Money Plan SOS

#200: The MoneyPlan SOS podcast is now retired with this final episode. It was recorded LIVE at FinCon15 with nine bloggers who learned more about money by actually blogging about money.

Financial education is not …

#199: Is tithing mandatory for Christians? Chris Brown and I discuss this to get to the root of the problem - which has little to do with ten percent.

Chris Brown has been a pastor for several years, speaking to …

#197: Matt Ham is an author, speaker, and small business owner. Five words uttered by a nurse changed the way he looks at life - and inspired him to …

#195: Do you know why stories of people with $.32 refund checks are in the news? Because they are so rare! 

Most people want to get a big tax refund. Getting a huge refund is an extremely inefficient use of money - both …

#194: Although he has an entrepreneur’s heart, Ace doesn’t believe anybody should start their own business. It is much easier and profitable to buy …

#193: Many people are being lured by the attractiveness of directing their own retirement plans. The trick is to do it right and have an asset, business, or income-producing entity that makes sense for YOUR retirement …

#192: Kai and I have something in common: We both left the comfort of a regular paycheck to focus on helping others with their personal finances. 

In …

#191: Heather van der Hoop from ThePennyHoarder.com comes on the show to offer these suggestions for creating an income - and many of them involve …

#188: Leah Bell shares her story of growing $32k in student loan debt - and why it makes her angry!

Upcoming webinars:

July 1st: Get more out of your …

#187: An informed consumer is a better consumer. This episode will show how Credit Cards make money from processing fees. 

I also give a few tips for …

#185: It's impossible to be immune to card fraud, but you can reduce the opportunities of being a victim.

In this episode I share steps you can take to use your Debit card responsibly and reduce the chance someone will …

#183: Dave Ramsey announced his new budgeting software - EveryDollar. It is awesome - and have many similar features to YNAB (You Need A Budget).

…

#182: Carl Richards was a ditch-digger, fell into a securities job, became a Certified Financial Planner, then became the Sketch Guy at the New York Times by drawing financial concepts on paper napkins.

He released his …

#181: Joseph Michael is an average guy who saw a need and is now making 6-figures helping writers solve a problem. They love to use Scrivener - an …

#180: The year 2015 marks the celebrates the 10th anniversary of Dan Miller's life-changing book "48 Days To The Work You Love".

He joins me in a …

#179: What is BitCoin, how does it work and how can we get some?

Brian Hoffman from OpenBazaar.org joins us to talk about this new payment option …

#178: Joan Sotkin has been through market upswings and personal bankruptcies - and she sees things as opportunities, not failures.

You can find out …

#177: Farnoosh Torabi is known for contributing to The Today Show and Money Magazine as well starting her own podcast - So Money. 

But today we are having a conversation with her about her most recent book: “When She …

#173: The sign on their front door says "No Credit Cards". 

How can such a large chain exist without accepting credit cards?

Clint Woodman, Vice President of Woodman's Food Market, shares the business side of accepting …

#171: New retirement contribution and income limits for 2015 have been released by the IRS. 

Take the Debtor's Anonymous Quiz - 15 questions to help …

#170: I'm answering listener emails: Patti emailed her concerns about "filling a void" by purchasing things she doesn't need and I answer the …

#169: Henry Rollins tells a debt free story.

In the episode titled “10 things you don’t know about the almighty dollar” he tells a debt free story …

#167: Is it possible to have a simple and fair solution to the US tax code? Yes, it's called the FairTax.

105 years ago the 16th Amendment was …

#165: Lisa left her job for another. She could have rolled her old 401k into the new plan, but she wanted more options.

Full show notes and resources …

#164: Even though FICO is celebrating 25 years as a publicly traded company, this is their very first audio interview. We are going to hammer out the clear and correct information about FICO and the credit scoring …

#163: Rey Brown explains how the cell phone industry works and gives suggestions for saving money on a new plan.

A full list of resources can be …

#162: Tom Corley, author of Rich Habits, releases his new book Rich Kids.

• What are 5 activities that will guarantee your kids will avoid a life of …

#161: What if you could invest your loose change at the end of the day? Now you can with Acorns.

Acorns is an app taking advantage of new …

#160: You can't turn on the TV or have a conversation with someone about money without the subject of credit scores coming up. With all that …

#159: The first 6 steps to buying a cash car are laid out by James Kinson, the Cash Car Convert.

He helps everyday Americans kick auto debt to the curb and make smart buying decisions when it comes to automobiles.

For …

#158: It is inevitable: Your debit card will be compromised some day. What happens when my debit card is stolen?

• Money will be taken out of your …

#157: How was John Lee Dumas able to start Entrepreneur On Fire without ANY income for 9 months? John tells us how in this exclusive interview about …

#156: Would you like to know how we paid for our vacation at a horse ranch without credit cards? It’s easy: We prepaid for our travel expenses with a …

#155: How much attention do you really need to give to managing personal finances? Here are 10 ways we pay attention to our money - and most of it …

#154: It had been a hectic morning. I recorded two interviews before leaving for the airport but I made it to the terminal with plenty of time. About 100 passengers ahead of me were being rushed as their flights were …

Any one of these debt elimination plans will work if you work the plan:

• Debt Snowball: Pay extra on …

#152: Rachel Cruze is a speaker, debt-free evangelist, part-time co-host of the Dave Ramsey show, known for being the inspiration behind the book “Careless at the Carnival”, and is soon to be a NYTimes best selling …

#151: Kraig Mathias began his journey to debt freedom after blowing the engine on his car on a cross-country road trip. 

We geek out over the math behind his car debt, then get inspired from his journey from debt …

#149: People love their credit cards.

Why?

They aren’t valuable. They can’t be traded or sold. And they cost people a lot of money and often their …

#148: The Daily Success Habits of Wealthy Individuals. Tom Corley joins me for a discussion about the habits of the rich.

We also learn the 4 things that can make you un-fireable.

Tom …

#147: A new study released by FINRA reveals only 18% of millennials are able to correctly answer 4 out of 5 questions about finance. 

Links …

#145: Money can cause us to experience a large number of unnecessary anxieties. A number of things can help alleviate a majority of worries when it comes to money and finances.

In this episode I give you five ways to …

#144: The sole benefit of Federal form Schedule A is to give us the opportunity to keep more of our hard-earned money. These are commonly referred to …

#143: What happens to my credit score after paying off debt? In this episode I share survey results that show debt-free people aren't worried about …

#141: Before starting our debt-free journey we had $176,000 in retirement accounts but our net worth was only $74,000.

What’s the secret that doubled …

#140: Wendy had her credit card debt discharged when a collector broke the law. You have rights under the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act.

Listen …

#138: Are you covered by Health Insurance? It's the law, at least it will be in 2014. Medi-Share is a faith-based option that complies with the Affordable Care Act.

Tony Meggs is the President and CEO of Christian Care …

#137: Paying attention to our money, physical health, career, family, etc. allows us to reach our goals. Paying attention can be more important than talent and is second only to desire.

Why paying attention is so …

#136: Over the past year I have received calls and messages from adult children who are concerned for their parent’s finances. Papa has been working …

#135: Credit cards are against my religion. I shared my beliefs in a webinar on October 3rd. Only a handful of people have watched the video, which I …

#134: Thomas Stanley found several common denominators when he studied the wealth.

Extras: In this episode I feature some of the conversations I had with Pat Flynn from SmartPassiveIncome.com and Dustin Hartzler from …

#133: The holidays are upon us. The year is almost over.

Like it or not, the winter season is in full gear and more money changes hands in December …

#132: How To Pay for Things With Cash: An FPU Graduate's Testimony Financial Peace University is a 9-week course taught on DVD by nationally syndicated radio host Dave Ramsey. The class covers everything from how to …

#131: It takes a lifetime to learn how money works.

With the speed of change, the creation of new financial products and an overabundance of data …

#130: The greatest tool that lets us live on less than we make is an option that has been around for ages: CASH.

And it's not going away any time …

#129: LIVE from the FinCon Expo - find out if you know more about money and investing than financial bloggers. This show was recorded live at #FinCon13 in St. Louis on October 19, 2013.

Personal Finance Bloggers …

#128: Bob Lotich, Founder of ChristianPF.com (now Seedtime.com), has been a customer of Medi-Share for over four years.

He shares the moments when he used them and how much Medi-Share saved him money when he broke his …

#127: Where should I save my emergency fund? Should I begin with investing or put money away for my kids? These are the questions of a young couple …

#126: How To Get Away From Credit Card Debt Forever. These 4 Steps slowly weens you away from your dependency on credit cards. The old rules about …

#125: God wants you to be rich. How do I know? Because Jesus died to pay our debts - so at least we all get to start with a net worth of zero!

Also, …

#124: There are 4 steps to help make smart purchasing decisions. Being responsible with your money is very important when trying to get out of debt. We all want our money to go as far as it can and wasting money isn't …

#123: CBS news reported that 76% of American households are living paycheck to paycheck. Less than half have three months of worth savings.

We are …

#122: What does it take to retire early?

Saving a ton of money now and/or building a business that will provide you with a stream of income are two ways to make it happen!

The DividendMantra, Jason Fieber, and Kraig …

#121: Equifax got sued, Jeff Rose talks about his new book "Soldier of Finance", and there's not such thing as a free lunch. Jeff Rose is on a Roll …

#120: PerkStreet closed its doors in 2013. Listen to an exclusive interview with PerksStreet CEO, Dan O'Malley about what happened to PerkStreet, …

#119: Our culture is so material-driven that it keeps many of us in jobs we hate, stressed out to the point that it is unhealthy, and disconnected …

#118: The Wall Street Journal released an article that shows the average 3 hour major league baseball game averages only 18 minutes of actual …

#117: Dave Ramsey's 7th Baby Step is to Build Wealth and Give.

If you've been following each step then you have absolutely no debt, even the house, …

#116: Paying off the house early is Dave Ramsey's Baby Step #6 UPDATE: We paid our house off in December 2015.

Why should you pay off the house …

#115: Special guest Rachel Cruze discusses ways to pay for kid's college as we talk about Dave Ramsey's Baby Step 5.

Baby Step #5 is to save for …

#114: Dave Ramsey's 4th Baby Step is to invest 15% for retirement. This brings you half way through a complete Total Money Makeover - and the rest is pretty easy.

Dave Ramsey’s BS4 is …

#113: Baby Step 3: Save 3-6 Months Of Expenses.

Dave Ramsey's third Baby Step is to create a fully-funded emergency fund equal to three to six times …

#112: This is Week 2 in the 7 week series of Dave Ramsey's Baby Steps to Financial Peace.

Last week I talked briefly about Baby Step 1: Build a $1,000 starter emergency fund.

Baby Step #2 is to pay off all consumer debt …

#111: From ELP to El Machete, Andres Gutierrez is the voice of Financial Peace for the Hispanic community.

Andres has been helping people with their finances for the past decade but it wasn't until 2009 that he became …

#110: What are the top 10 financial products debt free people must have? Over the past 50 years our society has invented thousands of financial products: Credit cards, hedge funds, and the inappropriately named …

#109: Dave Ramsey Tweeted "Saving 100 dollars per month from age 25 to age 65 at 12 percent growth will turn into 1.176 million dollars This Tweet …

#108: Do you know how much you should have in an Emergency Fund? Dave Ramsey recommends having a 3 to 6 month worth of liquid savings in case the …

#107: Get it while it's hot!

Banks and lenders are offering to sell us money everywhere – and they are telling us it’s cheap!

The marketing around selling debt is more prevalent than ever before. Try turning on the TV …

#106: Have you ever had one of those weeks when everything went wrong?

I’m having one and it might just cause me to pay for my speeding ticket with emergency savings. This week's mishaps: Our stupid backyard fence …

#105: We bought my wife's last vehicle from the Joneses. You've heard of the Joneses. They have all the freshest gadgets, the most fashionable clothes, and drive the newest vehicles. You can get an excellent bargain if …

#104: Gregg Murset, Founder and CEO of MyJobChart.com, believes teaching children early and often is the best way for them to learn how money really …

#103: Car payments, mortgage interest deductions, the morality of money, and who has control of your money: This episode addresses these popular …

#102: Many people can get by without ever doing a budget. Do you qualify as a person that doesn't have to go through this seemingly painful process? …

#101: Have you ever considered where money came from? The basics of all things finance lays in the concept of a centralized currency with variable purchase power. The great news is that it's a very simple subject, but …

#100!!! Timm Etters joins me in sharing listener's inspirational stories and quotes in the 100th episode of the MoneyPlan SOS podcast! I also share one of the inspirational people in my life, my best friend Timm. For …

#099: UPDATE! Ready for Zero has retired, but the idea they put forth changed my mind about the Debt Avalanche.

Ben from Ready For Zero (now owned by Avant) joins me in a conversation about the #1 reason a Debt …

#097: How much does someone's past affect your relationship?

Do you see someone's past failures as a problem or see them as exercises for personal …

#096: There is a direct correlation between Personal Finance and Physical Fitness.

Currency and calories, consumerism and consumption - they all affect how rich and fit we will become.

For more information, visit the …

#095: Purchases are more expensive when we use credit cards.

A proposed change to Visa and MasterCard regulations may remove restrictions on vendors …

#094: Today I break down the tax return Form-1040 into sections to help us better understand what we need - and why we need it. Income tax returns …

#093: Congress averted the Fiscal Cliff. Or did they?

Effective with the first payroll of 2013, there are a number of changes to paychecks for …

#091: Financial Soldier, Jeff Rose, is starting another movement. He is leading the Debt Squad into a battle with debt and we are taking no …

#090: Putting money into a 401k is a smart tax-saving money move. The Government allows us to sock away up to $17,000 of our hard-earned pay and not pay income tax on it (up to $17,500 in 2013).

The money in the account …

#089: Certified Financial Planner and IRS Enrolled Agent, Jim Blankenship, is the owner and author of FinancialDucksInARow.com, a blog that focuses …

#050: As a Dave Ramsey Trained Financial Coach, this sounds like blasphemy.

But it's not what "Dave Ramsey says...", it's what he teaches that …

#088: ONLY 38 MONTHS LEFT ON OUR MORTGAGE! What happens when I throw a little bit extra every month towards the principal?

The scales tip towards our debt free date, that's what!

UPDATE: We paid off our house in …

#087: What is the best thing to do with a Christmas Bonus?

It depends on your current financial situation.

There are only three things you can do with money: Spend it, save it or give it - and we need to do a little of …

#086: Interview with a YNAB super-user You Need A Budget, an incredibly flexible and easy-to-use software application, started as an excel spreadsheet.

Steve Mudie remembers those days as he started using it back in the …

#085: Professional Organizer Diana Luetkemeyer joins us again to share tips on how to have a stress free holiday. How do we handle the added …

#084: Joe Saul-Sehy is a recovering Financial Planner.

Currently, he is the co-host of the 2 Guys and Your Money podcast, COO & chief bottle …

#083: We don't give simply to save on taxes - that would be silly. At the center of our spirit is this reason to give: Just because we want to.

For …

#082: Negotiation is a strategic communication process to get a deal done or solve a problem.

Dave Hilton joins us to talk negotiation skills and how …

#080: Emily Chase Smith is a Debt Solutions Attorney that started by practicing bankruptcy law. Emily knows bankruptcy is not always the solution and …

#079: Pregnancy, layoff, or move to another state: These are all situations where you would press "PAUSE" when working Dave Ramsey's Baby Steps.

For …

#073: Rolling credit card debt into a mortgage sounds like a great idea, but does it really make cents? Join me as I go through the math.

To follow …

#072: There are two primary types of Life Insurance: Whole Life (permanent) and Term Life (temporary).

While I can not make a blanket statement to …

#069: More important than monitoring for ID theft is the recovery. It takes many hours to clear your good name, and now there is a service that will do it for you.

Diane Sacks - Vice President of Marketing & ID …

#067: How long do we keep tax returns? Where should we store important documents? What in the world should I do with all these digital pictures?

…

#065: Zac Bissonnette wrote his new book with one simple question in mind...

What should young people do with their money in order to have the best …

#064: Dave Ramsey announced changes to the Financial Peace University (FPU) course in a live webinar on June 5th, 2012.

Not only have the videos been …

Follow these 8 tips to make your identity harder to steal!

These steps can not guarantee your ID will never be …

#060: A listener sent in a question about investing while he's in debt. He makes a great case study for us to examine if there is a one-size-fits-all get-out-of-debt plan, or not?

To read his letter or learn more about …

#059: The path to becoming wealthy is to save, invest, and live on less than we make.

Using other people’s money is expensive and is eroding our ability to become financially independent. It's keeping the middle class …

Couponing is not just cutting pieces of paper out of your local ads, it involves shopping, travel, and seeking out great values to help you stretch …

#056: What do you do when 99% of high school seniors don't know what a ROTH IRA is? You start a MOVEMENT!

That's what Jeff Rose did - and I'm part of …

Deciding how, where, and why to invest should not be taken lightly. We need to think logically and look at the …

#047: Our purchasing power is handicapped by taxes. Learn how long you have to work to afford a $200 iPod Touch.

Full list of examples can be found …

#046: I’m defending Suze Orman?!? Yes, but bot for her behavior when personal finance bloggers idiots - but for something she did with her “Approved …

#045: After getting your debt paid off and having an emergency fund, now you get to enjoy your money!

1. Write goals down so you are reminded everyday
2. …

#042: One of the things we have to do when building our house of financial freedom open up some windows (share and experience things with others). I call this giving.

There are plenty of ways to be a giver.

For more …

#38: 
Cafeteria Plans, aka Flexible Spending Plans, are great ways to save money tax-free on Health Care expenses and Dependent Care expenses.

For …

#34: I AIN'T PLAYIN' NO MO! The FICO Score is a one-sided system of debt evaluation and does not take into account your true financial history. The …

#33: Steve Ely, CEO of eCredable, used to work for Equifax running the Direct Consumer Business. One of the challenges he experienced was they had a …

Ashley Barnett, Personal Finance Blogger from MoneyTalksCoaching.com, shares her thoughts on Social Security. We know the system is broken but what can be done to fix it? She has an idea and she wrote about it in her …

Too much of your take-home pay going to the mortgage makes you "House Poor", and it can be devastating to your financial future. But Owning a home has so many benefits.

In this episode we walk through the pros and cons …

Glenn and Fredonna didn't have a plan for their money. He handled the finances and she was a "willing bystander" with the budget. When they contacted me they wanted to do better, to have a plan for their money. And I …

Guest blogger and aspiring Personal Finance Coach Alex Humphrey from AlexSpeaks.com tells us that Everything is Normal. Places, people, things, even …

Eric Lentz paid off $53,000 in debt over 24 months using his very own Debt Snowball Calculator. While he no longer sells this, you can get a copy of …

1. Work
2. Plan
3. Give
4. Pay for necessities
5. Save $1,000
6. Pay for a few wants
7. Pay off …

The Great Recovery was simulcast all over America on July 21, 2011. Dave Ramsey called out to Church Leaders and Financial Peace University …

In this Real Life Case Study episode we help a young, single, male college student going off to an out-of-state college this fall. His tuition is …

You need to save money. Once you have learned to live on less than you make, what do you do with the extra money?

First thing for anyone (whether in debt or not): Have $1,000 in cash put aside for emergencies. When you …

One giant choice we can make to get control of our money is to stop using credit cards. It may seem impossible but the steps I've laid out in this 4 …

Living Without Credit Cards takes more than just a pair of scissors and going cold turkey. This episode walks us through Step #3 to wean us off our …

We can't really live or give at our full potential unless we stop borrowing more money and eliminate debt. One of the first things we have to do to …

This is a real life story of a couple with four children who were normal Americans, made a lot of money, and enjoyed life. They had two cars with payments, a 2nd mortgage, spent $1,000 a month on dining, paid off credit …

Americans are dependent on their credit cards. But you can live without credit cards, it just takes some time and effort.

In this episode we talk about the very first action step you need to take. It's the hardest step …

Financial Coaching at it's best from America's Personal Finance Architect, Steve Stewart. Helping everyday American's build a solid foundation on …

I am often asked - Steve, how can I become a Dave Ramsey Coach?  I'm no expert, but I can direct them to some incredible resources.

Two of them come from Justin Lukasavige, Storywriter at CoachRadio.tv and author of …

Coach Melissa Cappleman and I discuss the challenges of a single mom who is doing it all by herself with two children in private school but living in …

Have you ever been totally derailed? Something unusual came up that just threw you off balance and you had to stop, get back up, and start moving forward again? That's what happened to me over the past few weeks.

To …

One of the most common questions I get from Christians is "Should I Tithe while in debt"? This episode discusses that topic in depth.

For a full list …

Michael TechTalk Kastler was fired just before Christmas. He asked for The First 5 Things You Should Do When You Get Fired. I didn't really answer …

In this episode: Tools and tricks to keep you maintain control of your money and not get TRAPPED by marketing and consumerism.

For a full list of …

I’ve boiled the process down to the simplest elements and have come up with a signature process that will

• Show how far your money can truly go
• …

There are 5 things that need to be in place before paying off debt and saving for the future:

1. Get on the same page with your spouse or accountability …

There are three things anyone can do that will help lead them onto a path of financial freedom and become rich.  

Also, Holla From The Impala: I'm …

My name is Steve Stewart. I'm a Dave Ramsey Trained Counselor and I HATE YOUR DEBT MORE THAN YOU.

For complete information and list of services visit