The title pretty much says it all.  Almost 3 and a half years ago we owed almost $70,000 dollars.  Our first son hadn't been born yet, I was preparing to attend graduate school, there were two funerals in my future and we owned two cars both of which would be gone.  That was our life.  We frequently argued and fought about where the money was going, and to be fair neither of us really knew.  I unfairly blamed my wife and unfortunately we could be assured of having several heated discussions every month.  All were a direct result of mismanaging the finances God has blessed us with.

Where did this all start?  How, on the eve of having our first son, could we be so frustrated and distraught over our financial situation?  To sum it up, we were living paycheck to paycheck without a plan.  I knew that we should be budgeting and paying off money.  I knew all about that.  At that time I had read many of the books available on the subject.  The problem was I wasn't seriously doing anything with that knowledge.  So, one night in late November of 2004, while my wife was up north visiting relatives one last time before our first son was born.  I sat down and tallied up exactly how much we owed…

and I had an OH CRAP (hereafter known as OC) moment.  An OC moment is when you wake up and realize that what you've been doing is stupid and that a radical change is required to get you back on track.

After completing the tally, it was no longer a mystery to me regarding the difficulty we were experiencing in attempting to achieve our dreams.  All of our money was coming in and going right back out.  I probably helped some banker make their Porsche payment! 

Fortunately, in 2003 my mom had mentioned something about a guy whose name was Dave Ramsey.  If you've never read his Total Money Makeover then run, don't walk to pick up this book.  Anyway, within a few days I read that book plus one or two others and decided that now (in 2004) was the time to change.  If I ever wanted to achieve financial success then my wife and I needed to become the master of our money and not the other way around. 

 My wife read the book, liked it and we both got on a plan to get out of debt and build wealth so that we can leave a legacy when we move into the next life.  Debt used to weigh me down.  It was like a monkey on my back with its hands around my neck. Slowing squeezing the life out of me.  Now, with just over 1 month left, that monkey no longer has a death grip on me.  I am looking forward to a future in which I build the character in my children so that they can handle money and life appropriately.  I look forward to paying for their college and leaving a financial legacy for them and their children.  I look forward to retiring and not being concerned about whether or not I can afford to retire.

I look forward to helping you learn how to succeed, both financially and in other areas of your life.  Are you ready to get serious about changing your future and your children's future? 

I want to leave you with two quotes.  Both are from the Bible and both convey wisdom no matter what walk of life you're on.

The rich rule over the poor, and the borrower is slave to the lender.  Proverbs 22:7
A good man leaves an inheritance for his children's children… Proverbs 13:22