Three and a half years ago I opened a book by Dave Ramsey titled Total Money Makeover. Read it. In fact, much of the financial plan I wrote about is a direct derivative from his plan. To be honest, you can get the book and follow his plan. It works. It's essentially what my wife and I did and it's what I would do if I were in your shoes. I've made a tweak or two in order to fit better with your situation. The primary change is in the basic safety net (emergency fund), in which I lay out different sized emergency funds based on your income level.
The other major change is surrounding cars. I recommend having no more than 30-40% of your annual gross income tied up in vehicles, including boats, cars, ATV's, etc. UNTIL you are out of debt except the house. Dave recommends no more than 50% AND you have to be able to pay it off in 18 months or less. I'm okay with either, just realize that the more money you have tied up in something that is going down in value, the longer you will be in debt. Finally, NEVER EVER buy a new car until you have a net worth in the million dollar range. You can't afford to take the butt kicking in depreciation.
I want you out of debt so that you can go do what you were meant to do on this earth.
Don't let your car stand between you and your dreams. That's STUPID!




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