Successful money management and personal finance articles on how you can Create a Lifestyle of Opportunities.
On a day to day basis, most of us tend to believe we control our destiny. The jobs or careers we pursue. The relationships we seek, how we raise our children. And of course, managing your money, and learning how to improve your finances. When we think about improving our finances, we tend to think […]
For many years I watched my dad spend hours in the evening after he got home from work preparing the taxes. I can still picture it. The dim light coming from the basement. The table, covered with IRS forms, instruction booklets, envelops and a stack of receipts. A calculator, paper clips and what looked […]
Do You Have Self-Limiting Beliefs about Money? In my eBook 4 Steps – Save Cash, Eliminate Debt, I talk about our emotions being a critical factor in shaping our behaviors about money. How you feel when you are spending, budgeting, or saving can create positive or negative behaviors. If the behaviors are negative, then […]
Updated for tax year 2019. For tax year 2019 the contribution limit for Traditional IRA and Roth IRA accounts is $6,000. If you are over the age of 50 you can make an additional catch-up contribution of $1,000. The deadline to file 2019 taxes is Wednesday April 15, 2020. Throughout the year, but most […]
It’s been eight months since cutting cable to save money. That’s right, no more Fox News, no TNT, History channel or HBO. Actually, it was DirecTV, so I guess you could say I cut the satellite signal to eliminate premium TV services. (Cutting cable, cutting DirecTV to save money – same difference right?) Initially, […]
For some, the budgeting question of whether to spend money on a home or a car is a simple one. While a home is your castle, and your opportunity to feel safe and comfortable with your family. A car can simply be a convenient way of getting around. However, in many circumstances, a car […]
I still remember my first experience with term life insurance. It was when I started my first “real” job out of college working for a large corporation. During the new employee orientation period, term life insurance was offered as one of the enrollment options for my health care benefits. Back then I didn’t know […]
My dad was an engineer for over 40 years. And like most engineers, his perspective when it came to building, fixing, or maintaining anything was to do it himself. Growing up, I watched him maintain the family vehicles, everything from minor maintenance to major repair work. He understood how to make a car last […]
I was recently reading some posts on Reddit on how to stop using credit cards. Some individuals discussed how they benefit from credit card use, others explained how they don’t trust themselves with credit cards. In classic Reddit fashion, the discussions were direct and spirited. Debating the pros and cons of credit card use is […]
So what are the benefits if you save money and pay off debt? Being debt-free and cash-rich is just a start. Learn about the other 11 reasons below. Typically a discussion about personal finance goes something like this… Saving money will help you become financially secure. Having debt costs you more money. Paying off […]
Most often when we think about setting financial goals we think of the most fundamental aspects of our finances. Areas we manage and feel we can control on a regular basis. For example, we set financial goals around budgets, to lower monthly expenses. Saving money, to put more money in our bank account. Paying […]
I was talking with some of my friends regarding their finances. They are currently using the Snowball Method to pay off debt, working on a budget and building up an emergency fund. As we were talking they started to discuss some of the processes surrounding their strategy. Although they are well on their way […]
Let me guess, you’ve been watching real estate house flipping shows on cable TV? I bet they’re like the ones I used to watch before I flipped houses. They make it look so easy to do, and they always make a profit. Do they? Now you’re curious if the reality of flipping a house […]
Are you concerned about credit card fraud? Worried about someone making unauthorized charges to your debit or credit card. If you are, here is one simple method you can use to minimize your exposure to fraud and avoid fraudulent charges. This may be the most important credit card alert you ever use. It’s called […]
I recently watched the HBO documentary Panic: The Untold Story of the 2008 Financial Crisis. The documentary discusses the events surrounding the cause of the 2008 crisis. And the sequence of events that the government took to prevent an economic collapse. It’s a great documentary that provides new information and sheds light on the event. […]
If you have visited my site before and read any of my personal finance articles or eBooks, you know that much of what I write about are my own experiences with successful money management. I enjoy providing a different perspective on personal finance topics – my own experiences of what works and what […]
Creating a budget for Christmas and understanding how much to spend on gifts will help you avoid holiday debt hangover in January. I used to think of myself as the greatest Santa Claus ever. I spared no expense when it came to gift-giving during Christmas. In high school, I gave my girlfriend a brand […]
Of all the areas associated with personal finance, my greatest weakness has always been around the subject of frugality. I don’t mean the task of budgeting – how much money I should or shouldn’t spend to manage my budget. Rather the perspective of saving money by clipping coupons or searching for 2-for-1 deals in the […]
Are you concerned with how your aging parents will manage their finances? Is moving into a nursing home on the horizon? Will you be able to help your parents’ when the time comes? Is managing your parents’ finances on the horizon for you or one of your siblings? I started managing […]
A little over 80% of Americans this year will receive a tax refund. If you’re one of those individuals, receiving a tax refund can be a little bit like Christmas, your birthday, or if you’re really lucky an unexpected bonus at work. Once you receive your IRS payout the obvious next question is where […]
The snowball method can be used as a means to pay off all forms of debt. Your mortgage, car loans, home equity loans, medical debt, and student loans just to name a few. However, where it can really be effective is if you’re trying to pay off credit card debt. From my […]
I have always believed that the key to reaching any goal is to be able to remain focused, consistent and motivated. Know where this is more important than when you are working to pay off debt and save cash. The Snowball Method for debt elimination, the Cash Ladder, establishing a budget are all important […]
Prior to the 2016 Christmas holiday, I received a notification from my credit card company that they were tracking some suspicious card activity on my account. I immediately logged into my account and found over $500 in unauthorized charges. The charges were for everything from household decorations to shoes. I contacted the online fraud […]
I am often asked about the Filling The Pig mantra “Creating a Lifestyle of Opportunities”, what does it mean? The dictionary defines Lifestyle and Opportunities like this. Lifestyle – the way in which a person or group lives. Opportunity (plural opportunities), – a set of circumstances that makes something possible. From an FTP perspective […]
Who has the best identity theft protection services? I have written previously about my experiences with credit card fraud and provided my recommendations on how you can actively monitor your credit card transactions by lowering your transaction threshold to receive email alerts. Although credit card fraud is one area of concern when you think about […]
Think Different About Your Money. The journey to financial independence is seldom a direct path. Everyone’s circumstances are different – their needs, wants, and goals. In addition, there are a host of opinions, perspectives, and insights that can influence which path to take. However, the questions are often the same. How to pay off debt? […]
Are you struggling with debt? Not sure how to take the first step and manage your way out. Here are three steps you can take to stop procrastinating and create your plan for success. Sandbags I hate cleaning the shower! I despise it. The strong smell of bathroom cleaner The […]
I was fortunate to participate in a Crowdfire Stories podcast called Learning About Money Doesn’t Have to Be Scary. I had the opportunity to talk about the reasons I started Filling The Pig, my seven months of blogging experience and my perspectives on personal finance. You can listen to the full interview below and learn more […]
Does the world of investing sometimes seem like a Rubik’s Cube? Simple Investing is the third eBook in the Filling The Pig personal finance series of books. It provides the next step for creating financial independence by teaching you how to make sense of the investment landscape, so you can make more money with […]
Successful money management is about eliminating debt and saving cash. But it’s not always about the money. When you take control of your finances you create a Lifestyle of Opportunities. What is a Lifestyle of Opportunities? Watch the video to learn more. Note: set your video quality to 720p for best viewing. Related Posts: 11 […]
