Accelerating Your Mortgage Payoff
There are a variety of debates in the personal finance world about whether or not you should pay off your
View ArticleShould I Invest in Real Estate?
This post is really more of a thought experiment than a reality. Part of the reason is that with the
View ArticleDebt Repayment, Final 2016 edition
Over the past year I have tried to track my progress of paying off debt in quarterly updates. At the
View ArticleA Debt Decision
A few days ago I posted my financial goals for 2017. I also reviewed my goals for 2016 and how
View ArticlePresident Trump and Student Loans
Donald Trump’s first week as president has caused a great deal of controversy. Trump has signed orders on national security,
View ArticleBeing Normal Financially Sucks or Take a Different Financial Pledge
There are many things where I want it to be “normal.” I want to be a “normal” weight, which means I have to lose a few pounds (well more like 50). I want to have a “normal” family, which means having...
View ArticleMedical Debt/Travel Insurance Update
In a couple of posts earlier last month I alluded to a trip I had taken to South Africa (read here and here). In one of those posts I mentioned how one of my students broke her ankle abroad and I had...
View ArticleTrack Your Finances With Personal Capital
Before I begin this post I should note that I use Personal Capital to track my expenses, but I am not affiliated with the company. I get no money or anything for promoting their services (although I...
View ArticleTwo Steps Forward, Three Steps Back
Over the past two years or so I have chronicled my efforts to pay off almost 260k in debt. I think I have done an ok job trying of trying to pay down debt. I have paid off over 50k in the last two...
View ArticlePaying Off the Mortgage as a Debt Safety Net
The past month or so I have been dealing with a lot of numbers in my head and not in a good way. For the first time in over a year I have gone back into credit card debt and now have to dig my way out...
View ArticleMy Public Student Loan Forgiveness Presentation
Over the past couple of months I have attempted to add credentials to my knowledge of personal finance. A couple of months ago I enrolled with the National Financial Educators Council to become a...
View ArticleMarch 2017 Debt Repayment Update
Over the past year I have tried to track my progress of paying off debt in quarterly updates. At the beginning of 2015 I had a total of $264000 in debt which included three primary debts: our mortgage,...
View ArticleLoan Forgiveness Storm Clouds?
Over the past few days I have been at a conference in Boston. And while I was performing my administrative duties I had a number of people send me the New York Times article that appeared on March 30....
View ArticleRenting vs. Buying a House–The Intangible Reasons
A couple of days ago I was listening to a great hour of radio from Tom Ashbrook’s On Point show on NPR. The subject was the hot housing market and the potential affordability of houses in a variety of...
View ArticleOur/Your Savings Rate
One of the things that financial planners and professionals constantly complain about is the low savings rates among Americans. The average saving rate in the United States is 5.7%, which is woefully...
View ArticleUsing a HELOC as an Emergency Fund
I have come to somewhat of an epiphany/understanding of my monetary self over the past few weeks. Part of this revelation was due to some recent financial trouble that we have had. That trouble stemmed...
View ArticlePublic Service Loan Forgiveness Storm Clouds, Part 2
A few weeks ago I wrote about the potential for storm clouds surrounding Public Service Loan Forgiveness. A program that Mrs. ROB and I are enrolled in that we can use to combat our student loan debt....
View ArticleEarmark Extra Income Ahead of Time
One of the favorite things my dad would always tell me was that when I had money it was “burning a hole in my pocket.” And in some respects that was/is true. I remember using my allowance to buy toys,...
View ArticleOur House Is My Debt Piggybank
I have written a number of posts about home ownership. Generally, I think owning a home is a good thing. However, there are a variety of costs that can make it more costly than renting depending on the...
View ArticleShould I Invest in Real Estate?
*This post is updated from its original posting about six months ago. I have been thinking about buying real estate to add to my portfolio. I thought a multi-family home next door to us would come on...
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