Losing hope is to lose everything

When people have lost their hope they've lost their energy. When they think the only light at the end of the tunnel is an oncoming train, they don't believe.

Bicycle before car payment

I'd ride a bicycle before I have a car payment. The average car payment in America is $478 a month over 84 months.  If you invested that from age 30 to age 70 instead of paying a car payment, you'd have 5.6 million dollars.

Fan asks Dave about her Student Loan being in default

Dear Dave: I have a student loan in default that is now being handled by a collections agency. They want me to pay the entire $20,000 now, or consolidate it with $16,000 in collection fees added. Are these my only options?



Dear Rebecca: There's no way I'd consolidate and pay $16,000 in collection fees. Right now, they're trying to bully you. They may eventually garnish your paychecks, but I think you can still work out something with these guys.

You'll have to repay the loan, and probably the interest and some of the late charges, but $16,000 is a bunch of crap. Don't run out and get another loan to pay it, but don't let yourself be blackmailed, either. You've made a mess by ignoring this for so long, so now you'll have to save every penny you can and start sending them substantial amounts of money each month.

Trust me, they'll take your payments and cash the checks. Hopefully, you can settle on a reasonable repayment structure and have this thing killed off in a couple of years.




http://www.idahostatesman.com/2015/02/07/3632691_dont-be-bullied-by-collections.html

Baby steps to get out of debt

The biggest thing about getting out of debt is really getting angry about it. You've got to get ticked off about living your life in such a way you're going to retire broke and that you work too hard to be this broke.

Money, communication important in a marriage

Many marriage counselors will tell you if a couple comes to agreement on four major issues — money, kids, religion and in-laws — they have a greater chance of forming a successful and lasting marriage.

I believe it’s vitally important that financial decisions are made by husband and wife together — as one.

Most women value communication in a relationship, and the process of doing a monthly budget together will be a wonderful sharing experience for the two of you.

Money isn’t the most important thing in the world. But the way a couple handles money is representative of their dreams, passions and fears. It’s also indicative of their vision for the future.