Americans Cutting Debt

Here’s what the AP had to say about the latest debt trends in American today:
Consumers slashed their borrowing in July by the largest amount on record as job losses and uncertainty about the economic recovery prompted Americans to rein in their debt.
The magnitude of the drop surprised analysts. Some thought the Cash for Clunkers program [...]

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Buying a Car With Cash (Take 2)

It’s kinda weird when you stop and think about it. How many American’s actually own their cars? Most people slowly purchase ownership in their cars month after month as they make payments. By the time the car is paid for 3-6 years later, the car is worth a fraction of what they just finished paying [...]

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How to Budget -or- How to Create a Budget

Without a doubt the last 18 months have been tough for many people in terms of their financial situation. Personally, my wife and I have seen our investment protfolio lose a large chunk of its value and have felt the sting of see-sawing fuel prices and steady rise in food prices. Fortunately, we have not [...]

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Hold the Phone! Americans are Saving Money!

It only took the stock market dropping 7,000 points and an economic downturn, but Americans have finally started to save again. I’m no economist, but I think this is good. I understand that our economy is based on spending and right now people are not spending as much. Americans are nervous about the state of [...]

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Stretching a Dollar Thanks to a Stewardship Class

This has been an interesting few months for me. I have been taking a class on the history of stewardship here at the seminary. The class could not have come at a better time as the world has been rocked by a financial crisis largely caused by bad stewardship. The class has been extremely helpful [...]

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Remembering to Be Thankful

I was sitting in class this afternoon and was reminded of how much I have to be thankful. Two Korean students mentioned financial need as a prayer request as financial contributions from supporters back in South Korea have been hurt by a poor exchange rate between the Won and the Dollar. I have to be [...]

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Financial Crisis Survival Guide

These last few weeks the news has been bleak on the Yahoo Finance page that I frequent to check on the markets and monitor our mutual funds. As of this moment, the Dow is down 745 points on the day; a 7.22% drop. That is a lot of people losing a lot of money. I [...]

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Yes…We Are Weird!

Friends,
today is a glorious day. It is a day that will remembered as one where Caleb and Laura did something counter cultural…something weird.
On this day we bit the bullet, wrote the big check, and paid off our second vehicle in nine months. That’s right, at the ripe old ages of 23 and 24, Caleb and [...]

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Dave Ramsey on Government Stimulus Package (Part 2)

Personally, I have no problem with the government giving me back more of my money. The problem that I have with this package is the way it allows people who have not even paid an income tax to collect a refund. This is effectively socialism and income redistribution because it takes money out of one [...]

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Dave Ramsey on Government Stimulus Package

I have been wanting to post about this for awhile, but Dave Ramsey beat me to it. I will let you read what he said since he is much more qualified in the area of finances than I am.
Link to full article
Dave’s Thoughts on the Stimulus Tax Rebate
Most of you are jumping with joy that [...]

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