Moneymoneymoney

I have a beef with Dave Ramsey. Or maybe the beef should be with my friends. Mr. Ramsey has really great information. He doles out that information on his radio show, his many books and he promises to get you out of debt if you follow his course. You have to buy the books and the course.  He wants you to spend money to get out of debt. Apparently I am the only person who finds this amusing. 

You see, I have been giving the same advice and information for years...for free! And yet I still have friends who would rather spend money for this information. Soooo...I am going to keep giving out my free advice. And if you like, you can try out some of my tips for a year. Or maybe even just for 6 months. See what happens. You just might find yourself a little better off financially than you were before.

Every once in a while we get news of some financial institution or major retail chain whose customer information has been compromised and now all their banking information is up for grabs. Target is the most recent. So it's important to stay on top of your account activity. There is a very easy remedy for this.

Take a money minute. Make time every day check your accounts. You can do it first thing in the morning or in the evening. I don't have time in the mornings, so I do it after dinner. It seriously only takes a minute. I log on, check the balance and see what has cleared that day. It gives me a better idea of where my money is going and I know if there are still any outstanding charges and there are no surprises. There is nothing worse than trying to pay for something with a debit card only to be told there is not enough money to cover it. 

Some people are uncomfortable with checking their accounts. It can be hard to face the fact that there isn't as much money as you would like in your account. But by checking it every day you will begin to feel more in control of your money. It might be a little depressing in the beginning, but you will become more comfortable with it. And eventually you may see your balance begin to grow.

Take charge of your finances. Take a money minute. Every day.