Have you ever heard Dave Ramsey’s homebuying advice, “Buy the least expensive home in the best neighborhood you can afford?” Well, my husband Mike and I have a different strategy for home buying. We were determined not to stretch ourselves thin and become “house rich and cash poor”. If we had followed that advice, we would
Over Thanksgiving weekend, I got one of those end-of-year emails to review my credit report that made me emotional: To see just how far I’ve come in only a few short years is pretty wild! I feel incredibly grateful to have all of those student loans and other debts that caused me so much stress
Have you ever heard of the 60/20/20 budget?? This is a budgeting method where: 60% goes to Needs: Housing, utilities, groceries etc. 20% goes to Wants: Entertainment, dining out etc. 20% goes to Goals: Saving, investing, debt This method, in my opinion, is a very slow way to tackle debt and build wealth. I don’t
“I’ve never owned anything before.” One of my clients recently swelled with pride after realizing they’ll own an asset outright for the first time.THIS MAKES MY HEART SING.Consumer culture has us focused on payments and what we can afford to pay monthly rather than considering the total cost of ownership. Instead of starting from a
I met a friend for brunch recently and what we ordered was quite stark in contrast. I had a traditional brunch order with eggs, sausage, and french toast, and he ordered…. a kale salad.He’s lost over 40 pounds in the past year and was telling me about his weight loss journey. Notably, instead of talking
In my early twenties, I started budgeting—or so I thought. My budget listed my income and expenses, and I even used an Excel spreadsheet. By my late twenties, I had gotten a job in a commercial real estate company, where I learned how asset managers approach budgets for multi-million dollar properties. I learned how high-net-worth individuals