If I've learned one new thing in six years of blogging about money, it's this: The most important factor in financial success is not having a budget, meticulously avoiding debt, or choosing the right investments. It is having a system that makes the … [Read more...]
Put Your Money on Autopilot: How to Build a No-Hassle Money Management System, Part 3 of 4
January 24, 2012 By 16 Comments
The Bank Account Buffer: How to Build a No-Hassle Money Management System, Part 2
January 17, 2012 By 16 Comments
By the end of this four-post series, you’ll have a map for a hassle-free financial system that puts your day-to-day money issues on autopilot, letting you worry about more important stuff like developing your career, earning more money, and … [Read more...]
No More Budgets! How to Build a Hassle-Free Money Management System, Part 1
January 11, 2012 By 29 Comments
I have a love/hate relationship with budgets. But mostly, I hate them. It’s not because I don’t like pie charts and spreadsheets. (I do.) I don’t like budgets because I hate telling you to write them when I know myself how boring, pointless, … [Read more...]
How to Finally Make Your Budget Stick: Two Shortcuts That Work
May 4, 2011 By 15 Comments
Pop quiz: Do you know how much you spent on eating out last month—to the penny? I don’t. Does that surprise you? After all, I publish a financial blog. Shouldn’t I join the chorus of financial pundits singing: “Thou must create a … [Read more...]
Track Your Spending with Mint Trends
November 16, 2010 By 1 Comment
Not too long ago, I compared budgeting to dieting. Want to lose weight? Count the calories you eat. Want to save more money? Count the pennies you spend. Of course, just like counting calories, tracking your spending manually is---to put it … [Read more...]
How Do You Budget For—And Pay For—Your Holiday Spending?
October 21, 2010 By 42 Comments
I admit that when it comes to holiday shopping, I’m a procrastinator. I have been witnessed scurrying to the mall or Target on Christmas Eve. That said, I do begin to put some money aside around this time of year so my Christmas shopping doesn’t … [Read more...]
Three Small Financial Tweaks You Should Make Before Winter
October 19, 2010 By Leave a Comment
The end of the year is fast approaching. Soon you’ll be bellying up to your Thanksgiving feast and perhaps playing chicken with other holiday shoppers in some mall parking lot. Of course, you may be thinking about your holiday shopping already. And … [Read more...]
Why Most Budgets Fail (But Yours Doesn’t Have To)
October 7, 2010 By 14 Comments
My first time wasn’t until I was a college freshman. I was 19. I could tell you that I wanted everything to be perfect, but honestly, I just wanted it to work. I knew what I had to do, but I had no idea how to do it. I’m talking, of … [Read more...]
Monthly Budget Tools: A Big List of Software, Spreadsheets, and More
September 24, 2010 By 11 Comments
Editor's Note: We originally published this popular list of the best paid and free monthly budgeting tools in March of 2008. A lot has changed since then---a couple of the featured budget tools are no longer available. So here's an updated---and … [Read more...]
Student Budgeting: Make Your Summer Job Pay All Year Long
June 8, 2010 By Leave a Comment
I'm not going to lie: When you're a student, budgeting is no easy task...especially if you need money you earn from a summer job to last all year long. Unless you have a regular source of income during the school year, you need to stick to a pretty … [Read more...]
I'm David Weliver. At 26, I had NO savings and NO financial plan. I was maxed out, stressed out, and fed up. Then, I changed. I repaid $80k of debt, tripled my income, and bought a home. I'll show you how to get similar results.