How To Reduce Financial Stress
With many things causing stress in today’s world, here is a short list of financial practices that will reduce your stress, make managing your money simpler, and generally improve your quality of life. 1. Spend less than you earn. It sounds easy, but this is too often our greatest financial challenge. The vast majority of people that […]
Ask Chuck: When Should I Buy a New Car?
Dear Chuck, I want to replace my mother’s clunker and am considering financing a new one. My father died unexpectedly and I want her to hold onto what little savings she has. What would you do? Taking Care of Mom Dear Taking Care of Mom, It is wonderful that you are helping your mom. […]
Ask Chuck: New Car Before Baby?
Dear Chuck, My husband and I drive older, paid-for cars. His is 11 years old and mine is 9. Neither give us any issues. People are telling us we need to buy a new car before the arrival of our first baby at the end of the year. We’re not convinced. What do you think? […]
7 Rules for True Riches
Most of the financial principles I live by I learned because I was doing it all wrong. For the majority of my young adult life, and well into my marriage, I was focused on all the wrong things. Being a success in the eyes of the world was the most important thing to me. I […]
3 Little Things That Are Wrecking Your Budget
Benjamin Franklin said, “Beware of little expenses; a small leak will sink a great ship.” Does this describe your finances? More often than not, budgets are wrecked or debt is accumulated by little things. Sure, those big surprise expenses also strain our finances, but we can probably credit smaller, sneaky expenses for doing the real […]
6 Car Tips to Save You Money
Did you know that roughly 43% of the entire adult American population has a car loan? That’s about 107 million people. What’s even more shocking is that 6 million of those people are 90 or more days late on their car payments. They’re essentially taking out loans for an item they can’t afford, but still […]
5 Mistakes That Lead to Debt
Have you ever thought about what causes debt? Most people who have accumulated debt didn’t do so on purpose. It’s usually because of a series of small mistakes, one huge accident, or an assumption that “this is just the way it’s done”. But underneath all those causes are deeper, hidden problems. Paying off debt or […]
7 Steps to Recover From a Crisis
In the wake of devastating natural disasters across the United States, we are reminded of the importance equipping individuals with accurate and timely information. From Hurricane Harvey, to the fires in the Northwest, to Hurricane Irma, we have experienced an avalanche of destruction across the nation. Power outages, destroyed homes, lost belongings, displaced families, and […]
So You Think You’re Going to Buy A Car
About 43% of the entire adult American population has a car loan (that’s about 107 million people). What’s even more shocking is that 6 million of those people are 90 or more days late on their car payments. They’re essentially taking out loans for an item they can’t afford, but still can’t afford to make […]
Ask Chuck – Is My Hybrid Really Worth It?
Dear Chuck, I have a 2011 Toyota Prius because I commute 100 miles to work and back per day. I owe over $12,000 on it and it has 111,000 miles on it so far. We recently found out it costs over $2,300 to replace the hybrid battery. My question is – should I downgrade to […]