Hope for your financial life and beyond

On Being Embarrassed By But Secretly Admiring Street Preachers

Hidden Nuggets Series #76 - “The important thing is that in every way, whether from false motives or true, Christ is preached. And because of this I rejoice. Yes, and I will continue to rejoice…” Philippians 1:18

(This story has nothing to do with personal finance. But last summer God taught me a lesson about questioning the motives and tactics of those who preach his Word. It’s not up to me to be their judge. Here’s how I learned that…)

“Hooo!”

street preacher The booming cry cracked the calm Saturday afternoon air as my family and I stood in line at Great American Ballpark. Startled, I turn to see if I have been transported through time and space into an episode of Thundercats. Nope, don’t see Lion-O’s cat signal in the sky.

“Good afternoon everyone!”

The piercing voice continues to be projected over our heads. Where is it coming from? Who dares disrupt our anticipation of afternoon baseball?

I peered through some bystanders to see the originator of the voice standing on a grassy knoll. My eyebrows squinted with curiosity. A flushed face and drooping shoulders of embarrassment quickly replaced my curious gaze. For in his left hand held proudly forward was a Bible.

Street preacher. Oh, boy…here we go.

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How Reckless Driving May Affect Your License, Career and Credit History

Enjoy this article today from New York based attorney Zev Goldstein. Just don’t read it on your smartphone while driving.)

When it comes to traffic violations, reckless driving often ranks just below driving under the influence. A violation can affect every aspect of your life, from your job to your ability to attain future credit.

What Is Considered Reckless Driving?

Although the legal definition of reckless driving varies from state-to-state, it’s generally taken to mean driving in a manner that indicates a wanton or willful disregard for the safety of others.

Excessive speeding, tailgating, not signaling appropriately and running lights and stop signs are commonly considered reckless. Distracted driving from talking on the phone or texting behind the wheel can also fall under recklessness.

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The Most Important Things You Need to Know About Life Insurance

The topic of life insurance is one that many do not like to discuss. The reason is simple - it involves death, most notably our own. And since death routinely shows up on lists of common fears, its obviously something we choose not to think about.

girl in cemetary

How will you protect those you love once you are gone?

Next to purchasing quality health insurance, I believe this is the second most important insurance a person should buy. I feel this way because there is nothing you can do about it once you are gone. You can’t buy a life insurance policy after you are dead. You can’t provide any financial comfort to those left behind once you are in the ground.

See what I mean about life insurance? Even writing those sentences brought a tinge of emotion I’d rather not feel. That’s what makes it so easy to avoid dealing with this.

But we have to. Life insurance is a big piece of the puzzle to our financial lives - even if we, as the deceased, will never see any of the money.

What is Life Insurance?

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Research-Based or Practice-Based Nursing Doctoral Degree: Which is Right for You?

There’s no doubt that earning an advanced degree of any sort can benefit your career — and the field of nursing is no different. While many nurses opt to earn specialized master’s degrees, a smaller number choose to seek a terminal degree, or doctorate in nursing.

nursingPart of the reason for the dearth of nursing doctoral candidates is confusion about which type of degree to earn. Nursing doctorates fall into one of two categories: Research-based or practice-based. While both have similarities, in the sense that the overall earning potential is about the same (average annual salary for a nurse with a terminal degree hovers around $90,000) and the number of opportunities available for each is the same, the two degrees are actually quite different.

An Alphabet Soup of Credentials

The first major difference between nursing doctoral degree programs is the type of degree that the program leads to: DNP or Ph.D. A program that leads to a DNP, or Doctor of Nursing Practice, is a practice-based program, designed to prepare nurses to serve as nurse leaders or in administration or management. There’s also a growing push to require nurse practitioners, who currently can practice with a master’s degree, to seek DNP degrees to ensure quality care.

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10 Effective Strategies That Will Make You Better at Networking

I’ve known Grayson Bell from Debt Roundup since the early days of this site. We first connected by sharing thoughts in the comments section of our posts. Since then I’ve been fortunate enough to meet him last year at FinCon and have him help me with some technical issues on my site.

Because I had networked a bit and had this connection I was aware he would be publishing a special post in December. Each year he reaches out to personal finance bloggers and has them submit a money related tip that he can share with his readers.

I was happy to submit my tip and it got placed into “The 54 Best Personal Finance Tips of 2014” post he published on December 30th.

A few weeks later I received a curious tweet from someone I had never met. She was an editor of a new website and was looking for freelance writers. “Would I be interested?” she asked.

Of course, I had a lot of questions. In one email I asked her this, “How did you find out about me?” Naturally I was curious. Her reply proved to me again the power of networking.

She had read the personal finance tip I had submitted for Grayson’s post. Pretty cool!

You just never know where networking might take you.

The Biggest Obstacle to Networking

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Psychological Tricks That Will Get You a Raise

Get a Raise IOf all of the potentially awkward conversations that one can have at work, asking for a raise ranks only slightly behind firing someone in terms of discomfort. No one likes going to their boss and asking for more money. If the conversation goes well, it’s great. If it doesn’t, or if your boss can’t (or won’t) increase your pay, then the disappointment often comes with a side of embarrassment and resentment.

Many experts have advice on how to ask for a raise successfully, and much of it is good. You need evidence that you deserve a pay increase, such as testimonials and outlines of successful projects. Demonstrating in quantitative terms how much you’ve grown and improved is a good idea. And of course, you need to do your homework to ensure that what you’re asking for is in line with the going rate for your position, industry, and region.

Still, there is always a chance that your boss is going to turn you down. That’s why you need to be prepared to use psychology to improve your chances of getting a raise.

The Psychology of the Workplace

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Barriers to Entry: The Ongoing Battle With Exercise

“Barriers to entry” is an economic term that describes the challenges a company or individual might face when entering any competitive marketplace. Starting a blog has few roadblocks. In 30 minutes max you could have your own site up and running.

barricades by a fenceStarting your own oil refinery…well, that has a few more.

So many areas of my life have no barriers to entry. Nothing stops me from eating three meals a day (plus snacks). If I need to spend money on something I easily can. Watching a movie with the kids doesn’t require checking in with the IRS.

But when it comes to exercise it seems the path is always blocked. That activity which benefits my life so much I can hardly get to.

And it’s ALWAYS something.

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Signs It’s Time for a New Doctor And What to Do Before You Switch

Whenever you’re sick, or simply seeking routine preventive care, you trust your doctor to provide good medical care. Most people trust their doctors implicitly. After all, they went through years of training and have to know their stuff in order to practice medicine.

doctor and patientBut just because a doctor has the knowledge required to diagnose and treat patients doesn’t mean that they are good at their jobs. They may lack bedside manner or time management skills, which can lead to long waits and frustration. Other doctors aren’t willing to explore alternative treatment options, or can’t clearly explain their diagnoses and treatment plans.

With health care costs on the rise, there’s a renewed focus on quality in health care (to the point where health care professionals actually earn degrees in quality improvement) and ensuring that patients receive the care they deserve without wasting time and money.

However, as a patient, you hold a certain level of responsibility for the quality you receive as well. You have the right to seek other options when you aren’t happy with your care, not to mention that staying with a doctor who isn’t meeting your needs can be harmful to your health — and your wallet.

So when is it time to switch providers? There are some clear signs.

Sign #1: Your Doctor Doesn’t Listen

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How to Save One Thousand Dollars in a Month

Every building requires a solid foundation. For your money, that foundation is savings. Without adequate savings you will struggle to get out of debt and will always be susceptible to emergency situations.

$20 bills folded over Saving money isn’t sexy. We’d rather go spend our money on gadgets and entertainment that would give us an emotional high. Saving money and leaving it in the bank is just kind of emotionally blah.

But if you are serious about getting out of debt and building any kind of financial future, then saving regularly is a must. The best part is you don’t have to begin with much. All you need to save is $1,000 to get started just to give yourself some cushion.

That may or may not sound like a daunting task depending on your situation. Some of you may be struggling to pay your basic bills.

But one thousand dollars can be saved quickly. In fact, you could do it in only one month.

Saving One Thousand Dollars in a Month

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How to Enjoy a Life of Guilt Free Spending

guilt free shoppingHave you ever felt guilty when spending money? Perhaps you’ve heard the same voice rattling around in your head that I’ve heard in mine. It usually says something like, “Why did you spend that money? That was stupid! You know you shouldn’t have done that.”

When that thought occurs it’s typical to spend the rest of the day kicking yourself and feeling like you’ve done something wrong. That same night might be spent seeking forgiveness from your spouse, while the rest of the month you struggle to figure out how to make the budget cover for your spending decision.

Guilt is powerful. But have you ever stopped to consider why?

6 Possible Origins of Our Guilt

Why do we get so wrapped up with guilt when it comes to spending money?

I think the root of guilt can be traced to several factors, some of which may have started long ago in our childhood.

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It’s Easy to Love the Lovable

Hidden Nuggets Series #75 - “But love your enemies, do good, and lend hoping for nothing in return; and your reward will be great…” - Luke 6:35

love your enemiesI can easily love my wife.

My kids…no problem

Those who treat me well…check.

Showing affection towards and giving to them is not difficult. I would sacrifice much if any of these were in need, without hoping for or expecting anything in return.

I expect those in Jesus’ day felt much the same way. So it must have shocked their system when Jesus explained they were to love their enemies. Can’t you imagine the expressions?

It doesn’t take much imagination because the statement makes me squeamish some 2,000 years after he said it. When I consider the ramifications of loving those who hate me…or persecute me…or take advantage of me…or show little respect for me…well, I’m left feeling unable to answer the calling.

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