Will you be choosing a “Word of the Year” for 2023? In 2022, my word was CURATE. Why? Like a museum curator, I want to be intentional and careful with what and who I allow into my life. For many of us, life has become crowded and over busy, and that’s the opposite of what I want. Museums have space …

Your credit score is not important, and it also is. Let me explain. There are two camps in the personal finance arena that shout the loudest. In the one camp, we have the “Debt is dumb” folks led by Dave Ramsey. In the other camp, we have those obsessed with amping their credit score to the sky with scientific precision. …

On Sunday, my Dad and I chatted about fun ways to be generous over a delicious lunch of chicken taco salads and enchiladas. Our pastor just preached a very refreshing message on generosity. (Zero guilt or pressure to donate, imagine that!)  The average American donates between 3% to 5% of their gross income to charitable and religious organizations. We wondered …

Ever wonder how it would feel to stop worrying about money? Before I hit financial rock bottom at age 26, I constantly worried about money. Will I have enough money for all the bills this month? Will that check clear my account before payday and cause me to be overdrawn? Where in the world will I come up with the …

  Married couples having separate bank accounts might conjure up images of mistrust or deceit between husbands and wives.  However, I think there are certain situations where separate accounts can be a good idea.  First, let me put forth a few disclaimers.  I think deliberately hiding money or debt from your spouse or partner is a horrible idea.  I also …

  Could you be saving too much money? That is the premise of the book I just finished reading called, Die with Zero by Bill Perkins. I picked it up somewhat reluctantly because dying with zero money seems to go against everything I’ve learned about personal finances over the past two decades. And many of the clients I work with …

  When we’re pursuing financial success, often a new level comes with a new mindset devil.  We’d like to think once we’re earning six-figures, it’s because we’ve conquered all of our money mindset demons. But I have found that’s rarely the case! When we ascend to new financial levels, encountering unfamiliar money situations, we frequently discover new mindset devils we …

  This year, a dream 8 years in the making finally came true for me! That dream was spending a month every winter in a tropical location. When I worked as an accountant, taking a month of vacation in January or February was absurd and impossible (year-end close followed by tax season). My dream didn’t come to pass exactly as …

The cop threatened to shoot my dog, and at that moment, I knew I had to leave Jeff. The pounding on the apartment door woke me up at 3 AM. I shuffled to answer it, dressed in my milk and cookies pajamas, my dog, Bronx, at my heels. I grabbed him by the collar and held him behind me as …