If there's one question I consistently have had over the years, it's this one: How do I get my spouse on board with our finances?In this episode, you'll learn how to navigate the minefield that is this topic. First, by recognizing that perhaps you shouldn't view it as something that will potentially blow up in your face.  Mindset, is everything, people!Seriously, though, it's not an easy topic to bring up with a spouse. There can be years of anxiety, frustration, shame, and fear associated with money in a person's background. The key is to approach it in a specific way...and in this episode you'll learn all about it.YNAB - The Best Budgeting Software! YNAB keeps you on track with a budget. Whether home or traveling, you can be confident in your money

The Envelope System. Brilliant in its simplicity. Straightforward in its usefulness.The Envelope System has been in use for countless years to help families keep on track with their budgets. Somewhere along the line, it lost its popularity with the advent of online banking and the advent of credit.It's beyond time to reinstate this easy and helpful strategy when it comes to spending money.If you take the time to do some simple research into your spending (and in conjunction with your established budget), you can incorporate the Envelope System into your daily spending. It's a very tangible reminder that money is finite and it helps to train you in some self-restraint and allows you to flex that budgeting muscle.YNAB - The Best Budgeting Software! YNAB keeps you on track with a budget. Whether home or traveling, you can be confident in your money

Your car's alternator just died. Can you pay for its repair without using your credit card?According to BankRate.com, 56% of Americans can't. Which is why this week we're discussing the concept of an Emergency Fund.You'll learn about:Two different Emergency FundsWhen to establish eachA variety of ways to fund them bothWhy they are important

I hope you said, "No."Unfortunately, that's what we as Americans due every year. Then, on April 15th, we celebrate if we get a "refund" from Uncle Sam.In effect, you loaned your beloved Uncle Sam all that money and he gave back what he didn't want...at 0%.In this episode, you'll learn some strategies on how to maximize your monthly income, tax-wise, and minimize your refund (which means you get to keep it during the year.)YNAB - The Best Budgeting Software! YNAB keeps you on track with a budget. Whether home or traveling, you can be confident in your moneyYNAB - The Best Budgeting Software! YNAB keeps you on track with a budget. Whether home or traveling, you can be confident in your money

One of the key features of any successful financial plan is to include a category that allows you to spend money on less important things.We've already talked about the FACTS of budgeting (Food, Accommodations, Clothing, Transportation, and Services). These are the cornerstones of your budget. The Blow Money category will keep you on your path because it lets you "cut loose" every so often. It isn't an unlimited category and still requires some discipline, but it is functions like a release valve when the pressure starts to build and you need some "retail therapy".

The first step in creating a road trip plan is knowing where you're starting from. If your GPS doesn't know where you are, it can't give you directions to where you want to be.Financially, that's exactly what Step 1 in your 5-Day Budgeting Challenge is all about.In this episode you'll learn:The most efficient way to review where you spend your moneyHow to categorize your spending (be sure to join the 5-Day Challenge for a free Category PDF)What Mary Poppins thinks you should do when adversity strikes (She's a genius)This step is likely to take the longest of all five steps, but it's the foundation to getting from where you are with your money to where you want to be.YNAB - The Best Budgeting Software! YNAB keeps you on track with a budget. Whether home or traveling, you can be confident in your money

When you face a significant task with lots of moving parts, it can be quite overwhelming.Ever sit in your patrol car and look at the pending details and think, "Well...guess lunch won't be a thing today."While those days definitely happen, there are ways to strategically tackle them...and your finances are no different.In this episode, we'll talk about eating some weird animals and how that relates to taking control of your money.YNAB - The Best Budgeting Software! YNAB keeps you on track with a budget. Whether home or traveling, you can be confident in your money

The goal of any business should be to make their customer/client the hero in their own story. Marketing folks will tell you to talk less about yourself and more about the client.Ordinarily, I'd agree...but cops are a bit different. You can't just show up to teach a class and expect seasoned officers to take your authority at face value. Unless your wearing stars or bars, we're gonna wanna know what your pedigree is and why we should bother listening to what you have to say.This episode is, albeit briefly, about that. This is my story...and I hope it can become yours.YNAB - The Best Budgeting Software! YNAB keeps you on track with a budget. Whether home or traveling, you can be confident in your moneyYNAB - The Best Budgeting Software! YNAB keeps you on track with a budget. Whether home or traveling, you can be confident in your money

Budgeting can definitely be challenging. Especially when unforeseen circumstances arise.But, there's a secret savior to combat these "unforeseen" issues: Sinking Funds.In this episode, you'll learn all about how Sinking Funds can protect your budget from ruin:What Sinking Funds areHow to create themWhy "unforeseen" is rather inaccurateThis episode is brought to you by the best budgeting software on the planet, YNAB!YNAB - The Best Budgeting Software! YNAB keeps you on track with a budget. Whether home or traveling, you can be confident in your money

When it comes time to pay those bills, there's a definite order in which to pay them.We're not talking about due dates or amounts. We're talking about who gets paid first.There's a simple acronym that will help you prioritize your spending: FACTS.Much like Joe Friday (that's from Dragnet, y'all), when it comes to prioritizing our spending, the first thing we're concerned about is that the FACTS.