Buying a New Car: What to Learn from My Experience, Ep #248

When we decided my wife was going to get a new vehicle, I knew we needed to test drive the vehicle she wanted: A Jeep. She’d never driven a Jeep before. She’d never experienced what it was like driving something with the doors off. So I knew she needed to get behind the wheel to…

How Much Should You Spend on Vacations? Ep #247

I am often asked how much a family should spend on vacations. While that is entirely personal, most experts recommend that 5–10% of your net income can be spent on vacations. Many factors may change this number. Maybe you have a large family or your kids are into expensive sports. You might not have that…

4 Questions to Help You Decide When to Retire, Ep #246

There are a lot of huge decisions you have to make in life. What career are you going to choose? Will you get married? Will you have kids? Will you buy a home? There are many more. But there are not many bigger than this question: When are you going to retire?  Maybe that is…

How to Teach Your Kids How to Budget, Ep #245

I make a spending plan for our family every single month. We account for every dollar coming in and going out. But what about the things that happen quarterly and annually? We add up all of those expected expenses at the beginning of the year and calculate the total approximate cost. That money will be…

How to Overcome “The Wall of Worry,” Ep #244

Why are we worried about the world, the economy, the stock market, and our investment accounts? The stock market started the year great. The S&P 500 was up over 10% at the end of the first quarter. But the stock market has dropped steadily in the first 19 days of April. My business Partner, Brian,…