Money Plan SOS - Personal Finance for Everday Americans

#52: 8 terms we need to understand when it comes to investing money. Full list of terms at https://moneyplansos.com/sos052-8-terms-to-understand-when-investing-in-mutual-funds/

#51: I earn hotel stays, free gift cards, and even flights across the country without having a single credit card. How? Listen to find out. COMPLETE LIST at https://moneyplansos.com/sos051-earn-points-and-miles-without-credit-cards/

#50: As a Dave Ramsey Trained Financial Coach, this sounds like blasphemy. But it's not what "Dave Ramsey says...", it's what he teaches that matters. My full explanation at https://moneyplansos.com/sos050-who-cares-what-dave-ramsey-says/

#49: This is a great exercise to see if there are any financial anomalies in your house that are out of whack. Download the Recommended Percentages worksheet from https://moneyplansos.com/sos049-recommended-percentages/

#48: We need to invest like Spock Deciding how, where, and why to invest should not be taken lightly. We need to think logically and look at the data, the facts. Spock from Star Trek is a great example of how to approach investing wisely. He didn't let emotions get into the way of making the right decision and he didn't care how others felt about the choices he made. They were based on fac...

#47: Our purchasing power is handicapped by taxes. Learn how long you have to work to afford a $200 iPod Touch. Full list of examples can be found at https://moneyplansos.com/sos047-who-do-you-work-for/

#46: I'm defending Suze Orman?!? Yes, but bot for her behavior when personal finance bloggers idiots - but for something she did with her "Approved Card" that I would love to see other card issuers do. UPDATE: Suze Orman closed her "Approved Card" in 2015 For more information, visit the show notes at https://moneyplansos.com/sos046-defending-suze-orman/

#45: After getting your debt paid off and having an emergency fund, now you get to enjoy your money! Write goals down so you are reminded everyday Make them specific and measurable Figure out your "Why". Why do you want to reach this goal? Create your MONEYPLAN and set some savings goals. How much do you need to cut from your budget to make this happen? How much do you need to save? How wi...

#44: The first of a 2-part series from Jon White. For more information, visit the show notes at https://moneyplansos.com/sos044-setting-goals-with-jon-white/

#43: What were the top listened to, commented on, and Tweeted episodes from 2011? For the full list, go to https://moneyplansos.com/sos043-top-11-of-2011/

#42: One of the things we have to do when building our house of financial freedom open up some windows (share and experience things with others). I call this giving. There are plenty of ways to be a giver. 5 ways to turn things we value into something valuable for others can be found at https://moneyplansos.com/sos042-changing-values-into-valuables/

#41: The media doesn't make money unless they sell advertising. What do they need for advertisers to pay them money? They need eyeballs. Regardless of what you read, approach everything with critical thinking. For more information, visit the show notes at https://moneyplansos.com/sos041-they-need-our-eyeballs/

#40: Who am I? Your humble servant and Personal Finance Architect! How did I come to be a coach? That is a question I get often from people who want to become a financial coach and/or take Dave Ramsey's Counselor Training. But before I tell you all about that experience, I feel it is important that you know more about me. What caused this goofy guy to become a financial coach and Mr. "Pay...

#39: In this episode I cover various tax-favored retirement plans for U.S. workers. An example of 401k vs ROTH IRA can be found at https://moneyplansos.com/sos039-open-enrollment-401k-or-ira/

#38: Cafeteria Plans, aka Flexible Spending Plans, are great ways to save money tax-free on Health Care expenses and Dependent Care expenses. For more information, visit the show notes at http://moneyplansos.com/sos038-open-enrollment-cafeteria-plans-and-saving-with-fsa/

#37: An overview of insurance options through your company's plan. Full list of resources and notes at http://moneyplansos.com/sos037-open-enrollment-insurance-options/

#36: Interest rates are even lower than our 5.35% mortgage. Should we refi? Full math and notes at http://moneyplansos.com/sos036-should-i-refi/

#35: There are only 3 things you can do with money. This applies for both children and adults: Full list of notes at http://moneyplansos.com/sos035-a-moneyplan-for-kids/

#34: I AIN'T PLAYIN' NO MO! The FICO Score is a one-sided system of debt evaluation and does not take into account your true financial history. The 5 Components of a FICO Score: 10% Type of credit (debt) 10% New credit (debt) 15% Credit (debt) history 30% How much you owe 35% Debt payment history It's all based on debt! For more information, visit the show notes at http://moneyplansos....

#33: Steve Ely, CEO of eCredable, used to work for Equifax running the Direct Consumer Business. One of the challenges he experienced was they had a very limited scope in terms of how they could help consumers. Consumers really wanted help with financial advice or with their credit file but that was not what they were there for. Their primary business was to serve companies, not consumers. He left...

#32: Ashley Barnett, Personal Finance Blogger from MoneyTalksCoaching.com, shares her thoughts on Social Security. We know the system is broken -- but can it be fixed? She has an idea and she wrote about it in her blogpost "An Argument For Privatizing Social Security". Ashely talks about who Social Security is for, it's not just for retirees anymore, and how employees only pay 4.2% tow...

#31: Too much of your take-home pay going to the mortgage makes you "House Poor", and it can be devastating to your financial future. But Owning a home has so many benefits. In this episode we walk through the pros and cons of owning a home. For more information, visit the show notes at https://moneyplansos.com/sos031-house-poor-are-you/

#30: Glenn and Fredonna didn't have a plan for their money. He handled the finances and she was a "willing bystander" with the budget. When they contacted me they wanted to do better, to have a plan for their money. And I answered the call. They also allowed me to use their struggles for a Real Life Case Study episode. They wanted to be able to provide for their family, give generously...

#29: Guest blogger and aspiring Personal Finance Coach Alex Humphrey from AlexSpeaks.com tells us that Everything is Normal. Places, people, things, even the way we think money should be handled is weird to some but becomes normal when you're around it long enough. Also, Holla From The Impala: The Media Is Winning For more information, visit the show notes at https://moneyplansos.com/029-mpsos...

#28: Eric Lentz paid off $53,000 in debt over 24 months using his very own Debt Snowball Calculator. While he no longer sells his Debt Snowball Calculator, you can download a copy (click here) or contact me: https://SteveStewart.me/contact For more information, visit the show notes at https://moneyplansos.com/028-mpsos-debt-snowball-calculator-with-eric-lentz/