Unfortunately, this week I wasn’t able to help out at FPU due to family illness. However, I’ve heard the lesson before and I grabbed some notes, so you’re in luck! This week’s lesson is called Buyer Beware and Dave talks about all of the ways we are marketed to. He’s taught the class to save…
Life without credit cards
Can it be done? Can someone really live without credit cards? I mean, you need one to build credit right? What about when you’re in an emergency? Let me start by telling you that credit cards are not your friend. Even though we ALWAYS paid them off on time and never paid interest, we decided…
Dave Ramsey’s Financial Peace University – Week 4
Dumping debt. Not only is that the name of the lesson for week 4 of Financial Peace University, but I think it’s something many Americans wish they could do (or convince Congress to do). In order to do it though, many need to be convinced that living in debt doesn’t have to be a way…
Recovering From Unemployment Part 3: Cutting Corners
Skimping and cutting corners doesn’t usually have a positive ring to it…unless it’s on your budget. These are helpful tips even if your budget is rock solid and your main concern is de-cluttering or breaking material accumulation habits! But listen: read through these and pick out ONE thing to try first. Completely re-vamping your lifestyle takes…
Dave Ramsey’s Financial Peace University – Week 3
I can’t believe that I’m so late in posting about probably the most important week of Financial Peace University, the cash flow planning lesson, also known as the dreaded budget. Attendance to this lesson really determines if you’re willing and able to make a change in your life. Without a budget, you won’t pay off…
Do you need an Ally?
We’ve been using an online bank for the majority of our banking for several years. We started with ING Direct until they were purchased by Capital One. We don’t really care for the large banks and figured they’d screw up a good thing, so we decided to switch to Ally Bank. We’ve been with them…
Dave Ramsey’s Financial Peace University – Week 2
This last Saturday marked week 2 of the 9 week journey for those going through FPU at our church. I’m at one of the locations that has a pretty small class with about 6 participants each week. Personally, I kind of like this because everyone gets more of a chance to talk and share their…
Tracking Your Finances, the Easy Way
If you’re anything like me, you’ve probably got a variety of checking, savings, retirement, and investment accounts, all at different institutions. On top of that you may have credit cards, a mortgage, or a car loan. It can be overwhelming to get a complete financial picture. That’s where Mint.com comes in. I love using this…
Dave Ramsey’s Financial Peace University – Week 1
If you’ve never attended or even heard of Financial Peace University, then listen up. Financial Peace University is a 9 week course that covers pretty much every financial topic the typical American family needs to know about. It was developed by Dave Ramsey (the guy on the radio) and his team. Each session covers a specific…
What is a Roth IRA and why do I need one?
I’ve been pretty focused on finding products and services that will save you money in each post. However, this week, I wanted to take a break from the usual and discuss the Roth IRA. I’m sure everyone has heard of them by now, but perhaps you’ve still got some questions. Well hopefully I’ve come up…