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A new approach to getting rich, make it simple

After reading a recent post from Ramit Sethi (definitely check him out), I’m going to change the way I teach personal finance. In the past, I’ve inundated people with various pieces of personal finance, but never have I truly made it as simple as I wanted it. My original mission was to simply dumb down the concepts surrounding personal finance, so anyone can understand. The problem is, most people don’t even want to understand, they just want to be rich.  Ramit has it right when he says:

What personal finance needs is less people who think that “information” alone will change behaviors, and more people with marketing and psychology backgrounds who know that it’s critical to connect with people in order to change their behaviors. More information alone won’t do. Education is not the solution to personal-finance problems.

Having said this, I’m going to change my style of writing to better focus on helping people become rich, rather than to learn personal finance, which nobody really cares about (except for a select few).

I recently posted over on insidestl.com the following article quoted below. I want you to read this because it’s my new approach and direction with regards to teaching this information.

You want to be rich and stop working but you could care less about learning personal finance or money management. You’re certainly not alone. In this article, I’m going to take a step backwards from my previous articles, and explain to you how simple this shit really is. Too many people make this subject overly complex to sound all knowledgeable, when the fact is, taking action is the most important step you can take.

Who really gives a shit about learning everything there is to know about stocks or bonds, 401ks, IRAs, retirement planning, living frugal, tax planning or whatever the hell else there is in personal finance? Not many people, that’s for certain. The bottom line, you want to be rich, not learn about finance. You don’t want to even have to think about money. You want to be in control and do whatever the hell you want, splurging on cool shit when you want it. The good news, it’s pretty freaking simple to get to that point and quick.

If you want to be rich it comes down to your doing these four things starting now; stop wasting money on shit you don’t care about, pay off your debt, start saving 10-20% of your income at minimum, and make a plan to retire. Before you know it, you’ll have money out the ass and you won’t have to worry about that. There’s too much other shit to worry about in life.

From now on, my columns will be dedicated to your learning those four steps above in order to make you rich. I’m going to show you how to save money on shit you buy everyday so you can buy the stuff you do care about. I’m going to show you a couple of ways to help you get the hell out of debt, and the way I recommend.  I’m going to show you how you can easily sock away more than 10% of the money you take in so you can get rich. Last, I’m going to show you how to set a date to quit freaking working so you can travel and experience life and do whatever the hell you want to.

Check out FinanceDad.com until my next column comes out Tuesday. Inspiration from this post comes from Ramit Sethi. Contact me regarding any questions you have: Mark@FinanceDad.com.

Man quits job, sells everything that won’t fit in his car, road trip.. Zero Dean

Who would have the nerve to simply pack it up and leave everything for a road trip with no end? I’ve always wanted to, but surely never could muster up the nerve to do so. Well, that and I have four kids and a wife. I saw a cool post over on reddit talking about a guy that did just that, Zero Dean, the guy sold everything that wouldn’t fit into his car and took off on a journey to see the country, with no set plan in mind other than to photograph people. You gotta check out his story on his blog where he details out his road trip day by day. Really cool!

FinanceDad is teaming up with insideSTL to present personal finance education to their readers

I just wanted to drop a note and welcome my new readers from insideSTL. Please, look across the various tabs to see what interests you. If you’ve got any questions, please drop me a note and I will respond to your question ASAP. I’m looking forward to writing on insideSTL and providing the reader’s over there something new and different, that will bring value to their lives and helping people out in my own community. In between my columns over there, I hope those readers come and visit FinanceDad.com for much more than I could ever write about over there. I’ve completed nearly 400 articles here for your viewing pleasure.

Are you prepared for an earthquake or natural disaster?

Seeing the recent destruction and annihilation in Haiti, Chile, and now Taiwan, it makes sense to review your own disaster preparedness plans. In St. Louis, we’re only 150 or so miles away from a huge fault line ( the New Madrid Fault Line), and honestly, anything could happen at any time. The last time something major happened was about 110 years ago. Before that, about 200 years ago, a major quake on the fault caused the Mississippi to flow backwards, and created Reelfoot lake in TN.

So what can or should we do to ensure we can survive until we can get out of town and or until help arrives? What types of supplies should we have on hand and how can you incorporate this into your everyday living plans so you don’t just do this for a year or two?

• What to do before an earthquake (FEMA)
• What do to during an earthquake (FEMA)
• What to do after an earthquake (FEMA)
• Seven Steps to Earthquake Safety
• Preparedness FAQs

More links to earthquake preparedness information and response agencies

Frugal Superbowl meals and ideas

It’s that time of the year again where we all gather round to watch the millionaire beasts of the NFC and AFC battle it out to determine the NFL champions. Unfortunately, we’re not all millionaires, and if we ever hope to accumulate millions, it’s going to be through living frugal and investing and saving.

This year, we’ve got an energetic high powered offense in Drew Brees’ New Orleans team with that southern flavor against the powerhouse Midwestern Peyton Manning led Indianapolis Colts. It’s surely going to be a high scoring game. But now, it’s your time to score some great frugal meal ideas and other frugal thoughts on watching the game in style. Below, I’ve listed some great and low cost meals for the Southern and Midewestern fans and much more.

Stay in and enjoy the game with family and friends, avoid the bars, $3 beers, and crowds.

Consider making your own party decorations and spend time doing something fun and free prior to the big game. Consider hooking up a couple of TV’s in the same room if you don’t have that big screen. Play Superbowl game squares for 10 cents a square.

For the meals and drinks:

Appetizers:

Make your own fruit tray (under $15) or make your own veggie tray (under $15). Maybe even consider making your own chips using your microwave and salsa.

Drinks:

Consider making your own iced tea (add vodka with or without lemon for an ice pick), Iced water, milk for the kids. Consider low cost beer like Paps Blue Ribbon, or if you have a large party, chip in a few bucks each for a keg. There’s endless frugal drinks you could make, saving you tons of money in simply avoiding the bars. Ask your guests to each bring a cheap bottle of something and mix and match. If you don’t plan on getting smashed, you probably won’t be able to tell the difference in expensive drinks and low cost alternatives. Believe me, I know.

For the Main Meal (Chili or Spinach Salad):

New Orleans’ Style Cajun Chili (serves 8-12) for under $20;

Cajun recipe found here.

For a simple Midwestern Chili (Serves 6) for under $15:

• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 1 1/2 pounds lean ground beef
• 1/2 cup chopped onion
• 1 envelope (1 3/4 ounces) chili seasoning mix
• 1/2 cup water
• 1 can (14.5 ounces) diced tomatoes, undrained
• 1 can (15 ounces) kidney beans, undrained
• 1 tablespoon brown sugar

Preparation:

Heat oil in a large, heavy skillet. Cook ground beef and onions over medium heat until it is no longer pink. Stir in chili seasoning mix, then add remaining ingredients. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover, and simmer for 10 minutes. Serve with cornbread or crackers.

Easy Chili recipe serves 6.

Found here.

And for a meatless alternative, healthy alternative (Under $15):

Spinach Salad:

Prep time: 20 minutes

Ingredients:

• 6 c. fresh spinach, torn in bite-size pieces
• ½ c. mandarin oranges
• 1 c. strawberries, sliced
• 4 oz. soy blue cheese crumbles
• ¼ c. cashews

Dressing:

• 3 tbsp. red wine vinegar
• 3 tbsp. orange juice
• 1½ tbsp. canola oil
• ¼ tsp. dry mustard
• 1/3 tsp. poppy seeds

Utensils:

• knife (you’ll need help from your adult assistant)

Directions:

1. Mix dressing ingredients and refrigerate.
2. Mix the fruit and spinach together.
3. Pour dressing over salad and mix well to coat evenly.
4. Divide salad among 4 plates (about 2 cups each plate).
5. Sprinkle cashews and soy blue cheese over the top of each salad plate.

Serves: 4

Serving size: about 2 cups

Nutritional analysis (per serving):
220 calories
11 g protein
12 g fat
3 g sat. fat
24 g carbohydrate
2 g fiber
66 mg cholesterol
507 mg sodium
276 mg calcium
3.9 mg iron

Note: Nutritional analysis may vary depending on ingredient brands used.

Variations and suggestions:
This salad can be served as a side dish, or add some chicken to it and make it a meal!

Dessert(Under $10):

Monkey Bread

Copyright © 2002 by Michelle Jones, editor of BetterBudgeting.com

Perfect for taking to a brunch or serving to your own family, this yummy pull-apart bread is always a big hit!

Ingredients:

4 cans of refrigerated biscuits

1 1/2 c. brown sugar

1 T. cinnamon

3/4 c. butter or margarine

Directions:

* Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

* Cut biscuits into quarters and coat with an extra mixture of cinnamon and sugar if desired, makes it EXTRA good!

* Melt remaining ingredients together in a small saucepan.

* Place half of biscuit quarters into a greased Bundt pan and sprinkle chopped pecans or raisins on top if you have them on hand.

* Pour 1/2 of butter mixture over the top and repeat with remaining biscuits.

* Bake for 30-40 minutes.

..Of course, you can save much more money by simply cooking your own beans and rice and add in whatever other ingredients you may like.

What other great frugal Superbowl Ideas do you have that you’re willing to share?