For good reason, we spend a lot of time focusing on the outflows (saving, spending, etc…) of our personal finances. And a majority of the posts in this series will do so. But this list would be incomplete unless we included a post on the inflow: INCOME! Let’s break down our experience with the earning [...]
Pay Off Your Credit Card Debt and Have Personal Finance Success
Do you have debt? I have carried my share of credit card debt. I signed up for my first two credit cards in college (you know, to get the free t-shirt). By the time I left college I had a decent amount of debt and two worn out t-shirts. I wasn’t paying this off every [...]
Debt Reduction Goals – Nov. 2011
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We are currently debt free except for the mortgage. We still use credit cards, but we pay them off completely at the end of the month. I can tell you that it’s a wonderful feeling that debt is no longer a major factor in our life. We’ve dealt with credit cards, student loans, car loans, [...]
Track Monthly Expenses and have Personal Finance Success
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Alright, number one is something I was doing long before I had my financial act together. I think I started doing this around the fall of 2001, right when I moved to Texas; I started tracking my regular monthly expenses. It was really simple actually. I simply listed out the days of the month in [...]
My First 401(k) Rollover
I just mailed off my 401(k) rollover application along with the distribution check from my previous employer’s plan. I recently changed jobs, and this is the first time I’ve been able to roll my 401(k) balance over. At previous job changes, I didn’t have a balance to roll over. Sadly, I didn’t really get into [...]
Will the Predicted Drop in Home Prices Affect Us?
2011 Update: The housing crash has affected us. We closed on our town home in the Fall of 2007 and as you guys know, that was about the peak of the bubble. We purchased our home for $205,000 and now (Summer of 2011) our home is valued at $195,000. This has affected us because we [...]
Seven Reasons Why I’m Starting a Personal Finance Blog
A quick post about why I’m blogging. Here’s a few good reasons: I love talking/thinking/reading about personal finance. It’s just one of those topics I can’t seem to get enough of. The next logical step, of course, is to WRITE about it. I want to learn more. This effort will hopefully take my knowledge of [...]
Roth IRA vs 401K: Which is Better?
Today I stumbled upon an article over at CNN Money by Walter Updegrave. He answers a readers question about the choice between a Roth IRA and a 401(K): “I’m 25 and recently switched employers. Although my new company provides a lucrative profit-sharing plan that everyone is automatically enrolled in after one year of work, my [...]
UFC: Pay Per View vs. Hooters!
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I enjoy watching the occasional Ultimate Fighting Championship fight. Who doesn’t? I think the UFC has a big future, both financially, and from a sporting perspective. The current UFC owners (along with President, Dana White) have done much to legitimize the sport and to bring it into the mainstream (i.e. gloves, no biting). I try [...]
Hi, I'm Philip Taylor. I'm a husband, father, blogger, and entrepreneur. I love learning to do more with my money and sharing it all here with you. Join in on the conversation and start improving your financial life today. 