goals

Do Things That Scare You

On July 1st of this year, I celebrated my 5-year anniversary since starting Hale Financial Solutions. I left a stable job at a large bank, in a very enjoyable city, surrounded by kind, generous friends and neighbors. But while my job was comfortable, it wasn’t fulfilling. And while the city was fun, it wasn’t the right place for my growing family. And while kind people are fine, I don’t like people (kidding!).

The Easiest, Smartest Way to Save Up for The Awesome Things

In the spring of 2015, Kellie and I took a dream trip to Europe. The bulk of our time was spent in Budapest, Hungary, where she had served as a missionary for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. After Budapest, we spent a few days in Vienna, Prague, and Dresden, Germany. It was truly an experience of a lifetime, and we’ve looked back on it fondly many times since.

Leaving a Legacy

My father passed away two years ago. He worked his whole career at a job he enjoyed. As a family of 11 (Mom, Dad, 5 boys and 4 girls) we never had a lot of extras, but our needs were met. Fortunately, my dad had a generous pension and government health benefits throughout retirement, which not only provided for my parent’s living expenses, but the extensive medical care my dad required.

But there’s really no “nest egg” for his children to inherit. The pension will stop after my mother is gone, as will the health benefits. There isn’t a lot left as far as other assets are concerned.

And that doesn’t matter at all.

Should I Pay Off Debt or Save?

If there’s any question more common in the personal finance world, it’s this one: Should I pay off debt or save that money instead?

I love this question, because it’s addressing a financial topic that I wish were on the forefront of more minds. Paying off debt and saving are two great ways to utilize our money that we should all be thinking more about. Your situation isn’t as cheery if you’re having to decide between paying off debt, saving, purchasing a new sports car, or buying a bigger home you can’t afford.