Browsing Category Household Finance

I am now officially a financial planner. When I tell people I’m a financial planner, they usually say something like, “So you do investing?” Most people think that financial planning is managing people’s stock and bond investments and some think it involves selling insurance. But it’s not that at all. It’s just like when you say you are busy and people say, “Well what do you actually do besides preach on Sunday? What could possibly keep you busy Monday through Friday?” ...

I am officially a homeschool mom. While my kids have been home since March, I decided to officially cut ties with the local elementary school and go out on my own this fall. And I can honestly say that I have had no regrets whatsoever. So far in third grade math, my daughter has learned how to count coins and different kinds of bills. This week, my daughter is going to be learning how to write a check. It is ...

I’ve always assumed I had good credit based on my behaviors, but I never knew my credit score. Then, we bought a house 6 years ago and had to apply for a mortgage. The mortgage broker was downright giddy when he pulled our credit reports and got our scores. He excitedly told me that he could count on one hand the people that he had worked with with an 800+ score. Yay, I’m a celebrity in his world! View post

Do you feel like your money is all gone before you have a chance to spend it on what really matters to you? Here are 4 steps that you can take to ensure that your spending habits match up with your values. View post

As of 2018, there were about 352,000 personal financial advisors in the US. “Financial Advisor” is not a regulated term, so it covers a broad range of services and business models. This article will look at the different ways that financial advisors get paid and answer the burning question, Are they actually worth it? Commissions Many financial advisors are salesmen who earn their keep through commissions on the products that they sell. Some will tout their services as “free” because you do ...

Thanks to COVID-19 and the containment efforts, our country and most of the world are in a financial crisis. In times like these, you need to be even more alert to guard your financial life. You don’t only have to guard your income and spending, but your records and good standing. Financial crises elicit scammers and fraudulent activity just as the scent of blood draws sharks. One of your best preventive tools in this fight is your credit report.  What Is ...

As you have likely noticed recently, our world is currently in an upheaval. We just had our worst week in the stock market since 2008. The historic bull market that we have been enjoying for the past 11 years is now officially over. Gatherings of over 250 people are being banned all over the country and schools are closing left and right.  Things just aren’t normal right now. You are likely being inundated with messages about the coronavirus. Some are saying just ...

Today we’re taking a break from tax season technicalities to discuss something a little bit more fun but often more stressful: children. Actually, children and money. That doesn’t sound very relaxing, now does it?  Today’s post was inspired by my daughter who will be turning 6 ½ in two weeks. She has decided that she wants to make YouTube videos with me where we talk about finances. But first, she needed to learn about finances. So that’s what we discussed all ...

It’s a new year, a new calendar, and many are hoping, a new beginning, too. The sense of a fresh start with the new year leads a lot of people to make new year’s resolutions. How about you? Since 51% of 2019 new year’s resolutions were to save money, I figure some of you are looking to tackle your finances this year and I want to help. Below, I’ve listed 15 different free resources ranging from budgeting systems and high-yield savings ...

Sometimes in life, your greatest strength can also be your greatest weakness and your biggest disadvantage can also be your biggest advantage. Take Peter, for example. The same boldness and tendency to speak before thinking that caused Jesus to rebuke him and call him Satan is what prompted him to speak out and start the church on the day of Pentecost.  Some of the most powerful things in our lives can be used equally for good or evil. One of those ...