People that dream about the future succeed with their money and savings more often than those who do not. Why is that? Because they have something in mind to work toward that might be worth sacrificing a little for. Perhaps your dream is a home in the country – or traveling the globe. Whatever it might be; try to visualize it in as much detail as possible. Spend time planning, or designing what your future looks like. Get so you can see your future in High Definition Techn

What does that even mean? It means “If you don’t have the money in your checking account to buy it, don’t buy it”. The companies that sell products spend billions of dollars each year convincing you that you can have whatever you want, and that you can have it right now. They make it sound so good and so easy to make it yours, but there’s a catch. That car you want comes with a 7 year loan. That new HDTV comes with interest when you put it on your VISA. New living room furnit

Debt is an anchor. It prevents you from living the life you were intended to live. It makes you a slave to your debtors, and to your job. How much additional money would you have each month if you were debt free? So get rid of it. Nothing is much more freeing than living without debt. There are other plans to get out of debt – but I assure you the steps below are among the best for maintaining focus and eliminating your debt once and for all. 1. Stop digging. If yo

Managed correctly, money can be a helpful resource. Managed incorrectly, it can be the source of a lot of friction. When you first got married, did anyone tell you the basics of managing money as a couple? If not, here they are: 1. There is no “His and Hers”. There is only “Ours”. This is the single most important rule of married money. This applies to all income, assets (investments, cars etc…) as well as debt. 2. A single joint bank account is used to run t

This is Brad –Financial Coach. If you have addressed your money management and are happy with your financial situation - good for you. If you are like most, you could probably still improve. I will be publishing tips for winning with money here. I will start with the basics here, and provide additional tips going forward. Winning with money is simple. Here are the four steps you should take to get control of your money and meet your financial goals. Create a Budget: This

Do you have a stack of important documents that tell your loved one's what to do if you die or are incapacitated? If not, I suggest that you should. Most of us are familiar with the idea of a will – a legal document that leaves instructions on what to do with your belongings when you die. More importantly, it can also outline your wishes for guardianship of your children. Without a will, the courts may make these important decisions on your behalf. Maybe even more impo

Tax Season is over: Some are now waiting on a refund; others are reeling from the bill. The least fortunate filed an extension and continued the agony. I'll send out a note to you that are waiting on a refund next week For those of you that are reeling from the bill, a few questions: Is this the first time you have had a big tax bill? Do you know why you owed this time? What are you going to do differently to avoid this situation next year? For some, the answer is relatively

So you're dreaming about buying a house. I hope you have a good handle on how much house you can afford. If you have doubts about how much you can afford to pay for a home, I suggest you read our last letter on the topic here: So you're dreaming about buying a house. I hope you have a good handle on how much house you can afford. If you have doubts about how much you can afford to pay for a home, I suggest you read our last letter on the topic here: /how-much-house-can-y

You may be dreaming of buying a house but be unsure about how much you can afford to pay. Many financial institutions, realtors or mortgage brokers will lead you to believe that you can afford a house payment that may be as high as 40% of your take home pay on a 30 year note with little or no down payment. Actual numbers will vary quite a bit based on tax rate, interest rate and insurance costs. A very rough estimate based is that someone making $6k/month could buy a house wo

Are you missing out on the appreciation of real estate? Is it time for you to buy a house? You may feel pressure to buy a house. Maybe your friends have started buying houses; or your family is telling you it's time to stop throwing your money away on rent. On top of all that, the market here in central Texas has gone through unbelievable appreciation in the last 18 months. If you aren't on the real estate train - you may be experiencing a fear of missing out. Are you in

If it meant you could fund retirement, would you be willing to drive a car that was a little less fancy? Or used? It is possible to fund retirement by making different decisions about the cars you drive. Below you will see how someone can save up to $1.75 Million. Meet Larry, Alice and Bart. They each have the same amount of money available to buy cars; but they each have a very different approach. Larry spends all his car money. He buys a new $55k luxury car every 4 year

When you get some extra money it can be really exciting. What do I want to do with this? Go somewhere for a weekend? Go on a shopping spree? One thing is certain. If you don't make a plan, it will be gone within a month of it's arrival. So let's ask the adult question....... What would be the responsible thing to do with the money? You can come up with any number of really fun and potentially frivolous uses for it – but what will take you closer to financial ind