Blog - Live Your Wage

6 Ways an Emergency Fund Saves You Even More Money

Saving a full emergency fund of 3 to 6 months of living expenses (or more if you feel it necessary) is hard work. During this phase of building your financial …

September 28, 2020

5 Great Things About Distance Learning

With COVID-19 still making physical proximity an exercise in risk analysis, the task of educating children has proven to be yet another 2020 event wreaking havoc on everyone involved. Teachers, …

September 21, 2020

The Case Against Being Better People

Managing money, like any skill in life, involves learning and making better choices over time. Nobody goes from regularly over-drafting their checking account to investing money via a backdoor ROTH …

August 31, 2020

The Space In Between

On September 5, 1977, a team from NASA watched as the Voyager 1 spacecraft was launched into space from Cape Canaveral, Florida. Voyager 1 was slated for a daunting 4-year …

August 24, 2020

The Clarity Paradox

Have you ever felt overwhelmed with just too many tasks and obligations on your plate? Hello! It’s 2020. I feel like that every day. Good point. Then you’ve probably realized …

August 17, 2020

Glass Walls

When is the last time you took a big chance, put a crazy idea out into the world, or did something nobody else around you was doing? If you have …

August 10, 2020

Easy 3-Step Budget Exercise for Students

I don’t know if you’ve ever sat down with a group of young teenagers, but to say that learning how to manage money and do a budget are not at …

August 3, 2020

10 Financial Steps to Survive Losing Your Job

Losing your job unexpectedly is never a fun experience, but it’s a real scenario that can happen to anyone. In addition to the mental and emotional turmoil of losing colleagues, …

July 27, 2020

5 Unexpected Ways Doing a Budget Will Change Your Life

I get it. The idea of doing a budget isn’t an exciting thought for most people. A budget seems more like a consequence doled out by the fun police than …

July 20, 2020

The Power of Saved Money

Many years ago, I was at a coworker’s desk talking through a problem on a project when the coworker unashamedly log into their personal banking website to check something. I …

July 13, 2020

I Bought a $1,400 Office Chair for Only $525!

I bought an office chair! I know, I know. It’s just a chair. Who cares? Well, apparently my back and butt and legs care very much. Ever since I started …

June 15, 2020

How We Bought Our First Minivan With Cash

My wife and I have been preparing for the last few years to buy a new-to-us minivan this year, and as I have started doing some of the first steps …

June 8, 2020

5 Ways to Buy a House Without Destroying Your Future

Buying a house is a huge financial decision. The simple truth is that there are a lot of ways to mess it up, and if you do, the financial ramifications …

June 1, 2020

We Paid Off Our Mortgage in 7 Years – Here’s Why

It was June in Texas and we were experiencing the hottest day of the year so far. Of course, standing over the grill frying up burgers and hot dogs wasn’t …

May 25, 2020

Paying Off Your Mortgage Early: Should You or Shouldn’t You?

The debate over paying off your mortgage early vs. keeping the mortgage long term has been an ongoing debate for millennia. On one side of the debate are those that …

May 18, 2020

Step-by-Step Guide to Buying a Used Car With Cash

Using cash to buy a high quality used car at a great price is probably one of the most financially savvy moves the average person can make. If you’re wondering …

April 28, 2020

Why Paying Cash for a Car is a Smart Financial Move

For many people, the idea of paying cash for a car seems ludicrous. It might seem like something only rich people can do, like doctors and lawyers and Beyoncé. Our …

April 28, 2020

We Bought Another Used Car With Cash

Back in 2009, with my wife pregnant with our first child, we were in the market for a larger car. Unlike most people though, that didn’t mean we were heading …

April 28, 2020

The Day My Podcasts Died – Part 2

Last week I shared my deep tale of woe when it comes to listening to podcasts. In a nutshell, my new lifestyle no longer allows me time to consume all …

April 20, 2020

Audio waveform from a podcast fading to zero.

The Day My Podcasts Died

To say that life has been a little wonky of late would be an understatement. Any kind of normal routines said goodbye weeks ago. Or has it been years? Yet …

April 13, 2020