Do I need life insurance?   Like the answer to many good financial questions, the answer is, it depends. But you probably need it.   Do you love someone (or something)?  Do you owe someone (or something)?   Do you have a family,...

The fact that almost 65% of Americans are living paycheck to paycheck violates one of my first principles of personal finance; spend less than you make.  It’s also a perfect example of the behavior gap. Meaning, having an intellectual understanding of something,...

One of my favorite teachings of Jesus is the parable of the talents.  In it, Jesus shares a story meant to illustrate the importance of putting all of your God-given gifts to work, and to take risks.  Failure to do so results in negative judgment.  This...

Having a life of significance is available to you. This will walk you through the steps to make it happen. That you’re reading this suggests you desire a life of significance, and I commend you for it. It’s my desire to help you live one.  I think everyone is...

There are fewer things in personal finance more important than taking on the proper amount of risk, and fewer tools more ineffective at determining the proper amount of risk than a traditional risk tolerance profile.  If you’re not familiar with what I’m talking...

Financial planning is the process of determining your financial goals, looking at your current situation, and devising strategies for achieving those goals. It’s best viewed as a process because it will need to be updated as your life changes.  The tangible...

Bad things happen to us.  Me dropping my ice cream when I was four was bad. My parents getting divorced when I was five was worse.  Adversity, also known as difficulty or misfortune, comes at us in different levels. The trick is what we do when it happens;...

I’ve got friends I grew up with, friends I went to college with, and I met some of my best friends as an adult.  But it can be a struggle for grown-ups to make new friends. It’s harder to develop deep relationships when we’re grown up. We’ve got a lot more...

“Give me six hours to chop down a tree and I will spend the first four sharpening the axe.”           - Abraham Lincoln To get better at persuasion, commit to becoming a life-long learner. Doing so will not only make you better today, it will...