Hello, and Hello.  Back from the beyond one might say.

I won’t dare bore you with explanations for my absence, nor, frankly speaking, will I promise to resume a twice weekly schedule.  But I am here to tease and upcoming series. 

This is real and forthcoming, as I have nearly 18 articles in the can, so to speak.

It’s not directly related to budgets and personal finance but it is a topic or genre I’ve covered below.  I hope you’ll enjoy and I look forward to your contributions as the story unfolds.

Photo By: A.L.I.C.E.

Today we have a guest post from the Car Negotiation Coach who takes a break from discussing car negotiation strategies and reveals how to combat common sales ploys.
 

Whether you’re buying a car,  jewelry, mattresses, or a big screen TV, you’ll most certainly be going head to head with a professional salesman.  Unfortunately for you, these folks practice selling every day.  In order to get a good deal it helps to understand the tricks they use to separate you from your money.   Let’s breakdown are a few of the more common sales tactics and how to defend against them. 
 
1.       Sales Tactic: Teaser Ads.  Before you arrive at the store the dance has already begun!  Many times you’ll find a teaser ad that’s too good to be true.  Stores advertise an incredible offer, but when you arrive it’s out of stock.  That’s because they only stocked a limited number of that amazing item in the first place.  Once you’re in the door, the salesman tells you they just happen to have a similar model with a faster processor, more memory, etc. for only $200 more.

Defense:  Realize this may be the case before you leave the house and don’t get your heart set on the item.  When you arrive at the store, maintain your objectivity and look for the best value even if your target purchase is not there.

2.       Sales Tactic: Assuming the Sale.  One of the first tricks salesman are taught is to make subtle, forward looking statements to help buyers subconsciously accept the terms of the deal.  For example, “Your wife will love this when you get home”, or “let’s try on some ties to go with your new suit”.  Mechanics are great at this technique.  You go in for an oil change and they’ll tell you they need to replace the filters and brakes…..and it’s not phrased as a question! Pay close attention the next time you buy something and you’ll notice these types of statements.   People naturally don’t like conflict.  Subconsciously it’s easier to go with the flow then to openly contradict the salesman and back out of a purchase.

Defense:  Don’t let a salesman convince you that you’ve bought something until you’ve made up your own mind.  Take your time and make a purchase on your own schedule, not someone else’s.

 
3.       Sales Tactic: Limited Offer.  The idea is to create a sense of urgency and prevent you from shopping around for a better price.  For example, a salesman tells you “If you buy this TV today, we’ll give you a free extended warranty, but the offer is good for today only.” 

Defense:  Take the time to evaluate the offer.  Do you have a cell phone or pda?  Excuse yourself for a minute and see if you can find any similar deals online.  Don’t be pressured to buy immediately unless it really happens to be a great deal.

 
4.       Sales Tactic: The Rebate.  Retailers budget for extremely low rebate redemption rates, sometimes even 20% according to Wikipedia.  They expect that the general public is too lazy to take the time to complete a rebate.  Doesn’t that sound crazy?  But think about how easy it is to procrastinate getting an original receipt, filling out the rebate card, addressing an envelope, etc.

Defense:  Read the fine print and understand what hoops you will have to jump through.  If you do decide to buy, make sure that you actually mail that rebate in! 

 
5.       Sales Tactic: Breaking down payments.  To overcome the “I can’t afford it” objection, a salesman may break down a figure into daily amounts to minimize the appearance of the overall cost.  You’ll notice this tactic used for big items like financing a car or a home mortgage.  They may say something like, “you can afford an extra $100 a month…it  comes to only $3 a day, same as a Starbucks coffee.” But that same $3 a day adds up to $1100 a year pretty quickly!

Defense:  Never be conned into thinking about price in terms of payments.  Always negotiate the total purchase price, payments are secondary.

 
6.       Sales Tactic: One-of-a-kind products.  Do you know why it’s so hard to comparison shop for mattresses?  It’s because you’ll never find the same brand and model of mattress at a competing store.  The mattress companies do this on purpose to confuse buyers.  Ever notice how hard it is to compare jewelry from one place to another?  They don’t want you to be able to compare apples to apples and shop around for the best price.

Defense:  Compare the key factors that make up the quality of the item you’re buying.   If it’s a mattress, compare coil counts and coil gauge…  If it’s a ring, compare the cut and number of karats, etc.

 
7.       Sales Tactic: “I bought this model myself”.   Whether or not this statement is actually true, the intent is to give you the impression that the item must be the best if the salesman owns one himself.  What they neglect to mention is that if they did in fact buy it, they probably got it at cost or used their employee discount to make it worthwhile. 

Defense:   Ask them how much they paid.  And are they willing to share that employee discount with you? Not likely…
 

When buying big ticket items, the key to getting a good price is to take a step back and evaluate the deal.  Realize that almost everything the salesman says is calculated and on purpose.   They are playing a game to get you to you to spend more money.  If you are aware this is happening, it’s much easier to keep your perspective and get a good deal.
 
Photo By: hahatango

A read an article the other day from a pretty well respected icon in the blogging game.  Leo Babauta over at Zen Habits has about 160,000 readers – an insane number when you’ve been doing this long enough to know what that really means.

His article was about changing habits and the easiest way we too often derail our efforts to change and improve.

The idea was as simple as it gets.  So simple in fact, that it should not require an article at all, much less a follow-up article espousing his thesis.

Yet it was at once genius and worthy of widespread proclamation.

His culprit as the worst antagonist against our habit forming ideals?  In his wise words, “Not doing the habit”.

And there it is, like a 2×4 in the forehead.  Well of course it’s the biggest obstacle, but… wait for it…. BUT YEAH, it really is my single barrier.

I wish I was able to get up earlier in the morning, but sleeping in until 10 every morning is what I do.

I wish I could drop 20lbs but this restaurant has the best cheeseburgers and fries.

 I want to get out of debt this year but I don’t know where all my money goes.

I want my children to behave better but I can’t bring myself to discipline them.

I wish had gotten that promotion but I begin packing my bags to leave everyday at 4:30.

Tell me when to stop.

This is our life and this is our time.  There are no ‘do-overs’, there is no ‘next time’.  If we want something, we must bend our will in its direction.  We must take action against that objective.  “Tomorrow” will never come, we must start today.

That speaks to the genius behind Nike’s “Just Do It” campaign.  Forget all else and just do that which you aspire to.

One of my favorite quotes I pulled from a Fortune magazine years ago, “a year from now you’ll wish you had started today”.  Human nature being what it is, perhaps truer words have never been spoken.

So consider this your wake up call.  Look in the mirror and decide what you’d like to change, what habits you’d like to establish and then get about the business of getting it done.

Thanks Leo, I needed the kick in the pants.

Photo By: amycaek

This article was feature in The Wisdom Journal’s roundup.

A couple weeks ago I was talking with a friend who was leaving her job.  It was a good job with a good employer but it was time to move on.  I spoke with her as she was navigating the decision making process and then again on her last day. 

 Leaving a job – a real career-type job – is not as easy as it sounds.  I know from experience.  But I was happy (and a little relieved) at her response – “I feel so happy and free”, was her proclamation and in that moment so was I.

I had worked for that same employer for over 13 years, a lifetime ago it now seems.  On my last day I met a friend for lunch.  I had completed the ‘administrative check-out’ process (code for returning laptops and signing disclosure agreements, and other HR related activities) in the morning and by mid day I was free.

I arrived at our destination early and sat outside.  It was unseasonably warm for a January 12^th (circa 2009).  I laughed out loud when it struck me.  I was now unemployed.  I was absolutely free and un-tethered and it was an amazing feeling.

Sure I could have been terrified and I understand where under other circumstances I would be.  But I had taken care of my business and had a decent buyout which afforded me a comfortable runway. 

In that moment, I felt about as free as I ever have as an adult.

So when my friend made her proclamation of freedom, it resonated well with me.  More than a hopeful thought or wish, it awoke an echo from within.

Now, I have my feet planted firmly in reality and I do enjoy my current job and expect to be happy along this path for some time to come, but I’m also capable of carrying a dream. 

And more than just about anything else, my dream is to experience that feeling of freedom again.  Not when I’m a 75 year old retiree and free to do whatever is left that I’m capable of doing, but while I’m still young enough to know that I’m not yet finished, while I’m still capable of starting now what I’ve been placed here to do.

The last time I had that feeling, I knew I had a limited window to exercise it and soon thereafter this site was birthed.  BANG or whimper is still being decided I suppose.  But while this site has not afforded me an endless runway, it has elevated my line of sight and allowed me to expand my vision and dream for a new reality. 

The next time I feel that sense of freedom, I want it to be without constraint and I’m increasingly led to believe that the budgeting and personal accountability and goal setting and introspection I espouse in this forum are somehow both the path to and message of that dream.  Perhaps my membership will soar and publishers will knock down my door with huge book advances or perhaps I’ll continue modestly crafting content and eliminating debt until I can transition into another career… to become say, a high school teacher with a homemade curriculum and permission to coach a little football on the side.

Who really knows what lies around the next bend, but I know a dream for freedom has stirred within me and I look forward to figuring out how to unleash it.

If this message resonates with you, I ask that you consider sharing this article (and site) with someone.  Who knows, YOU might be the tipping point in helping unleash the growth potential of this site, which in turn could help me set my dream free!

Site article is sponsored by Dental Assistant School
Photo By: Lilli Bellule

Today marks DoYouDaveRamsey.com’s one year anniversary!  This is the milestone I’ve been targeting from the start.  I marked time by writing about my 1 month and 6 month anniversaries, but the 1 year mark was the unattainable goal in my mind.

I say unattainable because writing to a recurring deadline is something of a challenge.  At least it has been at times for me in this busy year of transition.  But it has been a wonderful journey and I’ve certainly enjoyed the ride.

Most blogs come and go such that simply making it to this milestone is unique.  That’s another reason I once believed this milestone would not be reached – or at least not reached with an uninterrupted production schedule.

With that, I must quickly move to say thanks to those who have been reading and commenting along the way.  I sometimes wonder if I don’t enjoy engaging the comments more than writing the original articles.  I certainly recall a couple instances where my comment responses were longer than the original article and those are fun and engaging moments… so please continue to comment or start commenting if you have not done so already.

If you’ve only read my words on Facebook, hop over and check out the full site.

Having hit this milestone and taking a moment to look back, I want to set my sites on the future.  As we’ve already started to see in my monthly goal posts – January and February – I have at least hinted towards, if not demonstrated, a full slate of activity for this year.

It is not lost on me the irony or apparent conflicts that exist in my aggressive goals.  Time spent pursuing separate writing projects may be at odds with my desire to grow the site’s footprint.  That is a balancing act I’ll enjoy managing and is likely a topic I’ll engage as the next months unfold.

As a published heads up, there may be instances over the next year in which I’ll need to scale down my twice weekly schedule to accommodate other initiatives.  I don’t anticipate ever failing to deliver at least one article a week but I hope to limit the need for even that scale back.  In any event, I’ll keep you current with my projects and projections in the monthly goal summaries.

So with that as context, let me transition back to a more positive topic – YOU.

For those reading along, I like to think that you play a key role in this writing journey and I’d like for it to be a more active role as well.  Please let me know what you’ve enjoyed most and least about my efforts thus far.  On what topics would you like to see me spend more time?  On what topics would you like to see less time?  What questions or topics would you have me explore that I’ve not yet commented upon?

In the next year I do want to grow my readership and traffic, and I can think of no better way to start than to serve well those following faithfully today.

THANKS!

With an acknowledged nod towards self promotion, here’s a list of my favorite posts from each of the past 12 months.  I hope you’ll take a moment to comment as to your favorites as well.

February 2009 – Focus, On What Is Yours

March 2009 – Some Answers Are Obvious

April 2009 – Debt Is Squalor

May 2009 – I Once Met A Man In A Sauna

June 2009 – Does Your Money Even Like You

July 2009 – Plant Your Financial Tree

August 2009 – Car Lease Saves Budget…?

September 2009 – I Love Football

October 2009 – Happy Recession Anniversary

November 2009 – Mandatory Healthcare Reform – Part 2

December 2009 – Money Buys Us Options

January 2010 – Financial Infidelity

 Photo By: perfectbound

Your Turn – If you enjoyed this article, I would personally appreciate it if you would consider commenting below and/or subscribing to our Free Updates via email or RSS updates.  Thanks!

This article was written by Steven, author of Hundred Goals, a blog about achieving your goals while managing your finances. Steven writes about his journey of traveling the world and working towards completing a life list of 100+ goals, including skydiving and becoming debt free. Sign up for email updates and be sure to join him and hundreds of other readers on the Hundred Goals Facebook Page!

…and paying it off sucks even more, right?

You work your ass off every single day of your life, only to fork over your money to faceless companies called Visa, MasterCard and Bank of America. You pay and you pay and you pay some more but nothing seems to change. Whether you pay the minimum or you empty your bank accounts to try to pay off your debt, you can’t seem to get your head above water.

What difference does it make anyways? Things are always going to be this way no matter what you do, so why not just pay the minimum, keep a little bit of money in your pocket and go have fun? That what life is all about, fun! And this is your one chance at it so why waste your energy being a slave to your debts?

Eating oatmeal, rice and beans and ramen noodles is a drag! A night out on the town, some drinks with friends and a great steak sound much better than sitting at home cooking for yourself and playing Monopoly again. Ironically, you tend to kick ass in Monopoly, you greedy bastard!

Sounds ludicrous, doesn’t it? But how many of us have found ourselves telling ourselves exactly these same lines? Hell, I’d go so far as to say that most of them are even true! Life is supposed to be fun and a night out with friends does sound like a great time. But when you are in debt, the dynamics of life change.

Even when you schluff off all of your responsibilities, go have the drink and spend way too much on a night out, your debt doesn’t disappear and neither does that feeling inside of you that keeps telling you that you are being an idiot.

Ignoring the problem and making minimum payments isn’t going to cut it. If you want a life without debt, I mean really want a life without debt, you have to change. And that isn’t going to be easy. Just because you paid your card this month and you now have a remaining balance again does not mean you have money to go to the mall for a new pair of jeans or the new Taylor Swift CD. There will be no more vacations put on your credit card without a way to pay them off by the time you get home.

Credit cards give us this illusion…wait, delusion…that we can afford to live a lifestyle well above what we are really able to. Then we find ourselves stuck in a world of shit with no good way of getting out. But we deserve to have the nice things we buy on our credit cards and we have a right to vacation at the nicest resorts on the beaches with the whitest sands!!! Sure, you have a right to these things when you are paying for them and not Chase (unless your name actually is Chase). One day, when you can afford these things out of your own pocket, these things can be yours, but for now you need to focus on getting out of debt and getting a life.

“But paying debt sucks!” Yes, it does. I’m not going to tell you that there won’t be sacrifices. There must be sacrifices if you ever expect to turn things around. Listen. I’m not telling you to live in a hole or even change all that much, really. I’m just saying, start living below your means so that later you can live within them. After you get yourself out of debt, your live will be dramatically better than it was even before you put yourself on a budget and got real with your finances. Think of all the money you will have for saving for the future or for using to vacation at the nicest resorts on the beaches with the whitest sands!!!

Debt strangles the life out of you, plain and simple. Change your attitude about your relationship with debt and you will have your life back soon enough. Debt sucks, and so does paying it off, but if you don’t do anything about it, your entire life is going to suck. You might be able to charge all of the things you want today but in the end, you are short changing yourself and are not living the life you could be without debt. Today is the day for change!

Thanks to my friend Steven for sharing this candid spin on debt.  I agree, debt does suck!

Image By:  Leo Blanchette

Today we have a guest post from Certified Financial Planner Joel Ohman who runs the site Credit Card Chaser.  Joel has been a frequent commenter on this site and I find that he always brings an interesting point of view to the  discussion.

I know the material below is no exception as Joel, tongue firmly planted in check, shares how we can destroy our credit ratings.  Hey, sometimes you learn what to do by learning what not to do!

Enjoy!

Having a good credit score is boring. If you really want to have some fun then here are 7 steps that you can take to destroy your credit. After all, who ever really needs a mortgage, auto loan, credit card, business loan, or cheaper car insurance rates anyway?

#1 Ignore Your Bills

The faster you can start treating each and every bill you get like the 4 letter word that it is then the sooner you will be well on your way to absolutely demolishing your credit. Bonus style points if you can A) Start a gigantic bonfire in your backyard with all of your past due bills and get the fire marshal called out to your house or B) Smear your bills with bacon grease and feed them to your dog so that when the bill collectors come knocking then you can honestly say that your dog ate them. Ignoring bills is a great way to ruin your credit.

#2 Act Clueless

When all of your past due bills start piling up then you will begin to receive lots and lots of phone calls from credit card companies, banks, debt collection agencies, and other people very interested in getting the money from you that you owe them. If you want to ruin your credit even more then a really fun thing to do is to act clueless whenever someone mentions that you owe them money. Bonus style points if you can A) Talk in a totally different language (or in a made up language) while on the phone with the debt collectors or B) Put the debt collectors on hold for longer than 15 minutes at a time without having them hang up on you. Acting clueless about the money you owe is a great way to ruin your credit.

#3 Blame Others

Blaming others for your financial irresponsibility is a top notch way to ruin your credit. One big advantage to blaming others for your mistake is that you get to indulge in one big self delusional pity party any time of night or day! You can complain and whine about the unfair bankers and unfair credit card companies who would dare to ask you for their money back with interest when you take their money but refuse to give it back. It can be a lot of fun to blame others for your lack of financial acumen and discipline. Bonus style points if you can A) Blame your debt on an inanimate object or B) Actually convince someone else that your debt is their fault and get them to pay it for you. Blaming others for your financial mistakes and refusing to fix your mistakes yourself is a great way to ruin your credit.

#4 Carry Credit Card Balances

Buying everything on credit with a cash back rewards credit card and paying off the balance in full every month is for chumps. Buying everything on credit and then running up huge balances and just making the minimum payments every month is waaay more fun! You can tell just by a quick glance at the cost of credit cards tool that carrying a credit card balance is a great way to ruin your credit score and pay tons of extra money in interest charges for everything you buy. Bonus style points if you can A) Wrack up large credit card balances on your spouse’s credit cards without them knowing (what a fun surprise for them when they find out!) or B) Buy all of Dave Ramsey’s books and materials on credit and only make minimum payments hee hee hee ho ho ho. Carrying credit card balances is a great way to ruin your credit.

#5 Don’t Check Your Credit Report

Boring, boring, boring. Who wants to read a credit report when they could read the comics? (Although if you have followed steps 1-4 to the letter so far then your credit report may in fact be funnier than the comics but I digress). Only squares who want to improve their credit score ever bother to check their credit report for errors or subscribe to a credit monitoring service. Bonus style points if you can A) Subscribe to a credit reporting service and never actually even check your credit score even once or B) Ask your loan officer when apply for a mortgage, “What’s a credit score?” with a straight face. Ignoring your credit report is a great way to ruin your credit.

#6 Co-Sign for Anyone and Everyone

Close your eyes and think of the most financially irresponsible person you know. If that person is you then close your eyes and start over again and try to think of the second most financially irresponsible person you know. Now go offer to co-sign for a credit card or line of credit for that person. Bonus style points if you can A) Trick someone into co-signing for you so that you can repeat step #4 with even more credit cards or B) Post an advertisement on CraigsList offering to co-sign for the first 5 people that send you a message. Co-signing for a credit card or a line of credit is a great way to ruin your credit.

#7 Buy Everything Your Neighbors Buy

Look around your neighborhood and if you see anyone with a brand new car, new patio furniture, or anything that looks new and shiny then go out and buy that exact same item or something just like it but more expensive. The more stuff you buy then the cooler you look and the better you feel about yourself. Who cares that most of the stuff will be repossessed later on because after all trying to outwit repo men adds some spice to your life. Bonus style points if you can A) Root through your neighbor’s trash and find the actual prices they paid for things so that you can make sure that you spend even more than they did so that you can brag to them that you got the “premium version” or B) Pull the old license plate switcheroo game with your neighbor when they go to bed at night so that if the repo man comes snooping around during the night then your neighbor can add some spice to their life too. Buying everything your neighbors buy just because is a great way to ruin your credit.

Once you have completed all 7 of these steps then you have not just ruined your credit but you have officially destroyed your credit. There you have it! 7 steps to destroying your credit – with style!

Thanks for sharing Joel!

And thanks to everyone for reading along as well.  Please take a moment to check out more of Joel’s work at his site – Credit Card Chaser.

Photo by: tdae

Just the other day I received an email that I want to share with you.  CESI Debt Solutions included one of my early articles – Debt is Squalor - in their Best 101 Debt Busting Posts of 2009 round-up!

Specifically they said: 

Just a quick note to let you know that we included you in The Best 101
Debt Busting Posts of 2009 (from 101 Frugal Bloggers)

Those images you chose – gah! They were CHILLING!

Will you help us spread the word about our roundup?

Hey, I get that this is something of a marketing ploy on their part, but there was a selection process and I made the cut.  Besides, metaphorically, don’t all girls like to be called pretty?!?

Well of course, and therefore, I’m very pleased to be selected and plan to spend some time checking out the other entries.  I hope you’ll click over and do so as well.  Tell them I sent you!

 
Keeping with the festive motif, I also want to invite you to check out the Money Crashers 2010 GiveAway Bash!  I understand that nearly $8000 in prices are available to those that register.  Give it a look and perhaps win a prize!  Hey, tell’em I sent you there too!  It never hurts to get a little credit every now and again.

Meanwhile – as always – thanks to you for your continued support!

Dave Ozment

Photo By: p912s(Scot)

Hello everyone.  I am away travelling on some very important business for a couple days and thought this would be a perfect opportunity to share a guest post from the National Endowment for Financial Education (NEFE).

While I tend to spend less time with basic financial concepts, (which is a real sweet spot for NEFE), I am a firm believer in Financial Education and want to share their message with you guys. 

Continuing my New Year’s theme of Goal Setting, this guest article offers practical resolutions for improving your financial footing in the new year.  Also included are links to NEFE tools, websites, and Twitter feeds.

Enjoy!

The National Endowment for Financial Education is a non-profit dedicated to improving the financial literacy of all Americans. NEFE operates the site Smart About Money and have developed a series of articles filled with tips to help you make 2010 the year of financial freedom.  You can also find Economic Survival Tips, worksheets and articles focused on financial education related to housing, spending, credit and job change. Follow NEFE on Twitter at @nefe_org

1. Control spending: If you spend less you’ll have more money available to pay down debt and save for the future. Write down your expenses for a month to see where your money is going. You might be surprised by how easy it is to find places to scale back.
2. Create a debt repayment plan: If you carry credit card debt, write down everything you owe and make a plan to pay it off. Start with small items you can act on right away–it will make tackling the bigger debt easier. Also, try buying with cash only. It’s a sure-fire way to prevent increases in your credit card debt.
3. Set up auto-savings plans: Arrange with your bank or another financial institution to have a set amount deducted from your checking account to a savings account each pay period. Of the Americans who have been able to contribute to emergency savings funds, automatic withdrawal is the most popular method, according to the Consumer Federation of America.
4. Boost retirement savings: If your employer offers a 401(k) plan, increase your contributions. If you don’t have an employer plan, open an Individual Retirement Account (IRA) and arrange for contributions to be made automatically from your checking or savings account.
5. Create a long-term plan: Write a list of your long-term goals, such as buying a home or saving for college or retirement. Visit the Life Events section of Smart About Money for concrete tips on accomplishing those goals.
6. Protect Yourself: Be prepared for the unexpected by making sure you, your family, your assets and investments are insured and fully covered. If you do not have a will, make 2010 the year you establish a life plan.
7. Find a financial buddy: Share your financial resolutions with a friend, colleague, or family member, and you’ll be more likely to keep them. Find someone else who wants to turn around their debt or cut their spending, and establish a mutual support system.

Thanks to NEFE for the tips and to you for reading along.  I hope you’ll take a moment to comment below – let me know what you think about the information provided, as well as, your thoughts on my having guest posts.  I typically don’t pursue guest posts but may considering allowing increased opportunities in the future.

Photo By: Photos8.com

About this time a year ago my wife and I talked about how good 2008 had been to our household.  It was a fun moment of connection, and reflection, and celebration, and optimism.  In a demonstration of faith we agreed that 2009 would be an even better year for us.  And so it has been.

Of course 2009, for our house, began with tremendous questions in the air.  Walking away from a long term employer in January amidst the prevailing economic climate and with no known landing spot will do that.

But the time between jobs was refreshing and motivating.  Within a month I launched this site and have been faithfully exploring and chronicling my thoughts and reactions for all of those patient enough to read along.  I believe this exercise is more for my benefit than yours and it has certainly opened doors of opportunity in my mind – more to come as we track my goals in 2010.

The time between jobs also helped me identify what I had enjoyed most about my previous employer.  I honestly thought I wanted my next job to take me in directions far from my previous experience.  That was the case until I really started walking through my resume and in preparing responses to mock interview questions.  It was then that I realized how I wanted to perfect my previous experience in my next career chapter.

Then – as if suddenly – the perfect opportunity presented itself.  The fit was instant and obvious like hand in glove with much less travel and in aggregate a more handsome benefit package.  I asked, God answered.  That’s not to say there are no challenges, that’s every day, but solution to challenge and growth through exposure is part of what I enjoyed and enjoy most.

And, that’s not to say one day my dreams and harnessed abilities won’t lead me to new pastures, but 2009 introduced me to a perfect career home for this season.

2009 brought us incrementally closer to financial security – debt repayment, Roth IRA Investments, and a dream realizing Real Estate Investment.  Perhaps not all were executed in absolute accordance to Ramsey’s plan but none were whimsical or ill-considered either.

2009 brought us upgrades to our previous car situations – his and hers.  New used cars that will serve us for years to come and with no monthly payments in tow.

2009 afforded another ride weekend with my father – moments in time, for me, that at once race forward and stand still as snap shots in my mind.

2009 marked the passage of time with my 20^th high school reunion. It was everything and nothing I would have expected and it was invaluable in the way it dusted off long ignored friendships.

2009 is a banner year for my college alma mater as our football program marched through a spectacular season and now stands on the threshold of greatness.

2009 yielded reconnections with family members and time well spent with dear friends crafting memories that will endure.

Yeah, 2009 certainly delivered on its promise and our household is better for it.

…A couple nights ago my wife and I talked about how good 2009 had been to our household.  It was a fun moment of connection, and reflection, and celebration, and optimism.  In a demonstration of faith we agreed that 2010 would be an even better year for us.  And so it shall be…

Photo By: Heidi & Matt

Your Turn – If you enjoyed this article, I would personally appreciate it if you would consider commenting below and/or subscribing to our Free Updates via email or RSS updates.  Thanks!

This article was featured in the Personal Finance Carnival