Richie and Cari Cheney have a ninth-grade son. According to Cari, “We’d really like him to go to the small private school where we met, but it’s kind of expensive.” “Yeah,” Richie adds, “No way in the next three years we can save enough, so what’s the best way to borrow for college?” What would […]
Kids & College: 4 Smart Guidelines Read More »
People often complain to me about how much they’re paying in interest—on their mortgage, car loans, or credit cards. Or, they’ll fret out loud about the future—”How am I EVER going to save enough to live comfortably in retirement?” Here’s an example: Joe: I figure I need at least $1 million to be able to
Change Your Behavior to Change Your Life Read More »
If you haven’t said it out loud, I bet you’ve at least thought it: “What principles should I keep in mind as I set financial goals for the New Year?” May I suggest three powerful resolutions? Author Steven Covey defined responsibility as response-ability. He wasn’t just being cute with words. One of the most profound
New Year … New Financial You Read More »
A couple I know is downsizing. Though this new house has “good bones,” it needs some renovating and a great deal of updating. The wife wants a to-the-penny budget in advance. The husband maintains that since they can’t predict everything they might need or want to do until they get into the project, any budget
Four Smart Money Tips for Your Home Improvement Project Read More »
21 Ways to Find More Money to Save You know you need to save money. You say you want to save money. But what do you do if you don’t see obvious ways to do so. Here are 21 creative ways to “find” money for savings. The list is not exhaustive. Some ideas will result
Creative Ways to Save More Read More »
As I type this sentence, you can purchase a fancy Viking 7 refrigerator/freezer online for just under $30,000 (that’s $2K off). Or you could drive to your local home improvement store and get a Whirlpool model on sale for $1,499. Which one’s “better”? It depends. Suppose you buy the Viking and park it in your
When Planning Becomes Procrastinating Read More »
Bob claims he wants a second home on a lake where he can build memories with his kids. He’s asking, “How do I accomplish my goal?” To be fair, Bob’s “goal” is really more of a daydream at this point. Nothing wrong with that. Daydreams are harmless fun. They CAN lead to goals; usually, however,
The Five Qualities of a Good Goal Read More »
Last week we met Ron and Sharon, the couple who started a little side hustle, watched it boom into a profitable business, and then lamented how this “blessing” of a company had completely overtaken their lives. I described three stages many business owners go through. I argued that the essence of contented simplicity is saying
A Saner, Simpler Life for Harried Business Owners Read More »
Ron and Sharon started a little side hustle…that unexpectedly morphed into a booming business. Initially, all those happy customers—and that sizable bump in income—were thrilling. But in time, their growing enterprise became a 24/7 obsession. Says Sharon, “At first, it was fun telling people, ‘We’re business owners!’ Now it’s more like ‘Ugh! This business owns
Are You a Victim of Your Own Business Success? Read More »
Something about the week between December 25 and January 1 makes us reflective. It may have to do with the fact that we’re exhausted from too many Christmas festivities. We just want to pause and regroup. Or it could be a function of the fact that many of us have the luxury of time off
Three New Year’s Resolutions You Should Make Read More »
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