My Money Design - Designing Financial Freedom

We Saved Over $1,000 in Taxes This Year By Contributing to Our Vanguard SEP IRA

February 23, 2015 by MMD 17 Comments

One of the coolest things I discovered last year in terms of retirement planning was that I have the option to contribute to yet another tax-deferred savings plan – the SEP IRA. What’s even better is that not only was this contribution above and beyond everything I was already saving with my 401k and Roth IRA, but it also accomplished one VERY important task – saving me a boat load of money in the amount of taxes we owed for year on our Federal return. This year the story is even better! With all the money my online business made, I’m going to end up contributing close to $4,000 this … [Read more...]

Unlock Your Financial Philosophy Cheat Codes

February 16, 2015 by MMD 11 Comments

Remember video game cheat codes? My son got a cheat code book from his cousin a few months back and he’s finding out just how awesome they are. Take your favorite video game or the hardest video game and the cheat code book gave you power you never thought you could have. Unlimited lives. More firepower. Skipping ahead several levels to defeat the last big boss. Honestly it made winning the game so much easier, and it was awesome! As I got older, I noticed something about cheat codes – there were more of them then just I knew about video games! Clearly all around me there were all … [Read more...]

What are Mutual Funds and How Do I Invest in Them?

February 15, 2015 by Staff 3 Comments

What holds you back from investing? Is it stocks? Do they scare you to death? If they do, I really don’t blame you. All the “ifs” in the beginning can be overwhelming! Which ones do I pick? Where will I find the right stock metrics and information to tell me? Why do they keep bouncing around in price? How long until I have a heart-attack? Would you prefer a way to “stick your toe in the water” and not have to deal with such wild fluctuations? If so, then let me introduce you to the world of mutual funds. “What are mutual funds” you ask? Well, for starters, they are where I … [Read more...]

What To Do With Extra Money In Your Budget – 3 Good Choices

February 9, 2015 by MMD 23 Comments

At the beginning of every new year, one of the first things I do with our finances is to take a hard look at our budget and see where we can get the most bang for our buck. At first this usually involves doing the normal thing that most people do - taking a look at our bills and seeing where we can shave some expenses. But there’s something else I like to do with the extra money in our budget that I feel is just as important as cutting corners on expenses. I like to take a look at where we can best grow it! There are lots of good options for what to do with extra money if you’ve got … [Read more...]

Niche Website Income Report 026 – $1,155 for January 2015

February 2, 2015 by MMD 29 Comments

Hello and welcome to our first official Niche Website Update and Income Report for 2015! Since 2013 I’ve been trying to take my hobby of blogging and really turn it into something of a long-term, stable. My ultimate goal is for the niche sites I create to generate several streams of positive passive income that will continue to roll in no matter whether I’m working, sleeping, or whatever I’m up to. I consider all the extra income I make to be a huge blessing because its money that I made outside my job and beyond the budget we’ve set for our family. Plus – it’s a lot of fun to see how … [Read more...]

I Have Cancer. Now What I Am Going to Do?

January 26, 2015 by MMD 104 Comments

Two weeks ago I learned some pretty shocking news: I have cancer. What started out as a seemingly simple trip to the doctor to find out why my neck was feeling so constricted lately quickly escalated into an 8-night stay at the hospital full of scans, biopsies, and blood-work which ultimately concluded that I have Stage II Hodgkin's Lymphoma. Believe me – to say this has been quite a shock is to say the least. I’ll be turning 35 years old next month and this is something I would have never guessed I’d be dealing with at this stage of my life. I’ve always worked very, very hard to stay … [Read more...]

12 Things I Learned From Writing Over 30 Guest Posts Last Year

January 19, 2015 by MMD 15 Comments

Anyone who is anyone when it comes to blogging knows that one of the best ways to grow your business is to offer to write guest posts for other sites. While guest posting doesn’t directly make you any money (at least not if you’re one of those shady sponsored post authors I ignore in my inbox), it can give you and the brand you’re trying to develop plenty of qualitative value. And, as you might guess, that qualitative value can lead to things like more traffic or better search ranks results that will eventually yield you more income (more on that below). If you really think about it … [Read more...]

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