Looking back on my financial life 10 years ago I thought owning a home was a sign I had achieved one of the most important financial goals. Not only did it mean I had good enough income to afford a mortgage, insurance and property taxes, I had an investment I could watch grow for years […]
Family Finance: Top Mistakes Young Families Make
Singles finance and family finance differ quite a bit. I’ve learned that well over the past 5 1/2 years (our oldest child is now 5 1/2). My personal experience has shown there are more spending pressures and overall expenses when you have a young family. Examples include birthday parties, swim lessons, dance lessons, clothes, toys, […]
How To Pick A Credit Counselor
It seems the big talk around town these days is how to save more and get out of debt. Personally, I love that people are paying closer attention to their finances. People who do so and work to manage money better are in a better position to give to greater purposes. And that’s an important […]
Important Inheritance Tips For Your 401(k)
Most people are busy learning about a 401(k), taking steps to set it up and choose the right investments. But how often do you think about what will happen to your retirement savings if something were to happen to you? To be honest, such thinking has been off my radar screen, but after getting a […]
Should Married Couples Divide Their Money?
Some couples combine their money while others choose to keep their money separate. Perhaps both couples were earning and managing money individually before they got married, so why not continue doing it that way once you’re married? It’s the easy thing to do, right? Of course there is always the discussion about who will pay […]
What You Need To Know About Mutual Fund Sales Fees And Expenses
If you’ve read about mutual fund investing, or perhaps discussed it with someone knowledgeable on the subject, the topic of fees and expenses most likely came up in the conversation. For someone who isn’t a financial advisor or broker, mutual fund fees and expenses can be quite a confusing subject. How do you know when […]
What Is The Best Way To Save For A New Child?
Well congratulations if you’ve recently found out you’re expecting to have a child! Assuming you’re having a child for the first time you may not know what expenses to expect or how to save for your child. That’s okay. Having children does impact your wallet, but it’s well worth it. Children are a blessing and […]
How Do I Choose A Mutual Fund?
How do you choose a mutual fund? But first, is it time for you to start investing? You may be asking the question – should invest while you’re still in debt? Or, perhaps – what is enough emergency savings before investing? These can be challenging questions to answer, but in general, you should invest as […]
How To Protest County Property Tax Appraisals
It may differ by county, but you more than likely have received your county property tax appraisal in the mail recently. The county assesses homes each year to determine property tax liability. County appraisers apply mass appraisal methods and techniques based upon individual characteristics that affect the market value of your home. As a homeowner […]
Car Maintenance Tips To Avoid Car Debt
It’s a good idea to stay in front of what your car will cost you, and have a good game plan for handling car maintenance costs.
Should I Have Bought An Extended Warranty?
A couple of months ago I purchased a new Dell laptop. We’ve needed a new home computer for a while now and the deal I ran across was too good to pass up. So I purchased it for $400 via the Dell website. As an aside, Dell has always been good to us. Their products […]
How To Analyze Your Budget And Spending Decisions
I love helping people with their finances, it’s a passion of mine. You can see it in the One Money Design tagline – helping people achieve true financial freedom. Money Map coaching involves walking with people through a Biblical financial study and helping them use practical financial tools for their finances (such as setting up […]
Should Your Finances Be In Order Before Having Children?
You might be surprised by my response to this question. But in general, I don’t think you should plan having children around your finances or financial situation. In other words, I do not think finances have to be in order to have children. Now I know there are some exceptions in which a child couldn’t […]
How To Mitigate Retirement Investment Risk
I recently received a financial advertisement in the mail that mentioned some retirement investment risks I thought were pretty good to keep in mind. Along with each were some practical tips in mitigating the risks, or ways to make them less severe. Before discussing a few of these risks, lets first look at the nature […]
