This post was sponsored, and paid for, by SunTrust. All opinions are my own. Money can be a tough subject for some people. A lot of people live paycheck to paycheck. Others have disasters or unfortunate events befall them (family death, divorce, natural disaster, etc.), some go through a time of incurring additional expenses (marriage,…
Tips & Warnings
5 Surprisingly Easy Ways to Communicate with Your Spouse About Money—Without Having to Talk
The following 5 Surprisingly Easy Ways to Communicate with Your Spouse About Money—Without Having to Talk have helped my husband and I be in the ‘know’ of what’s going on with our finances without actually having to broach the topic in a conversation. Communicating with a spouse about money is sometimes tough. More often than…
How You Can Use Your 401K to Start a Business (Tax-Penalty Free)
This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of Guidant Financial for IZEA. All opinions are 100% mine. How You Can Use Your 401K to Start a Business (Tax-Penalty Free) I am a business woman at heart. I come from a long line of entrepreneurs. As a result, I am constantly thinking…
Financial Illiteracy—Why It’s a Problem and How to Avoid it
“Financial illiteracy is not unique to any one population. It affects everyone; men and women, young and old, across all racial and socioeconomic lines. No longer can we stand by and ignore this problem. The economic future of the United States depends on it.”—President’s Advisory Council. Below you will find tips and links to resources…
Estate Planning for Blended Families
I have two kids from a previous marriage and my husband has four from his. As we have become a blended family, the need to draft a will has become too difficult to do on our own. So, I reached out to a friend who is a lawyer and specializes in estate planning. I’ve asked him a…
Why Financial Literacy Is Not Enough
This post was sponsored, and paid for, by SunTrust. All opinions are my own. When I started back to college after a four-year-break, I struggled. I could understand the literature and topics but my grades were not doing well. On my mid-term report card I was averaging a C across the board. After seeing my…
3 Easy Ways to Avoid Solicitors and Impulse Purchases
Solicitors often convince us to buy things we don’t really need, want, and/or items we often haven’t budgeted for. They are extremely effective, very convincing, and are usually hard to say no to—or don’t like to take ‘no’ for an answer. The very best way to avoid being solicited and impulsive purchasing is just avoid soliciting and…
Why You Should Have an Estate Plan for Those You May Leave Behind
Financial guru, Dave Ramsey, notes that the mortality rate for human beings is 100%. Death is what you might call an “unavoidable” inevitability. But thankfully, because we know our ultimate fate, we can plan for it and avoid problems that otherwise result from it. Often loved ones are left with a lot to handle: sadness,…
An Innovative New Way to Purchase Items Online & Build Credit Without Using a Credit Card
With credit card debt reaching historical highs, some debt experts are encouraging consumers to ditch the credit cards and just use cash. Credit card debt can be a vicious thing. Interest rates often run very high and compound, the credit card itself may have an annual fee, there may be late fees, deferred interest, etc. Yet…
How To Tackle ‘Debt Stress’: 5 Top Tips
Having out-of-control debt is a source of major stress and worry for many. Debt can start small and manageable, but often continues to escalate if not handled properly. Dealing properly with debt stress is important. Try the following: 1. Assess the scale of your debts. Part of the problem for many is not knowing precisely the extent…
Advice from My Mom: Practical Ways to Teach Your Children to Control Money
My mother has always been a great example of fiscal responsibility. She would often say, “Anita, control your money, don’t allow it to control you.” It reminds me a lot of the famous quote penned by P.T. Barnum, “Money is a terrible master, but an excellent servant.” My mom taught me by example this principle…
How Our Income Property Helped Us Overcome 3 Major Obstacles
I am a firm believer in leveraging the property you own (if at all possible or needed) to help pay for bills, the mortgage, get out of debt, create a nice savings, and secure a solid retirement. As you can imagine, one of my favorite shows is DIY Network’s Income Property. I’ve watched a ton of episodes…
Home Fire Proof Safes: Why Have Them & What to Put In Them
Accidents happen. I’ve known some people whose homes have been completely burned or ruined by natural disasters. Other people I know have suddenly lost the bread-winner or financial leader of the family. These unfortunate incidents although rare, do happen at random. It really is a wise thing to prepare in case such incidents do occur…
How to Host a Successful Garage/Yard Sale
I have had two very successful garage sales in the past four years. We had one after our home renovation 2 years ago and sold a ton of extra home renovation supplies, decor, and things we no longer needed. The garage sale that we just held had items that we’ve accumulated the last 2 years,…
Featured in Woman’s Day Magazine September 2015
I was honored to be contacted a few months ago and asked to provide Woman’s Day magazine with a unique tip on how I save hundreds—even thousands on family expenses. The following is the tip I gave. An excerpt was featured in the September 2015 edition. Always ask for a discount on medical, dental, hospital, and…
11 Tips and Tricks Every eBay Buyer Should Know About
eBay is full of amazing and great deals. Buying on eBay.com has saved me a lot of money. There are many tips and tricks to maximize your hard-earned money when buying on eBay. Below are 11 things about which everyone who shops on eBay should know. 1. Before bidding get the free Liberty Mutual Insurance Bid…
How to Protect Your Loved Ones from Market Corrections and Economic Downturns
Market corrections have historically occurred about every 6-8 years in America, the last being in 2008-2009, and before that 2002. Some have been much worse than others. But the last two (in the past 15 years) experienced over a 40% drop. Many investors and economists say that we are at a place where a market correction could…
Financial Advice Featured on Bankrate and Yahoo! Finance
I was so excited to be featured on Bankrate and Yahoo! Finance this last week. I wanted to share the article with you because it is full of awesome money advice from others as well. You can find it here on Bankrate and here on Yahoo! Finance I go into much more detail about what…
To Those Who Are Always Wanting to Buy More
Growing up I read a kid’s book called, “When You Give a Mouse a Cookie”. In it a mouse asks its owner for a cookie. The owner complied. Then the mouse wanted a glass of milk to accompany the cookie. Next, he wants a napkin. That doesn’t sound too ridiculous yet now does it? But…
10 Must-Take Steps to Keep Your Identity Safe
Recently, my brother in law’s boss called and asked him why he was filing for unemployment. Seeing as how he was at work that day, his boss was perplexed. My brother-in-law hadn’t filed for unemployment. To figure things out, my sister called the state department and found out that his identity had been stolen. She…
Important Steps to Home Ownership
So, you’re ready to make the big leap into home ownership? Good for you. Home ownership can be a great experience and holds a number of tangible and intangible benefits. But first, you need to actually buy that property, which, especially if this is your first home, can feel more than a little complicated. Understanding…
Dr. Laura’s Review of Our Book Living a Rich Life as a Stay at Home Mom
Dr. Laura Schlessinger reviewed and endorsed our book on her popular radio talk show today! Karen and I are beyond excited!! I’ve been listening to Dr. Laura ever since I was a little girl and I admit, I teared up when she said the things she did. Dr. Laura is such a champion of stay-at-home…
Championing Motherhood Community
Do you talk to your best friend about credit card debt? Do you post about your never ending bills on Facebook? Do you have anyone to talk to about how the paycheck never seems to cover everything? Who do you go to when you and your husband argue (esp. about money)? At girl’s night out…
What You Need to Know before Joining a Multi-Level Marketing Company
When I was 16 I attended a few recruit meetings for an MLM company. If you’ve never been to one, let me tell you, they are pretty convincing. Fancy charts, graphs, and high income earning reports were all put in front of me. Promises were made of easy, quick, and huge income amounts, all for…
How to Save on Medical Expenses
Being on a family medical plan for the last five years and having two children, two surgeries, and doctor visits, there really is no other bill I dread more than a medical bill. The reason for my dread is because first, they are often quite costly and second, more often than not they are wrong…
Need Help Setting Financial Goals? Don’t Miss This Money Personality Quiz
This last holiday season was amazing! I had wonderful times, received and gave great gifts, made lasting memories, and had a blast spending time with family and friends. That said, I’m ready to be more productive and start thinking about goals, hopes, and dreams for 2015. When I set goals for the New Year I…
31 Step Financial Fitness Boot Camp Course
Do you feel like you are never going to make it out of debt? Are you tired of living paycheck to paycheck? Or perhaps your just wanting to save more for retirement? No worries. You’re at the right place. Karen my financially savvy sister and co-author of our book, Living a Rich Life as a…
How an Index Card Helped Me Get Out of Credit Card Debt
Today I’m excited to share a get-out-of-debt-success-story with you. It’s actually the story of a life-long family friend, Stephen Gardner and his wife working together to do what many young families dream of: becoming debt free. Since we have been great friends for a long time, I was able to watch a few of the struggles and the…
How to Cultivate Contentment and True Happiness
Many are on a quest to find contentment and true happiness. There are many ways to cultivate happiness and to become more content. I list them below. But first I want to share the following story which helps to illustrate that happiness and being content is not dependent on material goods or wealth. Karen Jensen, my…
The Best Way to Teach Your Children about Money
Hello readers of Anita’s blog. We are Paul & Camille Walker from www.kidsfamilyfinance.com and honored to guest post today. Over at KidsFamilyFinance we are a niche blog that is all about teaching kids about money. One question we have asked ourselves (and heard many others ask as well) is why do kids learn so much…
