I had the opportunity to meet with Chris Kakaras this week.  He is a young man who is passionate about helping people manage their money God's way.  One of the key groups that he speaks to are college students, and I had the opportunity to review some of his materials when we met.

There was a section of questions in his training that really caught my eye.  It was good.  Very good.

Here is one of the questions (participants in the class are required to answer these questions).

Did you eat today?  YES    NO

If YES is the answer, then you are blessed and have enough.

So basic, but SO TRUE!

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I wonder how many people are currently at risk of having an article like THIS ONE written about them?

This is why I am in favor of "cash envelopes" and not "cash socks".

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Financial Learning Experience

I am PUMPED to be teaching the Financial Learning Experience again here at NewSpring Church Anderson Campus on Saturday morning, August 2nd, from 9:00AM - 11:00AM.  There is limited seating this time around, so invite your friends and family but register NOW.

The class is free, but you need to register in advance.  To register, fill out the contact form HERE and say that you "want to attend the Financial Learning Experience on August 2".  If you are registering more than one person, be sure to include each person's name in the contact form.  You will receive a confirmation e-mail back from Katie saying that you have been assigned to the class.

I Was Broke. Now I'm Not. Group Study Guide

I am also PUMPED about the number of FREE I Was Broke. Now I'm Not. Group Study Guides that were downloaded yesterday!  If you have not downloaded your own copy, you can get one HERE.

AWESOME! 

I am PUMPED to say that the I Was Broke. Now I'm Not. Group Study Guide is now available FREE as a PDF download!

I am on a crusade to help others accomplish far more than they ever thought possible with their personal finances.  I am on a mission to teach 100,000 people by October 2011 (first five years of doing this full-time).  This home group study helps allow me achieve the mission.

I am a huge believer in learning within the bounds of a home group.  It is where I can engage in vigorous debate, be challenged in my own personal thoughts, and be held accountable to personal goals.

I can't wait to hear the stories of life-change that take place all because small groups of people decided together to take their finances to the next level.

You can obtain your FREE copy of the I Was Broke. Now I'm Not. Group Study Guide HERE.

The Saving Freak wrote an excellent post about gift cards becoming a risky purchase.

Have you ever thought about what a gift card really is?  A gift card is where someone takes the national currency (US Dollar, British Pound, Euro, etc.) and converts it into a store currency.  This severely limits the use of the currency.

And if the company issuing the gift card declares bankruptcy and shuts its doors?  The currency becomes useless.

Read The Saving Freak's article HERE. 

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Tony, has placed a picture of his desktop picture on his website with the question, "Does your desktop picture say anything about you?"

So I am posting my desktop picture to see if it does say anything about me.

What do you think?  Does my desktop picture say anything about me?

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I have written before about the fact that I have a thirty-year-old house that has thirty-year-old house problems.  One of the problems is that the downstairs AC is the original AC for the house.

Problem 1 - January 2008

It was making a "banging" sound.

Diagnosis: Low on refrigerant - $75.

Problem 2 - May 2008

It was not cooling at all, and it was making a loud electrical "HUMMMMMMMM" sound.

Diagnosis: Condenser unit fan was not operating - $200+

Problem 3 - June 2008

It stopped cooling again.  It was a day before vacation so I decided to have it looked at when I got back home two weeks later.

Diagnosis:  Electrical wiring insulation had worn through and was shorting out the fan - $105

So we are back to enjoying the nice cool air conditioning in the dead-middle of a South Carolina summer.

I wonder when I will have to replace this unit?  Part of me wants to bury my head in the sand and hope that it runs another thirty years.  The realistic side of me says I should go ahead and start pricing out units.  Initial looks have shown a cost of $5K - $7K.  Just what I want to spend my money on …  an air conditioner.

Why do I bring all of this up?  Because it is so important to look ahead when preparing a financial plan.  Jenn and I could pretend that this issue does not exist and then have a financial "emergency" when this AC really does fail permanently.  In the past (when we were always broke), we would ignore this issue and then be surprised when it failed.  Now, we recognize it as a known, upcoming expense, and we plan for it.

I do hope that it lasts another thirty years, though. 

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I know that a vast majority of JosephSangl.com readers use the subscription option to receive daily posts and that means that there is a good chance you have not seen the new graphics that have been appearing on the web site.

You can check out the main web site HERE and the I Was Broke. Now I'm Not. web site HERE.

Once you have viewed the main site and the book web site, please share your thoughts by voting below.

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If you have read this website with any regularity, you will know that I am a freak about having a plan.  I want a plan for anything related to my finances.

One thing that I teach during my events (Financial Learning Experience and Financial Freedom Experience) is the importance of calculating how much money you need to retire.  It is also taught in my book, I Was Broke. Now I'm Not.

It is SO IMPORTANT to know how much money is needed to retire well.

So while I was watching the British Open this weekend, an advertisement caught my attention.  It was for ING Direct.  I like my ING Direct on-line savings account, so I paid a little more attention to this ad.  It was called INGYourNumber.com, and it was asking the very question that I ask during my events: "Do you know how much money you will need to retire well?"

So I went to the website and calculated my number.  The result?  I am ready to roll for retirement!  Of course, I already knew that fact but I am a sucker for new and different ways to determine my family's preparedness for retirement.

So here is the CHALLENGE to everyone today.  Take five minutes and calculate Your Number at INGYourNumber.com and then calculate your number using the JosephSangl.com "Retirement Nest-Egg Required Calculator".

Are YOU going to be able to retire well? 

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Related posts/links

TOOLS: Calculate Amount Needed For Retirement 

TOOLS: How Much To Invest Each Month?

INGDirect On-Line Savings Account 

Today's post is written by Katie.  Katie is a HUGE help to the crusade!  She coordinates all financial counseling appointments, manages my schedule, and helps ensure that the crusade to help others accomplish far more than they ever thought possible with their personal finances rolls along smoothly.

Anyway, she and her husband (Matt) are the proud parents of two beautiful children - Cameron (4) and Claire (<1).  Today, Katie shares how she and Matt are training Cameron about money.

Since our son is only four years old, we are teaching him that there is value to everything and that we use money to buy the things that we need. Because money is limited we teach him not to be wasteful. One of his favorite things to do is to pour milk down the sink (who knows why). I have started explaining to him that we paid money for that milk so we need to save what we do not drink because it is worth something. When we go shopping I am constantly talking to him about how we have to pay the store money before we leave because those items are worth something and we have to exchange our money for them. When he asks for a treat or something at the store I have to tell him that we only have x amount of money and that costs more than what we have to spend since we are buying other items to eat for meals.

Sangl says …  It is never too early to start teaching children about money.  Jenn and I started teaching our daughter about money when she was four years old too.

By the way, Matt and Katie's son is super-smart.  He has learned the books of the Bible and can say them without help - backwards.  Watch it HERE. 

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