Hope for your financial life and beyond

Why Online Loan Applications Can Boost Your Financials

December 1, 2018 by Leave a Comment

It doesn’t matter how hardworking and frugal you are, life is going to throw you a sudden curveball. An instance like that can change your financial security immediately. Be it some illness, the need for a vehicle, a house renovation or something else, it is not uncommon for such needs to arise.

Oddly enough, they seem to happen exactly when your bank balance is slim. That can leave you scrambling to figure out how to pay for it. If you don’t have an emergency fund set up, you may not have many other options than to see help elsewhere.

And for decades now, the solution to such problems would be a loan.

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Will Cryptocurrency Replace Stocks as a Primary Investing Option?

November 26, 2018 by Leave a Comment

Have you ever had trouble focusing at work because of market volatility? Is it a challenge for you to sleep at night worrying about the ups and downs of the stock market? Honestly, at times it can be scary. Our investments are at stake and we don’t want to end up on the losing side with those. 

What if I there was a better way to manage and handle your investments while not having to worry about hard cash? Is that possible? Today’s contributor, Ana Farr, Community Manager at ecommerce-platforms.com and Unblock.net believes so. She is here to explain why, in her opinion, it would be better to invest using crytpocurrency rather than stocks.

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15 Bible Verses to Remind Us to Be Thankful

November 14, 2018 by 16 Comments

Hidden Nuggets Series #65 – Thankful Bible Verses – “Oh, give thanks to the Lord, for He is good! For his mercy endures forever.” – I Chronicles 16:34

thankful bible versesI have a confession to make – I often forget how many things I have to be thankful for. It’s much easier for me to let the worries and frustrations of life overshadow all the blessings I enjoy. But doing that often enough only produces a spirit of ingratitude.

So how do I fight against my tendencies?

First off, I have to remind myself routinely to let go of the negative. Nothing good comes when I daily choose to focus on all that is wrong with my life or the world.

But an even more powerful strategy is to meditate on the concept of thankfulness. And the source that I constantly turn to for that is the Bible.

So I’d like to share with you my favorite verses about giving thanks from the Bible. Most are simply stand alone verses that express thankfulness to God for what he has done or is doing. King David was really good at that, as you will see from the multiple selections from the book of Psalms.

What’s great about these verses is that they really don’t need commentary. The message or challenge in each verse is pretty clear.  I’m just thankful Bible verses like this exist to keep me thinking the right way. [Read more…]

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Thank You, For One Million Page Views at Luke1428.com

October 19, 2018 by Leave a Comment

Rarely do I draw attention to the metrics of this blog. In fact, I’m not sure I’ve ever done it like this (and probably never will again). But I have fun moment that I couldn’t shy away from. Yesterday, some unknown user found their way to my site and triggered the one millionth page view at Luke1428.com. Thank you, mystery reader – I wish I had a prize for you.

Look, I know. In the grand scheme of the web, one million-page views isn’t a lot. Some personal finance sites get that in weeks. Still, it’s a big deal for me, especially when I consider my intentions for this blog.

This site has never been about making me money. I’ve never tried to make it my living as some other personal finance bloggers have successfully done. I basically generate enough revenue here to keep the site running and have a little left over for fun projects.

For the most part, I work on posts and site maintenance in my spare time. Early mornings, at night or on Sunday afternoon while watching football. It’s a part-time deal for me. And at this point, I’m doing two to three posts a month.

Despite my approach, the blog continues to grow beyond what I could have imagined when I first started. In fact, at current pace of growth, I should reach my 2-million-page view mark in the next two years. From there, who knows what happens.

So, if it’s not for a living, why devote effort to a blog in the first place? I’m glad you asked.

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6 Signs You Are Living Above Your Means

October 9, 2018 by 2 Comments

Let’s face it. We live in a fast paced, consumer friendly, debt-driven society. Spending money has never been easier.

That might be why more than 60% of Americans deal with credit card debt on a daily basis. Access to credit has never been more available to the general public. Unfortunately, it is a main reason why living paycheck-to-paycheck is an unfortunate reality for nearly half of Americans.

However, that reality doesn’t have to be inevitable. Your situation can improve with some quick refinements to your spending habits. I’ve done it before and so can you. You don’t have to live above your means.

It does come down to a simple choice. But first you must be able to recognize that you have a problem. With that in mind, here are a few warning signs you may want to look out for when you’re worried you’re not living within your means.

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How to Cut Your Energy Bills

October 9, 2018 by Leave a Comment

When уоu save energy, уоu’rе nоt just saving money. At the ѕаmе tіmе, you are reducing the demand fоr petroleum-derived fuels ѕuсh аѕ gаѕ and оіl. So in the end, by burning lеѕѕ fuеl, уоu are also helping your environment.

You might think that trying to save energy might make your life more complicated. With the advances in technology, there аrе mаnу еffесtіvе alternatives available fоr аlmоѕt еvеrу type appliance. It іѕ uр tо уоu tо change your energy consumption hаbіtѕ tо balance your monthly budget. But manufacturers have made it easier to give еvеrуоnе rеаl choices. Evеrуоnе hаѕ the ability tо change their energy practices for more efficient usage.

By applying аt lеаѕt оnе оf the following energy saving methods, уоu саn mаkе уour іmрасt оn this world and your pocketbook.

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What I’d Tell My 20-Year Old Self about Financial Freedom

September 27, 2018 by Leave a Comment

the futureEnjoy this guest post today from blogger and website owner Joseph Hogue as he shares his ideas about financial freedom.

The best lessons come from our experiences even if sometimes it’s our biggest mistakes. I’ve made more than a few mistakes in life. Fortunately, I’ve learned from at least some of them.

I think most of us can relate to Brian’s story of getting financially real from a mistake even if it took a while to figure it out. I have a drastically different interpretation of financial freedom now versus what I thought it meant earlier in my life.

It would be great to go back and clue my 20-year old self in. Maybe a quick slap on the head is what would be needed for this stubborn former Marine. I can however be happy that I learned from my misguided idea of financial independence and that it set me on a path to fulfillment in the future.

Before reading how financial freedom has changed for me, ask yourself, what does it mean to you? Then see if it changes after you read my story.

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6 Tips To Help You Sell Your Home Fast

September 26, 2018 by Leave a Comment

Deciding to sell your house is an exciting time. Even though there is a lot of preparation that needs to be done, most people hope they are able to sell their house in between three and 10 days. However, there are numerous factors from location to price that affect how long you will have to wait to hear an offer.

You certainly do not want to wait months or even years to sell your home. Fortunately, there are a few tricks you can employ to increase the likelihood of a quicker sale. We implemented some of these just last year when we sold our home. I firmly believe it helped us sell it as fast as we did.

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8 Bible Verses About Worry for All Life Situations

September 18, 2018 by 2 Comments

Do you worry? I’ll admit that I have been a worrier at certain times of my life. There are so many circumstances that we can worry about that it’s easy to worry all day long. Thankfully there are many Bible verses about worry and anxiety that can give us a different perspective on the issue.

Bible verses about worryPerspective is really what is needed when it comes to worry. That is because a lot of our worry is illogical and over-dramatized. We worry about things we cannot control, that do not really relate to us and that will probably never happen.

Worse yet, worries are the gateway to fears. And fears, when they are released to their full force, will impact our actions. Actions fueled by worry and fear are often detrimental.

That is why it’s so important to get our worry in check. And the Bible offers great perspective on this topic. So here is one whole passage and 7 other Bible verses about worry that give me the reality check I need.

The best part is that we can apply them to any life situation we are going through.

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The Sam’s Club Scan N Go App Is a Shopping Game Changer

August 22, 2018 by 2 Comments

Have you ever missed out on something for so long and when you finally heard about it, felt stupid for not knowing sooner? That’s how I feel right now about the Sam’s Club Scan and Go app. I’ve been shopping at Sam’s for about a year now and just learned about this app several months ago. It’s actually been out since 2016.

Sam's Club Scan and GoThe only thing helping me shed my feelings of stupidity is the shopping experience this app provides. It’s that amazing!

One of the challenging things about shopping at warehouse clubs like Sam’s or Costco is the checkout line. First of all, there is the line itself. It’s usually long, especially during peak hours. I’ve easily stood in line for over 20 minutes before on the weekends.

Secondly, it’s just a bear to check out with all your massive, bulky items. You have to unload at the checkout line and then reload carts after the items are scanned. Even the most skilled checkout attendant can take 5-plus minutes if you have a cartload or two. But we put up with this because we are saving money by buying in bulk.

That’s where the Sam’s Club Scan and Go app comes into play. By using it you can bypass the whole checkout line process! Here is how simply it works.

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Give Money and It Shall Be Given Unto You? (Luke 6:38)

August 5, 2018 by 27 Comments

 Hidden Nuggets Series #77 – “ Give and it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over, shall men give into your bosom. For with the same measure that ye mete withal it shall be measured to you again.” – Luke 6:38

give and it shall be given unto youI’ve spent a lot of time cataloging all the Bible verses about money. I started this site so that I could share what I learned about money from my Bible reading. There are literally hundreds of verses that give us positive instruction about the use and abuse of our money.

Unfortunately, individuals and churches have misinterpreted many verses in the Bible about money. They use these verses to teach and promote a message that isn’t there. And perhaps no other verse is abused more than Luke 6:38. It reads:

“Give and it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over, shall men give into your bosom. For with the same measure that ye mete withal it shall be measured to you again.” (KJV)

Why is this verse so abused? It’s done so in a way that makes people think they will profit financially from giving.

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