Hi, Team! Today, we’re fortunate to have Jon (yes, this Jon) here to talk about worthwhile financial resolutions that will actually make a difference for the new year. What are Jon’s qualifications? Well, he and his wife paid off close to $89,000 in student loans in about 16 months. These two are living examples of what good, worthwhile goals can lead to. Consistent readers are probably familiar with the story, if that’s not you, feel free to check out the link above. Either way, thanks for being here! -Mike     1) Learn where your money is going (and how to control it). As good as my wife and I try to be with our money, there have been times when I have opened the credit card statement at the end of the month, saw the total purchases, and was left wondering, “what in the world did I spend $1,200 […]

Remember these two?   If you missed the original article, check it out here. Either way, here’s a brief refresher:   In the spring (2016) I wrote an article about Jon and Heather – a young, 20-something couple embarking on their life together. There was a wedding, apartment, a couple of new jobs, and a dumpster-diving brother-in-law (yes, you read that right – see the link above for that story). And as with many millennial couples, there was the albatross of student loans hanging around the young couples neck. About $89,000 worth.   But that’s not all…    There was also a plan. Some termed the plan as crazy; others – inspirational. We’ll leave that up to you. Essentially, the plan was to eliminate the student loan debt. And eliminate it as fast as possible.   Last we heard from these 2, they had paid off close to $52,000 in 8 months!! This was in […]

Hi Team! I’ve heard the cries, and the wondering, and the tears (too far??). I’ve been MIA over the past few weeks and although that will happen from time-to-time, I didn’t give you guys (and gals) a heads-up first. My bad. Fear not. We have some great stuff coming for you in the weeks ahead! There are posts with some great holiday tips, helping us to stay fit and to only slightly over-eat. I’ve been doing some reading/listening and plan to share with you some great books and podcasts I’ve read/heard over the past few weeks. The financial pillar (for us millennials) series will resume. Remember Jon and Heather? The young millennial couple working their way out of student loan debt… Well, we have an exciting update for you! We have a new guest-blogger to introduce as well. I’m excited and grateful to have you hear and reading! Talk with you […]

If you’ve had a job, you’ve had a talk about benefits with your friends or family.   “Well, the salary is a little lower than I’d like but the benefits are nice.” Or, “I need this job for the benefits.” Or, “Benefits. What benefits?” Or, how about this one, “This job has the perfect salary and a ton of benefits!”   We’ve all heard that last one, right?   I had one of these talks with a job searching friend the other day and it spurred this question: How much are job benefits really worth? We’re talking cash value. Healthcare, retirement, time off, and other ‘benefits.’ What percentage of your paycheck. So, compared benefits from different jobs that I’ve had, in addition to jobs of friends, to get a breakdown for the benefits given in 3 different job types (government job, private career-type job, and hourly work job).   Keep […]