Leaky wallet club

These e-cards are hilarious!

I’ve had it!! I hate having debt!!!

Okay I need a RANT post. Remember how I told you Sallie Mae gave me six grand? Well my balance has now magically shot back up again. Arrrgh!

I am reeaally over this. My Sallie Mae student loan is my only remaining debt, and my goodness, it’s been the worst one. It’s like debt knows its days in my life are numbered and so it’s determined not to go out without a fight. Well, the gloves are coming off.

Last week I wrote my goals for 2011, and top of the list was to be debt-free by the end of the year. I don’t know why now, but this latest little fiasco has really chapped my ass.  I really hate (*hate) being the underdog up against big Sallie Mae. I hate dealing with their crap “customer service” and the incessant errors. I’m sick of this debt holding me back. She’s going down. Soon.

I think I might have finally had that “I’ve had it!” moment Dave Ramsey talks about.

Cowardly husbands

Ah, the blissfully ignorant husbands that work hard to bring home the bacon, yet leave the little lady to be the financial head of the household.They’re aware their family faces challenges with money, but because it’s not screamingly urgent, and because they’re scared they don’t have what it takes, they choose to take a backseat.

For me, bringing a steaming pile of debt into my relationship, it was just that. I didn’t know if I had what it took to get us out of the mess. Plus, it wasn’t like we were strapped for cash, so why push myself? She’s pretty good with money, so why not let her take the reins on money stuff?

That only works for so long before you begin to see evidence that the flow of leadership in the house is somehow broken. Especially if there’s debt, don’t saddle your wife with the pressure of steering the family through to the other side of it all by herself. However– even if he’s not the best with money today, guess what? A husband can change. For the sake of his family, he can take responsibility for success or failure and bravely lead the way through the storm. And the missus, who happens to be an ace with money, becomes his #1 top adviser on all things money.

Sound like a plan? Yeah, it does for me too. Let’s get to it, gentlemen.

Sallie Mae just gave me $6,093

Seriously!! Things just got interesting with Sallie Mae.

After four months of battling with them over my mysteriously over-inflated student loan balance, $6,093.00 has just vanished from my Sallie Mae online balance. This has all happened in the last 24 hours.

In August, I really started investigating my balance and wrote a letter asking for a full review of my account since 2003. The numbers just didn’t add up. I’m a man of my word and will repay every dollar I owe, but not a dollar more, and that’s why we’ve pursued them over the hunch that something was wrong with my loan balance. I’ve had many frustrating phone and email conversations with their customer service. No one could explain why my balance was still so high, including managers. Now, the customer service continues to be appalling, but this seems to be the first sign of intelligence. Or maybe I’ve exposed some filthy lending practices?

I’ve learned some concerning things about the way Sallie Mae operates its student loans during this process, things I wish I knew 7 years ago. I probably could have saved myself lots of time and money. So, if you have a student loan with them and you believe your balance is too high, let’s compare notes. I have yet to speak on the phone with them to find out exactly the reason for the balance drop, but I can’t wait to have that conversation. I’ll post again once I have more news.

Has anybody else had something like this happen before?

Fantastic plastic

What do you think when someone flashes their credit card?

1. Check me out, I’m a spender, and I’ve got my act together, OR
2. Check me out, I live paycheck to paycheck and the bank has me on a leash

I see too many youngsters show up at the bank eagerly looking for a credit card. Not because they actually need one, just because the slice of plastic  gives a certain perception. Listen up: If you’re seeking a credit card as a status symbol, you seriously need to reevaluate your life and your money. Capische?

Been fighting debt for ages? Read this.

Remember the last time you went for a run? Remember how you came to that big hill, and found yourself wishing it wasn’t quite so long or so steep? Now: would you rather a short, but steep run or a long, steady hill?

Well, if you’ve gotten yourself into a tough spot financially, there are two ways you can get yourself on the other side of it. You can tackle the short but steep climb, or you can grind your way up the long, gradual incline. In other words– are you willing to make some significant, but short-term sacrifices in order to be done with your debt?

If you really wanted to, you could put this debt behind you in a matter of months. Think about what you could be doing with your cash if the debt was gone. Why go on making payments forever, when you have better things to do with your money? From tearing off a band-aid to jumping into the cool water at the beach, it’s always best to set your mind to it and face it head-on. Let the reward or freedom at the end be your focus, and just get it over with. It’s the same with the debt– budget, sacrifice, throw every dollar you can at it until it’s gone. Then… freedom!

Have you done something like this before? Why not comment, share your story, and encourage some people?

Jessica Watson shows how to get your parents out of debt in 210 days



Have your mom and dad got a large, steaming pile of debt? Young sailor Jessica Watson shows you how to solve this problem in a matter of days… 210, to be exact.

I’m being a bit cheeky, but my attention was caught by this comment on Australia’s youngest hero after she completed her round-the-world voyage this weekend. Her manager, Andrew Fraser commented,

“[Jessica] was mindful of her family’s financial position. All she said was that she wanted to come home and make sure her mum and dad weren’t in any debt, so my job is to make sure that happens and that she’s set up for life.”

Not that the Watson family’s financial affairs are any of the public’s business, but it’s not a comment I would have expected from a kid who’s grown up in sailboats. At any rate, it’s a pretty noble ambition. Now that Jessica has reached legend status, her sweet sponsorship deals with 43 organizations, debt will likely be a thing of the past for all of the Watsons.

Now, I doubt that debt was the motive for Jessica’s daring voyage. However, it’s always inspiring to see how a financial challenge can cause some people to turn up the intensity and get bold and creative.

So… how to beat your debt? Well, if you’re less than 16 1/2 years old, have a sturdy sailboat and about seven months to burn, why not try to break Jess’ new record? Any takers?

Have you ever done anything a little crazy to avoid or attack your debt? Please, do comment:

Mini Story, Large Success

If you look closely, you’ll see Brisbane’s happiest new Mini Cooper owner. After waiting for roughly 3 years, Ali is finally behind the wheel of her dream car, and was also happy to tell the story of how she did it.

“When we first moved to Australia, I was 14, was the first time I saw [a Mini] and I thought they were the cutest cars ever,” she tells. “I knew then that I would own one.”

Ali considered getting a loan for the car she wanted so badly, but was dissuaded by seeing a friend struggle with car repayments. She describes,

“the repayments were quite high and she never had time for anything socially. So I decided that I would save my money instead, and then I could do it on my own terms. I hate having debt, even $200 on my credit card will bother me, and I can’t let 2 weeks pass without paying it off. I have never payed interest on my Credit card in 5 years. I would rather go without something the next week than have debt.

The biggest challenges along the way were the waiting, as well as finding the right car for her budget. Ali tells how she could have had her car straight away by getting a loan, but says it was worth the wait.

This is a brilliant example of someone who’s obviously been taught some great money skills at a young age by her parents, and is now reaping the benefits of great decisions. It took discipline to patiently save money for those 3 years, but now Ali has her dream car! Plus, because her income isn’t tied up in repayments, so she gets to keep 100% of her net income. Imagine how great that must feel!

Ali says, “It is really great knowing that after all these years, my hard work has payed off and that I can enjoy the harvest of my savings.” Brilliant, brilliant work. Who knows what Ali will go on to accomplish with those skills. Let’s take a lesson or two from her story: lock on to your goal, don’t compromise, save regularly, be patient, and you’ll get what you want.

The Merciful Lender

Something caught my eye as I glanced over the daily email containing ancient Hebrew wisdom in my inbox last week.

“[the good man]  is ever merciful, and lends;
And his descendants are blessed.” -Psalm 37:25-26

To me and my anti-debt philosophies, this was a shocker. I take these scriptures as gospel, so this was a clash between two viewpoints on debt and lending.

Having been a big bank employee for a few years, I’ve dealt with lending products every day. The term “responsible lending” is bandied about a bit. 2009′s global financial crisis was largely catalyzed by organizations in the US lending not out of mercy, but out of self-interest. More accurately– greed. This came back to bite them, and everyone else too.

Lending has been going on for thousands of years because it is big business. I’m not sure that this scripture has to do with businesses or organizations that lend, but it may be more to do with lending between friends. Come to think of it, I’m not a fan of that either; I gravitate to Dave Ramsey’s point of view on it. I.e, the borrower is slave to the lender = Bad for relationships.

Bottom line, I’m still not sure what to do with this little nugget of wisdom. At the end of the day, I suppose lending money to people who need it can be an expression of a generous, merciful character. And, according to this scripture, it can actually cause your family to be blessed. Argh! It’s so easy for people to get into trouble with lending; I know I have. Hmm…

Care to add your thoughts?