The following is a guest post from Matt Becker, founder of Mom and Dad Money. Matt is a proud father and husband, and his site is dedicated to helping new parents build financial security for their family. Although Matt and I have somewhat different personal opinions in regards to dividend strategies, I thought it might be fun to invite him to take the stage and share his perspective on why he thinks Total Return Investing would be better. I've always maintained the message on My Money Design that there is more than one way to reach financial freedom. If you can keep an open mind and not … [Read more...] about Why Total Return Investing Is Better Than a Dividend Strategy
Is Financial Fear Paralyzing You From Being Financially Free?
The following post is a contribution from Todd. He’s the co-founder and content manager at the Men’s Blog Fearless Men. It’s a blog on Manliness that inspires men to grow strong, get fit, be wise, kick fear in the face and become a better man. What I admire most about My Money Design is the tagline “Designing Financial Freedom.” I believe that just because you have a dream or a goal doesn’t mean you’ll get there by accident. You won’t wake up in 6 months or 6 years and fulfilled your goal without having done it on purpose. You must plan, you must design how you’re going to build toward … [Read more...] about Is Financial Fear Paralyzing You From Being Financially Free?
One Man’s Success With Borrowing Against 401k Funds for a Comeback
The following is a guest post by fellow personal finance blogger William Cowie from the site Bite the Bullet Investing. In the post Reader Debate – Would You Borrow Money to Invest in Stocks?, William commented with a great story about his experiences with borrowing against 401k funds to purchase stocks at what he believed was a critical opportunity. He has graciously volunteered to expand upon that story in this post. If you are interested in being a guest contributor for My Money Design, please feel free to contact me. Do you hate debt? I do, quite passionately. Few things suck … [Read more...] about One Man’s Success With Borrowing Against 401k Funds for a Comeback
Taking a “Pay Off Credit Card” Niche Site to the Next Level
A brief introduction for those who don't know me: My name is Matthew Allen and I blog over at Dumb Passive Income about all the things I've been doing to try to create online passive income. Creating sites and systems that will earn money passively has become an absolute obsession of mine. Admittedly, there is nothing passive about the amount of time I have spent and continue to spend to build up these sources of income. But, I am finally beginning to reap some of the rewards for all of my hard work. The coolest thing about building sites or systems to earn money passively is that once the … [Read more...] about Taking a “Pay Off Credit Card” Niche Site to the Next Level
How to Reverse Lifestyle Inflation
The following post is a contribution from Tony at We Only Do This Once. Tony is a trombone player who has performed with major symphony orchestra, on Broadway in NYC, and in recordings and movie soundtracks. He blogs about simplifying your life through downsizing and becoming financially fit. One of the best and worst things that ever happened to me was that I had a five year stretch of massive raises in income. During this time, I chose to not live off of my old income, and instead buy a ton of stuff. A year and a half ago, I found myself with debt up to my eyeballs (about … [Read more...] about How to Reverse Lifestyle Inflation
Types of Investment Funds – Open-End and Closed-End Funds
The following post is a contribution from Gary, a personal finance blogger who focuses on investing, saving, real estate, credit and debt, career and education advice, budgeting, and insurance at Gajizmo.com. Gary has worked at an internet company on their M&A team, as well as two private equity firms, and has a Real Estate Broker’s License. Investment funds allow small and large investors to pool capital together and enjoy higher investment returns with lower risks than private brokerage accounts. Mutual funds offer many benefits, such as easy diversification of securities, … [Read more...] about Types of Investment Funds – Open-End and Closed-End Funds
How to Stop Spending Money – 5 “Psych Outs” that Trick You to Spend
The following post was provided by fellow blogger Jennifer Willard. If you are interested in being a guest contributor for My Money Design, please feel free to contact me. Saving money for retirement, or even a rainy day, has become much harder over the last couple of years. Prices for necessities have risen, while income levels have grown stagnant. However, this doesn’t mean that it is impossible to save for the future and learn how to stop spending money. You just have to be a savvier shopper. Of course, there are always ways to save money when shopping. Using coupons, taking … [Read more...] about How to Stop Spending Money – 5 “Psych Outs” that Trick You to Spend
Tips for Achieving Early Financial Independence
The following post is a guest contribution from Early Financial Freedom. Giving the state of the economy, can you really achieve early financial independence? Is it a mirage that you can only imagine? My wife and I would like to assure you that it is real and attainable if you are serious about it. The bottom line is that you need to desire financial freedom in order to achieve it. The desire is the driving force for making early scarifies for later pleasures. How We Got There: Let me introduce myself. I am an engineer from New York and am happily married with a wonderful 7-year-old son. … [Read more...] about Tips for Achieving Early Financial Independence
Six Beginner Strategies for 529 Savings Plans
The following post is from guest author Ryan Jones. Ryan is a contributory writer associated with Debt Consolidation Care and has written several articles for various financial websites. He holds his expertise in the Debt industry and has made significant contribution through his various articles. A 529 plan is a kind of savings plan which is especially designed so as to encourage savings for the future college or any other mode of higher education. These savings plans have some tax advantages and are also legally known as the “qualified tuition plans”. The 529 savings plans are named so … [Read more...] about Six Beginner Strategies for 529 Savings Plans