I'm sure you are aware of the recent announcement President Joe Biden made concerning student loan forgiveness.

This announcement affects over 43 million Americans who will have federal student loans up to $10,000 or for those with federal Pell student loans up to $20,000 of their student loans forgiven.

This is a really huge deal for some.

I celebrate the fact that many will be getting rid of debt and perhaps even becoming debt-free!

No one can truly build wealth while having debt!

I always say debt steals from your future by having you pay for your past!

While I celebrate, I'm also concerned.

I'm concerned with the fact that with those who've had their debt erased or reduced, there must also be a behavioral change with how money is handled in order for this debt elimination or reduction to really mean something.

Winning with money is 20% head knowledge but 80% behavior.

If there is not a behavioral change, one will fall right back into the same patterns that got them into ...

There is a lot of financial noise and fear going around.  People are concerned about things like rising inflation, which is seen in rising gas prices, rising costs in items such as food and clothing, rising mortgage rates and housing prices.  Behind all of this there is an elephant in the room that must be talked about that is affecting many people as this financial crisis unfolds.  This elephant is called DEBT!  Debt seems to be putting a whammy on a lot of people.  I want to briefly discuss three reasons why we must fight back by punching debt in the face and getting it out of our lives once and for all!!

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1. Debt is a thief that steals from your future by having you pay for your past.

That past meal, vacation, or item (remember 90 days same as cash?) purchased and financed on a credit card is a good example.

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2. Debt takes away options and opportunities.

Many dreams and opportunities are put on hold or even forfeited because the money that can be used to obtain them i...

Well it's the year 2021 and it's also round three! No I'm not talking about a boxing match although for many the times they are seeing have been the fight of their lives.  Whether its physically, emotionally, or even in relationships this pandemic has affected many in one way or another.  At the time of this writing we are still in the throes of the worst pandemic in modern history.  We are also seeing signs of promise as many have or are now receiving their vaccination shots.

Another area where the pandemic has affected a lot of people is in their wallets. Here in America millions are still unemployed, furloughed, or had their incomes drastically reduced because of business closures and shelters-in-place across the country. We've seen the devastation of long food lines and the crisis of people facing evictions from their homes.  This has unfortunately resulted in many wondering how they are going to make ends meet. For many it appears round three in financial assistance is coming aga...

Well it's the year 2021.  At the time of this writing we are still in the throes of the worst pandemic in modern history.  Just in the United States alone over 20 million people have been infected with the COVID-19 virus.  There is no doubt that this COVID-19 pandemic has affected everyone on this planet in one way or another and given us all great pause. 

Another area where the pandemic has affected a lot of people is in their wallets. Here in America millions are unemployed, furloughed, or had their incomes drastically reduced because of business closures and shelters-in-place across the country. We are even seeing the devastation of long food lines and the possible crisis of people being evicted from their homes.  This has unfortunately resulted in many wondering how they are going to make ends meet. For many it appears financial assistance is coming again. The U.S. Government recently passed another stimulus package giving $600 to individuals, $1200 to couples, and $600 per minor ...

Can I be honest with you?  One thing I don’t like to have a lot of is stress especially financial stress.  Back in 2014 that is just what I and my wife were facing.  We had a credit card that was maxed out, a maxed out Home Equity Line of Credit, and a Thrift Savings Plan (TSP) Loan I was personally paying off.   What we did not have was anything saved if an emergency where to occur.  Life happens and I knew we were treading financially on thin ice.  If one “little” emergency were to occur we would go under financially.  We had to make a decision and in April of that year we decided to right our financial ship. That meant we had to live on a budget, get out of debt, and save for emergencies.

We both went through Dave Ramsey’s Financial Peace University where we learned practical ways to take control of our finances.  Dave Ramsey explains those ways in what are called The Seven Baby Steps.  They are as follows:

1. Save $1000 in a Baby Emergency Fund

2. Pay off Debt

3. Complete th...

Growing up as a 10 year old boy, I was excited to land my first job.  The job was not cutting grass or cleaning someone’s yard.  My very first job was babysitting a neighbor’s small children.  This single mother would often call our home and ask my parent’s permission to solicit my services in watching her children as she ran errands.  I was so excited but quickly discovered the tremendous responsibility I had been given.  The responsibility was to look after something (or in this case someone) that did not belong to me.  The mother was trusting me that what she was giving me would be managed and cared for until she returned. 

Another word for manage is stewardship.  In medieval times a King would have a kingdom and a steward or manager to take care of his kingdom.  The steward was not the owner but simply the manager of the kingdom.  The steward was rewarded or punished based on how well he cared for the King’s kingdom.  I realized that first day on the job I was responsible for how...

When somebody tells me they have a gift for me I get excited!! A gift to me means that somebody thought enough of me to give me something I didn’t have to work for. There are so many gifts people receive: Birthday gifts, Marriage gifts, Retirement Gifts, etc.  When we were dating my wife gave me a “Just Because” gift! How awesome!

There is a gift that causes blessings to flow to anyone who possesses it.  If you have this gift, it will lead to your heart’s every desire.  The happiest people you will ever meet have this gift in abundance.  If you can acquire this gift it may very well be the most power financial gift you can have.  The gift I am talking about is the gift of CONTENTMENT.

Contentment is being satisfied with what you have.  I know this goes against the grain in our society because we are always looking for the bigger and better. Our culture believes you should get all you can and can all you get.  Now I am not against anyone having nice things, but we must remember things...

Success has so many definitions and is measured by so many things.  It can be measured by who you marry, how much money you have, and the level of education you have just to name a few.  My favorite definition of success if from speaker Earl Nightingale. He states, “Success is the progressive realization of a worthy ideal.”

I love to read.  I recently read a book by authors Bob Burg and John David Mann entitled, “The Go-Giver”.  It tells the story of a young salesman named Joe who yearns for success.  Joe is a true go-getter but feels that the harder and faster he works the further away his goals seem to be.  He is desperate to land a key sale at the end of a bad quarter so he seeks advice from a legendary consultant.  He is taken on a journey by this consultant where he learns five laws to being successful.

I would like to share with you these five laws I am not ignoring and you cannot ignore if you want to experience extreme success in what you do.

THE LAW OF VALUE

Your true ...

Relationships are precious to me.  Like trust they take time to build but are easy to destroy.  To have a relationship is to have a significant association or connection.

One thing I have found that can change a relationship is a thing called money.  It is said that money only magnifies who a person really is.  Many of times individuals have asked to borrow money from me.  In the past I would enter into these agreements with the trust that the other party would live up to their end of the agreement and pay me back as promised. Unfortunately, the other party "forgets" they owe me or would even take it to the extreme by avoiding me altogether to get out of repaying their debt!! To add insult to injury I would hear of these same individuals buying things for themselves, going on trips, or improving their lifestyles with the money they "promised" to repay me!

When it comes to debt there are not a lot of good things the bible has to say about it.  Is debt a salvation issue?  Absolutely no...

There are many ways we can tell our family we love them.  We can take them on nice trips, do nice things for them, or just be present in their lives.  There is one important way we can show love to our families that many of times gets overlooked.  We need to create a will.

What does a will have to do with telling our family they are loved?  I'm glad you asked.  Having a will in place let's the family know your thoughts and intentions when you are gone.  I've seen many of families torn apart because the parent or spouse did not take the extra effort to outline their wishes in the event of their death.  Plans may have been verbalized when the parent or spouse were living, but there is a strong amnesia that comes over those left behind when there is no will.

Whether you are single, married, or divorced...you need a will.  Even if you don't have "wealth" or big possessions, you need to get a will done.  A will is more than saying who gets what, it outlines your plans for your children...