Forbes contributor, Joshua Becker, asks, do you really need that much home? His insightful article points out that we regularly only use 40% of our living space. Yet, Americans carry high mortgages and live with the stress of financial burden. More is not always better. A small home is typically less expensive, easier to maintain […]
British comedian John Oliver recently took aim at the rampant rip-off that currently takes place in the auto-lending sector with BUY HERE – PAY HERE loans. These are loans that make it easy to purchase a car on credit but with high interest rates and severe penalties for missing a payment or default. These are […]
Originally posted at Christian Post August 26, 2016. Dear Chuck, What is your view of payday lending? It seems like Crown would have some insight on the perils of such loans and whether there are alternative ways to secure a “small-dollar loan” such as through church lending clubs, or some other means. Considering my options Dear Considering, Thanks for the great question. […]
I want to encourage you, that while it may take time, you can begin recovering today by setting a goal of getting debt free. Make up your mind that you don’t want to live like this any longer, and then follow a step-by-step plan. I’ve found in working with other people facing the same struggle, […]
Dear Chuck, My husband and I own a home and are trying to decide if we should change our mortgage to get in better financial health. I read recently about “recasting” a mortgage, which sounds a lot like a fishing term! Is that something worth considering? We’ve been looking into refinancing. What is the difference? […]
I recently received this question: My husband and I could really, really use some financial advice. We are both in our 20’s, have a baby, and have been married for a little over 4 years. Unfortunately, we’ve acquired quite a bit of debt, mostly from medical bills because I did not have insurance. But we […]
If you are 66 years old and someone offered to sell you an annuity with these terms: For $260,000, you will receive back $1,300/month for the rest of your life. Would you take it? Far too many decide for this option without doing the math. David Marotta had an excellent article in Forbes Magazine examining this […]
Originally posted at Christian Post August 12, 2016. Dear Chuck, I have a rather unique problem; I feel like I’m drowning in debt, but I’m told I’m not in deep enough to get help! I have a car payment with 14 months left. I have four credit cards that I make payments on, but I’m finding it […]
Matt Bell, a friend and financial author has written an excellent article called The Essentials of Investing on his blog, Matt About Money. It is a very helpful, basic guide for those who need to know how and where to get started. Matt says that to lower the fear and confusion follow five simple recommendations: […]
Originally posted at Christian Post July 29, 2016. Dear Chuck, I was intrigued by a story I saw recently about the Dallas Cowboy’s running back, Alfred Morris, who signed a $3.5 million deal on top of more than $3 million he made playing for the Washington Redskins, and yet he still drives a 1991 Mazda 626 he […]