So its that time of year where a lot of people make New Years Resolutions. I'm not sure if you are a NYR type person. I personally tend to make annual goals...however, where they start and end depends on the nature of the goal. I have goals for my son which are tied to his age (birthday). My husband, who is a teacher tends to look at his goals from school year to school year, so August to June, mostly. Financial goals tend to be by calendar year (January to December); personal goals like losing weight are ongoing...well you get the point. The point of this post isn't to get you to make "New Years Resolutions", but just to understand the importance of setting goals in the first place.
So, in 2012, our main financial goal was to put away 3 bills: 1) 401k loan (ugrhh..stupid, don't ever do this), 2) the balance on our Discover card, and 3) the balance on our 2010 Toyota Hylander (the family car we just had to buy when our son was born); totalled about $26,217. I sorta had a plan on how we were going to do this...1) I was expecting a tax return after the sale of our property, 2) annual bonus, 3) I was working on a promotion at work, 4) I was hoping my husband would be picked up by his old school district and reinstated with his previous salary, the list goes on...while some of those things came through, other obstacles presented themselves that threatened to sideline my goal.
While my tax return and bonus was great, my husband lost his job in May which meant that we had less income then I expected; my son was put in a special education program for half a day, which meant I had to pay more for daycare then I had originally planned; I agreed to help with my brothers wedding in the summer which I had set a budget for, but it ended up costing us more than planned; advancement at work was less then expected as well; a lot of little things really, but when you add them up it can chip away at your ability to do BIG things that require 100% of your attention and dedication. Toward the end of the summer, things started to look up...my husband got a new job making more than he did in the prior year (yay), my child was settled in a good school, some other things in my personal life had stabilized, and I was able to get back on track. So I pushed it hard to the very end...somehow the final bill (auto loan) was paid off. It literally took all I had to push through to the end.
I guess when I think about it, the important part is that I had a goal in the first place and I never forgot about it. I was a little obsessed about it actually, I kept it at the forefront of my mind...ALWAYS. Even when I had to change course a little bit due to circumstances, I always had plans to resume my goal. In October I didn't see how it was going to happen, but then I got really creative with my budget and just implemented it...when I tried to explain it to my husband his eyes glazed over, then I just said, "trust me", crazy... I would have never done that if I hadn't locked myself into that goal in the first place. Remember you can fall into debt, but you cant fall out of it, you have to put a plan together and stick to it.
Peace,
MsMoneyGuru
Having problems developing a plan to get out of debt? Want to know who we are doing our debt snowball (like how the HECK did you we pay off $270,810 in 2 1/2 years!)? You may need a coach...MsMoneyGuru is here to help, contact me at msmoneyguru@gmail.com for a consultation.
Showing posts with label Debt. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Debt. Show all posts
Saturday, January 5, 2013
Friday, December 14, 2012
Hello Out There!!! My Financial Journey Update 12/14/2012
All I can say is BOOYAH!!!!!!
No really, its been a tough, tough year y'all. I mean everything that could have happened this year DID, but we are still here trucking along trying to progress...moving FORWARD (my favorite word for this season).
So in case you need to be reminded...you can search older posts to be sure...between the last update (March 2012) and today my hubby and I have paid off our 2010 Toyota Hylander! Yeah! It feels good.
As you can see from the chart, we knocked out $43,598 in ONE YEAR!
Honestly, those are going to have to wait (a tad)...right now I just want to enjoy Christmas, New Years, and get ready for our 1st real vacation in like 4 years!!! We are going to Hawaii in 2013...a bit of a bucket list for me, plus I like to stay in the US for a bit...no offense.
As I mentioned earlier, 2012 was like the hardest year of my life, professionally and personally...wow, I'm so ready for New Years!
I have loads of updates and insight to share in the coming months...more to come...
MsMoneyGuru
Having problems developing a plan to get out of debt? Want to know who we are doing our debt snowball (like how the HECK did you we pay off $270,810 in 2 1/2 years!)? You may need a coach...MsMoneyGuru is here to help, contact me at msmoneyguru@gmail.com for a consultation.
No really, its been a tough, tough year y'all. I mean everything that could have happened this year DID, but we are still here trucking along trying to progress...moving FORWARD (my favorite word for this season).
So in case you need to be reminded...you can search older posts to be sure...between the last update (March 2012) and today my hubby and I have paid off our 2010 Toyota Hylander! Yeah! It feels good.
As you can see from the chart, we knocked out $43,598 in ONE YEAR!
Now all we have left is the student loans...urghhh.
Honestly, those are going to have to wait (a tad)...right now I just want to enjoy Christmas, New Years, and get ready for our 1st real vacation in like 4 years!!! We are going to Hawaii in 2013...a bit of a bucket list for me, plus I like to stay in the US for a bit...no offense.
As I mentioned earlier, 2012 was like the hardest year of my life, professionally and personally...wow, I'm so ready for New Years!
I have loads of updates and insight to share in the coming months...more to come...
MsMoneyGuru
Having problems developing a plan to get out of debt? Want to know who we are doing our debt snowball (like how the HECK did you we pay off $270,810 in 2 1/2 years!)? You may need a coach...MsMoneyGuru is here to help, contact me at msmoneyguru@gmail.com for a consultation.
Friday, April 13, 2012
"How We Saved $10,000 in Just One Year" (Article)
Check out this article!
Interesting story about "Wealth Watchers" a Money Diet (sorta like Weight Watchers).
"How We Saved $10,000 in Just One Year" - Your Money - MSN Living
The author of the story is married with two boys. She and her husband do not combine their inco me (they split bills), they tried this Money Diet separately and found relative success.
The Wealth Watchers program in short requires that you make a typical monthly budget, with income at the top subtract all fixed expenses, then take the remainder and divide by 30 to give yourself a daily discretionary budget. The author had about $90 a day to spend. Of course if you spend more one day you can spend less the next day...you tally up your net spending every week and save the excess. Psychologically, having only $90 a day to spend made her reevaluate her needs vs. wants therefore making her a better saver (like Weight Watchers does with its daily points system). After a year, she was able to save or pay down $10,000 worth of debt.
The only thing I didn't like about the story (example) is that she and her husband don't combine to any extent their finances... In my opinion, we were not put on this earth to go alone, so if you have a good healthy relationship and you utilize teamwork in everything else (raising kids, etc.) why not include your finances? I think she would have been much more successful if she and her husband combined some things...
In an extreme case this is how you end up with one spouse that is a saver and has $30k in the bank with $300k in retirement savings and the other spouse with $30k in debt and no retirement savings...that's counterproductive in my opinion and makes for a hard choice when the skeletons are reveled. When they retire will the responsible spouse (at the end of the day) be willing to share their hard earned money with the irresponsible spouse? Maybe your irresponsible spouse has a hard time with money and is not a natural saver, isn't the responsible one obligated to help them improve instead of leaving them to fend for themselves? I just think its a recipe for disaster.
I am personally a spreadsheet, category driven type of girl and would go crazy if I didn't know how my husband was managing the other side of the household, I need to balance my checkbook every day, and I don't buy anything without first consulting my budget. However, this daily allowance thing is a little too much...I budget two weeks at a time (aligned with my paycheck schedule).
What do you think about the Wealth Watcher program as described in the story? Is it something you can see working for your family?
MsMoneyGuru
Having problems developing a plan to get out of debt? Want to know who we are doing our debt snowball? You may need a coach...MsMoneyGuru is here to help, contact me at msmoneyguru@gmail.com for a consultation.
Interesting story about "Wealth Watchers" a Money Diet (sorta like Weight Watchers).
"How We Saved $10,000 in Just One Year" - Your Money - MSN Living
The author of the story is married with two boys. She and her husband do not combine their inco me (they split bills), they tried this Money Diet separately and found relative success.
The Wealth Watchers program in short requires that you make a typical monthly budget, with income at the top subtract all fixed expenses, then take the remainder and divide by 30 to give yourself a daily discretionary budget. The author had about $90 a day to spend. Of course if you spend more one day you can spend less the next day...you tally up your net spending every week and save the excess. Psychologically, having only $90 a day to spend made her reevaluate her needs vs. wants therefore making her a better saver (like Weight Watchers does with its daily points system). After a year, she was able to save or pay down $10,000 worth of debt.
The only thing I didn't like about the story (example) is that she and her husband don't combine to any extent their finances... In my opinion, we were not put on this earth to go alone, so if you have a good healthy relationship and you utilize teamwork in everything else (raising kids, etc.) why not include your finances? I think she would have been much more successful if she and her husband combined some things...
In an extreme case this is how you end up with one spouse that is a saver and has $30k in the bank with $300k in retirement savings and the other spouse with $30k in debt and no retirement savings...that's counterproductive in my opinion and makes for a hard choice when the skeletons are reveled. When they retire will the responsible spouse (at the end of the day) be willing to share their hard earned money with the irresponsible spouse? Maybe your irresponsible spouse has a hard time with money and is not a natural saver, isn't the responsible one obligated to help them improve instead of leaving them to fend for themselves? I just think its a recipe for disaster.
I am personally a spreadsheet, category driven type of girl and would go crazy if I didn't know how my husband was managing the other side of the household, I need to balance my checkbook every day, and I don't buy anything without first consulting my budget. However, this daily allowance thing is a little too much...I budget two weeks at a time (aligned with my paycheck schedule).
What do you think about the Wealth Watcher program as described in the story? Is it something you can see working for your family?
MsMoneyGuru
Having problems developing a plan to get out of debt? Want to know who we are doing our debt snowball? You may need a coach...MsMoneyGuru is here to help, contact me at msmoneyguru@gmail.com for a consultation.
Tuesday, April 10, 2012
Just Paid Off Some Debt So Why Do I Feel Broke?
I use to "feel rich" even though I was really "broke", but now I "feel broke" even though I am "richer" then I've been in a long time!
How does this happen?
For the last few months I have been saving up cash to pay off in full two debts totaling $14,000. The way it works is, I pay my minimum payments (to stay current), meanwhile I save up money on the side to pay them off completely.
When I finally had enough to kill the two debts, I drained my savings account down to the bare minimum emergency fund to get rid of them. Its only been two weeks since my "expenditure" and with Easter and my mom's recent birthday celebration, it has been an expensive month!
The fact that I was able to pay off these debts (ahead of schedule) and still pay for a holiday and special birthday (it was her 60th, shot out to Mom), I should be happy! But, I have to keep it real...I feel broke! I don't have any (cash) money...I cant wait til payday! Even though I knew I was going to pay off debt with that money, it felt good to have it in the bank, now I just want to refill my coffers as soon as possible.
I get paid in two days and next month I will not owe $370 in payments, so maybe I'll feel better then.
Emotional Downside of Being in Debt and then Sacrificing to Pay off Debt:
As some of you know...I am a financial coach and in dealing with clients I find that they have an emotional experience when they consider how much they will have to sacrifice to get out of debt. I mean, no eating out (for the most part), no major vacations, no new clothes, cutting back on personal expenses (hair, nails, spa days, etc.), and having to disappoint family and friends when they can't participate in recreational activities. (And) although I know its totally worth it to honker down and sacrifice to pay off debts, I have to say I totally understand the emotional reluctance...
Sacrificing to pay off debts sucks! I mean its like being on a really strict diet, really! You are suffering NOW for the cheeseburger and onion rings you had 10 days ago...REALLY!
Although my net worth has increased (debts going down) and I still have an emergency fund...I have to say it sucks to see all that money go to something I already enjoyed... Honestly, I don't even know what it was that I bought with the debt. The first debt was a credit card that I haven't use in over 20 months and it was a little of this and a little of that. The second was a (consolidation) loan I took out to pay off two other credit cards so I REALLY don't know what the heck I got for all of that!
I mean...$14,000 just GONE...I beg you all...DON'T GO INTO DEBT...you are sacrificing your future for a moment of pleasure, really not worth it. If I was debt free, what could I have done with FOURTEEN GRAND??? Oh to think of it makes me depressed...
That's why God says, "the debtor is slave to the lender", so what did I have to do with the money that I earned? Hand it over to my master!
Something to think about...
MsMoneyGuru
Having problems developing a plan to get out of debt? Want to know who we are doing our debt snowball? You may need a coach...MsMoneyGuru is here to help, contact me at msmoneyguru@gmail.com for a consultation.
How does this happen?
For the last few months I have been saving up cash to pay off in full two debts totaling $14,000. The way it works is, I pay my minimum payments (to stay current), meanwhile I save up money on the side to pay them off completely.
When I finally had enough to kill the two debts, I drained my savings account down to the bare minimum emergency fund to get rid of them. Its only been two weeks since my "expenditure" and with Easter and my mom's recent birthday celebration, it has been an expensive month!
The fact that I was able to pay off these debts (ahead of schedule) and still pay for a holiday and special birthday (it was her 60th, shot out to Mom), I should be happy! But, I have to keep it real...I feel broke! I don't have any (cash) money...I cant wait til payday! Even though I knew I was going to pay off debt with that money, it felt good to have it in the bank, now I just want to refill my coffers as soon as possible.
I get paid in two days and next month I will not owe $370 in payments, so maybe I'll feel better then.
Emotional Downside of Being in Debt and then Sacrificing to Pay off Debt:
As some of you know...I am a financial coach and in dealing with clients I find that they have an emotional experience when they consider how much they will have to sacrifice to get out of debt. I mean, no eating out (for the most part), no major vacations, no new clothes, cutting back on personal expenses (hair, nails, spa days, etc.), and having to disappoint family and friends when they can't participate in recreational activities. (And) although I know its totally worth it to honker down and sacrifice to pay off debts, I have to say I totally understand the emotional reluctance...
Sacrificing to pay off debts sucks! I mean its like being on a really strict diet, really! You are suffering NOW for the cheeseburger and onion rings you had 10 days ago...REALLY!
Although my net worth has increased (debts going down) and I still have an emergency fund...I have to say it sucks to see all that money go to something I already enjoyed... Honestly, I don't even know what it was that I bought with the debt. The first debt was a credit card that I haven't use in over 20 months and it was a little of this and a little of that. The second was a (consolidation) loan I took out to pay off two other credit cards so I REALLY don't know what the heck I got for all of that!
I mean...$14,000 just GONE...I beg you all...DON'T GO INTO DEBT...you are sacrificing your future for a moment of pleasure, really not worth it. If I was debt free, what could I have done with FOURTEEN GRAND??? Oh to think of it makes me depressed...
That's why God says, "the debtor is slave to the lender", so what did I have to do with the money that I earned? Hand it over to my master!
Something to think about...
MsMoneyGuru
Having problems developing a plan to get out of debt? Want to know who we are doing our debt snowball? You may need a coach...MsMoneyGuru is here to help, contact me at msmoneyguru@gmail.com for a consultation.
Friday, March 30, 2012
How is Your FICO Score Determined?
Interesting...A little education for all of you out there on how your FICO score is determined.
Read an excerpt from Get Rich Slowly, a blog that I follow:
Quick overview of credit scores and home mortgages
Let’s review the anatomy of a credit score. There are a few categories that determine your final number. All you Gwynns out there, lend a quick ear…
A FICO score serves as a quick reference guide for lenders to determine the risk level for them to give money. It’s a number between 300-850, the higher the better.
Lenders take your credit score and a few other pieces of information into consideration, such as age and salary, and make a decision about how your loan will play out. In short, a high score will be less risk, therefore a lower APR and less overall cost to the borrower.
Here’s a chart comparing APRs and total cost for a 30-year fixed mortgage on a $500,000 house:
| Credit Score | APR | Including interest, your house will cost… |
| 760-850 (best) | 4.014% | $860,760 |
| 700-759 | 4.236% | $884,160 |
| 680-699 | 4.413% | $902,880 |
| 660-679 | 4.627% | $925,560 |
| 640-659 | 5.057% | $974,880 |
| 620-639 (worst) | 5.603% | $1,003,560 |
--Taken from www.getrichslowly.org
(Tim Sullivan)
Bottom line: the only way to build a good FICO is to borrow money (regularly) and pay it back. At the top of my game, I had a 769 FICO score and around $50,000 in open lines of credit, which (by the way) I was sooo proud of.
However my score was not an accurate measure of how financial sound I was. It was just my "I love debt" score...nowadays I count my financial security in actual cash and real assets. That is, I let my FICO score take care of itself...the only reason I pull my credit report today is to make sure its accurate.
You think rich people give a flip about their credit score? We want to be RICH don't we?
One day I hope to be more like Gwynn in this story, she rocks!
Check It Out!
http://www.getrichslowly.org/blog/2012/03/29/bulking-up-your-credit-score-are-credit-cards-your-best-option/
MsMoneyGuru
Monday, March 26, 2012
New BMW 3 Series!
Hello! I am a wife and mother, hoping to have more kids, I drive a Toyota Highlander...last thing I need is a BMW 3 Series. But someone out there thinks I need one! How exciting...for me (or them?).
I did some fishing around and the new 2012 BMW 3 Series (328i) starts at $34,900. Okay...a little rich for my blood, given I cant easily get a stroller in the truck...but I digress.
I did some fishing around and the new 2012 BMW 3 Series (328i) starts at $34,900. Okay...a little rich for my blood, given I cant easily get a stroller in the truck...but I digress.
According to the brochure, the "Offers to get your (my) pulse racing" is a choice between $1,000 credit on select BMWs OR 2.9% APR financing!
Check it out!
Since I'm broke (still in debt), I'll most likely take the 2.9% financing please. After all the BMW company must know that I can afford it, or they wouldn't have sent me the offer, right?
Being a broke person, I will only consider the payments when determining if I can afford this car. Even though I am NOT maxing out my retirement, I have a negative net worth, and my kids DO NOT have a college fund. I'm going to take the plunge, you only live once and I'm sure I can pay it off quickly and get back to my goals in no time!
Lets see...
ASSUMING I qualify for a 2.9% APR:
A) If I pay the car off in 3 years, I will have $1,102 monthly payments and pay $1,721 in interest.
B) If I pay the car off in 5 years, I will have $680 monthly payments and pay $2,864 in interest.
C) If I pay the car off in 7 years, I will have $499 monthly payments and pay $4,028 in interest.
Given that I'm broke and want the lowest payment possible...I most likely will take Option C!
Oops don't forget the opportunity cost of the BMW...it doesn't stop at just $4,028 in interest. Let calculate how much money I would have saved if I had not bought a car and just paid myself...$499/month invested in a mutual fund (for college savings, investments, or retirement) would have yielded me $60,449 over 7 years. If at the end of 7 years, I leave that $60,449 alone and don't touch it for 20 more years, I will have $442,976...
Oh Darn! They don't mention that in the brochure!
MsMoneyGuru
Credit Card Offers, They Keep Trying!
So, my husband and I have been on our Debt Free Journey since August 2010, that's about 19 months. Meaning that was the last time we used a credit card or loan or anything related to debt. When we started all of our credit cards were close to maxed. Capital One was one of the first credit cards that we paid off, it had a low limit/balance.
As you may know, as you pay debt off, you start to look more desirable to banks, and they start sending you offers again. About 6 months ago, the offers started pouring in...
In case the print is too small: They are trying to convince my husband that he needs a little cash....
They say "Get 0% APR for 12 months with these checks!" The checks are attached...
"There are times when you need a little extra cash. With your Capital One account ending in xxxx, you can get the cash you need at a low 0% APR for 12 months."
The offer goes on to mention that although the offer is for 0% APR, they will charge us a 3% transaction charge...TRANSLATION: Instead of charging you interest throughout the next year, we will just charge you up front (how convenient).
They also tell us that these checks are for necessary expenses. I love how they draw a picture of how simple it is to get this FREE money! In case I can't read...LOL
Thank God, we started getting smart with our money! This use to be so tempting to me! I mean...0% for 12 months! Even 3% is cheap money--the old me might have borrowed it Just In Case (because you never know when an offer like this may come your way again). BUT because we changed the way we look at money, we have saved over the past 19 months an emergency fund.
So for the amount of money that is available for us to borrow with these checks at 3%, I have more then that amount sitting in my savings account ready for me to borrow at a true 0% interest rate, oh and I can take my time paying myself back...genius.
What's in your wallet?????
CASH
MsMoneyGuru
As you may know, as you pay debt off, you start to look more desirable to banks, and they start sending you offers again. About 6 months ago, the offers started pouring in...
Here is an example of one:
In case the print is too small: They are trying to convince my husband that he needs a little cash....
They say "Get 0% APR for 12 months with these checks!" The checks are attached...
"There are times when you need a little extra cash. With your Capital One account ending in xxxx, you can get the cash you need at a low 0% APR for 12 months."
The offer goes on to mention that although the offer is for 0% APR, they will charge us a 3% transaction charge...TRANSLATION: Instead of charging you interest throughout the next year, we will just charge you up front (how convenient).
They also tell us that these checks are for necessary expenses. I love how they draw a picture of how simple it is to get this FREE money! In case I can't read...LOL
Thank God, we started getting smart with our money! This use to be so tempting to me! I mean...0% for 12 months! Even 3% is cheap money--the old me might have borrowed it Just In Case (because you never know when an offer like this may come your way again). BUT because we changed the way we look at money, we have saved over the past 19 months an emergency fund.
So for the amount of money that is available for us to borrow with these checks at 3%, I have more then that amount sitting in my savings account ready for me to borrow at a true 0% interest rate, oh and I can take my time paying myself back...genius.
What's in your wallet?????
CASH
MsMoneyGuru
Tuesday, March 20, 2012
More Ways to Stay Broke!
Let Montel tell you how to manage an emergency...
Dumb, Dumb, Dumb...
If I don't have $1,000 NOW, what makes you think I am going to have it when its time to pay it back? Don't forget to add the 900% interest they will charge!
Its called an emergency fund!
MsMoneyGuru
Dumb, Dumb, Dumb...
If I don't have $1,000 NOW, what makes you think I am going to have it when its time to pay it back? Don't forget to add the 900% interest they will charge!
Its called an emergency fund!
MsMoneyGuru
Rent A Center is the New "Pay Day Loan"!
Wonder what's keeping you broke?
Is this you?
$39.99 a week for a TV!!!!
For all you math nerds...using Rent a Center is like charging your TV on 100% APR Credit Card.
See the "deal" below:
96 week rental
Cash Price - $1704.00
Cost of Rental - $2,135.04
Total of Payments "Rent to Own" - $3,839.04
If you want to be poor, do what poor people do, if you want to be rich, do what rich people do...its simple!
Stop buying stuff you cant afford!
MsMoneyGuru
Is this you?
$39.99 a week for a TV!!!!
For all you math nerds...using Rent a Center is like charging your TV on 100% APR Credit Card.
See the "deal" below:
96 week rental
Cash Price - $1704.00
Cost of Rental - $2,135.04
Total of Payments "Rent to Own" - $3,839.04
If you want to be poor, do what poor people do, if you want to be rich, do what rich people do...its simple!
Stop buying stuff you cant afford!
MsMoneyGuru
Dave Ramsey Student Loan Rant...Love It!
Dave Ramsey goes off on the craziness of student loan debt!
This is classic! If you want to hear the audio, click the link below and scroll to the end of the page and select "play". If you want to skip through, start at minute 5:05.
http://www.daveramsey.com/index.cfm?event=askdave/&intContentItemId=122967
Her is a piece of it; but its worth hearing (click the link)...
"I’ve got to tell you that I’m about to blow a gasket. I’m about to go into orbit. I’ve taken so many calls like this. Where are the parents here? If your kids are that stupid, jack them up! Seriously—$130,000 to get a degree from Columbia in divinity to get a $40,000 job as a minister. Spending $130,000 to get an undergraduate degree in psychology—that’s crazy!! So when you have babies, you go home to be a stay-at-home mom.
I love stay-at-home moms. But you know the number one reason I’m finding out now that people can’t stay home with their kids? It’s their freaking student loan stupidity! I’m not mad at this particular lady that just called. This concept is driving me bananas!
If you have a 20-year-old or an 18-year-old walking around, grab them by the ear and tell them they should not get a useless degree from a private university that you cannot making a living with and then choose to go home and be a stay-at-home mom with $100,000 in student loan debt.
This is how life happens. You say you’re going to be a professional at something and then you change your mind—YOU LOST THAT OPTION! You lose these options when you go this far in debt. You are forced into a situation where you are choosing between your children and student loan debt to get a useless degree!
You know what a psychology degree without a master’s degree is worth? NOTHING! Nothing! Absolutely nothing! You can’t get a degree in a factory with that degree! You know what a theology degree from Columbia is worth? NOTHING! It has no marketplace value! Think, people!
This is what’s going on! You’ve lost your ever-loving minds, America. You are stupid about education—how paradoxical is that? You wander in, spend any amount to get a degree and act like the student loan tooth fairy is going to come in and pick up your stuff. There is no student loan tooth fairy! You have to think.
Your stupid degree in a stupid field does not have a marketplace value and it doesn’t guarantee that you’re going to get a job! As a matter of fact, it’s an indicator that you’re too stupid to hire! Do not allow your 18-year-old to go $200,000 in debt so they can get a good Christian education in underwater basket weaving. That’s stupid! Stop it!
It’s out of control, people. Somebody’s going to have to stand up and say enough already! It’s not the institution’s fault, it’s the parents’ fault! Parents, tell your children to not be stupid and don’t assist them in this stuff. Don’t assist them to go hundreds of thousands of dollars in debt to get a degree that has no marketplace value. This is ridiculous! THINK, people!
Stupidity with education choices is about as paradoxical as anything I can think of. It’s got to stop. It’s destroying the American family. It’s destroying the economy. It’s ridiculous!"
--Dave Ramsey (March 13, 2012)
MsMoneyGuru
This is classic! If you want to hear the audio, click the link below and scroll to the end of the page and select "play". If you want to skip through, start at minute 5:05.
http://www.daveramsey.com/index.cfm?event=askdave/&intContentItemId=122967
Her is a piece of it; but its worth hearing (click the link)...
"I’ve got to tell you that I’m about to blow a gasket. I’m about to go into orbit. I’ve taken so many calls like this. Where are the parents here? If your kids are that stupid, jack them up! Seriously—$130,000 to get a degree from Columbia in divinity to get a $40,000 job as a minister. Spending $130,000 to get an undergraduate degree in psychology—that’s crazy!! So when you have babies, you go home to be a stay-at-home mom.
I love stay-at-home moms. But you know the number one reason I’m finding out now that people can’t stay home with their kids? It’s their freaking student loan stupidity! I’m not mad at this particular lady that just called. This concept is driving me bananas!
If you have a 20-year-old or an 18-year-old walking around, grab them by the ear and tell them they should not get a useless degree from a private university that you cannot making a living with and then choose to go home and be a stay-at-home mom with $100,000 in student loan debt.
This is how life happens. You say you’re going to be a professional at something and then you change your mind—YOU LOST THAT OPTION! You lose these options when you go this far in debt. You are forced into a situation where you are choosing between your children and student loan debt to get a useless degree!
You know what a psychology degree without a master’s degree is worth? NOTHING! Nothing! Absolutely nothing! You can’t get a degree in a factory with that degree! You know what a theology degree from Columbia is worth? NOTHING! It has no marketplace value! Think, people!
This is what’s going on! You’ve lost your ever-loving minds, America. You are stupid about education—how paradoxical is that? You wander in, spend any amount to get a degree and act like the student loan tooth fairy is going to come in and pick up your stuff. There is no student loan tooth fairy! You have to think.
Your stupid degree in a stupid field does not have a marketplace value and it doesn’t guarantee that you’re going to get a job! As a matter of fact, it’s an indicator that you’re too stupid to hire! Do not allow your 18-year-old to go $200,000 in debt so they can get a good Christian education in underwater basket weaving. That’s stupid! Stop it!
It’s out of control, people. Somebody’s going to have to stand up and say enough already! It’s not the institution’s fault, it’s the parents’ fault! Parents, tell your children to not be stupid and don’t assist them in this stuff. Don’t assist them to go hundreds of thousands of dollars in debt to get a degree that has no marketplace value. This is ridiculous! THINK, people!
Stupidity with education choices is about as paradoxical as anything I can think of. It’s got to stop. It’s destroying the American family. It’s destroying the economy. It’s ridiculous!"
--Dave Ramsey (March 13, 2012)
MsMoneyGuru
Friday, March 9, 2012
Gen Y's Retirement: $2 million...Not Impossible
Check this out! Gen Y's retirement: $2 million
So, apparently according to this article, Generation Y-ers need around $2M in Retirement! Seem impossible? It shouldn't, most of Generation Y (mostly those born in the 80's) are fully capable of saving at least $2M in retirement.
Perhaps my experience is limited, but almost everyone I know has financed a car, at one time or another. If you can finance a car, you can save $2M by the time you are 65; plain and simple.
Check out the math:
Lets say the average car payment in America is $350/month, although I have read that it is higher then that!
And you invest that $350 a month in an IRA or 401k making at least 10% annual return a year (reasonable estimate), in 40 or 35 years from age 25-65 or 30-65, respectively. On your 65th year you should have $2,213,427.85 or $1,328,823.32.
The idea is to save enough, so when you are in retirement you can pull out the growth (interest) on an annual basis and live off of that. For example, if you have $2M in the bank, and you earn 10% a year (on average) you can pull $200k a year out for living expenses.
Mind you these numbers are simple in that they don't include an employer match or inflation. My point is that it doesn't take much to re-set the trajectory of your financial plan.
Just something to think about...if you can afford a Tahoe or Camry payment you can afford retirement.
MsMoneyGuru
So, apparently according to this article, Generation Y-ers need around $2M in Retirement! Seem impossible? It shouldn't, most of Generation Y (mostly those born in the 80's) are fully capable of saving at least $2M in retirement.
Perhaps my experience is limited, but almost everyone I know has financed a car, at one time or another. If you can finance a car, you can save $2M by the time you are 65; plain and simple.
Check out the math:
Lets say the average car payment in America is $350/month, although I have read that it is higher then that!
And you invest that $350 a month in an IRA or 401k making at least 10% annual return a year (reasonable estimate), in 40 or 35 years from age 25-65 or 30-65, respectively. On your 65th year you should have $2,213,427.85 or $1,328,823.32.
The idea is to save enough, so when you are in retirement you can pull out the growth (interest) on an annual basis and live off of that. For example, if you have $2M in the bank, and you earn 10% a year (on average) you can pull $200k a year out for living expenses.
Mind you these numbers are simple in that they don't include an employer match or inflation. My point is that it doesn't take much to re-set the trajectory of your financial plan.
Just something to think about...if you can afford a Tahoe or Camry payment you can afford retirement.
MsMoneyGuru
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)