Baby Step One – Starter Emergency Fund

Today I’m launching a new series. Actually it is the very first installment of what I envision as an ambitious 3 series set in which I plan to cover some personal finance basics from different angles.  Call it a “Back to the Basics” bundle if you will.  I expect this series to take shape over the next couple months so stay tuned.  I hope you’ll enjoy and engage the discussion. In some ways...

Homeless Man With A Plan

Being homeless is by no stretch a tragedy and while it is not a cause I actively combat, it never fails to illicit a reaction in my mind if not my heart.  In Canterbury, England the youthfulness of the homeless population is shocking, the true stench of the homeless population surrounding Philadelphia’s City Hall will turn your stomach, and the aggressive and entitled nature of the panhandlers...

Mortgage Interest Is Tax Deductible, So What?

A couple weeks ago I was exchanging emails with a friend – and reader – and during the exchange he shared from a discussion he was having with a co-worker about tax deductible debt – think mortgage.  It seems that his co-worker – a CFO, trained in the ways of finance – was in favor of maintaining a mortgage for the purposes of the tax deduction rather than paying off the debt as quickly...

Year One

  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. ...

Discover, You’re An Idiot

I received a letter in the mail the other day that was equal parts shocking and appalling… and sadly, genius. Discover, a credit card I’ve held for a couple years and last used nearly that long ago, sent a letter offering me $500 and encouraging me to rack up massive amounts of debt in the process. The hook was obvious.  Who doesn’t want five crisp bills?  But the catch was brazen and laughable...

Debt Sucks!

  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...

Help, I’ve Fallen Off My Snowball

I hear that the road paved with good intentions leads to nowhere good, and having missed a turn along the way, that’s where my budget snowball was heading. Long story short – I’ve written plenty about the details already and don’t want to bore the regulars – I’ve fallen off my snowball.  The good thing is that I do know how to get back up, and now firmly (or nearly so) on my feet, muscle...