Money Plan SOS - Personal Finance for Everday Americans

#152: Rachel Cruze is a speaker, debt-free evangelist, part-time co-host of the Dave Ramsey show, known for being the inspiration behind the book "Careless at the Carnival", and is soon to be a NYTimes best selling author for a book to be released on April 22, 2014 - Smart Money Smart Kids. MoneyPlan SOS listeners wanted to know what she thought about these questions: Chris Pilon from Dadr...

#151: Kraig Mathias began his journey to debt freedom after blowing the engine on his car on a cross-country road trip. We geek out over the math behind his car debt, then get inspired from his journey from debt freedom to creating independence. You can find more about Kraig at http://CreateMyIndependence.com Money tips: Save tons of interest by spending a little more on insurance Leave the plasti...

HAPPY APRIL FOOLS DAY! I'm not here in this episode - I've commandeered three other shows that are not my own. Here's where I am today: Starve The Doubts where I turn the tables on Jared Easley and interview him on his own show! On the Cash Car Convert (usually by James Kinson) I talk about getting out of the car payment business. While Joe is in taking over my show I am also taking ov...

#149: People love their credit cards. Why? They aren't valuable. They can't be traded or sold. And they cost people a lot of money and often their freedom. I've been separated from my credit cards for over seven years and can tell you: I don't miss them a bit. Now that I'm coaching people through their debt problems I get to hear all the same lies I used to say that justified m...

#148: The Daily Success Habits of Wealthy Individuals. Tom Corley joins me for a discussion about the habits of the rich. We also learn the 4 things that can make you un-fireable. A short list of Rich Habits: Tom Corley published a number of Rich Habits, which you can find here: http://blog.richhabits.net/2013/02/28/20-things-the-rich-do-every-day-that-the-poor-dont.aspx The ones that took me buy...

#147: A new study released by FINRA reveals only 18% of millennials are able to correctly answer 4 out of 5 questions about finance. Links mentioned in the show: FINRA releases results of study: http://www.finra.org/Newsroom/NewsReleases/2014/P456463 Take the quiz yourself by following this link: http://www.usfinancialcapability.org/quiz.php The national average is 2.88 out of 5. How will did you...

#146: Mitch Anthony joins me in a discussion about redefining retirement. His book, The New Retirementality, helps us understand this relatively new word. Resources can be found at http://moneyplansos.com/redefining-retirement-interview-with-mitch-anthony-author-of-the-new-retirementality-mpsos146/

#145: Money can cause us to experience a large number of unnecessary anxieties. A number of things can help alleviate a majority of worries when it comes to money and finances. In this episode I give you five ways to reduce financial stress and make you feel more powerful, confident, and in control: Have $5,000 in the bank Automatically save money into a retirement plan Have a Will Rent or live in...

#144: The sole benefit of Federal form Schedule A is to give us the opportunity to keep more of our hard-earned money. These are commonly referred to as "itemized deductions." These are the tax deductions you want, and 3 you don't. For the list as well as links to Federal tax forms visit https://moneyplansos.com/tax-deductions-you-want-and-3-you-dont/

#143: What happens to my credit score after paying off debt? In this episode I share survey results that show debt-free people aren't worried about their credit score. FICO says what's in your credit score FICO says your credit score is based on the length of credit, new debt, the variety of debts, how much debt you owe, and your payment history on debts. In short, you need to borrow money...

#142: This 17 year old has got some sense! Eva Baker started a personal finance blog at http://TeensGotCents.com and is learning a lot about how money really works. This will benefit her greatly when she strikes out in this world and makes her mark. Eva tells the story of how she started a personal finance blog at age 16, how she budgets her money with a basic envelope system, and then speaks from...

#141: Before starting our debt-free journey we had $176,000 in retirement accounts but our net worth was only $74,000. What's the secret that doubled our net worth in 8 years? We followed Dave Ramsey's advice: We got on a budget We stopped borrowing money We paid off all of our consumer debt We put 3 months worth of expenses in emergency savings We increased our retirement contributions on...

#140: Wendy had her credit card debt discharged when a collector broke the law. You have rights under the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act. Listen to Wendy's story and how she was legally able to discharge a debt she owed. For more information, visit the show notes at https://moneyplansos.com/creditors-behaving-badly-mpsos140/

UPDATE: I didn't quite make it in 2014. Listen to my goals from 2 years prior to going pro with Financial Coaching. Full list of resources at http://moneyplansos.com/making-an-obsession-my-occupation/

#138: Are you covered by Health Insurance? It's the law, at least it will be in 2014. Medi-Share is a faith-based option that complies with the Affordable Care Act. Tony Meggs is the President and CEO of Christian Care Ministries. One of the best things they do is help Christians pay each other's medical bills through a third-party system that is pretty amazing. For more information, visit...

#137: Paying attention to our money, physical health, career, family, etc. allows us to reach our goals. Paying attention can be more important than talent and is second only to desire. Why paying attention is so important: Paying attention identifies where we are Paying attention shows us where the goal is Paying attention is the enemy of distractions Identifying where we are is the first step in...

#136: Over the past year I have received calls and messages from adult children who are concerned for their parent's finances. Papa has been working hard for decades and Mama was promised that she would never have to work outside of the home again. Papa has been stripped of any financial responsibilities because he wrote some bad checks years ago. Mama took over the household finances since th...

#135: Credit cards are against my religion. It seems like a sensational title to get you to click play - but it's absolutely true. What's scary is it might be against your religion too. Are Credit Cards evil? No, they are not evil. Electronic payment options are an advance in technology. Just as computers and eye glasses and even the fork was an advancement in technology, electronic paymen...

#134: Thomas Stanley found several common denominators when he studied the wealth. Extras: In this episode I feature some of the conversations I had with Pat Flynn from SmartPassiveIncome.com and Dustin Hartzler from YourWebsiteEngineer.com. Good stuff! For more about being wealthy, check out the resources in the show notes at https://moneyplansos.com/7-common-denominators-of-the-wealthy/

#133: The holidays are upon us. The year is almost over. Like it or not, the winter season is in full gear and more money changes hands in December than at any other time. It's also the best time of the year. College students come home for the holidays, relatives send well-wishes in the form of [See more at https://moneyplansos.com/5-ways-to-save-money-in-december-mpsos133]

#132: How To Pay for Things With Cash: An FPU Graduate's Testimony Financial Peace University is a 9-week course taught on DVD by nationally syndicated radio host Dave Ramsey. The class covers everything from how to control spending with a budget to real estate and investing for retirement. Millions of families have taken this course and [...] The post How To Pay for Things With Cash: An FPU G...

#131: It takes a lifetime to learn how money works. With the speed of change, the creation of new financial products and an overabundance of data that can be reached simply by tapping on your iPhone, you would think there are many things I was taught about finances that no longer apply today. For more information, visit the show notes at https://moneyplansos.com/financial-lessons-that-stand-the-te...

#130: The greatest tool that lets us live on less than we make is an option that has been around for ages: CASH. And it's not going away any time soon. The awesome benefits of paying with cash will make your budget go farther... Read more at https://moneyplansos.com/the-most-powerful-payment-option/

#129: LIVE from the FinCon Expo - find out if you know more about money and investing than financial bloggers. This show was recorded live at #FinCon13 in St. Louis on October 19, 2013. Personal Finance Bloggers competed for prizes by answering a variety of money-based trivia, filling in the blanks, and competing head-to-head in [...] The post FinCon13 Game Show recorded live from St. Louis appear...

#128: Bob Lotich, Founder of ChristianPF.com (now Seedtime.com), has been a customer of Medi-Share for over four years. He shares the moments when he used them and how much Medi-Share saved him money when he broke his hand. What is Medi-share Medi-Share is a healthcare sharing program, also known as a "Christian Care Medical Sharing" program, where participants [See More at About Medi-shar...