Hope for your financial journey and beyond
Today I’m guest posting and commenting at the Debt Free Guys. Join me there by following the link below. I’d love to hear your take on this topic.
I often hear people justify their use of credit cards this way, “Well, I pay it off every month so it’s fine.” The implication imbedded in that statement is that they are not really going into debt if they pay the card off at the end of each month. The balance is zero so there is no and never has been any debt.
That mindset could not be more wrong.
Is a high credit score really just a measure of how much you love debt? Seems like a tough question especially when you put the words “love” and “debt” right next to one another. I’m sure you are cringing right now just reading that.
The financial services industry pounds the table on how to have a high credit score. In fact, I’ve read in multiple places online that a high score is “crucial” to one’s financial success. Without one you can’t get ahead and live the life you want. Hmmm…interesting.
So what does a high credit score look like?
Scores range from 300 - 850 with anything over 700 being considered a good rating. Excellent level ratings kick in around 750. The higher the score the more likely a lending institution will consider providing you with a credit card, mortgage or other loan.
In a credit driven society a high credit score seems like a must. The only problem is that to get a high credit score you HAVE to go into debt and stay in debt over time. There really is no way around that fact.
Credit scores take into consideration five categories as this image from MyFico.com shows:
Stupid money mistakes. We all try not to make them. Fortunately I’ve done a decent job of avoiding them in my life.
Longtime readers know I’ve been preaching against debt and the use of credit cards since the early days of this blog. I know some people believe in their use, especially for the reward points they offer. For some reason, we were never able to get credit cards to work in that way. All they created for us was overspending.
Debit cards and cash became our salvation, as we learned to only spend what we earned each month. Taking that step away from credit, coupled with our budgeting efforts were big steps in moving us toward financial freedom. The journey, in the past five years especially, has been a wonderful ride, one that has allowed us to pay off our mortgage earlier than expected.
It would be easy to let my head swell and the buttons on my shirt pop with pride at our financial success. Funny how life has a way of keeping us humble. It did to me this past week when I received a curious and infuriating letter in the mail from Bank of America, informing me of a stupid money mistake:
The letter read:
“Your above referenced account is currently past due. If you’ve already scheduled a payment, thank you. If not, your current balance is $299.56.”
Pardon me?
Today I’m guest posting and commenting at the personal finance blog The Frugal Farmer. Click the link below to read about what distracts people from paying off debt.
Earlier this summer, my family and I took a weekend excursion to the Bahamas aboard Royal Caribbean cruise lines. We were fortunate enough to walk into an incredible offer Royal Caribbean was pushing where the third and fourth occupants of a cabin sale free. For a family of six already looking for a short getaway, that’s an offer not to be passed up.
For those who have never been on a cruise I would highly recommend it. And when you go, consider upgrading to a balcony room. Lounging with the calm ocean breezes in your own private zone is one of the most relaxing experiences around.
Balconies are about peace. They produce it because there are no distractions, unless your kids are screaming on the balcony next to you. Perhaps some playful dolphins catch your eye for a moment and there is the occasional enemy cruise ship passing in the distance. Mostly though, there is nothing there to distract you. It’s only water and sky for as far as the eye can see…
Click to Continue Reading at The Frugal Farmer…
Next Post: 5 Life Changing Moments That Lead to Lifestyle Inflation
Prior Post: Rethinking the Definition of Success
“Can We Ever Step Off the Gas With Our Finances?” That’s a question I asked just over a year ago on this blog. That post looked at when it might be appropriate to loosen the reins on the budget and relax the tightfisted control we have over our spending as we pursue certain financial goals.
My answer left open a great deal of room for debate. I concluded that “it depends” on many factors, such as:
…the depth of the person’s dreams.
…the levels of debt still to pay off.
…if a person is facing an expensive medical issue.
…if there is some form of crisis on the horizon.
…how large the bank account/investments have become.
…how old a person may be.
To reach any financial goal requires intense focus and discipline. The debt payoff journey may be the hardest of them all. When you are waist deep in it, the finish line may as well be half a world away.
With perseverance the day will eventually come when all the debt is gone. When that happens so many choices open up. One of the biggest is how to spend all the freed up money that was going towards debt.
Having recently paid off our mortgage early, I can attest that the “no debt world” is a great place to be. However, something else is at work that was totally unexpected.
I’m finding it difficult to relax my spending.
Our school is out for the year, so for me that means summer has arrived. I know the official start date of summer here in North America isn’t until June 21st. The astronomers and weathermen can push that date all they want. Once the kids start sleeping until 9 am or later, I know something has changed.
Summer brings with it summer vacations, which our family thoroughly enjoys. We usually take one big trip (a week+) and one short trip (3-4 days) each summer. This year will be no different as we will be embarking on a week long trek from Atlanta to Niagara Falls and back, followed later in the summer by a weekend cruise to the Bahamas.
Neither of those trips will be cheap, although we did get an incredible deal on the cruise (more on that in a moment). Nevertheless, we won’t be going into debt for either of them. All our vacation expenditures will be paid for in cash (through using our debit card).
How are we doing that?
Two words: “planning” and “saving.”
Here’s how we pay for all our summer vacations with cash:
My reaction to paying off the mortgage
Remember the feeling of those significant milestones in your life?
That time you moved away from home.
That day you said, “I do.”
That moment when your kids finally grew out of diapers.
That big job promotion or beginning a new career.
All of these and many more have occurred in my life and in our household. The one we experienced recently surely ranks in the top ten in matters of earthly importance.
Goodbye Bank of America. It’s been…uh, “nice” knowing ya. Hello Baby Step 7!
This event actually occurred in February. I walked into our local BOA and received the deer in the headlights look upon mentioning I wanted to pay off our mortgage. They appeared happy for me but I knew better. What was really running through their minds was “Rats…lost another one.”
They thought worse than that when learning I also wanted to close all my accounts. The only reason we opened a checking account there was because they purchased our mortgage from Countrywide years ago. It made it simpler to pay down our mortgage as we could transfer money to BOA from our main bank at PNC.
Hidden Nuggets Series #36 - “At the end of every seven years you shall grant a release of debts. And this is the form of the release: Every creditor who has lent anything to his neighbor shall release it; he shall not require it of his neighbor or his brother, because it is called the Lord’s release.” Deuteronomy 15:1-2
How would the world be different if creditors were required to release the debt of individuals every seven years?
This actually happened in the Old Testament of the Bible as you can see from the verses above. God required the Hebrew people to release the debts of the poor every seven years. That’s right…if they still owed money at the seven-year interval, their debt was cancelled.
Sign me up for that program!
If this seems like an odd thing, consider God has always had a special place in his heart for the poor. There are many verses in the Bible related to the proper treatment of those less fortunate. I see this as God’s way of giving them a fresh start and squashing any potential exploitation of the poor at the hands of the wealthy to carry on indefinitely.
Whatever the reason it’s clear God did not want his people staying in a perpetual state of debt.
I’ve often wondered how this practice impacted their feelings about borrowing and lending.
It could be argued that Dave Ramsey has become the most influential financial voice of this generation. His radio program draws nearly 8 million listeners every week, placing him third in the talk radio genre behind Rush Limbaugh and Sean Hannity respectively. Clearly he has developed an enormous following and has helped millions of people develop restraint, follow a plan and get their financial lives back.
Despite his influence and popularity, I continually read of people skewering Dave Ramsey for the message of hope that he brings. I’ve tried for the life of me to figure out why someone who has been so helpful would be the target of such outrage. In some cases, I’m sure it’s simply people taking a contrarian opinion to draw some attention to themselves. However, I think the main issue is much bigger than that and it’s something everyone says when it comes to the area of personal finance.
Snowballs are fun, except when it comes to debt levels snowballing out of control. Credit card after credit card, loan after loan, missed payment after missed payment and the debt skyrockets upward, seemingly with no end in sight.
Until one day, a light bulb flashes and you wake up to realize that debt is creating a stranglehold on your life. It’s decreasing your chances of retiring wealthy and living a stress free financial life. So you decide to focus with intensity and develop a plan that will get you out of debt.
But which debt do you pay off first? You’ve accumulated so many.
There are two basic methods to paying off debt, the Interest Rate Method and the Debt Snowball Method.
Five years ago, my wife and I were killing it with the credit card rewards we were receiving. That’s right…free stuff! We exchanged our rewards for airline miles, countless merchandise items and even received cash back in our pockets on some cards. It felt great! We were really beating the credit card rewards system at their game.
However, through a series of personal events and some advanced education, I realized I could do even better. I found out there was (is) a way to get more cash back into my pocket and really stick it to the credit card companies. The best part about this system was that it also improved my monthly budget and helped me save more in the long run.
What was the system I used?