Fascinations with Procrastination

Photo courtesy of Mark & the Zebra

Before this recession and the downturn in the economy. It seemed like the hardest thing in the world to get someone to put away money in an emergency fund. But as the unemployment numbers have swelled, so too has the sense of urgency to stash the cash... y'know just in case.


But at the same time, some... no MANY people still refuse to make any serious changes to their approach towards their financial behaviors.


I sometimes find it interesting to study the conditions under which we are forced to shift gears and move into an uncomfortable situation (saving) to avoid the effects of another uncomfortable situation (compulsive spending/shopping, living check-to-check, living the good live, etc.) -- even when we know it was the right thing to do all along, and also know that it will put us in a far better position moving forward.


Okay, I just used alot of words to say very little, let me bottom-line it for you lol. We don't like to change until we HAVE to.


Now, please dont feel like I'm picking on you, trust me when I say this applies to me most of all.


When my car is running strong I dont take nearly as much care to maintain it as when it's giving me trouble. And the same goes with my finances. It took a MAJOR situation before my wife and I decided that we NEEDED to get out of debt completely. Before that event, we were already settling into the "minimum payment mode" on all our accounts.


But once we were faced with that situation, it put us in a place where we really had no choice but to get all the way out of debt and stop digging ourselves deeper or dragging it out any further.
I can't wait for the day that I'll be able to share exactly what that situation was. Hopefully my wife will give me the greenlight someday. But I know for now that it's still too fresh and close to home even though the actual situation was resolved long ago.


Er... but back to the point I was trying to make... ah what was it?


We don't like to change until we HAVE to!

Romans 13:8 puts it this way (NIV):

"Let no debt remain outstanding, except the continuing debt to love one another, for he who loves his fellow man has fulfilled the law."

And verse 11 continues:

"And do this, understanding the present time. The hour has come for you to wake up from your slumber, because our salvation is nearer now than when we first believed."


See, there really is no time to waste because most of us truly know what 'time' it is. For this year my church leadership selected the phrase "Now is the Time" as the theme for this year's ministerial focus. And although this year is now more than half-way over, I still want to offer those words as something for you to consider...


NOW IS THE TIME!

@W


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I Think We Need A Change...

Photo courtesy of Forgotten memory



As you know if you've been around us for even 5 minutes, we've been at this for almost 2 full years now! September 13th - which also happens to be my birthday - will make it official.





Within those 2 years we've picked up a lot of personal insight and we've also tweaked a number of techniques to find a more 'custom' fit than most of the major programs provide. We took all of the info and then applied our personal filter to it based on our beleif system, our financial situation at the time, and our decisions based on just how aggressive we wanted to be at the outset. Once we got the hang of it we essentially just let it run it's course without much change. Sure there was a streamlining process that we had to go thru but it mostly happened as a result of our weekly budget meetings and in very small increments.





But now I'm coming to a place where I feel we need a change in strategy. And I'd prefer for it to be a MAJOR change! At times I question if we are somehow too 'comfortable' with the pace we've settled into lately. Quite honestly there are times where I dont feel very "Gazelle Intense" at all about what we're doing.





And then when you couple with that the fact that we are quickly becoming role models through the ever-extending reach of this blog, Facebook and Twitter it becomes a challenge sometimes to manage a balance between what we're doing as a household vs. what we want to empower you to do as a person/family.





The bottom line is that I feel the need to possibly change the way we are approaching our debt. I'm looking for a way to make it 'fresh' again to us in spite of the fact that we've accomplished so much and are now at our virtual halfway point in the journey.





I'd love to hear ideas from any of you who have felt this same way and done something about it! Please leave me a comment below or hit me up on Twitter with your suggestions!





See ya next time,

@W




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Why you haven't heard from me lately...

Photo courtesy of *Tiny Dancer*

It's been awful quiet around here lately right? Well I cant say that it's been by design, but I can certainly see that it's been for the better. And for those of you who REALLY stick by @Risk Living, we haven't really been gone at all...

Twitter and Facebook have had a serious impact on how frequently I delve deeper into a personal finance topic. See most of my posts start off as a simple thought or observation. Sometimes, only after I ponder on a thought for a while do I even recognize there might be a post inside my thinking. But with Twitter and Facebook, once I've put that thought or quote out in the open I rarely come back here and unpack that thought the way I used to.

As a blogger I'm learning that there are advantages and disadvantages to tweeting and being 'live' on FB. The advantage is that you get rapid-fire real-time insights into what I see, think, and feel. However, the disadvantage is that once you get accustomed to 'micro-blogging' your way through a day it feels strangely slow and cumbersome to sit down and put together a complete post. One is a hand-grenade: portable, serviceable, and leaves a relatively small mark, while the other is a H-bomb: heavy, broad, and not nearly appropriate for every occasion lol.

As a side-note, I've noticed some pretty impressive spikes of traffic to the site since I've spent more time tweeting and FB'ing. Currently on Twitter I have 1500+ people following the @Risk Living blog! NEVER did I think I would be reaching such a wide audience with the blog and it's focus: Getting OUT of Debt!

Now! Having said all of that, @Risk Living isnt going anywhere, in fact I have HUGE plans for where I'd like to see this site go next. You'll be hearing more on that soon.


Thanks for sticking with us, I hope and pray we are of some help to you!

@W




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How I would save GM… The Great Auto Lotto of 2009!

Photo courtesy of jhoweaa

GM is a car company right? So how would I save a car company? I would sell it’s cars! Put on your thinking caps boys and girls, it’s time to do some math!

Our Government has committed roughly $50 billion to bail out this automaker. So let’s say the average GM car cost $26k…

($50,000,000,000 divided by $26,000 = 1,923,076 brand new cars)

Let’s keep the math neat by rounding the figure to 1.9 million… that’s a lot of cars right? So then the question becomes, “Who would those cars go to?” And I would answer that question easily, “The GOVERNMENT… duh!”

In my scenario essentially, the government just contracted out GM to operate their entire fleet of vehicles. Everything from FBI cruisers, surveillance vehicles, even the *motorcades of Diplomats and elected officials can be covered by this $50b ‘contract’. (*President Obama already has a stable of tricked out limos produced by Cadillac, a GM brand, so there ya go!)

Next question: “What if the government doesn’t need all 1.9 million vehicles for it’s own use?” Answer: They raffle off the excess vehicles to the public… after all WE did pay for this bail out with our own money right? Any US citizen with the means could essentially enter a lottery to get a crack at the leftover inventory of vehicles. They could buy as many tickets as they like to increase their chances of getting a brand new vehicle for a DIRT CHEAP price.

For example if the government used 1 million of the vehicles to replenish/upgrade it’s stock of fleet vehicles, 900k would be left. Again, to keep the math clean, let’s say that 300k have a price range of $0 - $10,000. They would be raffled off at $100 per vehicle. That would equal $30 million instantly pouring back into the economy. Then let’s say that 300k have a price range of $10,000 – $30,000. These would be raffled off at $500 per vehicle. The proceeds would equal $150 million for this group of vehicles! Then lastly, we have a final group of 300k vehicles with a price range of $30,000 to $50,000. The raffle price for these would be $1000 per vehicle because of the premium/luxury nature of the lines offered at this price. This group would bring in $300 million.

Now keep in mind this is just a basic experiment and it only takes into account one raffle ticket sold per vehicle… but as I said earlier, the buyers could buy as many tickets as they like. The total revenue from the scenario we just did comes out to $480 million, and THAT does not take into account taxes, tags, and freight charges on the vehicles themselves – which again goes back to the government. I would also add a stipulation for any raffle winner that they could sell their current vehicle for no more than equal value of the raffle ticket they purchased! This would again, instantly create a secondary car market and most likely DOUBLE the figures I just gave at the very least.

And what’s more, GM isn’t the only auto company in need of this type of “bailout”. This would serve as the perfect catalyst to reinvent both the US auto market and the overall rules of engagement for the consumer they sell to.

Now, I’m sure some one reading this is going to ask, “What’s the point of the Government spending $50 billion on this example just to make back a minimum of $480 million?!” But to that I ask this question: “What’s the point of the Government bailing out GM with $50 billion and having no plan other than to ‘keep it afloat’ operationally while the company still slowly bleeds to death in this economy?!”

GM is a car company… and something needs to be done with the cars right? I don’t care how much you say you don’t like American made cars… if you could get a brand new one for $100 to $1000 you’d be down for it!

What would you do?
@W

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@Risk Remix: A Look Back

Photo courtesy of ZaksterNT

*This is the second time I've turned to this image for a post, the first was "Full Circle: How our TMM Began...". I encourage you to read it as well. This picture represents perfectly how our financial situation felt before (Barren) and how it feels now in comparison (Overflowing)

Today I found myself looking back over a few posts from nearly a year ago, just to see how far we've come in that amount of time. I really must say that I'm pretty amazed by what I saw. The post in question is "1/3 way home" And it was about how excited we were to reach a minor milestone in our journey.

At the time we had just finished paying off the 10th bill out of the 30 that we started with, so we had just passed the 1/3 mark on our debt snowball list.

Fastforward to today and we are WELL into paying off the 32nd bill out of the 41 we now have on that same list. That means we are 3/4 of the way done with the 'list'!

At the same time we have officially passed the Half-way mark on our debt total as well. We've paid off $52,730.06 and have $$51,506 left to pay before we are DEBT FREE!

WHAT A DIFFERENCE A YEAR MAKES!! So I guess in our case you could say that "Hindsight is 50/50!" We're halfway there!!! I can't wait to see where we are this time next year! We should be heading into the Home Strecth at that point!

It's never too late to start, if you have not already! We're here for you, so let's GO!

@W

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Simple Secrets: Paying on it vs. Paying it OFF

Photo courtesy of Tea & Jam

Ok folks. In my last post we went over the basics of the 7 Baby Steps that have helped us pay off over $53,000 in debt in the last 20 months. But today, I'm going to let you in on a little secret: There should actually be 8 baby steps!

Step Zero: Stop using currently established and available forms of credit, and also stop accepting NEW forms of credit.

This step contains the key to your Total Money Makeover, and it's such a radical shift from 'the norm' that it causes many to fail even before they start. Some folks just cant get their head around living off of CASH.

When you really get the point of this program, you will soon realize that you really don't need credit at all. Not for credit reports, or FICO scores, or for your cash back rewards. You don't need it.

Minor tangent: Speaking of cash back rewards... how much CASH are you really getting BACK when the creditor is charging you interest for the use of your credit line? Think about it!

Now, in my last post I promised to tell you why we REALLY chose to stick with this system, and here is the reason: Because at first we felt like we were doing something WRONG. And when I say 'wrong' I mean we felt like we were being disloyal to the credit industry in some way. It's hard to articulate, but Visa and MasterCard have become so prevalent in our society and in our spending habits, that it felt truly odd to simply make the decision not to use our charge cards! How sick is that?

The entire credit system is propped upon the fact that they NEED you to NEED them. They constantly send the message that if you aren't using credit in some way, you simply will not be able to 'compete' with or keep up with the average consumer. It's a very Pied Piper mentality!

Once we realized why it felt so wrong, it lit a fire in us! And it opened our eyes to the many tactics and tricks that are pressed upon the average consumer.

THIS IS A WAR PEOPLE! And if you haven't noticed, take a look at what this nation has been through in the last 16 months as proof. The housing market collapse, the banking and financial institution implosions, the economy woes, the employment issues. They are all mutations of one virus: CREDIT...

Credit tells you it's ok to spend more than you actually possess. Credit tells you it's ok to borrow against your future, to acquire something today. Credit can erode your character and your sense of delayed gratification, and it can also ease you into a place of irresponsibility and 'living for the moment' emotional purchasing.

Because of this, you are required to make a change in your approach toward money. This is where the title of my post comes in. People who are comfortable with debt, have no problem "paying on" something far longer then they ever intended to, because they get lulled to sleep by the convenience factor of a payment plan.

Meanwhile, those who have had enough of this game of debt become addicted to "paying off" things as quickly as possible so that they can free up their income and truly live a life that's not dictated by a three digit score, and the limits on their cards.

Thanks for tuning in, I hope you're enjoying this expose' series.

Next up: "The $1,000 Scramble"

You are worthy of the journey!

@W







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These "Baby Steps" AIN'T for Babies!

Photo coutesy of Bettina.Schwarz

In the last 2 posts I've kind of gone thru a sort of 'reset'. Maybe it's a second wind of sorts? I dont know. But I've felt the need to simplify the emotions and actions WE (my wife and I) faced when we first started out so that YOU can duplicate them as much as possible.

In the first post of this mini-series, I laid out exactly what we're doing and how it has helped us pay off $49,000 in debt in only 19 months! In the second post I continued to zoom in on the mindset and underlying philosophy of "Living Like No One Else".

Luckily we never felt overwhelmed with the process, and I think that is in part due to what I intend to share with you in this post. In his book The Total Money Makeover, Dave Ramsey calls them the Baby Steps. They are meant to be simple bullet points on your journey to debt freedom.

But please dont sleep! Just because these steps are simple, doesnt mean they're for 'simple' people. It takes vision, committment, and perseverance to see these steps through to completion!

I want to take a few moments to list them out below, but I'll delve deeper into each step in future posts.

Step One: Save $1000.00 CASH as quickly as you can to start "Emergency Fund"

Step Two: Pay off ALL debt in order from smallest to largest using "Debt Snowball".

Step Three: Save 3-6 months worth of expenses, to fully fund "Emergency Fund".

Step Four: Invest 15% of income into Roth IRA's and Pre-tax retirement.

Step Five: Begin funding your childrens' College Educations.

Step Six: Pay off your home early

Step Seven: Build Wealth & GIVE! (Mutual Funds, Real Estate, ect.)

Step "Zero": STOP using any forms of credit and accepting new forms of credit.

Pretty simple and straight forward right? Well yes, and no. Yes, because they set a framework for you to follow. No, because if you dont follow the framework that has been set... you'll only be making it harder for yourself. In addition, these steps can't tell you how aggressive to be in your Total Money Makeover. The intensity level must be left up to you.

The downfall to the simplicity of this plan is that so many "SMART" people in this world think they need to re-invent the wheel and make it more sophisticated. But as the saying goes "K-I-S-S" (Keep It Simple Stupid).

As I said before, I'll be breaking each step down and explaining why the order is so important. I'll also be sharing exactly why we REALLY chose to stick with this system. As you become more and more familiar with the steps, you will inevitably feel that something is "wrong" about them. This is natural! At first, I did too, until I realized how CONDITIONED i had become by the FICO scores and the credit card industry! They NEED you to NEED them, and they're NOT going to make it EASY for you to cut them loose!

We'll talk about that further in my next post where I'll address the 'objections' I've heard toward getting out of debt. The reason objections is in quotes is because the people objecting were spitting out all the BS that is fed to them daily by the media and credit card industry.

Next Episode: "Paying On It VS. Paying it Off"

You are worthy of the journey!

@W







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You Want Me To Do WHAT?!?!

Photo courtesy of ppc007

In my last post I left you with this thought:

"Live like no one else, so that one day you can LIVE like no one else."

Please try and get that into your spirit whether you choose to get out of debt with us or not! It's going to apply to whatever obstacle you need to face in order to reach that goal you fantasize about.

In our case though, that statements speaks to our financial situation in a very powerful way. My wife and I were blessed enough to start getting out of debt in 2007 which was way before the economy went south. The reason I call it a blessing is because it would have been 20 times tougher for us to go through some of the things we've faced, if we were just starting at during a time like this. But in no way am I saying it can't be done. I know of many people who started their jouney to debt freedom when things were at their worst, which to me is all the more commendable and impressive.

But let me get back to my point. "Living like no one else" means letting go of all the credit cards, charge cards, department store cards, gas cards, the loans ect. "Living like no one else" means living only off of the money you earn from your salary. And let me tell ya people, it takes serious guts to do this! This might be the equivalent of a life-long meat eater going Vegan "cold turkey" as they say. Or I guess more fittingly "cold to-furkey" lol.

But for me a far better and meaningful example is the commitment, determination and surrender a person undergoes when they give their life to Jesus Christ. This process can be nearly as liberating and transforming for your finances. "Living like no one else" means doing what others are afraid to do because it might cost them something trivial on the front end!

Let me make one thing clear real quick. Just because I'm not spending all of my money on watches and flat-screens NOW, doesnt mean it's ALWAYS going to be this way for me. In fact I have just over a year left to go before I can get back to truly ENJOYING my money again, and yes even BLOWING some money on material things. But that will be just fine because at that point I'll be able to AFFORD IT!! I made a decision to SACRIFICE for just 2-3 years of my life so that I wont have to sacrifice for the REST OF MY LIFE!

Unfortunately, too many people have been sold the idea that they simply cannont exist without credit. It's become unrealistic to many because all of their 'dreams' reside far outside of means!

"C'mon, who really pays CASH for a car nowadays? That's just not realistic! I'll never have a nice ride, if I go that route!"

"Can you even get a house without having a MORTGAGE, is that even possible?"

"And just forget about paying for your children's college education unless you refinance that mortgage! Raising enough cash to pay for it outright?!? Is that even possible?"

"Is that even possible?!" This might be the second most popular question I'm asked when it comes to our debt journey. And at least for us, I'd have to say "Yes, it's very possible."

"Living like no one else" requires a paradigm shift, or rather a change in your thinking. But take heart, you dont have to undergo that shift overnight! This is where the "Baby Steps" come in...

In the next episode: "These "Baby Steps" ain't for BABIES!"

Stay Tuned...

@W







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What the HECK are you DOING?!?!

Photo courtesy of Whysteriastar


The title says it all... it's the number one question I get from family and friends when they ask how we're doing with "the debt thing".

Four years ago, my financial routine was as follows: To spend nearly all of my money on multiple pairs of the same sneaker in the same color, a PlayStation game or two, and the latest DVD release from Best Buy for that week. Once those major priorities were taken care of I'd make sure I had enough money left to cover breakfast, lunch, and dinner from McDonald's, and enough gas money to get me back and forth to work. No savings, no 401k, no responsibility. I didn't even know HOW to budget, let alone consider following one! But me? Man, I was living THEE LIFE! ...Right?

My how life has changed! Before we started this journey to evict our debt, I was barely making a salary above $40 Grand... but flash forward to today and we've paid off $46.5k! (Stop it, you're making that face again.)

So what changed? In short, it's a simple phrase but in practice it's anything but simple:

"Live like no one else, so that one day you can LIVE like no one else."


Over the next few posts I'm going to introduce you to what that really looks like in my everyday life.

In the next episode: "You want me to do WHAT?!?"

@W



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Update: @Risk Blog to be Shut Down...

Photo courtesy of Jasoon

It's with the deepest sadness that I must let you all know that I've been ordered to shut the blog down. This is not a joke or prank. This is simply what happens when you 'go against the grain' in too loud and effective a fashion. It appears that this post did not go over too well with Suze Orman and her stable of lawyers. They've filed and injunction for me to cease activity on this blog.

What makes matters worse is that we didnt even get to reach our One year anniversary as a blog! In fact we fell a mere 3 days short! I was in the middle of making huge plans to celebrate that anniversary when I got the email from her lawyers.

This experience has TOTALLY changed my life! It's no small feat when I think of how I went from simply LEARNING how to get my family out of debt, to making it a personal responsibility to TEACH others how to do it as well! God is so good!

I've got to wrap this post up because right now I just can't handle that it's over. I'm crying as I type this. I hope that I at least helped SOMEONE in the last 362 days! That's all I ever wanted.
Again, I can't speak to the details too much, but I can say this much: Happy April Fool's Day!

*Cue the song: Bad Boy For Life*


[chorus]We ain't, go-in nowhere, we ain't, goin nowhere We can't be stopped now, cause this bad boy for life We aint, go-in nowhere, we ain't, goin nowhere We can't be stopped now, cause this bad boy for life!

Can't stop, won't stop! lol

@W




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Stimulate Me: The Greatest "Story" Ever Told!

Photo Courtesy of kyle/thebookpolice

Growing up, I used to get in BIG trouble for calling someone a liar. Even if they actually were lying! Instead I was encouraged to say "So and so told a 'story'."

This never jived too well with me. A lie is a lie. And there's a BIG LIE being told to you on a daily basis as far as the economy is concer-- um excuse me...

THIS JUST IN...

"Only YOU can prevent this nation's colapse!"

While I was driving home last night listening to talk radio, I heard a politician lay out the steps to strengthening the economy. Basically, he said it was all on YOUR shoulders to fix this. Yes YOU!


"Thank Heaven for the express line, I only have 7 items!"

YOU have to buy brand new American cars, and Flat screen tv's. Oh and while you're at it please prop up the restaurant industry by eating out more so that we can get back to being America the Beautiful... Um and since we're on the subject you would do well to pick up a premium gym membership so that all that eating out doesnt ruin your perfect American figure. Mmmm but come to think of it either way you're gonna need to buy a whole new wardrobe cause either you're gonna lose weight from working out, or gain it from eating out... just a thought. - $igned : Capitol Hill, Wall Street, & The Media.

P.S.: You can't save money and save the country from financial ruin at the same time so dont even try the first one. We're counting on you to do what's right for your fellow Americans...


Emancipation from Stimulation...

I'm hearing more and more about people who want to do the right thing for the 'economy' so they are foregoing paying down their personal debt, and spending more of their income to 'help' troubled industries such as dining, travel and retail.

C'mon guys, please dont compromise your responsibilities to your family by taking on any part of this 'national burden' that's being sold to you on the airwaves. THAT IS NOT YOUR JOB!!

If you DO still have a job, it is to provide for your family and manage your personal situation to the best of your means.

Unless you are an elected official, or an economic adviser by profession, this nation's economy woes are NOT your responsibility.


The 4 Walls: The frame of your financial house.

In times like this - no scratch that -at all times you have 4 main responsibilities, or what Dave Ramsey calls the 4 Walls: Food, Shelter, Clothing, and Transportation.

When things are tight, keep those 4 things going, and only those 4 things. Not the 401k, not the greens fees at the country club, not the Costco membership, and not the standing order sent to you monthly from Omaha Steaks or the 12 different magazine subscriptions you currently recive.

While the nation is expecting you to take care of it, I'm expecting you to take care of you.

So what's it gonna be?

@W


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Suze Orman: Your Loss is Her Gain...

Photo courtesy of Glennia


"I'm proud that I make money, that I work hard, that I've created what I've created. But I can tell you this: I haven't hurt one person getting here." - Suze Orman

Oh really Suze?

I usually don't do this. I usually don't 'go after' someone in the public eye. But Suze Orman has pressed my final button, so I just have to get this off my chest.

Orman is considered to be the most recognizable personal-finance expert in the world. And quite possibly the most polarizing as well.

Now anyone who follows this blog knows that I'm a fan of Dave Ramsey's methods for eliminating debt and managing your finances. Not because I have a 'thing' for Dave, but first and foremost because he uses the Bible as a foundation for the principles he teaches. There is proven truth to what he says... he doesn't sugar-coat it, he doesn't water it down.

Suze on the other hand seems to "play to the crowd" a bit too much for my liking. She wont tell you what you NEED to hear all the time, because it may alienate you from being endeared to her.

I just read an article about her on Time.com called "The Queen of Crisis". I highly recommend checking it out. But I digress...

My biggest problem with Suze is that she's not afraid of credit. She wants credit to be your friend in turning your woes into wealth.

Last week I caught the 2am replay of Oprah. (Please don't ask...) Suze Orman was the guest of honor and she was answering every one's "tough" questions about this economy and their money. Questions like: "We're getting married this summer and we want to spend no more than $50,000. After our expenses each month we have about $500 leftover. How can we afford to make this happen?"

Suze told them that they couldn't afford it, but she then went on to tell them HOW they could afford it!

Oh, and how about the couple that wanted to remodel their kitchen and bathroom by taking out a $76,000 Home Equity Line of Credit (HELOC)? Suze said "Go for it!"

Whaaaa? Excuse me? Have you seen property values lately?

To me this is reckless! While we're facing the worst economic situation in the last 80 years, The world's foremost financial expert is on a show with possibly the widest viewership into the 'average American home' and she refuses to be a voice of reason against the mentality of trying to afford what you cannot afford?! Really? At a time like this?!

In the quote at the start of this post, she says she hasn't hurt one person getting to where she is... but I beg to differ. With advise like the variety she gave on Oprah, I shudder to think how many people she hurt in that hour alone. How many people did she just empower to continue to run their finances into the ground?

Ok, and one last question...

Why does she charge $80,000 per speaking engagement? Is her advice really that valuable? As I said before when it comes to the economy, our loss is apparently her gain.

Till next time,

@W



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@Risk Theater: Crisis of Credit (Visualized)

Photo courtesy of Students of Calvary

http://www.crisisofcredit.com/



"The Short and Simple Story of the Credit Crisis.Crisisofcredit.comThe goal of giving form to a complex situation like the credit crisis is to quickly supply the essence of the situation to those unfamiliar and uninitiated. This project was completed as part of my thesis work in the Media Design Program, a graduate studio at the Art Center College of Design in Pasadena, California.For more on my broader thesis work exploring the use of new media to make sense of a increasingly complex world, visit jdjarvis.com"


Hi guys, It's been a while since I posted a video and I found just the thing today.

This is a quick, easy and sleek explanation of the financial collapse we all now have front row seats for.

Enjoy!





Any Questions?

@W


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Simple Secrets: Understanding CashFlow

Photo courtesy of 'morena7



Cashflow is simply the way money moves (or flows) into and out of your household.



Just as it's not safe to play in a swelling river if you don't know what you're doing, if you don't understand the cashflow dynamics of your financial situation, you will get swept away by the current of your currency. (Admit it, you liked that phrase lol.)



This simple principle is not to be underestimated. For instance, if you and I have the exact same budget and the exact same income to work off of, but only one of us has a grasp on the power of cashflow, our situations will go in very different directions.



One thing that is crucial to learning how to master cashflow, is gaining the understanding that cashflow planning and budgeting are not the same things, although they do work in concert.



Budgeting is telling the money where to go.



Cashflow planning is telling the money when to go.



That's it!



Effective cashflow planning can mean the difference between consistently coming up short each month for a bill, or having enough for that same bill and maybe one or 2 others.



So in a few quick steps I want to give you a template for finding the sweet spots in your cashflow.



First, analyze the due dates for your expenses, especially the problematic ones. Also make sure those due dates are listed on your budget when applicable. Is there a bill being paid at the start of the month, that isn't due until the end? Consider moving or splitting that expense across more than one check. I'll explain splitting more in the following points.



Second, for constant expenses such as gas, food, groceries or blow money, I'd recommend splitting them into equal amounts across the paychecks you receive for that month. For example, if your house brings in 4 checks each month and you have a budget of $200/mo for groceries, split them into $50/check increments.



Third, for items that are constant monthly expenses, but are just too large to pay in one paycheck (like a mortgage or rent) split the total amount into amounts that are more manageable on a check-by-check basis. Allocate more towards the payment amount on larger checks and less on smaller checks .(Say, if the amount per check is not the same, or if you work more than one job.) As the month goes along you will envelope the funds as you build them up to the full payment amount. *Unlike step 2 the goal of this suggestion is not to split evenly across your checks. **This type of method almost always works better if you are already using a Zero-based budget.



Fourth, watch out for expenses that may not happen on a monthly basis like car insurance, smarttag fees, or even oil changes. For these you either want to create a line in your budget that is enveloped towards. Whether you do this on a monthly or per check basis will be up to you. *This can also be done for one-time annual fees such as membership dues - just take the total amount, divide it by 12 and let that be your "monthly" payment amount for that expense.



Fifth, watch out for 'Leaks'. A leak is any seemingly small expense or habit that drains your income over time. A leak can come in the form of anything that you purchase but do not document or budget for. Do you frequently get chips out of the vending machine at work? Or pick up a lotto ticket while pumping gas? Or maybe you decide to get that tabloid on a whim while standing in the checkout line. When you add up how much you've spent on that expense at the end of the month, you'll quickly identify your leaks... and trust me, you'll be shocked.



Like I've said a few times in this post, understanding your cashflow just cant be stressed enough. I hope some of these pointers will help you financially "stem the tide"!



Until next time,



@W




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Deal or No Deal: Part-time Work that Pays

Photo courtesy of cgat

Warning: this post will be very quick and to the point...

Part-time work has always had it's place in our economy. For some it has been a nessescary way of life, but to others it has been an added vehicle to getting "stuff" at a decent discount.

At some point in your life you may have picked up a job at a favorite department store or big box electronic retail chain... y'know just in case THAT jacket goes on sale... or so you can support your video game addiction with some semblance of pride that you earned it.

Now I'm not here to pick on you if you are one who still is working that PT because you want to. But if you are now looking to pick up a second gig because you have to, I urge you to stay away from any place where you could potentially cash in on your employee discount. Alas this means you've gotta find 'work' vs. landing a 'gig'.

If you have a weakness for gadgets then what's the point in taking a job at Best Buy? If your express purpose for getting extra work was to make ends meet, then you'll be setting yourself up to undercut your goals if you do this.

That's why I made the title of this post "Deal or No Deal". You must make up in your mind what type of deal your really going after by picking up that nice little retail opportunity. Is it the kind that gives you the discount on stuff, or the kind that puts you ahead of the game while things are rough? It's key that you don't go into the situation kidding yourself!

This might even mean taking on a job you HATE, or look down on. But dont worry, it'll be good for ya!

Last summer I started considering picking up a side-job in the evenings. The opportunity that I kept coming back to at the time was delivering pizza's (One of Dave Ramsey's prime examples of a Gazelle Intense hustle.) Truth be told, had it not been for the insane gas price wars last year, I would have gladly taken a job slanging pies! Not because I love the work, but precisely because I hated the thought of that type of work. But it would've brought in some steady hustle money to throw at our debt.

I wasnt concerned with whether or not I'd get a discount on the food, I dont even like pizza enough to do it for that reason. And I wasnt exactly thrilled about slapping one of those lighted pizza signs on my car. But I knew that I could basically challenge myself to bring in a certain dollar amount per night in tips, and at the same time call out my own hours in which to bring those tips in. At the time that was a win-win to some degree.

Not shortly after I put aside the thought of delivering pizza's (right around when gas became $4 buck a gallon!) I was given a nice promotion and raise on my FT job. Problem solved! But I still would have had no problem going through with the pizza plan if the raise had never come and gas was resonable.

Part of the reason I'm even writing this post right now is because I may be getting an itch to again look at taking on some extra work. Not because money is tight right now, but because I dont want to wait until it is tight to get my butt out there to defray the cost!

So there ya have it, just a few thoughts from @W on where you should put your focus if you find yourself needing to bring in extra "dough" lol.

Thanks,

@W





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@RL Top 12 Posts of 2008...

Photo courtesy of Pictoscribe

Wow, this blog has come a LONG way in the past few months. And I've posted alot of content covering various topics. So I thought it would be fitting to pull out what I feel have been my 12 most important posts from 2008. This was an extremely difficult task because - well, let's face it I'm a BRILLIANT writer!! But in the process of selecting the best of the best, I think I accidentally re-inspired myself while revisiting all that we've seen and learned so far on this journey.

Before we start though, I took the liberty of excluding two very critical posts from the 'official' list below.

The first,ironically is the very first post of the blog, "Today was a day for the ages...". It sets the tone and gives the why and how of where we were when we created this blog. I apologize to you now if you're about to read it, my writing skills were horrible in those early posts. lol

And the second is "Welcome to the next level...". This post served as our official coming out party and announcement to the world. It was hard keeping this one out but truthfully it was much more about 'us' than about our debt exploits, so it was benched.

So with that part out of the way, If you're new to the blog, or maybe not so new and just need a refresher on what this blog really has to offer, i give you the best of @Risk Living... so far.

In no particular order:

"A look inside our weekly budget meeting" - Here we give you the very same tools and strategies we use on a weekly basis.

"Our first 'Non-emergency' emergency" - A quick example of how our Emergency Fund kept a crazy day from being a bad day.

"The Prey, the Predator, and the unexpected Protector" - Ahh, this is STILL one of my personal favorites. This was my very first Video post. You have to watch it to understand just what the title means. It's amazing!

"How to remain generous in your giving while getting out of debt" - The Lord really placed this message on my heart once I realized that getting out of debt was becoming Secondary to my overall position as a Steward of God's assets... ALL of them.

"Five ways to REALLY boost your food budget" - The title says it all, but it says it the way that I would say it... know what I'm saying? lol

"Full Circle: How our TMM began..." - This is about the time I almost gave up on the blog when I heard someone say, "When you feel you've reached the end, try going back to the beginning. "

"Tired of rejection, consumers turn to credit card companies for approval" - Gosh - yes, I used the word 'gosh' - I love that title, It's so witty right? This post highlights the surprising link between finances, material possessions, and your self-esteem.

"The $10 blessing: Integrity pays in your business dealings" - This post tells the tale of an honest $10 bill that ended up blessing me and many others.

"Beer and Money... A match made in... (nevermind)" - One of the few Recession/Depression proof products is beer. Read the post to find out why. (PS - Thank you Homer for the photo shoot)

"I've seen the Promised Land" coupled with "We shall overcome" talk about the amazing events we have the honor of witnessing and the various ways those events have impacted or inspired me financially, spiritually, and culturally.

"We're getting pumped!" is all about the joy of finally starting to make SERIOUS progress in our efforts!

And finally, "Overdraft Fees, or 'When $16.05 costs you $86.05' Part I" and "Pending transactions, or 'When $16.05 costs you $86.05' Part II" - These two posts are by far two of my better pieces of work. I try to give you a little bit of everything here: humor, honesty, transparency, and insight.

Thanks for taking the time to reminisce with me. Now lets move full steam into 2009!

@W



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Forgive Us Our Debts...

Photo courtesy of Doc Stampede

Welcome to @riskliving blog, season 2...

Though we're only 2 weeks into this year, I'm already seeing a pattern or theme for what this year might hold for the blog.

Yes, it will still be about debt, but in many more ways than the financial kind.

This process is turning into something LIFE changing for us instead of just changing our financial situation.

See, somewhere along the way in 2008 a different mission was handed to us (my wife and I) than the one we signed up for. We just wanted to be debt free. No collections agencies, no past due bills, no accounts in default, no more screening 'Unknown Callers'... we got fed up with it.

But we soon realized we had a calling to not just pull ourselves out of the pit, but to try to bring YOU along at the same time. Back in the mid 90's there was a song called "It Ain't No Fun If My Homies Can't Have None..." and though the message of that song is VASTLY off-topic, the point still applies.

We need you on this journey with us.

If you don't band together with us in this effort to eliminate debt it will make our life worse! No, really! Who will we go on cruises with, who will we sow and give with, who will we travel and vacation with if we're out of debt and you're still in? We won't really get to see you much, because you won't be able to do the things that we have been positioning ourselves to do!

We want you to be a part of this movement, this family.

Jesus once asked the question "Who is my Mother, and who are my brothers but they that do the will of my Father which is in heaven!" Matthew 12:48-50 (paraphrased)

And one aspect of our Father's will is for us to not be mired in debt. In fact Jesus even taught us to pray for the forgiveness of our debts in the 'Lord's Prayer'. Matthew 6:9-15

Now I know what you're saying: "@W, He wasn't talking about that type of debt."

But I beg to differ, He didn't specify what type of debt because He was talking about ALL forms of debt...

Well... all except for maybe one type of debt: The Debt of Gratitude.

I now know that even after all my bills are paid off and I don't owe another red cent of debt. I will still owe something.

I WILL NEVER BE DEBT FREE, because I will always be indebted to both those who have served as our mentors in this process and those who have looked to us as examples. If you are reading this, then you fall into one of those 2 categories.

That is the only debt I'm willing to live with!

@W






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