Jeremy Fulton, Financial Wellness Coach

Category: Personal

  • 5 Reasons Why Creating a Will Demonstrates Love

    5 Reasons Why Creating a Will Demonstrates Love

    The reading of the will, as seen on TV: family and friends gather in the lawyer’s office.  The family attorney opens the envelope and clears his throat.  The room goes silent in a instant with anticipation of what’s to come.  As the reading progresses, a mix of emotions and expressions fill the room: elation, joy, anguish, anger, sadness, crying, and the breaking of relationships.

    headstoneHollywood does it’s best to build drama for the audience, but that is NOT what you want to leave behind, is it?

    I remember talking with a client as she was navigating the complex and convoluted process of settling her mother’s estate after she passed without leaving a will.  The time, the difficulties, and heartache of trying to divide up her possessions without severing the fragile family ties was how my client was forced to remember her mother initially, instead of reflecting on all the good memories.

    Writing a will isn’t always easy; to do so acknowledges that you are mortal, that you may loose your loved ones, and that you are not guaranteed tomorrow.  But to do so, to do the hard thing now, is a huge act of love to those who may be left behind.

    Here are 5 ways that creating a will is an act of love towards your family:

    1. YOU decide who gets what.  You are not putting the burden of divvying up your possessions on your executor (legal name for the one who settles your estate).  It is likely that you will have family heirlooms, some wealth, and items that hold sentimental value to your family.  I’m sure you know someone or have heard of someone who experienced a family fall out because someone didn’t get dad’s tie collection.  Communicate your desires ahead of time, so everyone knows where they stand, and why, long before you pass on.  Don’t put that burden on your survivors.
    2. More of your estate stays out of probate.  Probate is the court that settles wills, but probate is VERY expensive and going through it can be very time intensive.  Don’t make your loved ones have to deal with grieving for you AND dealing with the legal system at the same time.  You will also allow more of your hard earned assets to pass to your kin vice the state.
    3. You get to choose who becomes guardians for your minor children.  Before you write your will, talk with your spouse (warning, it can be a VERY emotional discussion) and come to an agreement on who you want to raise your kids should you both pass on.  Then ask the proposed guardians (in person!!! not over text or Facebook!!!!); explain why you chose them.  Then talk to anyone else who might think they would be the guardians and explain why you chose someone else.  It’s a VERY hard discussion, but it must be done to ensure there is peace in your remaining family.  And do you really want the state to decide who gets your kids?   Me either!
    4. It can allow all your possessions to pass to your spouse seamlessly should you predecease him/her.  You don’t want your spouse to have to deal with the courts when she should be grieving.  Don’t add stress to an already difficult situation.
    5. If you have a blended family, it sets up the expectations ahead of time.  Deciding how to divide assets between a spouse and child won’t be easy, but don’t make them duke it out after you are gone; be an adult and allow them to challenge you while you are still around to explain and/or make changes.

    Now, once you have your will (or wills, if married) complete, discuss the contents with all who are affected.  Don’t allow the drama of TV to take place, deal with your decisions now!

    If you have a relatively small and simple estate, you can do your own will, but if you have some wealth, seek out the advice of a quality estate planning attorney.

    There are other ways that a will demonstrates love, how would you feel loved by your spouse/parent/grandparent having a will?

  • How to save money every day the way I do

    How to save money every day the way I do

    Here at the Fulton’s we are always looking for legitimate ways to save money.  Especially when it comes to every day expenses.  Some of these you probably already do, others will seem extreme, and the rest you will want to start doing today!

    Everything I’m about to talk about is something we currently do, use, buy, own, or have previously done, used, bought, or owned.

    • Ting mobile phone service.  Ting is a pay-per-use service, so you can control your bill!  Our bill, for two smart phones, went from about $150 on Verizon to about $35 with Ting!  Ting uses the Sprint network, so it’s reliable.  They will even credit you up to $75 to get out of your current contract!  Click here to see how much you can save.
    • Menu Planning.  My wife plans out two weeks of meals at a time, then generates the shopping list based off of this.  Between having a plan for what to cook/eat and shopping with a list, we cut our grocery bill by 25%!!!  My wife uses this App/service; it’s not perfect, but works for us (let me know what you use)
    • GasBuddy.com.  If you want to compare gas prices before you head out the door, this site is great!  Prices are reported by users of the site and app (yes, there is an app that you can use!).  Don’t waste your time/fuel driving around to find the best deal!
    • Lower the thermostat.  In the winter, we keep the thermostat pretty low (55F!) and wear warm clothes inside, and blankets while sitting on the couch.  We both work in the same room/office, so we use a small oil-filled space heater to keep that room at a reasonable temp.  In the summer we use fans, except when it’s too hot for that.
    • TV.  I cut the cord years ago, “giving up” traditional satellite TV service.  We will check out movies (and TV series) from the local library (they can get movies from other libraries if it’s one not in stock),  or use Redbox.com for a new release (pro tip: reserve online or w/ the app to ensure the movie you want is at the kiosk closest to you).  Also, now there is the option of streaming content from the internet; devices such as a Roku, AppleTV, ChromeCast, or Fire TV allow you to stream free content or inexpensive subscription programs such as NetFlix, Amazon Prime, or Hulu+.
    • Cloth napkins.  And no paper towels.  Not only do cloth napkins add some ‘class’ to your meals, they don’t cost anything to re-use (they will fit in your normal laundry load)!  We use old hand-towels instead of paper towels.  Again, they don’t add measurably to the laundry (and are tougher/more absorbent than paper, anyway!).
    • Cloth diapers.  With Baby-J on the way, we wanted to find out how to keep costs as low as possible.  We calculate that we will save several thousand dollars over the course of two children; this includes the cost of buying quality diapers, extra laundry loads, and our time.
    • Amazon Wish List.  This may seem counter intuitive, but hear me out.  I’m a spender.  So I’ll put stuff I want or think I need on the list instead of buying it right away (even if it’s in budget).  I’ll take some time to price shop and to just let it sit.  Many times I’ve removed something from the list, either because I realized I didn’t really want it that bad, or I found a better option.
    • Buy used.  Craigslist, eBay, etc are all great  places to find used, quality goods (80% of my furniture, and my last 4 cars were found on Craigslist).
    • Buy quality.  When it counts.  Some things, like baby clothes, don’t matter, but with many things, buying it once, for a little more, if better than buying it many times.  Or the usability factor can make it worth while to buy the better model.
    • Cash Flow Planning.  This is the single BEST way to reduce your spending and save money.  It forces you to be intentional about your spending.  It is how we ensure we only spend on what is important to us.  It reigns in the impulse spending and prevents overdraft fees.  We use You Need A Budget (YNAB for short) as our budgeting software.  It is super easy to use, has a free mobile app, great resources, forums, FB group, and even has a good looking interface!  I’ll be writing a formal review on it, soon.  But for now, download the free trial here.  If you want to buy it, save $6 by using this link.

    What money saving tips would you like to share?

     

    Disclosure: some of the links provided are for referral programs.  By clicking those links, I will receive an account credit or money.  You may also receive a credit from those same links.

  • My Confession To You

    My Confession To You

    I am not perfect

    No surprise, right?

    I am not perfect with money

    There, I said it. It’s true. Even though I’m a Financial Wellness Coach I am prone to making mistakes and not enjoying everything I have to do to succeed with money.

    Sometimes the only thing keeping me from raiding my emergency fund for new camera gear is my wife.

    Sometimes I don’t want to spend the time saving for something and get a credit card to get it now.

    Sometimes I forget to write my budget before the first of the month.

    Sometimes I get a credit card offer in the mail with a “great” points system and think that I could get free stuff and not develop bad spending habits.

    Sometimes I see Amazon.com’s offer of free money to sign up for their card and want to “take advantage” of the offer.

    Sometimes I overspend a budget category.

    Sometimes I forget to pull out cash to use for our grocery budget and use the debit card, hoping I don’t overspend the budget.

    Sometimes I want to not invest 15% of my income for the future and enjoy my hard work today.

    Sometimes I don’t want to act like an adult.

    But I am an adult

    And my wife & future child depend on me being responsible. Sometimes when I do what is right, its not because it’s fun, easy, or makes me feel good. It’s because as an adult I force myself to see beyond myself, beyond now, beyond how I feel.

    When I make a mistake, I look at the WHY. I try to learn the cause of it and change my behavior/habits to not make the same mistake twice.

    What keeps me on the straight and narrow, financially?

    My wife, first of all. She is my accountability partner and any mistakes I make will be known and addressed (with love and forgiveness).

    You all; Writing, teaching, and coaching about responsible personal financial actions & habits forces me to do the right thing. I know that the moment I sign up for a credit card or car loan, my credibility with you is lost, maybe forever! I would not trust a coach who acted opposite of the way he/she coached.

    What do you struggle with? How do you overcome those struggles?

  • Giving Thanks

    Giving Thanks

    Tomorrow is the Thanksgiving holiday here in the US. Many like to take a moment and reflect on all that they are grateful for. Some see it as a 4-day weekend that they can pig out during. Others see it as the day before Black Friday, where they can fight crowds for a super deal on low quality electronics.

    I have to admit that in the past I’ve done more of the latter two than the first. But things have changed in my life in the past couple years that have caused me to change how I see the world and my life. Just over a year ago I left singleness for good and married the most amazing woman I’ve ever met, and now we are expecting our first child, due in May!! Between those two major events I’ve become more outward focused and less selfish. I’ve learned how fulfilling it is to serve my wife as a husband; more so than anything I did while single.

    I won’t bore you with an exhaustive list of every good thing in my life, but I do want to express my gratitude for a few things I’m most grateful for, things I thank my Creator for often.
    – My relationship with Jesus Christ, and the grace and mercy He’s granted to me
    – My wife; I waited a LONG time to find her, and my life is so much the richer due to her love
    – Our child; I’ve waited a long time to be a dad, and an so excited to be one!
    – Having family close enough to spend holidays with; I’ve lived for so long thousands of miles from my family that having my in-laws close has been a blessing
    – My career as a Personal Financial Coach; I get so much joy and fulfillment helping others change their lives! It’s amazing to have a job that I love so much!

    I hope you take some time and reflect on what you are thankful for, and remember those that are less fortunate. Your life may be tough, difficult, and painful, but there is always a silver lining to the cloud if you just look hard enough.

    What are you most thankful for? Please share with us in the comments section 🙂

  • The Artist Within

    The Artist Within

    Just a heads up about this post: it’s not about money!  Or is it??

    Before I went full-time as a Financial Coach, I was an engineer.  I sat in front of a computer, wrote emails, made phone calls, and tracked the status of my projects.  My job required zero creativity and when I tried to be creative, it went against the grain of “that’s how we always do it” mentality.

    I had to find a way to let my creativity out or I would have probably had a mental break down (well, that’s a bit of an exaggeration, I know).

    Creating art in the medium of photography is my outlet.

    I believe that each and every one of us is hardwired to need an outlet for the creativity that we are created with.  I wonder how much of the depression, crime, suicide, drug use, and other social ills would be eliminated if each person discovered their creative potential and exercised their creative gifts would remain?  hmmm….

    I know that letting my creative side out helped me reduce stress, sleep better, engage with friends better, meet new friends, and generally allowed me to be a better person.

    When I pick up my camera I can feel any stress start to melt away as my heart rate climbs a bit due to the excitement and adrenalin flowing though me!  Making a great image (or attempting to) has turned many a bad start to a day into a great finish!  I forget the issues at work and the stress of providing for my family as a self-employed individual, as I focus on what I see though the viewfinder (you can check out my work at JeremyFultonPhotography.com).

    After spending time looking through a lens, capturing the world as I see it, I feel that I am more focused and able to do what is required of me (at work and at home).  It allows me to accomplish more, with less stress, which actually helps me professionally!

    In what ways do you express your creativity?  You may not be talented with a musical instrument, paint brush, or camera, but none-the-less I bet there is a way you create art!  Do you work on old cars, building the engine into a powerhouse?  Do you write computer programs or apps?  How about working in your flower/vegetable garden?  Do you perform tricks/stunts with a bike/snowboard/skis?  Those are all creative outlets!

    Please share with us your creative outlet and how it helps you!

  • Student Loans: A God-send or The Devil in Disguise?

    Student Loans: A God-send or The Devil in Disguise?

    A short time ago I read an article on FoxNews.com (click for that article) that got me thinking about student loans and the effect they have had on our nation (actually, I was a little angry after reading it).  Before I move into facts, figures, and suggestions, please let me rant a little.  If you don’t want to read my rant, click here to skip it.

    The article starts with a sad story (no sarcasm here) about a couple’s daughter that died at a young age about 4 years ago.  The parents co-signed their daughter’s $100k in private student loans for a nursing degree.  The parents lament that the debt, now around $200k, has devastated their financial standing with $2,000/month payments.  Yes, I agree that they are facing a very difficult situation caused by an even more difficult event, and I do sympathize with them.

    But the part of the article that caused the blood to start boiling was their blatant ‘passing of the buck’ of their responsibility that they signed up for and their failure as parents to prevent the debt in the first place (a new nurse can expect to earn about $42k/year; how do you repay $100k, raise a family, and enjoy life in that situation?!?).

    It’s extremely sad that these parents (who aren’t unique in this case) set up their daughter for failure by allowing her to go so far into debt when she was trying to start her life by co-signing the loans.  Parents have a responsibility to be parents, not friends, of their children and guide them towards success, not set them up for hardship and failure!

    The second thing that riled me up was that even though they knowingly signed as guarantor of the loan, they believe that they should be exempt from repaying the loan.  They took out private student loans, so the death forgiveness clause isn’t applicable, so as co-signer, they are required to repay the loans.  They are also upset that they can’t just walk away from their obligations by filing bankruptcy!  The father claims to be a minister, on top of it all!  I can’t imagine attending a church where the clergy don’t believe in personal responsibility.  He believes that private student loans should be regulated the same as Federal student loans.  Maybe he should have thought about that before signing his name?  Maybe he should have read the fine print?  Or maybe he should admit he made a big mistake and use this platform to warn others of the dangers?

    I think that there is a lesson to be learned here; while my heart goes out to this family for their pain, had the story ended differently, without tragedy, would this have been a happy ending?  Neither she nor her parents would have the freedom for her to choose her own path.  She would almost be forced to work, and work a lot, to make the payments, instead of having the option to work less, or not at all, to spend more time with her children.

    Ok, enough of that.  I needed to get that out, so thanks for indulging me.

    Talk to most students and their parents and they will tell you that “you can’t be a student without a student loan.”  Is that true?  Or just a popular excuse people use to justify a lack of planning and thought in school choice?

    I’m not going to bore you with facts and figures.  Instead, I’ll discuss a philosophy of college funding that gets almost no news coverage, is rarely recommended by ‘guidance’ counselors in schools, but is used by many people today (in fact, there is a book written on this subject that I HIGHLY recommend).

    What you may not be aware of is that many students actually pay for college as they go!  About 34% of college grads paid for their college without loans!  “How did they do it?” you might ask.  Each person is different, but you can point to a few things that made this possible for them:

    • Parents who planned ahead (college funds)
    • Scholarships (make it your job to apply for thousands of scholarships instead of [insert time waster here])
    • Work (many students spend almost 40hrs a week watching TV, playing video games, and doing other non-study activities)

    Lets look at college funds.  If you are a parent of a young child, start saving NOW!  Give your child the chance to pursue a higher education!  You can use a 529 or Coverdale Education Savings Account (ESA) to save with tax benefits (your friends and family can even contribute!).  If you have a child that you want to send to college, start saving now!

    Scholarships.  We all have heard of them, and heard that there is a lot of money out there up for grabs.  There is.  There are scholarships that are in the thousands, and others in the hundreds.  There are some specifically targeting certain groups, and others that are wider.  Chances are there are thousands of dollars of scholarships you can apply for.  Follow all the rules/requirements when applying and you have a better than average chance of being awarded some cash for college!  You might think that it’s not worth your time to apply, but consider this scenario: you spend a work-week (40 hrs) applying for a few hundred scholarships and are awarded a total of $2,000.  That’s $50/hr, equivalent to $100,000 a year!  You can’t make that much money at your part time job.  Spend time that you might otherwise spend playing video games, watching TV, or hanging out at the beach applying for scholarships and you could end up with a large chunk of your tuition paid for!

    Work.  It’s a four-letter word in the college context.  Many people think that if you work, your grades will suffer.  Many studies suggest that working a part time job (around 20-30 hrs a week) will actually help your grades!  Time management is one of the biggest skills learned while working in college, and it carries over into the workforce!  Since the average student spends only 15 hrs a week studying, 15-18 hrs in class, that leaves plenty of time to hold a job (working 8 hrs Fri, Sat & Sun = 24 hrs), even during the work week. [I worked 40 hrs a week for 4 years, graduated with a 3.4 GPA engineering degree, so it can be done!]  Working through the school year and working a lot in the summer can pay for an in-state degree!  Especially if the summer job is an internship in the student’s field!

    Maybe you are starting school this fall and your parent’s didn’t plan for your college and you don’t have any scholarship money coming, what can you do? I recommend paying as you go.  You may have to take a year or semester or two off in the process, but when you graduate debt free, you will not feel the pressure to take a less-than-ideal job offer just so you can pay your loan payments.  You can have the patience to pursue your calling!

    One more, very important, thing to consider when figuring out how to pay for college: college choice.  Unless you have a big, fat college fund, consider living at home and attending a local community college for the core classes then transferring to an in-state public school.  Is there any real benefit to crossing state lines?  Most likely not.  Pedigree schools (think IV League)?  There may be some very small benefit, but it rarely makes up for the extra you have to pay to attend!

    Parents, this is a bonus tip for you: remember that your 17 year old doesn’t have the experience, maturity, or common sense you have.  You are the parent, parent you children well and guide their college choice so that you are helping them, not hurting them, in the long run.

     

  • The Rain Is Coming, Do You Have A Rainy Day Fund?

    The Rain Is Coming, Do You Have A Rainy Day Fund?

    I just read an article from The Wall Street Journal describing how few people actually have a ‘rainy day’, or emergency fund, and that most of those people who do have some savings, don’t have enough.

    Statistically speaking you are one of the 209 million people who don’t have sufficient savings.  Of those, 82 million have NO savings.  WOW!

    I would wager, if I were a betting man, that very few of those surveyed even know how much is sufficient.

    3-6 months of expenses is what the experts (myself included) recommend.  For most people that’s $15-25,000, sitting untouched in a savings account.

    “That’s a lot of money sitting around not making any interest to speak of, why not invest that money and just use a credit card or home equity line of credit (HELOC) when an emergency comes?” you might ask.

    That might work for you to cover an auto repair, or your auto insurance deductible, but what happens when the boss comes to you on Friday, letting you know that you are part of the rumored layoffs?  That ‘secure’ job you were going to use to pay back the credit cards is gone, and racking up debt while unemployed is never a good idea!

    Lets also consider the intangible benefits of having a fully funded emergency fund.  There is a sense of peace in your home when you know that you will be OK, no matter what happens.  Think back to the last time you had an emergency (had to fly last-minute to a funeral, your car broke down, the furnace broke one cold and snowy weekend night); was there any panic in your mind, wondering where you would get the money to pay for it, or pay off the card, in addition to the actual thing that happened?  When you have some cash sitting around for those kind of events, it turns them from emergencies to inconveniences.  The stress level drops to near zero.  Your spouse is relaxed, not having to worry about grocery or rent money being spend, and it becomes easier to focus on getting through the actual event.  Think about that.

    I can attest from personal experience how important it is to have an emergency fund.  I’ll give you to recent examples from my own life:
    1. On my honeymoon last year, while 2000 miles from home in the Black Hills, one of the tires on my car came close to having a blow out.  Instead of having to cancel the rest of the trip, or any of the fun stuff we had planned (and stressing out my new wife), I simply put on the spare, dropped off the car with a local mechanic, bought 4 new tires (the rest were due to be replaced, too), went on our tour, and picked up the car afterward.  We hardly skipped a beat in our day, and even were able to smile when we talked about it that evening over supper.
    2. At the end of January of this year, after almost 5 years at a very stable engineering company, I was let go.  I didn’t enjoy what I did (have you ever had a life-sucking J-O-B?) and would not wanted to go back to work as a cube-dwelling engineer for another company. Having a fully funded emergency fund has allowed me to start my own Financial Coaching business!  This is something I’ve been preparing to do (school, training, reading, etc) for a long time, and now I can!  My wife is not stressed out about the money situation, even as the company is slowly growing, because she knows that we can go many months w/o any income and be OK.

    “Ok, ok, I get it; I need to start saving more.  But I’m not sure I can.”  The key to this is using a monthly budget, paying off your debts, then living on less than you make until you’ve saved enough.  If you are still in debt, quickly save up $1,000 then attack your debt.  $1,000 is enough to cover most emergencies, but low enough that you should feel the urgency to become debt free quickly so you can build that rainy day fund.

    So, where do you stand?  Fully funded?  Almost there?  Ready to start saving?

  • Identity Theft, or “I didn’t buy that!”

    How often have you hear or read in the news about a data breach (Target, the Veterans Administration, etc)? Probably so frequently that it seems like The Boy Who Cried Wolf. There have been at least 16 breeches made public in the last 30 days! As of the time I’m writing this, over 867 MILLION records have been breached since 2005!!

    I’m sure that by now with all the data breaches alone, not to mention the other opportunities identity thieves have that my identity has already been stolen, it’s just a matter of time for someone to start using the data to steal from me. I’m sure you know someone who’s had their ID stolen, in fact I was inspired and encouraged to write this blog post by my wife, who had her debit card data skimmed and used to make a fraudulent purchase.

    Ok, so you’ve heard of ID theft, but what is it, exactly? According to the Merriam-Webster dictionary ID theft is, “the illegal use of someone else’s personal information (such as a Social Security number) especially in order to obtain money or credit.”

    Other than data breaches, you ID can be stolen by:
    * Skimming: where someone copies the data off of the magnetic strip of your debit/credit card
    * Phishing: scammers pretend to be a legitimate financial institution or company and ask for your info
    * Stealing: thieves can raid your mailbox, steal your wallet or purse, or bribe people who have access to your info
    * Change of address: a thief can submit a change of address form and direct your statements to another location

    Some of the things they will do with your ID are:

    • Open new accounts, loans, credit cards
    • Set up utilities in your name
    • Empty your bank account
    • Obtain a government ID and/or government benefits
    • Give your info when they are arrested

    This all sounds pretty bad, but there is a bright(ish) side: You are not responsible for any acts committed by those who steel/use your ID without your permission. However, you are left with a mess to clean up. It can take hundreds of hours of your time to deal with everyone necessary to clean up your ID.

    So, what can you do? Unfortunately, you can’t prevent ID theft, but you can take steps to reduce the chance of having your ID stolen or minimize the damage, such as:

    • Checking medical insurance benefit statements and bills for inaccuracies/fraud
    • Only give out personal info to people/organizations you know or have contacted first
    • Don’t put your social security number on any ID cards in your wallet/purse or on your checks
    • Check your bank statements and annual earnings statement from Social Security for accuracy
    • Check your credit report at least annually, from each of the credit bureaus; you can do this for free
    • Choose complex passwords for all your online accounts

    But when all that doesn’t stop a thief, what can a person do? You should purchase an ID Theft Protection plan. It’s what I have done. For a few dollars a month I know that when my ID is stolen and used, all I have to do is contact my protection provider and they will do ALL the work to restore everything back to the way it was. I don’t have to spend my precious free time on the phone or sending certified letters to everyone. I personally use Zander Insurance’s ID Theft Protection Plan. I am not sponsored by them (or anyone) and would not recommend something I don’t personally use, but do your own research and see if this is the best product for you and your family. I know I have not found a better plan out there!

    So, how did it turn out with my wife’s stolen debit card info? We noticed an unfamiliar transaction on my bank statement the day it occurred. I called my bank’s fraud division and they credited the account, canceled my wife’s old card and issued her a new one. One thing of note, she had only used it a few times and still had it skimmed, while I use mine all the time and have not had it happen. So keep that in mind when you think you may need ID Theft Protection.

     

  • Financial Peace – What it means to me

    Financial Peace; what is it?  What does it mean to me?  In my life, it means that I have control over my finances; that I’m not living paycheck-to-paycheck, that I have a plan to govern my major purchases and my retirement.  That I have a savings account with enough set aside to get me through almost any emergency, including a 6 month period of unemployment.  It means being Debt Free (well, except my home) and not having to worry about payments.

    Up until 2007, I didn’t even have any idea that I could achieve this state; in fact, I never thought about my finances enough to know that I didn’t have Financial Peace.  You may have heard of Financial Peace University, a personal finance class usually taught in churches, well it was in taking FPU (Financial Peace University) that I discovered that there was such a thing, and that I didn’t have it.

    Before then, I was normal.  I had several credit cards, a car loan, student debt, a mortgage, and only a couple thousand in a retirement account with out any understand of what I had.  I earned a good living and enjoyed my income by eating out (a lot), buying new “toys,” and going on vacations.  I thought I was doing well.

    Like a lot of people, my parents didn’t know enough about personal finance to teach me much beyond how to balance a check book and that if I wanted any money, I had to work for it.  They were not taught about the importance of an emergency fund, saving for retirement, or the dangers of debt.  So I followed in their foot steps, worked hard, bought stuff with plastic, and looked at my W-2 every year and wondered where it all went.

    It was due to the information taught in FPU that I was able to learn how to budget, save, invest wisely, and have a plan for my finances.  Since becoming debt free in late 2008, I’ve developed a passion for helping people become free, to have Financial Peace.  I’ve spent a lot of my own money and free time learning all I can about personal finance, including completing the CFP curriculum, taking a week long financial counselor training course from Dave Ramsey’s team, reading about current issues, and practicing what I know.

    So, what does all this mean for you?  Chances are that you are very similar to the “normal” I described above, but you are looking for a change, that you are looking to take control of your life!  That’s where I can help you; I lead FPU at my local church in Groton, CT, where you can attend and start your journey, or you can contact me for a personal coaching session, where I will provide you the information, guidance, and accountability you need to achieve Financial Peace.

    With this blog I intend to bring you useful content, inspiration, and even some great deals to help you along your journey!  Please let me know what you want to read about!