Search Results for: blog money decisions and marriage

Focus on the Candidates – Ted Cruz

This blog is part of the series that focuses on the candidates who are running for President of the United States in 2016. This blog focuses on Ted Cruz. Ted Cruz was born in Calgary, Alberta, Canada, to an American mother and a Cuban father. Ted Cruz has since renounced his Canadian citizenship. He was Solicitor General for the state of Texas from 2003-2008. Ted Cruz was first elected as a Texas Senator in 2012. You might recall him reading “Green Eggs and Ham” on CSPAN during the government shutdown of 2013. Health Care According to his Senate website, Ted … Continue reading →

Finding Your Identity in Your Marriage

I never thought much about my life growing up. At times in my adult life when I’ve considered getting married, having kids, I didn’t have anything but my own thoughts at that time to rely on. It’s strange because I’m an obsessive planner for short-term details, but I can’t think of any point in my life when I’ve had a vision for the future. As a kid I always had dreams of what I wanted to be when I grew up: veterinarian, zoologist, reporter for National Geographic Magazine, but those were always just fleeting childhood whimsies. I never pictured myself … Continue reading →

5 Topics to Discuss before Marriage

How many couples do you know take the time to discuss money, children and other important issues before they get married? Maybe you jumped right into marriage without seriously considering some of these life-impacting issues. If you or someone you know is considering tying the knot, here are five topics that you should discuss before walking down the aisle. It could save a lot of conflict in the future. The first is children. Do you both want children? Nothing is more devastating than a couple getting married and one expecting to have children but the other one dead set against … Continue reading →

Common Money Mistakes That Women Make

Did you know that men and women tend to make different kinds of mistakes when it comes to managing their money? While people of both genders certainly enjoy financial success, both men and women makes mistakes with their money. Suze Orman has come out with some advice that is tailored specifically towards women and the mistakes that tend to trip them up when it comes to their finances. According to Suze Orman, the root of the problem is that women have been taught, either consciously or subconsciously (including by example) to not manage their money. The result is that they … Continue reading →

Book Review: Safe Money Millionaire by Brett Kitchen and Ethan Kap

Over the last month, I’ve been talking to financial advisors who have given me reasons to keep money in a 401(k) fund and not to pull it out even when chaos breaks loose in the economy. About two weeks ago, though, I read the book “Safe Money Millionaire” by Brett Kitchen and Ethan Kap, and heard a different side to the story. Kitchen and Kap are both in the field of insurance – but not just any insurance. They market cash value insurance plans, and that is the message they deliver in their book – if you put your money … Continue reading →

Insurance and Marriage

Yesterday I looked at the idea of insurance for the housewife or stay at home mom, but there are various other kinds of insurance you might need to consider. Insurance against sickness, accident or loss of income for the main worker in the partnership, house insurance, house contents insurance and car insurance are others. Sometimes with the birth of a child, people even take out an insurance policy that will mature and come to their child when they reach a certain age.This is something my parents did and Mick’s parents did too. Unfortunately they were policies that were not going … Continue reading →

Music and Marriage

How important a role does music play in your marriage? Many couples have a special song that is their song. It may be the one they first danced to, the one that was playing when you met or when he proposed. It may simply be a song that captures how you feel about your spouse. Tristi talked about sappy love songs and I’d hazard a guess most of us have a place for them in our lives. They are songs that make you look at your marriage partner and smile. For Mick and me our song is You’re my World. … Continue reading →

Estate Planning and the Step Family

For too many of us, estate planning is the thing we’re always going to get to but often don’t. It’s like flossing, but with exponentially greater potential for harm. I understand why we procrastinate, believe me I do, but a failure to act in this department can have a devastating effect on your family. Our financial planner had been after us to create an estate plan for a year; as we began preparations for an extended trip through Mexico, it seemed irresponsible not to have something in place. We contacted an attorney who came highly recommended, and blithely scheduled an … Continue reading →

Work Hours and Marriage

Work life is making it harder for Australian marriage and families. I wonder if it is just as difficult in other countries. The problem seems to be there is not enough flexibility in work hours and arrangements. Despite the introduction of flexi time, job sharing and part time work, statistics show Australian families are not that much better off. Statistics show those with flexible hours in 2006 were sixty percent. In 2009 it was fifty eight percent. Hardly a significant improvement. The lack of choice of days worked has actually increased by one percent. From what I’ve read from time … Continue reading →

Gambling and Marriage

I read something the other day which astounded me. Acceding to reports Australians spend $60 a week on lottery and lotto tickets. I wonder if it is any different in USA. Now, I don’t know about you but I can’t imagine taking that sort of amount out of our budget every week and still trying to get by. Yes, I know the logic is someone has to win it. That’s the sort of thinking that gets people sucked into buying tickets they can’t afford and putting money through slot machines in the hope of pulling of the jackpot. I’ve been … Continue reading →