ask these questions are usually seeking a blueprint; a set of fail safe steps that will get them debt free and give them instructions on how to live a debt free [...]

This week’s lesson was about the power of marketing on our buying decisions. This was my favorite lesson so far. Being a finance/consumer nerd, this kind of stuff really interests me. Dave starts out by telling us that we live in the most marketed and advertised culture in the history of the world. It’s no [...]

This week’s lecture was about credit reports, credit reporting bureaus, identity theft, and collection agencies. Quite a scattering of topics. The first part of the class was on credit scores and credit bureaus. Dave makes the point that a FICO score is an, “I love debt score” because the only way to get a FICO [...]

I frequently hear people bemoan the choices they have made when it comes time to “man up” and be financially responsible. They grieve over the vacation they have to cancel due to a layoff. They cry over the kitchen renovation that has to be put off when the roof needs replacing. They sob when they [...]

This is a series of posts about what you will find in Dave Ramsey’s Financial Peace University course. This is week four (week one — week two and week three) This week’s lesson focused on getting out of debt. We’re getting to the meat of the plan now, and I was eager to hear Dave’s [...]

One of the ways we’ve managed to avoid debt is very simple: We take care of all of our possessions so that they will last. Making things last longer means we don’t have to replace them as often, saving us large amounts of money. This sounds like a no brainer, but I’m always surprised by [...]

This is a series of posts about what you will find in Dave Ramsey’s Financial Peace University course. This is week three (week one and week two) The lesson for this week was cash flow planning, also known as budgeting. You could see everybody approaching this lesson with trepidation. Not only does it mean more [...]

I’ve been giving this some thought lately and I’m beginning to suspect that time moves differently for debt free people than for those with loads of debt. Speaking from my own experience and the experiences of other debt free people that I know, the debt free seem to experience life at a much slower pace [...]