I wanted to give everyone a quick update on my health and how things are going. In case you didn’t know, I found out in January that I have cancer – specifically Type II Hodgkin's Lymphoma. As you can probably guess that came as a HUGE shock to me to because I’m an otherwise pretty young, healthy guy. However, as I’ve learned, cancer doesn’t discriminate its victims. And so now this is just simply something I have to deal with and put behind me without hesitation. Since when I first broke the news to you my dear readers, I’ve received my official regimen of treatments: No radiation and 12 rounds of chemo. Believe it or not I was actually delighted when I first heard this because everything I’ve read so far suggested that … [Read more...] about My Cancer Update – 8 Weeks Later
3 Painless Ways to Build Your Emergency Money Fund
The other day I was having a conversation with a few of my coworkers about how long we'd be "okay" financially if we were to lose our jobs. (None of us were in any sort of trouble, it was just one of those conversations.) Much to my surprise most of them said they didn't think they'd last more than a month. A month? Perhaps I'm brain-washed from living in this money-blog community of mine, but doesn't everyone know by now that you're supposed to have 3 to 6 months worth of emergency money stashed up at all times? Disaster could strike at any time whether you're ready for it or not! And if you're not prepared well in advance to handle such a situation, you'll find yourself in a whole lot of trouble. Why Don’t We Do A … [Read more...] about 3 Painless Ways to Build Your Emergency Money Fund
Ask MMD: Should I Do a Rollover, Pension Lump Sum or Annuity?
How do you know you’re a true financial geek? The answer: You get excited when one of your friends asks you a money question because it means crunching some numbers with Excel! Okay … maybe not to that extreme, but that’s pretty much how I felt recently for a friend who had a question about whether or not to cash out his pension with an old employer. Here was his email: So I attended a webinar today about the buyout (with my old employer). Attached is a snip of the five options they gave us and what the amounts would be. Rollover to an IRA or another employer’s plan = $33,165.41 Rollover to the old employer’s 401k plan = $33,165.41 Take a pension lump-sum cash payment = $23,215.79 (minus taxes) Begin collecting monthly … [Read more...] about Ask MMD: Should I Do a Rollover, Pension Lump Sum or Annuity?
Niche Website Income Report 27 – $1,281 for February 2015
Hello and thank you for checking out my latest Niche Website Income Report and Update for 2015. Every month I like to review what’s going on with my online business and put it all in print for you to see. Not only does this help you out, but it also keeps me accountable and in tune with what works / what doesn’t. Whether you’re a blogger or not, I really do hope that when you read through this post that you see how it is in fact POSSIBLE to earn a decent amount of money on the side. Whether you want to call it passive income or not is up to you. I’m just very pleased to even be earning anything at all and excited by the prospect of what this online business has become. Though it was a short, VERY-cold February here in the … [Read more...] about Niche Website Income Report 27 – $1,281 for February 2015
Unlock Your Financial Philosophy Cheat Codes
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 kinds of “cheats” going on. And by cheats I mean people who had figured out how to get the things, act a certain way, and live the life I wanted. … [Read more...] about Unlock Your Financial Philosophy Cheat Codes
What To Do With Extra Money In Your Budget – 3 Good Choices
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 it. You might apply it to some kind of debt you have so that you’ll end up saving a boat-load in interest payments (after all, saving money can … [Read more...] about What To Do With Extra Money In Your Budget – 3 Good Choices
Niche Website Income Report 026 – $1,155 for January 2015
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 far I can take this entrepreneurial effort and see where it goes. Unfortunately January started off with some pretty big delays due to my BIG … [Read more...] about Niche Website Income Report 026 – $1,155 for January 2015
I Have Cancer. Now What I Am Going to Do?
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 in stay in good shape, eat healthy, and keep things positive. However as I’m slowly understanding, sometimes life has its own unique set of … [Read more...] about I Have Cancer. Now What I Am Going to Do?
