Statements you will hear outside TWG’s walls, but not inside them: “Money is really cheap right now.” “I get a tax deduction on this, so it’s a good deal.” “The dealership is providing interest-free financing on the new model, so I’ll buy new.” “We refinanced and are saving $300/month on our payments.”
At the end of August, I (Dan) competed and finished runner-up in the Hazeltine National Club Championship. You are probably asking: what does this have to do with being posted on The Wealth Group’s blog about personal finance? Don’t worry; I will get there.
Buying a house is a big deal. It’s an opportunity to find the home that you’ve always imagined: the perfect size, in the perfect location, with the perfect potential to make it into a place where your family can enjoy many years together. It’s an exciting step! But you know what else is a big deal? Mortgages.
Earlier this year, I took my daughter Evelyn to our first “Daddy/Daughter Dance” at Life Time Fitness. While I was merely an accessory as she twirled and twirled on the dance floor, it was a wonderful night for us. Evie turns 4 next month. About a month before the dance, my wife Krista bought a dress with Evie at Costco to wear for the dance. Evie called it her “ballet tutu dress”, and she proudly wore that dress nearly every day in the weeks leading up to the dance. Someday, I’ll be walking my little girl down the church aisle on her wedding day. [insert deep sigh] One of the habits outlined in Stephen Covey’s classic book The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People is to begin with the end in mind. With our daughter, that means looking ahead to the day she leaves us and joins her life to her future husband. While our roles as father and mother won’t end at that point, we want to be thinking now about the kind of woman we hope she will be on her wedding day – and about the kind of man we hope she will marry.
When Mitch Daniels (former Indiana Governor) took over as President of Purdue University in 2013, the school had increased tuition 36 years in a row. Since then, Purdue has not raised tuition once. By graduation day in 2020, Purdue will be able to boast the total cost of “going to Purdue will be less in 2020 than it was in 2012.”
If you’re planning to contribute to your children’s future earning potential (i.e. by paying for college), you are committing to a big expense. But you already know that. Here’s a good gut-check question to kick off this discussion: how much research time did you put into your last purchase of an iPhone, a computer, or vehicle purchase? Now, compare those answers to how much time you put into researching the college decision for your children.
Life expectancy in 1900 was 47. In 1935 (when the Social Security program became an active policy), life expectancy had increased to 61. The Social Security full retirement age (FRA) at that time was 65, meaning that over 50% of Americans were never intended to receive any sort of retirement benefit from the Social Security program. Life expectancy is up to 78.7 as of 2017. (source: U.S. Census Bureau).
In his recent book Everyday Millionaires: How Ordinary People Built Extraordinary Wealth – and How You Can Too, author Chris Hogan sets out to prove “The American Dream is Alive and Available.” To write this book, Hogan’s team at Ramsey Solutions surveyed and/or interviewed more than 10,000 Americans over the past year. His book follows the footsteps of one of The Wealth Group’s all-time favorite books, The Millionaire Next Door. Books like these are great at myth-busting the popular culture’s conceptions about millionaires in America. What most people think about millionaires in America is often incorrect.
I’m still amazed at the number of vehicle commercials I see when watching a sporting event on TV. The automotive industry is projected to spend more than $15 billion on digital advertising alone in 2019. Advertising works. That’s why auto companies are spending more money than ever on advertising. What the auto companies are selling, Americans are buying.
My wife and I enjoy taking time to talk about what we want our life to look like when we reach the point of financial independence. It is exciting to do this exercise, as it helps keep the reason behind saving, investing, and other smart financial decisions at the forefront of your mind.
This month, The Wealth Group is celebrating a major milestone reached by one of our team members: Adam Colby and his wife Kristi paid off their mortgage this month. Adam is just 42 years old. And his family doesn’t live in a van down by the river.
Competition can be a great motivator. One of the reasons I was able to excel in school growing up was because I simply wanted to beat all the other students.