We like the idea of retirement. After all those years of working hard, progressing in our careers, and making sacrifices, we feel like retirement is when we’ve finally made it. We see it as a season to enjoy all the luxuries we’ve convinced ourselves we deserve. Reaching 65 is heralded as a time when you […]
Dear Chuck, I want to make the spirit of Thanksgiving last the entire year. But it seems like we Americans gather together, eat the obligatory bird, watch football, and then promptly forget what we have to be thankful for as we rush off to join the Black Friday shopping frenzy. I know I sound like […]
Have you ever met someone who seems to always be able to turn nothing into something? We all know that thrifty person who is able to save money in any situation. Being frugal with your money is something that can help you to maximize your income and potentially improve your financial situation. Trying to find […]
Dear Chuck, I hear you talk about stewardship a lot, and I’ve been trying to be more faithful with the way I manage all my resources. I want to be a steward and would really like to find a mentor to help me. What kind of characteristics should I look for in a mentor? How […]
We know comparison isn’t godly, yet it’s so difficult to avoid. It seems like it’s gotten more out of control with the rise of social media and our constant exposure to ads and TV. It’s gone far beyond a friendly rival with your neighbor; in fact “keeping up with the Joneses” sounds kind of like […]
Dear Chuck, I’m in my early twenties and finances are a topic of stress in my life and among my peers. One of my friends, who is about my age, just paid off his mortgage. How is that even possible? Others I know rely solely on credit cards and are in thousands of dollars of […]
Have you ever been faced with an impossible financial situation? Maybe you had an overwhelming amount of debt and no way to pay it off. Perhaps you were diligently trying to save and budget wisely but a medical emergency wiped all your careful planning out. Maybe it wasn’t one “big” thing, but an accumulation of […]
For some, Christmas is ”the most wonderful time of the year”, “the hap-happiest season of all!” But for others, it is, to borrow a line from Shakespeare, the “winter of our discontent”. Christmas for many is a season of sorrow, not of joy. There’s the empty seat of a loved one who’s passed away, the […]
Dear Chuck, I’ve been inspired by Washington Redskins quarterback, Kirk Cousins’ frugality. Don’t you think more professional athletes and musicians should set his kind of example? Big Fan of Kirk’s Dear Big Fan, I not only wish more athletes followed his example, I think all of us could learn from him! Cousins is a […]
What sort of emotions does the holiday season evoke in you? My pastor, Ronnie Batchelor, describes this as the time of year when “…we all experience the familiar unnerving sense that we’re approaching the brink – something akin to the clack-clack-clack-clack ascent of the rollercoaster when couples instinctively grasp each other’s hands and exchange nervous […]