We have two boys who are growing fast. One is 8 years old and the other is 5. When it comes to activities, we do a lot together as a family. And in doing this, we naturally impose on them the requirement to roll with the punches. If we are doing something they don’t necessarily [...]
At least on some key things. While reading the Q+A from the Secret History Of The Credit Card I came upon the following question posed to Elizabeth Warren. Isn’t it really simplistic to say that credit cards, … if you will, … [are] pushing the bankruptcy rate higher and higher? Isn’t it America’s lifestyle? Isn’t [...]
Of all the topics I have touched on in this blog, I have the most experience with credit cards. And as I climb the final stage to being credit card debt free, I grown more interested in diving deeper into the world of credit cards. In addition to my personal experience with them, I am [...]
Our first home loan was an FHA mortgage at 6.00%. About a year later, rates dropped to 5% and we took advantage of an FHA Streamline refinance, with which ultimately: … saved $151.33 per month on our core loan payment and will save $36,061.80 overall. Rates are lower again. Saw 4.25% last week. On the [...]
At what age does it make sense to create a budget? This raises a couple of questions: Can you create a budget without having expenses? For example, an eight year old. Can you create a budget without income?
Our highest balance card is a non-promotional rate of 6.99% and the balance is over $10k. And although this is nothing to sneeze at, we have come a long way over the past year and have cut our credit card debt significantly. When we first got serious about paying down our credit cards, we found [...]
I have a problem that I can’t seem to get over. Pay debt or invest? Lean hard one way, or strike a balance? If I choose to invest all of my excess income, then I feel like my debt is sitting there stagnant, being chopped away too slowly for comfort. If I choose to use [...]
You don’t have to use the Orman endorsed SelectQuote, obviously. But I will say that they rule with their ultra responsiveness and no-nonsense attitude. And they crushed my previous policy premium I had with MassMutual. Anyway, I have just been approved for a 30 year 1 million dollar term life insurance policy with an annual [...]
I’ve surfed into Lending Club’s website before and recently started hearing ads for in on the local radio station. It was formed in 1999 but is new to me. On the radio, it sounds like it could be a scam, or at the very least another credit card consolidation company. But it’s not. Instead, it’s [...]
Student loan debt and credit card debt. While separately tough to swallow, for many of us the two combine to form a Voltron sized burden — a burden that makes getting ahead seem like a pipe dream. When I finally decided to create a budget, I found these two rows particularly concerning. I decided that [...]