Money Plan SOS - Personal Finance for Everday Americans

#77: How do you get an emergency fund put together? Income + Budget + Envelopes = Emergency Fund More details can be found at https://moneyplansos.com/sos077-income-plus-budget-plus-envelopes-equals-emergency-fund/

#76: 5 ways to save money FAST that will last and last and last. Garage sales are great for getting fast cash but doesn't last. Getting a raise at work is important too - but it isn't fast. For more details visit https://moneyplansos.com/sos076-quick-wins-to-save-money-fast-that-last-podcast-episode/

#75: Got 5 minutes? That's all I need to show you how to live debt-free and not have to worry about your credit score. You can have no debt, no credit, and have no problems – even for a house! Read more at https://moneyplansos.com/sos075-no-debt-no-credit-and-no-problems-at-fincon12/

#74: What does minimalism have to do with personal finance? Find out as I talk with Robert Wall, a Minimalist who is living WITH less - which enables him to live ON less. For more information, visit the show notes at https://moneyplansos.com/sos074-where-minimalism-fits-into-personal-finance/

#73: Rolling credit card debt into a mortgage sounds like a great idea, but does it really make cents? Join me as I go through the math. To follow along, visit https://moneyplansos.com/sos073-rolling-credit-card-debt-into-a-mortgage/

#72: There are two primary types of Life Insurance: Whole Life (permanent) and Term Life (temporary). While I can not make a blanket statement to say you should do one and never buy the other, there are a lot arguments that can be made to show that Term Life is the better answer for the general population - and I have the math to prove it! For more information, visit https://moneyplansos.com/sos07...

#71: Scott Plaskett, CFP at IronShield.ca, takes time away from his busy schedule to explain the various ways that Financial Planners get paid: Commission based Fee Only Fee based We also take time to discuss the 12 Key Questions You Must Ask A Financial Planner Before You Hire One, a report he makes available on his website. For more information, visit the show notes at https://moneyplansos.com/s...

#70: Chris Hogan, a Dave Ramsey Speaker, shares tips for those looking to lead Financial Peace University at their church or community center. For more details, visit https://moneyplansos.com/sos070-chris-hogan-and-coordinating-fpu/

#69: More important than monitoring for ID theft is the recovery. It takes many hours to clear your good name, and now there is a service that will do it for you. Diane Sacks - Vice President of Marketing & ID Theft Protection at Zander Insurance, explains how their ID Theft Protection plan is different from others - and better! To learn their 3 tips for protecting our ID,l visit https://money...

#68: Tami Nealy, Senior Director of Corporate Communications at LifeLock.com, explains what LifeLock does and how they can help you keep an eye on your ID. For more information, check out the show notes at https://moneyplansos.com/sos068-lifelock-id-theft-protection-and-credit-monitoring/

#67: How long do we keep tax returns? Where should we store important documents? What in the world should I do with all these digital pictures? Professional Organizer, Diana Luetkemeyer, explains the benefits of organization in our homes and our businesses. For more information visit https://moneyplansos.com/sos067-how-long-do-we-keep-this-stuff/

#66: These simple tips helped us trickle even more money away to pay for upcoming vacations: Route 66 Road Trip, Florida beaches, and a horse ranch in the mountains. For more information visit https://moneyplansos.com/sos066-tips-for-savings-up-and-paying-for-vacation/

#65: Zac Bissonnette wrote his new book with one simple question in mind... What should young people do with their money in order to have the best possible life today and for the rest of their life? Show notes and links for the book are at https://moneyplansos.com/sos065-how-to-be-richer-smarter-and-better-looking-with-zac-bissonnette/

#64: Dave Ramsey announced changes to the Financial Peace University (FPU) course in a live webinar on June 5th, 2012. Not only have the videos been re-recorded but the curriculum has some exciting new changes. For more, visit the list at https://moneyplansos.com/sos064-dave-ramseys-new-fpu/

#63: My theoretical budget spreadsheet shows you where the opportunities lie in your budget. To download the spreadsheet, visit this original post at https://moneyplansos.com/sos063-a-theoretical-budget/

#62: I used a "Break Even Formula" to see if refinancing our house would make sense when closing costs could be recovered by the interest saved on the loan. A listener asked if they could use the same analysis to compare insurance and deductibles. For more information, go to https://moneyplansos.com/sos062-using-a-break-even-analysis-for-lower-insurance-and-higher-deductibles/

#61: Don't make it easy for them! Follow these 8 tips to make your identity harder to steal! These steps can not guarantee your ID will never be stolen, but following these common-sense tips can help make your ID harder for someone to steal. For a full list and show notes, visit https://moneyplansos.com/sos061-how-to-make-your-id-harder-to-steal/

#60: A listener sent in a question about investing while he's in debt. He makes a great case study for us to examine if there is a one-size-fits-all get-out-of-debt plan, or not? To read his letter or learn more about investing while paying off debt, visit https://moneyplansos.com/sos060-to-invest-or-not-to-invest/

#59: The path to becoming wealthy is to save, invest, and live on less than we make. Using other people's money is expensive and is eroding our ability to become financially independent. It's keeping the middle class in the middle class. For more information and a full rundown on everything mentioned in this episode, visit https://moneyplansos.com/sos059-financial-products-that-keep-the-mi...

#58: Couponing is not just cutting pieces of paper out of your local ads, it involves shopping, travel, and seeking out great values to help you stretch your dollar. Saving money with coupons is wise. Do you realize all the costs involved? Jenny Kerr from TheJennyPincher.com shares her experiences of buying things she didn't even need just because she got a deal! For more information, visit th...

UPDATE: Perkstreet is no longer in business. To hear more about what caused them to close, listen to Episode 120 "What happened to PerkStreet" or visit https://moneyplansos.com/what-happened-to-perkstreet-mpsos120-podcast/

#56: What do you do when 99% of high school seniors don't know what a ROTH IRA is? You start a MOVEMENT! That's what Jeff Rose did - and I'm part of The Roth IRA Movement. For more information, visit the show notes at https://moneyplansos.com/sos056-jeff-rose-starts-a-roth-ira-movement/

#55: Zac Bissonnette, Jon White, Jackie Walters, and Brent Pittman discuss the Student Loan Forgiveness Act of 2012 that is being put in front of Congress. For more information, visit the show notes at https://moneyplansos.com/sos055-forgiving-student-loans-hr-4170/

#54: All you need to know between the various levels of tax software. The full list can be found at https://moneyplansos.com/sos054-which-tax-prep-software-should-i-use/

#53: Jesse Mecham is the founder of YNAB – You Need A Budget. For a full list of discussion points and resources visit https://moneyplansos.com/sos053-understanding-ynab-with-jesse-mecham/