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 ...
Here in the Pacific Northwest, it is strawberry season. For most of us, that means we get to chow down on juicy berries that make us avoid the bland store-bought strawberries for several months afterward. For my daughter, it means business. Literally, business. The minute the signs go up for the U-pick strawberry field near our house she starts asking when she can sell strawberries. You see, rather than just eating them, she likes to pick them and then set up ...
Do you know your net worth? Do you know how to figure out your net worth? Do you even care? What Is Net Worth And Why Does It Matter? Net worth is basically that which you’ve stored up here on earth. It’s the tangible things that you have to show for all your work. I understand that it might seem funny, or even sacrilegious, to be discussing this with pastors. After all, doesn’t the Bible say to store up treasures in heaven and ...
While premarital counseling addresses a lot of expectations that we enter marriage with, anyone who has been married for over a day knows that there is no end to the surprises of how our spouse sees things. There are so many things in life that we take for granted and don’t even realize there is another way of viewing them. Until we get married. Personal finance is a typical area for this. Usually, we assume that the way we grew up ...