Hope for your financial life and beyond

The Easy and Hard Parts to Becoming a Millionaire by Age 65

Would you feel financially secure if you became a millionaire? I’d say most people would. A million dollar net worth provides the cushion you’d need to weather almost any financial storm. Becoming a millionaire should set your financial worries at … [Continue reading]

How Long Do Common Household Items Last?

Did you have an appliance or other household items that need repairing? We have had several big household items hit our budget over the years. The washer-dryer combo, a new refrigerator and a new stove have all needed to be replaced over the years. … [Continue reading]

4 Reasons Why Paying Off the Mortgage Early Was Right for Us

graph showing mortgage principal and interest payments

Paying off the mortgage early is a hot topic when it comes to money management. There seems to be a good amount of quality logic for keeping it and equally valid logic for paying it off early. So what’s a homeowner to do? After we bought our first … [Continue reading]

Sam’s Club Does It Again with Scan-and-Go App for Gas

A while ago, I wrote about how Sam’s Club had introduced a Scan-and-Go app that allows you to scan the barcodes of your items as you shop. It records each scan in a digital shopping cart. When you are finished shopping, you simply check out in the … [Continue reading]

“I’m Rich!” – How to Handle a Lump Sum Payment of Money

lump sum payment

I'm sure you've daydreamed at some point about how life would change if a large lump sum payment of money came your way. Say like a million dollars? We’ve all played this game and fantasized about all the good we could do for ourselves and others … [Continue reading]

Learning to Love the Unlovable and Your Enemies (Luke 6:35)

love your enemies

“But love your enemies, do good, and lend hoping for nothing in return; and your reward will be great…” - Luke 6:35 I can easily love my wife. She is precious to me. So are my kids. They have no problem getting and receiving my love. Others who … [Continue reading]

Consider the Ant in Your Definition of Work Ethic (Proverbs 6:6)

consider the ant

“Go to the ant, you sluggard! Consider her ways and be wise.” That verse from Proverbs 6:6 contains an odd word we rarely use today - sluggard. The first thing I think of when hearing that word are creeping, slimy slugs. So sticky and definitely no … [Continue reading]

How to Determine If People Really Want Help With Money

help with money

I have been interested in personal finance for quite some time now and love to help with money. I could teach the subject and dish out solid advice for hours. In fact, that's what I do at my full-time job as high school economics and personal finance … [Continue reading]

Buyer Beware: Renting a Car With a Debit Card

renting a car with a debit card

For a significant portion of our adult life, my wife and I chose to live without the use of a credit card. 99% of the time we had no issues when it came to making purchases. We would simply use our debit card or pay with cash when making a … [Continue reading]

How to Resolve the What Career Should I Have Dilemma

Have you ever asked the question, What career should I have?  If so, you know the answer isn't that obvious. Coming to a decision about what career bests fits you can be quite a dilemma, no matter if you are right out of high school or in your … [Continue reading]

Encouraging Bible Verses for the Dark Times of Life

encouraging bible verses

We’ve all had some dark times in life. Times when we felt like not going on. Times that hurt, that didn’t make sense and when all hope was lost. And when these occur, turning to God and reading some encouraging Bible verses can help. There is no … [Continue reading]