If you’re looking to make some quick cash to speed up the payoff of some of your debt, or you’re trying to establish an emergency fund. Or maybe you just want to beef up your savings account because you like having more money. Flipping a product or item – buying low and selling high may […]
I was talking with some of my friends regarding their finances. They are currently using the Snowball Method to pay off debt, working on a budget and building up an emergency fund. As we were talking they started to discuss some of the processes surrounding their strategy. Although they are well on their way […]
What do debt management planning and lower back pain have in common? Let me explain. I can still remember that day. It was 7:30 am in the morning and I was brushing my teeth before I went into work. As I bent over the bathroom sink I felt a sharp pain in my lower back. […]
Search the Internet, read a book, brainstorm with a friend and you can easily come up with 100 new ways to save cash. Finding ways to save money is easy. The real challenge is taking all those great ideas and actually making them a lifestyle habit. New ways to save cash often require time […]
If you’re looking for a simple way to track your investments, Yahoo Finance provides an easy way to set up your own investment portfolio. In this short video, I will show you how to track stocks and mutual funds using Yahoo Finance. Why Create an Investment Portfolio? In general, there […]
Let me guess, you’ve been watching real estate house flipping shows on cable TV? I bet they’re like the ones I used to watch before I flipped houses. They make it look so easy to do, and they always make a profit. Do they? Now you’re curious if the reality of flipping a house […]
I started my first home-based business over 15 years ago. I was looking for an opportunity to try something new on my own. In addition to making some extra money, I also saw it as an opportunity to broaden my horizons a bit and test my skills at running my own business. What I […]
There are a number of ways to invest and make money in real estate. For example, you could: Buy a home and rent it out as a vacation property. For instance, as a way of generating passive income. Purchase a house or apartment complex and rent it out for residential living. Acquire a foreclosure […]
Are you concerned about credit card fraud? Worried about someone making unauthorized charges to your debit or credit card. If you are, here is one simple method you can use to minimize your exposure to fraud and avoid fraudulent charges. This may be the most important credit card alert you ever use. It’s called […]
Wisconsin is a special place for Mother Nature. She provides us with four wonderful seasons throughout the year. Wisconsinites are fortunate to be able to experience the fresh new start of spring, the long warm days of summer, and beautiful colors of fall. Even winter has its own standard for beauty like freshly fallen […]
I recently watched the HBO documentary Panic: The Untold Story of the 2008 Financial Crisis. The documentary discusses the events surrounding the cause of the 2008 crisis. And the sequence of events that the government took to prevent an economic collapse. It’s a great documentary that provides new information and sheds light on the event. […]
If you have visited my site before and read any of my personal finance articles or eBooks, you know that much of what I write about are my own experiences with successful money management. I enjoy providing a different perspective on personal finance topics – my own experiences of what works and what […]
As with most Americans, a new year brings new resolutions. One of the most common resolutions every year surrounds the topic of personal finance. Recent surveys suggest that 34% of the New Year resolutions made will be about the desire to spend less money and save more. Changing our spending habits in the New […]
Creating a budget for Christmas and understanding how much to spend on gifts will help you avoid holiday debt hangover in January. I used to think of myself as the greatest Santa Claus ever. I spared no expense when it came to gift-giving during Christmas. In high school, I gave my girlfriend a brand […]
Of all the areas associated with personal finance, my greatest weakness has always been around the subject of frugality. I don’t mean the task of budgeting – how much money I should or shouldn’t spend to manage my budget. Rather the perspective of saving money by clipping coupons or searching for 2-for-1 deals in the […]
The average car loan payment in the U.S. is $450/month. It may seem like an impossible feat, but if you want to stop making car payments you need to learn how to pay cash for a used car. Buying with cash and buying used is the only way to make sense of a car […]
I have always been interested in the subject of passive income, specifically how to create passive income opportunities – to some degree, you might say I‘m a bit obsessed. Why? because I believe it’s an important aspect of building wealth – kind of like having a 2nd job you don’t have to show up […]
My Opportunity in Pictures/Video – Spring 2018 Update – Hobby Farm Life in Wisconsin It’s been a long winter with the last snowfall ending in late April. But that’s hobby farm life in Wisconsin. Things are now greening up and I am looking forward to a great summer on the hobby farm. Below are two […]
Most often the discussion surrounding consumer debt focuses on how to get out of debt. Why debt is bad, and why saving money is good. In addition, debt is often a topic of interest for many personal finance books and blogs. These perspectives are educational, relevant and important to the cause and effort of […]
The Snowball Method is one of the most talked about concepts for eliminating debt. For some it’s viewed as the only way to pay off debt (i.e. FTP), for others it’s viewed as an impractical approach because it doesn’t take into consideration the interest rate you’re paying on your debt. However, regardless of what […]
Actually, the real question might be – how many credit cards should you have based on what the credit card companies think? Here is how I manage my credit score of over 800 with one credit card. Ever since I started blogging about personal finance topics I have wanted to write an article […]
There are literally hundreds of ways that you can create your own side hustle to generate more income, but have you ever thought you could make money online by renting the things you already own? Have you heard of peer-to-peer renting with Fat Llama? Renting things you already own could […]
Are you concerned with how your aging parents will manage their finances? Is moving into a nursing home on the horizon? Will you be able to help your parents’ when the time comes? Is managing your parents’ finances on the horizon for you or one of your siblings? I started managing […]
A little over 80% of Americans this year will receive a tax refund. If you’re one of those individuals, receiving a tax refund can be a little bit like Christmas, your birthday, or if you’re really lucky an unexpected bonus at work. Once you receive your IRS payout the obvious next question is where […]
The snowball method can be used as a means to pay off all forms of debt. Your mortgage, car loans, home equity loans, medical debt, and student loans just to name a few. However, where it can really be effective is if you’re trying to pay off credit card debt. From my […]
I have always believed that the key to reaching any goal is to be able to remain focused, consistent and motivated. Know where this is more important than when you are working to pay off debt and save cash. The Snowball Method for debt elimination, the Cash Ladder, establishing a budget are all important […]
Cash is king, and know where is it more important than when you start your journey to becoming debt free. In fact, if you’re in debt and cashless, I would argue that saving money is the most important aspect of the journey. Some call it an emergency fund, money for a rainy day, or […]
Prior to the 2016 Christmas holiday, I received a notification from my credit card company that they were tracking some suspicious card activity on my account. I immediately logged into my account and found over $500 in unauthorized charges. The charges were for everything from household decorations to shoes. I contacted the online fraud […]
Certificates of Deposit or CD’s are offered by most financial institutions (banks, credit unions…) as a product to provide you with interest rates that are generally higher than a traditional savings account. Unlike a savings account where you can move money in and out of the account, CD’s will require you to commit to […]
If you’ve never considered managing your own investments, or pondered the thought of trying to comprehend the world of investing, it’s probably because of two main reasons. First, all the jargon, cryptic terminology, opinions and investment solutions make the subject confusing. So confusing you may not be sure where to even begin. Or maybe it’s […]
