Our 2010 Financial Plan

By 2 Cents on January 11th, 2010 | Category: Planning | 5 comments

Map out your future, but do it in pencil.

~ Jon Bon Jovi

Well, after the last 2 years, my pencil is 2 centimetres long and my eraser – well, let’s just say I have a new one. Budgeting and goal setting have been a real challenge recently for reasons outlined in Our Money Story (Part I & Part II) last week. Still, that hasn’t kept me from trying, and sometimes failing.

I normally might have finished my 2010 list of goals some time in December in years past. This year, I just couldn’t do it. There seemed to be too many uncertainties surrounding 2010, and frankly, after 2008 and 2009, I was afraid to write anything down because I was pretty sure all my plans would eventually get scrapped anyway.

But as sure as flowers in springtime, my annual New Year’s burst of energy [...]

Read on and enjoy … Our 2010 Financial Plan

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6 Remedies For a Debt Hangover

By 2 Cents on January 4th, 2010 | Category: Debt | 10 comments
Remedies for a Debt Hangover

Cheers to a New Year and another chance for us to get it right.

~ Oprah Winfrey

OK, so you overindulged. You read all of those articles warning about moderation or complete avoidance. You intended to follow that prudent advice. But you didn’t. I could easily be talking about alcohol consumption or debt consumption. Either way, over-consumption will put you in a precarious position.

If you’re not in that position on either front, congratulations. If you are, you’re not alone. Debt has been in the news a lot lately and if you read my post on 2010 What Ifs, you know that I think it will be a big topic this year. Sovereign debt problems are simmering in many parts of the globe and are coming to a full boil in others, particularly the PIIGS countries. This has led many to ask the question: Read on and enjoy … 6 Remedies For a Debt Hangover

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Should You Run Your Home Like a Business?

By 2 Cents on December 17th, 2009 | Category: Family | One comment

It’s not enough to make time for your children.  There are certain stages in their lives when you have to give them the time when they want it.  You can’t run your family like a company.  It doesn’t work.

~ Andrew Grove

Well, obviously Andrew Grove, a key player in the birth of Intel, thinks the answer is no. I bet you can probably guess that I’m going to say that it’s not a yes or no question. I think the answer, like so many others, is yes and no.

Anyone who knows children knows that their needs cannot always be scheduled or anticipated. Anyone who has children knows that parenting is a 24/7, always-on-call affair. In that sense, it’s sort of like being a business owner. That said, as a business owner, you might need to cut expenses, employees, or suppliers. But as a parent, you are probably [...]

Read on and enjoy … Should You Run Your Home Like a Business?

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10 Steps to Fiscal Fitness

By 2 Cents on December 16th, 2009 | Category: Planning | 7 comments
10 Steps to Fiscal Fitness

There are two ways to get enough:  One is to continue to accumulate more and more. The other is to desire less.

~ G.K. Chesterton

Anyone who writes or reads about personal finance has their own list of what it takes to become financially independent. Some of the best have really stood the test of time and have been used as a basis for many other such lists. Dave Ramsey’sBaby Steps are probably the best known version and, although I don’t agree with everything Mr. Ramsey says, you can’t go wrong following his basic principles. I don’t think that there can be just one definitive list. There are many ways to achieve the same goal.

The list I’m giving you here today is one that I came up with off the top of my head, and if I went through the same exercise again next [...]

Read on and enjoy … 10 Steps to Fiscal Fitness

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