Results Not Typical…?

Results Not Typical…?

We recently wrapped up our 10th session of Financial Peace University. We have offered it 2-3 times a year for the last several years at our local church in Galveston County. I wanted to take a moment and share the results that we turned in to Ramsey Solutions of how...
The Fallacy of Credit Card Rewards

The Fallacy of Credit Card Rewards

This “great deal” illustrated above recently popped up on a shopping deals site I visit from time to time. It’s at best a 2% cash back credit card (but read the fine print…). Everything you need to know about how these things work in reality, and why they are a...
Happy Debt-Free Anniversary!

Happy Debt-Free Anniversary!

April 4 marked four years that we have been debt free, everything but our mortgage. It took us 6.5 years to pay off 23 accounts consisting of credit cards, car loans, and student loans. After calculating the interest during that time the total amount paid back was 3x...

Micro Investing – Is It For You?

There’s a new trend amongst app-using folks wanting to Do Better With Money, the idea of automatically investing small amounts of money on a very frequent basis. For example, when you make a purchase and pay with your debit card, an app would round the purchase up to...

Reverse Mortgages Are A Bad Idea

Awhile back we had dinner with two other couples and we were decidedly the youngest people there. And we’re not exactly spring chickens. The host was a retired banker and the subject of personal finance came up, of course. He started talking about reverse...

Student Loan Debt

The headline of a recent article on student loans proclaims, “Student loan borrowers with high debts aren’t making progress repaying them”. File this under, “Thank you, Captain Obvious. What was your first clue??” Student loans are just one of many, many ways we as a...

Long-Term Savings Goals

I think no matter your current relationship with personal finance, you can look into the future and anticipate what you may need to buy. It could be as simple as a set of tires in the next year, or replacing the entire car in the next 2-3 years. If you can identify...

Crawling Out Of Debt? Check Your Check!

Credit cards. Student loans. Car payments. YUCK! Debt of any kind sucks but especially consumer debt. If you have made the decision to pay it off, to GET OUT, then you may have read some helpful tips already, such as: get a second job (or just work more in general),...

Pension Plans – Lump Sum or Monthly Payment?

Pensions are a dying breed of retirement vehicle as more and more companies and institutions move away from an employer-owned retirement fund to an employee-owned 401k or similar. For those at or nearing retirement age, at some point you will have The Meeting with the...

What Is Your #1 Money Thought? Sound Off!

As we begin a new year, what is the number one “thought” you have about money? Is it a fear? A hope, desire, or goal? When you think about money where does your mind instinctively go? Here are some examples we’ve heard from students and clients: Most that we talk to...