Archive - January, 2010

So Grateful!

January 29, 2010 in Event, FCE, FLE, IWBNIN, Speaking with 1 Comment

I am so PUMPED about what is happening through this crusade to help others accomplish far more than they ever thought possible with their personal finances!   In just January alone, our team was able to:

  • Teach 7 Financial Learning Experiences
  • Teach 4 Financial Counseling Experiences
  • Deliver 10 Money Messages
  • Tape 8 Messages for the IWBNIN Group Study

Our team is honored to have been able to partner with so many great people and churches to teach practical financial principles.   We are grateful for the opportunity to invest in so many lives.

Read recent posts

Update on Baby Sangl Boy

January 28, 2010 in Baby Sangl with 0 Comments

We are in FINAL COUNTDOWN STAGES.

Official due date is February 6 which means that we are expecting his arrival in just 10 days or so.

Please keep Jenn in your prayers as she embarks on delivering our new son to the world!

What a miracle we have experienced!   If you don’t know the story, you should read our testimony HERE.

Read recent posts

Financial Learning Experience – Hickory, NC – Wednesday + Thursday

January 26, 2010 in Event, FLE with 4 Comments

Tonight started off the first of THREE NIGHTS of teaching the Financial Learning Experience at Christ Church in Hickory and Statesville, NC!

I taught at the Statesville Campus tonight.

I will be teaching at the Mt. View Campus on Wednesday and Thursday from 6:30PM – 8:30PM.   It is FREE and childcare is provided!

Check it out HERE.   Would love to meet you there!

Read recent posts

Are You Listening To Yourself?

January 24, 2010 in Finance with 2 Comments

Have you made any of the following statements?

  • A budget is just too hard to live by
  • Debt freedom is not really that important to achieving my dreams
  • I am too old to save for retirement
  • My kids need to learn this stuff, but my financial situation is too far gone to recover
  • I gave up dreaming long ago
  • There is no way I can earn enough money to pay my bills
  • There is no hope for me

The answers are as follows:

  • A budget is just too hard to live by (It is a GREAT way to live, and it is the most FREEING thing I have ever done – and remember – I’m a spender!)
  • Debt freedom is not really that important to achieving my dreams (Debt freedom is THE REASON my family has been able to achieve many of its dreams!)
  • I am too old to save for retirement (Wrong – Even if you are 183 years old, you can still save for retirement)
  • My kids need to learn this stuff, but my financial situation is too far gone to recover (Children learn best from a parent who is living strong financial principles out loud in their own lives – and you CAN recover – 2 years from now your financial situation will be ancient history)
  • I gave up dreaming long ago (Why?!!!   Dreams are FREE!!!   Dreaming re-awakens the desire and passion that is necessary to stick to a plan even when it is easy to give up)
  • There is no way I can earn enough money to pay my bills (Yes you can.   One key way is to reduce the number and amount of bills to be paid – a budget can really help bring that into focus)
  • There is no hope for me (There IS hope for you!   You CAN do this!)

Zig Ziglar said it best, “Whether you think you can or think you can’t, you’re right!”

What are you saying to yourself (and buying into) that you need to STOP saying?

Read recent posts

Book Reviews: What Everyone Should Know About Money

January 20, 2010 in What Everyone Should Know About Money with 0 Comments

I am blown away by the book reviews written about my new book What Everyone Should Know About Money Before They Enter THE REAL WORLD.

Check them out:

  • Moneymonk wrote about it HERE.
  • Keith Tackel wrote about it HERE.
  • Cy wrote about it HERE.
  • Coupon Girl Confessions wrote about it HERE.
  • Tom at RusticTom wrote about it HERE.
  • ProBikeWrench wrote about it HERE.

This book is helping us accomplish our mission to help others accomplish far more than they ever thought possible with their personal finances.

Read recent posts

THIS WEEKEND: New River Community Church Lake Wylie SC

January 14, 2010 in Event, FLE, Speaking with 7 Comments

I am FIRED UP and extremely honored to speak at New River Community Church this weekend!   I will be speaking during the Saturday evening 6PM service, the Sunday 9:15AM, 10:15AM, and 11:15AM services.   Then I will be teaching the Financial Learning Experience at 3PM.   You can register for the Financial Learning Experience HERE.   The registration page is really basic, but create an account and register (or just show up – its free!).

Budget Booster Update – Swagbucks

January 12, 2010 in Next Steps, Saving with 0 Comments

I first wrote about Swagbucks back in November 2008 when I first signed up for the program.   Swagbucks is a search engine just like Google, Ask, or Bing with one key exception – they PAY you to search!!!   Every so often, they reward you with a Swagbuck (or Swagbucks) when you search.   The Swagbuck is their own currency, and they can be redeemed for gift cards or merchandise.

I just redeemed my Swagbucks for another $20 Target gift card.   So far, I have personally earned 389 Swagbucks!   It takes 235 Swagbucks to obtain a $20 Target gift card.   It is FREE money!   YES!

Here is a great feature of this program.   Once you register, you can refer your friends.   For their first 100 Swagbucks, you can earn a matching Swagbuck!

You can check it out and register HERE.

NOTE: We have a TON of additional “Budget Boosters” located on the Next Steps site – I would recommend you start with the Top 5 Lists!

Free Samples

January 8, 2010 in Finance, Saving with 1 Comment

Like everyone else – I LOVE A DEAL!   I wrote the “I Was Broke” part of my book by always paying full price for items.   I was able to write the “Now I’m Not” part by demanding a deal.

I have been learning a lot about obtaining great deals from The Saving Freak.

One way to save money is try out free samples.   A good site to check out is Shop4Freebies (link has expired).

Since Jenn and I are expecting a baby boy in early February, I signed up for a bunch of free diaper samples!

Hope you find some deals!

Read recent posts

5 Reasons To Lead A Personal Finance Study – Part 5

January 8, 2010 in IWBNIN Group Study with 0 Comments

In this series, I am sharing five reasons to lead the I Was Broke. Now I’m Not. personal finance study at your church or business.

Part 5 Schools Are Not Teaching It Enough

Most people I meet had “one or none” classes that taught personal finances.   I personally had one class and it was called “Home Economics”.   It was about the home economy, but we only learned how to make no-bake cookies (which we didn’t even put in the oven!).

I am guessing that you would not be excited about leading a group study about calculus or geometry, but helping people with such a practical and potentially life-changing skill set is tremendously rewarding!   We can complain all we want about the schools not teaching it, but that does not address the fact that most of us are not still in school and need to learn it now.

Thank you so much for reading this series!   You can be a part of this effort by leading the I Was Broke. Now I’m not. Group Study.   You can learn more about the study and purchase kits HERE.

Read entire series

Read recent posts

Leadership Lessons From THE BOOK – William G. Bliss

January 7, 2010 in IWBNIN Publishing with 0 Comments

Let’s face it.   If you are a Christian leader, it can be difficult to connect biblical principles to practical application in the workforce.   In an arena where “what is right” gets clouded with “what is best” and both of those can be driven by “what is most financially beneficial to us”, it is important to have clear knowledge of how to PRACTICALLY APPLY biblical principles.

I met with Bill last summer to talk about growing the crusade, and during our conversation I learned that he had a book manuscript that he wanted to have published.   As he told me more about it, I KNEW that I HAD to help him get the book to market.   So our organization published it for him.

If you are a business leader or you know someone who is, this book is perfect for them.   Bill teaches the biblical principle and then provides PRACTICAL APPLICATION tools to ensure that it is able to be placed into practice.   With chapters titled “Setting A Vision”, “Quiet Time & Prayer”, “Servant Leadership”, “Communication”, “Leadership Development”, “Setting Expectations”, and “Stewardship” – you can see how this book can help!

A line from Leadership Lessons From THE BOOK stands out to me:   “As one moves higher up on the leadership ladder, the skill at building trusting relationships becomes much more important than the continued development of a functional skill such as science, engineering, or finance.”

I recommend this book not just because I published it, but because it has personally helped me in growing IWBNIN!

You can check it out, read the intro, and purchase copies for you and your team HERE.

5 Reasons To Lead A Personal Finance Study – Part 4

January 7, 2010 in IWBNIN Group Study with 0 Comments

In this series, I am sharing five reasons to lead the I Was Broke. Now I’m Not. personal finance study at your church or business.

Part 4 You will learn as much from the participants as they learn from the study!

As we developed the I Was Broke. Now I’m Not. Group Study, we had several thousand people participate in it.   I personally sat in on the group discussion, and each time I was BLOWN AWAY by the knowledge shared!   I learned money saving tips.   People shared financial victories that they had experienced.   They also shared failures (which we can ALL learn from).

As a leader of a group, you will learn tips that you can apply to your own financial situation and that is what makes it so AWESOME!   Every time I have led a group, I have walked away saying, “I hope they got as much from this study as I learned from them!”

You can be a part of this effort by leading the I Was Broke. Now I’m not. Group Study.   You can learn more about the study and purchase kits HERE.

Read entire series

Read recent posts

Upcoming Events for Q1 – YES!

January 6, 2010 in Finance with 0 Comments

Below is the schedule for the 1st Quarter this year!   Me and the team are FIRED UP about the many opportunities we have to teach practical financial tools and train financial coaches!   If you are interested in partnering with IWBNIN, you can contact our team HERE to start the conversation.

January 9, 2010   FCE Leave A Mark Church Columbus, OH

January 10, 2010   FLE Leave A Mark Church Columbus, OH

January 16, 2010   FCE Christ Church Hickory, NC

January 16, 2010   FCE New River Community Church Lake Wylie, NC

January 17, 2010   FLE New River Community Church Lake Wylie, NC

January 18, 2010   FLE Grace Community Church Clarksville, TN

January 23, 2010   FCE Element Church Cheyenne, WY

January 23, 2010   FFE Element Church Cheyenne, WY

January 25, 2010   FLE Forefront Church Littleton, CO

January 26, 2010   FLE Christ Church Hickory, NC

January 27, 2010   FLE Christ Church Hickory, NC

January 28, 2010   FLE Christ Church Hickory, NC

February 6, 2010 Conference   Community Christian Church Chicago, IL

February 20, 2010   FCE The Lighthouse Cresco, PA

February 21, 2010   FLE The Lighthouse Cresco, PA

February 27, 2010   FCE Colwood Church Caro, MI

February 28, 2010   FLE Colwood Church Caro, MI

March 4, 2010 Unleash Conference NewSpring Church Anderson, SC

March 6, 2010   FCE New Life Center Bridgeton, MO

March 7, 2010   FLE New Life Center Bridgeton, MO

March 8, 2010   FLE NewSpring Church – Campus

March 9, 2010   FLE NewSpring Church – Campus

March 10, 2010   FLE NewSpring Church – Campus

March 11, 2010   FLE NewSpring Church – Campus

March 20, 2010   FCE Main Street Baptist Church Alexandria, KY

March 21, 2010   FLE Main Street Baptist Church Alexandria, KY

5 Reasons To Lead A Personal Finance Study – Part 3

January 6, 2010 in IWBNIN Group Study with 0 Comments

In this series, I am sharing five reasons to lead the I Was Broke. Now I’m Not. personal finance study at your church or business.

Part 3 We are passionate about helping others.   (We bet you are too!)

We are PASSIONATE about helping people win with their personal finances.   You will see evidence of our passion in every aspect of this study.   It is the passion of every IWBNIN team member to help others accomplish far more than they ever thought possible.   It is what drives everything we do.   It is why we travel all over the nation teaching tens of thousands people live every year.   It is why we have put forth the effort to write books, classes, studies, messages, and speeches.   It is why we train financial counselors who are equipped to provide FREE 1-on-1 financial counseling to people throughout their communities.   It is why we offer our financial tools for FREE.   It is why we created the Next Steps website.

We KNOW that when we help a family or individual improve their financial situation, we are helping them fund their future hopes, plans and dreams.

You can be a part of this effort by leading the I Was Broke. Now I’m not. Group Study.   You can learn more about the study and purchase kits HERE.

Read entire series

Read recent posts

5 Reasons To Lead A Personal Finance Study – Part 2

January 5, 2010 in IWBNIN Group Study with 0 Comments

In this series, I am sharing five reasons to lead the I Was Broke. Now I’m Not. personal finance study at your church or business.

Part 2 This study is PRACTICAL and the TOOLS ARE FREE.

I graduated with a degree in mechanical engineering from Purdue University, but the real truth is that most of the teaching was pretty far up in the clouds.   It was not immediately clear to me how all of my classes in Thermodynamics, Heat & Mass Transfer, Statics, and Kinematics were able to be applied in “the real world.”   There is no doubt that ALL of these subjects DO matter – a lot – but they were not always taught in the most practical way.

I resolved to myself back then that whatever I taught, I would seek to teach it at a level where everyone would not only “get it”, but they would be able to easily apply it.

That is how this study has been designed.     The feedback from thousands of people tells us that we have hit our goal.   Allof the tools taught are offered free via our Next Steps website (HERE).   We have even created a website for the I Was Broke. Now I’m Not. Group Study to guide people through each session (HERE).

You can learn more about the study and purchase kits HERE.

Read entire series

Read recent posts

5 Reasons To Lead A Personal Finance Study – Part 1

January 4, 2010 in IWBNIN Group Study with 0 Comments

Here are five reasons to lead the I Was Broke. Now I’m Not. personal finance study at your church or business.

Part 1 People are hurting and looking for answers.

The collapse of the housing and stock markets in late 2008 have had an impact on millions (should I say billions?) of people.   People are dealing with HUGE financial issues such as:

  • Reduced pay
  • Lay-off
  • Large debts
  • House worth less than is owed
  • Car worth less than is owed
  • Divorce
  • Medical bills
  • Past due taxes

People have realized that the old way of managing money can be improved.   They are looking for this type of teaching.   By leading a group, you are helping invest in a life skill that can help someone achieve dreams that they previously thought were unachievable.

Read entire series

Read recent posts

Page 1 of 212»