I am going to be sharing my favorite personal finance websites through this new monthly series here at the wildly popular JosephSangl.com.

January’s Featured Website – MyMoneyBlog.com

Here are the reasons I love his site:

• He is smart.  Crazy smart!
• He has focused on personal finances for YEARS and his content has never “dulled out”
• Relevant content to those interested in maximizing their money
• He has established clear and concise goals for his Emergency Fund, Home Pay-Off, and Investments (and he is achieving them …)

This is one of the few blogs on my daily reader.  It would benefit you to do the same!

Read recent posts

I have been enjoying time with family for the past week, and it has been a great and restful time.

Every family has those “unique” traditions that makes them special, and our family is no different.  One of the particularly unique things that my mother does is keep all of the “solo” plastic cups from holiday to holiday.  ALL of them.  There are so many of us that we have to write our name on our cup with a Sharpie.  When the holidays roll around, we just look through the cups and find one that we have already signed years ago.

All of us comment on this practice to our mother with a smirk, but she always responds with the phrase, “Waste not. Want not.”

Perhaps that is the reason my parents have enjoyed a great life raising six boys and have been able to retire when they chose to do so.

Do you have any interesting “re-use” stories in your family?

Read recent posts

8 years ago, my family figured out how to stay within our Christmas spending budget.

1. We planned BEFORE buying a single gift (using the Mini-Budget)
2. We pulled the planned money out in cash (except for on-line purchases)
3. We put away the debit/credit card (except for on-line purchases)
4. We stuck to the plan (diligence)!

You can do the same!

How are YOU doing with your Christmas spending?

Read recent posts

I’ve written about this previously, but I feel it is exceptionally important to review it again as we enter in the Christmas season.

If you are highly focused on improving your financial situation, it can mean that the amount of money you have available for Christmas spending is greatly reduced.  This means that you might have to use the word that all parents dread saying to their children – especially at Christmas – the word “NO.”

It is exceptionally difficult UNLESS you understand that saying NO right now will enable you to say YES to something far more important in the future!  You see, saying NO right now provides you with incredible teaching moments for your children.  When they ask “WHY?”, you get to have a great conversation with them.  The conversation might go something like this:

CHILD: I want an iPod Touch for Christmas.

YOU: NO!

CHILD: Why not?

YOU: Because this year, Mommy and Daddy are focusing on getting our finances in order.

CHILD: Why?

YOU: Because we want to be able to say “YES” more in the future.  If we don’t say “NO” right now, it will be very difficult for us to ever say “YES” in the future to more important things.  You see, by us saying “NO” right now, it is going to allow us to say “YES” to paying for your college education.

Do you see it?  Do you really see it?

Read recent posts

I am preparing to eat a bunch of great food today.  Our family has several foods that are always on the menu:

• Turkey
• Duck
• Oyster dressing
• Giblet dressing
• Mashed potatoes
• Cranberry Sauce
• Shrimp Cocktail
• Black and Green Olives
• Pickled Beets

I trust that everyone will have a wonderful Thanksgiving and will be reminded of everything we each have to be thankful for!

Read recent posts

I have a very energetic nephew who is exceptionally smart and very strong-willed.  He is known throughout our family for his energy, enthusiasm, and strong will.

He was recently playing a game and began gaining a significant advantage – by violating the rules of the game.  He was told, “That’s against the rules.”

His priceless response?  “I wasn’t playing by the rules.”

This response reminds me of so many people who are completely broke.  They KNOW the rules, but they choose to ignore them.  Here are some fundamental money management rules that are regularly and routinely ignored.

1. Spend less than you make
2. Save money for a rainy day
3. Give money away
4. Plan your spending BEFORE you actually spend
5. A budget will allow you to maximize your money
6. Invest money every time you receive money
7. Save for emergencies
8. Save for known upcoming non-monthly expenses
9. Save for dreams
10. Always ask for a better deal
11. Pay cash for items that drop in value
12. Avoid debt that will strangle your plans, hopes, and dreams
13. Maintain healthy financial margin

What rule do you wrestle with the most?  What rule(s) would you add?

Read recent posts

When things are going poorly with money, it is easy to fall into a cycle of “whining” instead of “doing.”

This means that they have substituted an “h” for one of the “n”s in “winning” – they move from “winNing” to “wHining.”

Have you ever noticed that whiners rarely win?  Think about it.  Name ONE whiner who is a consistent winner.

We all have times where we descend into “whining.”  That is when we have to make the CHOICE to STOP WHINING and START DOING.

Don’t know if this is helpful to anyone, but it was helpful to me!

Read recent posts

A crazy thing usually happens when I ask people if they have ever been broke before – nearly ALL of them have been absolutely broke in the past.

They tell me about it, and they usually are smiling as they tell their story.  That is, unless they are still broke.  If they are still broke, there are no smiles – only tears, anger, humiliation, frustration, and agony.

It does not have to be that way.  That’s why I do what I do – helping people free up their finances and equipping them to fund their plans, hopes, and dreams.

Do you remember when you were broke?  Share your story with us in the comments!

Read recent posts

A major announcement …

… is on its way!

I can’t wait to tell everyone about it.  Stay tuned to the blog, Twitter, and Facebook to be one of the first to know.

Of course, we are taking guesses about the announcement in the comments section. 

Get FIRED UP!
Joe

Read recent posts

How much margin do you have in your life?  Seriously, I want to know!  Would you take 1 minute to share your thoughts in the survey below (or click HERE to participate)?

NOTE: Results are completely anonymous.

 

It was 52 years ago today that my parents said, “I do!”

I’m glad they did!

Like any couple who has celebrated 52 years of marriage, they have kept their vows in spite of major challenges.  It is worthy of honor so here is a list of things I wanted to point out that make me proud to say I am a son of Roy and Sandra Sangl.

• My father started a business from scratch and made it pay off.  I NEVER heard him complain about getting up to work.  EVER.  He was up long before I opened an eyelid.
• My mother always had breakfast ready to roll.
• They had six children – all of them boys – with the perfect ending of identical twin boys (I was one of them and they tell me I was born 7 minutes after my twin bro).
• They survived the raising of all six of us without going completely crazy.
• I was brought to church every Sunday AM, Sunday PM, Tuesday, and Thursday – then youth on Friday night
• They raised us on a farm – complete with hogs, cows, chickens, ducks, dogs, cats, corn, soybeans, and wheat.
• They raised us to be thrifty.
• I got to observe business ownership from the inside – the good, the bad, and the ugly
• My mother taught me how to crochet – which is a man-skill because if we get stuck in the jungle, I know how to do some serious weaving and knot-tying
• Family gatherings have always been a priority.  I can’t remember a holiday growing up where there weren’t at least 30 to 40 people present.  For me, going to hang out with family has always been something I look forward to – not an obligation.
• They are hilarious.  Trust me on this one.  Watching and listening to them is a rolling circus.

Mom and Dad – Congratulations on 52 years!

It is my bride’s birthday.  That means I want to take this day to celebrate my bride’s birth!  I am so glad that the Lord saw fit to give her life!  She is a wonderful bride, wife, and mother.

Here are  10 Reasons I love my bride:

1. She loves Jesus
2. She loves me
3. She is beautiful!
4. She has carried two beautiful children into this world – a daughter and a son
5. She is a neat-freak and our house is ALWAYS a welcoming environment because of her
6. She is THE REASON I even get to do what I get to do – she is responsible for the entire crusade’s starting and its ability to continue impacting people across the world
7. She is a saver with money and a risk-taker with life!
8. She is a graduate of Purdue University (best school ever)
9. She is my closest friend and confidant and provides the best counsel I have ever heard
10. She is a leader – I believe that she could lead a ministry that has 1,000-times the impact that IWBNIN has had!

Those are just 10 reasons.  I could list at least 1,000 more.

I love you, my beautiful bride.  Happy Birthday!

The more I serve people across this nation, the more apparent it is to me that what you think is just as important as what you do.

In fact, I believe this statement to be true:

“Who or what you think will ultimately determine what you do.”

I meet people all of the time who say, “That is just impossible for me.”  The end results indicate the truth of their statement. One might say, “I can never make enough money to pay my bills.”  They end up struggling to pay their bills all of the time.
The statements lead to a “self-fulfilling prophecy.”

At other times, I meet people with very similar circumstances who say, “With the Lord’s help, this can happen.”  The results usually are positive!  What you believe, think, and say will absolutely impact the outcomes in your life.

ACTION:  Take today’s thoughts and write them down.  Are these thoughts helping you move toward your desired outcome?  Resolve to make it so!

Read recent posts

Many of you already know this, but I have a Twitter account where I share updates about what is going on with this crusade to help people accomplish far more than they ever thought possible.

If you are on Twitter, click the button below to follow me (or click HERE) and I will follow you back!

Read recent posts