One of the top New Year's Resolutions is improving your finances, which often means a career upgrade. As someone who has gone through a major career upgrade in the past, there are a few key points to keep in mind. Once again, I want to welcome my friend Lucy Wyndham to the blog to talk with you about finding a new career. Take it away Lucy! --- Finding a job is, in itself, a full time job. Hours can be spent on job sites such as Indeed.com to no avail. Employers receive hundreds of … [Read more...]

Being a new dad, I am now faced with the task of figuring out a way to send my new daughter to college in 18 years (now 17 1/4 years!). The cost of an in-state degree is projected to be upwards of $100,000 by the time she is ready for school. While that may seem insurmountable, there are plenty of ways to save and grow money over time for education. The question becomes, is a college education still worth it? Once again, I welcome my friend Lucy Wyndham to the blog to talk with you about … [Read more...]

This is a guest post by Josh Wilson of Family Faith Finance. He goes into detail about the pros and cons of renting your home versus buying, and makes some really great points. If you're stuck trying to make this decision, take a few minutes to read what he has to say. Take it away Josh! —- Homeownership in the United States has been on the decline since 2004 when it topped out at 69.20% due in large part to the bursting of the housing bubble, which forced millions of homeowners into … [Read more...]

This is a story from Jacob Evans of Dollar Dillegence. He paid off $25,000 of debt in 18 months, which is an amazing accomplishment. Here he shares the strategies he used to do so. Take it away Jacob. ---- My nearly 15-month journey toward paying off $25,000 in debt started six years into student loan repayment. I looked at my balance and my head throbbed when I realized that making the minimum payment each month was doing me no favors. I had to come up with a solution, and I needed … [Read more...]

On one hand student loans are terrible. They cause young people to start their independent lives with tens of thousands in debt. On another hand, they're kind of awesome. They allow young people to attend college with some skin in the game. Do you know what happens when you don't pay for something? It loses its value, big time. They also differentiate those who are willing to make a smart decision and commit to something that will make them better. Otherwise college just becomes more … [Read more...]

I used to be absolutely terrible at negotating. My first attempt at asking for more money was during a hiring process as I had just gotten a job offer. It's so embarrassing to think about. I might have asked myself to leave right there. I remember saying "If I only make X amount of money, then when I leave for my next job I won't be able to make as much." Yes. I did that. Fortunately my future boss understood that I was an idiot, and gave me the benefit of the doubt, and hired me … [Read more...]

It blows my mind, that with all of the really simple and very stable ways to grow money over time, such as 401k plans, 403b plans, health savings accounts, and IRAs, that people do anything else with their money to try to save for their future. Sure, there are other ways out there, but in terms of simplicity and a hands off approach, those are as simple as it gets. If you've been following the blog a while, you know I rarely miss an opportunity to poke fun at some of the silly things … [Read more...]