It is my pleasure to introduce you to Briana Myricks, our newest contributor over here at The Christian Dollar! I’m so excited that Briana has decided to jump on board! I’m pretty familiar with her writing across the web, and suggest you check out her work.

Briana is probably best known for her writing over at 20andEngaged.com. Today, she is married and loving life!

She was baptized in March 2004, and turns to the Bible to get her through her day to day challenges. She looks forward to incorporating her faith with her writing about life and personal finance. She regularly attends two baptist churches.

Briana will be joining Chuck Detwiler III as the second contributor for The Christian Dollar. I’m very excited that we now have a “team” of writers!

Look for Briana’s articles coming shortly. I think you’ll be very impressed with her insights and breadth of knowledge.

Are you looking to become a contributor? Visit the Contributor’s page for more information on how you can get started!

John

John officially launched TheChristianDollar.com on January 1st, 2010 with the intention to provide an excellent financial resource for biblically-minded individuals and families. Influenced heavily by Dave Ramsey, John started researching how he might better handle his money and help others in the process. John enjoys reading, writing, playing with gadgets, and spending time with his wife Courtney.

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A couple of days ago I was emailed by Peter over at BibleMoneyMatters.com. He nominated The Christian Dollar to write a post called “My 7 Links” – an idea first started by the Tripbase blog. So here it is!

Below you will find 7 links to posts on The Christian Dollar that were the top in their respective categories. You’ll also find 5 blogs that I’ve nominated to write their own 7 links! Fun stuff! Here we go . . .

Your Most Beautiful Post

I’d have to say the most beautiful post to me is my very first post. It was called “Beginnings” and was the literal beginning of something huge. I had no idea The Christian Dollar would be as successful as it is today. A special thanks to Bob at ChristianPF.com for presenting numerous opportunities along the way.

Your Most Popular Post

Alright Google Analytics, let’s see what the most popular post is today . . . . And the winner is . . .

“Dave Ramsey’s 7 Baby Steps: Getting Started”

That was a good one. It was part of a series highlighting what Dave teaches in the book “The Total Money Makeover.” Valuable, valuable information! It has changed our lives!

Your Most Controversial Post

By far, one of the most controversial posts I’ve written was also one of the shortest: “Question: Should People Tithe Before or After Investing?”

I’m convinced now that people should tithe before investing, but if you read the comments on this post you’ll see that a few have differing points of view!

Your Most Helpful Post

I’d have to say one of the most helpful posts (well, actually series) that I’ve written is called “Insurance Essentials: An Introduction to Insurance You Need!”

Insurance can be a difficult maze to navigate. I think this series keeps people coming back to The Christian Dollar for the reference material contained within.

A Post Who’s Success Has Surprised You

A while back I wrote a post about how I spend this month’s income next month. It’s called: “Top 5 Reasons To Spend This Month’s Income Next Month.”

Because I thought that hardly anyone would be willing to follow the advice in the article, I didn’t think it would be that popular. I guess I was wrong! It’s one of the top ranking articles on The Christian Dollar.

A Post You Feel Didn’t Get The Attention It Deserved

One day I got creative and wrote a piece called: “How to Build a Dependable Financial Vehicle.” Yes, this was a great article because it highlighted areas of personal finance that everyone should have in their life.

Maybe the title confused people, and that’s why it didn’t get much traction. Not sure!

The Post You Are Most Proud Of

By far, I’d have to say my review of PerkStreet Financial is my pride and joy. You can find it here: “PerkStreet Financial Review: The Ultimate Guide from Real Customers.”

It was a massive review. Let’s see, it was . . . over 3,000 words long! It’s ranking really well in Google right now, and so I get a lot of traffic to it from the search engines. I’ll have to write more reviews!

My 7 Links Nominations

After you link to 7 of your posts, you’re supposed to nominate 5 other people to list their 7 links on their blogs! I’ve gotten to know some of these bloggers over the years, and would love to see them highlight their best work!

1. ChristianPF.com
2. RealManMoney.com
3. ManvsDebt.com
4. PersonalFinanceByTheBook.com
5. JayPeroni.com

John

John officially launched TheChristianDollar.com on January 1st, 2010 with the intention to provide an excellent financial resource for biblically-minded individuals and families. Influenced heavily by Dave Ramsey, John started researching how he might better handle his money and help others in the process. John enjoys reading, writing, playing with gadgets, and spending time with his wife Courtney.

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When you’re working online, you need the right tools to survive. Too many websites fail because they don’t have a plan for success or they don’t have the resources they so desperately need. Here are a few blogging tools that are sure to help you on your journey. This one is dedicated to my blogging friends.

1. Thesis Theme for WordPress

The Thesis Theme for WordPress is absolutely my favorite blogging theme. It is easy to customize the appearance and inner-workings of your website. In addition, there is a lot of support for this theme on the web. A simple Google search will produce incredible amounts of information on how you can customize Thesis.

Another nice thing about Thesis: the developers actually update it to offer ever-increasing functionality. This is rare. It’s well worth the money to get the Thesis theme if you are a serious blogger.

2. Facebook

You probably already already have FaceBook. That’s great! But do you have a page for your online business? Having a Facebook page will pull many people into the conversation you’re trying to generate.

Another thing I do is link my articles to auto-publish on Facebook when they are posted. This is an easy way to let others know that you have new content available!

3. Google AdSense

Google AdSense can be a huge money maker. The only problem with it is that you have to customize is and revise it over time so that inappropriate ads don’t show up. The last thing you want to do is lower credibility of your website.

I’m currently looking for ways to increase relevant ads through Google AdSense. Do you have any suggestions?

There you have it. Those are my top 3 blogging tools for your website. How well have you implemented each? Meet us in the comments and let’s discuss some ways we can better use these tools!

Photo by Robert Scoble

John

John officially launched TheChristianDollar.com on January 1st, 2010 with the intention to provide an excellent financial resource for biblically-minded individuals and families. Influenced heavily by Dave Ramsey, John started researching how he might better handle his money and help others in the process. John enjoys reading, writing, playing with gadgets, and spending time with his wife Courtney.

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Recently, on ChristianPF.com, I wrote how we’re at a crossroads on Dave Ramsey’s Baby Steps. You can read that article here. Because of the sheer volume of responses, I decided to take some time to respond to each of the commenters directly. However, I believe that the comment was too long for the site, so I decided to post my responses here on The Christian Dollar. Please read the article on ChristianPF, then come back to learn what we’ve decided regarding Dave’s plan!

Responses to Suggestions

TC: Thanks for your suggestion to refinance the house. Yes, the ARM we currently have is scary, and I wish we had a 15-year fixed, but the value of our home is not high, and we are so intense on the Dave Ramsey plan that we think the cost to refinance would outweigh the benefits of a fixed. We’ve talked with several professionals about this, but it is something that we are revisiting every few months to see if it makes sense. Thanks for the reminder! Appreciate it!

Kathyrn: I’m thinking you’re right about the matches. Courtney and I have begun the process to contribute 6% to our 401(k)s. I like your advice about putting the goals that put us in a better financial position first. You’re right, more income helps us with the long term stuff.

Tim: We’re currently giving 10% of our income to the local church. We believe at this time this is all the Lord has for us to give until we have more of a grounding. But VERY important point! Our goal is to give like no one else! Great job on the order of priorities, some ARE just as important as others!

Sheila: I pretty much “know” Courtney will get a job. She has the drive, talent, and I’d be shocked if she didn’t. She actually already has a job in the same field, but just isn’t being paid as much as she would. The dental work would most likely never become an emergency. Great point on asking about whether we really need a bigger home. I’m thinking we wouldn’t, unless children are in the future. Read my response to TC about the ARM.

Mike D: Courtney is working nearly 40 hours a week. She is the sole provider of our health insurance and dental insurance. Plus, she’s going to school part time now. She’ll get a job when she’s out of school. We are tithing 10% of our net income. I like your order of priorities, and the point that we can do a bunch of this stuff at once! I LOVE the idea about the FSA for the dental work. I’ll keep that in mind when the dental work becomes more pressing. Thanks!

Amy: So glad you could relate! I mean, I know it’s a difficult situation to be in, and I wish you weren’t in it, but I’m glad we can relate. Please read my response to TC about the ARM. As for working on paying off the mortgage before reaching 15% into retirement, we’re not so sure we’re going to do that. Still thinking it through. My wife and I are going to sit down in a few minutes and discuss this . . . you can read what we come up with at the end of this majorly long response!

20 and Engaged: Awesome list. I love it. We’re not cramped where we are living, but when we have kids (probably 5 years down the road), we’ll need a bigger house. Thanks for your help!

Claire: We don’t have any children. Within 15 years, we will want children. Kids are probably 5 years away.

Kacie: Dave’s radio show speaks to renters a lot, if you didn’t know already, it might be something to check out! Thanks for your list. I see that you put college at the end of the list. That’s an interesting perspective! I’d love to hear more. Thanks!

Pat S: Your comments were very helpful. It’s interesting that you didn’t suggest a refinance as so many others did. But, I noticed, you also didn’t suggest contributing more than 6% into retirement (perhaps the purpose was to pay off the ARM mortgage as quickly as possible)? Please follow up so if I can see this is what you were suggesting.

Matthew: To answer your question, either way it would be years before we are able to pay off our mortgage. I think the key to paying off the mortgage is more traffic to TheChristianDollar.com and Courtney’s new job after her education. Thanks for the list!

Nate Hall: I like that giving is at the top of your list. We’re giving 10% of our net income to the local church. I’m glad you agree that college can potentially have a great ROI. Keep me in your prayers!

Derrik Hubbard, CFP: I like your approach. The thing that was most striking to me was your suggestion to find out how much each goal actually costs and work backwards. That makes so much sense! In many ways, we are doing just that. But there comes a point where you realize that you must not only depend on your savings to get you through a situation, but your income as well. For example, we have allocated a certain amount of money for college, and when our income exceeds that amount (even though the amount is not all we need for college), we proceed to the next step in a given month. I’ll remember to be more detailed in my planning though. Thank you!

LifeAndMyFinances: Key words: “My wife and I.” Keep it up, communication is key! Congrats on almost being out of debt! I suggest working on an emergency fund if you haven’t already . . . .

Randy: Not sure about the refinance. We’re looking into it, but our mortgage is so small the cost associated with refinancing may not be worth the potential savings. Most people in ARMs should refinance though, so I believe you are right in that regard. I love that you put giving as first priority. Our plan will be very close to what you suggested. Thanks Randy! PS: I’m under 30.

Anne Marie: Love your advice. We’re looking into new income stream options. Possibly an eBook at thechristiandollar.com? What do you think?

Roddy: Thanks for your advice! (a) I’ll probably be staying home with the kids while I blog (www.thechristiandollar.com). (b) We’ll need a bigger home when we have kids, our space is extremely small. Let’s put it this way: the living room is completely open to the bedroom. The ARM is in question. I’ll have to write more about whether to refinance. (c) Dental work is mostly structural. I believe it can wait for many years however. Thanks so much for your help Roddy!

Dan @ BlueSkiesFinancialCoaching.com: I think Dave would agree with you 100%! But I’ll have to pull out The Total Money Makeover and see about that refinance.

Debbie Thompson: I understand what you’re saying about dental work! I’ve had quite a bit of dental work myself, and it wouldn’t been bad if I didn’t! However, Courtney’s situation is not very severe, and we believe our income will go up substantially in the next few years. Thanks so much for your solid advice! Hey, come and say hi at TheChristianDollar.com anytime!

Devin: Not asking for Dave’s permission, just advice. Dave’s name is a brand which he must promote – along with the countless other non-affiliated names he promotes on his website, online store, radio show, and in live events. Not asking for permission, just advice. Thanks for your concern Devin!

Roberta CFP: I have a feeling Courtney and I are going to closely follow a plan similar to yours. Stay tuned, and thanks for your advice!

Marie Groves: Thanks for pointing out that dental work is crucial because work left undone might turn into something worse in the future. We’ll consider this in our plan.

Trent Wheeler: Begin and end with prayer, right? I totally agree. Thanks for your advice sir. Awesome!

Claxton: I don’t know if we’ll be traveling to Slovakia anytime soon, but what an insight into expenses in other countries! Thanks so much for writing Claxton. I really enjoyed hearing from you sir!

Our New Plan

After much time and effort, while struggling with Dave’s advice both on radio and in print, and with help from your comments, Courtney and I have come to agree on the following prioritized plan*:

1. Tithe 10% net income. Giving is crucial. It teaches us that we are not managing our own money, but God’s money.

2. Maintain 6-months worth of expenses emergency fund.

3. Ensure college savings are at least $4,000. This is the maximum cost for a term that Courtney would incur.

4. Contribute 6% of gross income into 401k matches. Free money! Amazing!

5. Ensure college savings are at least $10,000. This ensures wiggle room if income dips, and ensures fluid college funding.

6. Pay off mortgage. This step is being prioritized above further retirement funding because of several reasons: (a) the mortgage is an ARM and due to increase our interest rate soon, (b) the mortgage principal is much lower than the average household in our area, (c) a refinance according to several professionals is not worth the costs incurred, and (d) it helps Courtney and I sleep at night!

7. Contribute 15% of our gross income into 401k and Roth IRA retirement accounts. We’ll be better able to accomplish this with a paid-off mortgage and higher income by the time this happens.

8. Build wealth and give!

* There are a few exceptions to this plan. If we were to have children, we would have to reevaluate everything and will need a bigger home. Otherwise, we’d probably live here if children were not in the picture for a good long while. If a major emergency were to occur, we’d have to reevaluate everything. If the dental work were to become more pressing, we would get Courtney’s dental work done after she graduates and my dental work done after 5 years (we consulted our dentists on these timeframes). We are going to reevaluate ARM soon to see if it would actually be a good idea to refinance, so that might change this plan, but I doubt a refinance would make sense in our situation. This plan needs to be reevaluated after Courtney graduates from college.

Thanks to all of you who submitted responses. I’m sorry if I missed one of you. I’m sure I’ll be getting more responses on this topic. Please leave a comment below to tell us what you think about our new plan! But please read the ChristianPF post before you do so. Thanks!

Photo by sean dreilinger

John

John officially launched TheChristianDollar.com on January 1st, 2010 with the intention to provide an excellent financial resource for biblically-minded individuals and families. Influenced heavily by Dave Ramsey, John started researching how he might better handle his money and help others in the process. John enjoys reading, writing, playing with gadgets, and spending time with his wife Courtney.

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What a year! 2010 was amazing, and brought all kinds of blessings in our lives. It’s been a full whole year since The Christian Dollar lifted off the ground, and the responses have been overwhelming. People I never thought would adhere to Dave’s Baby Steps with us actually have! They’ve paid off loads of debt and have started their emergency funds. Here’s an update on where things stand on this one year anniversary.

Advertising

I’ve been trying to rethink the way that I allow advertising on The Christian Dollar. I need advertising on The Christian Dollar to justify the time I spend managing and writing for the site, as well as to feed my family.

As the traffic on the site goes up, I found that many people didn’t like the variable pricing that I was offering. People don’t like having to “commit” to a certain number of months. Some simply want to try out advertising and see if it works out for them.

So I’ve come up with straightforward pricing. Right now, you can advertise on The Christian Dollar for one low price. See the advertising page for details.

The Christian Dollar Writers?

I’ve been getting a lot of requests from people who want to write on The Christian Dollar. There have been a lot of great articles. Here are a few of my recent favorites:

• So That Nothing Will Be Lost: 4 Ways To Curb Waste And Save!
• “Go West, Young Man!”
• Smoking, Drinking, and Gambling: The Cost of Bad Habits

In 2011, I want to build a team of volunteer writers who want to get their message out there. Perhaps they have a website they want to promote, or simply have a heart for Christian finance. I’ll be contacting a few current and future guest posters over the next year to see if they want to take part. They’ll have their name and website featured front stage on The Christian Dollar. Interested in becoming a regular writer? Write a few guest posts and you just might be considered!

How You Can Help!

Do you enjoy The Christian Dollar? Please help me get the word out there. There are many easy things you can do to help our cause. Here are a few ideas:

1. Subscribe! It’s free, and keeps you up to date on the latest Christian personal finance.
2. Like us on Facebook! It’s free, and gives you the inside scoop on what’s going on behind the scenes!
3. Share us with others. Word of mouth helps a lot. Thank you, thank you, thank you!
4. Follow us on Twitter! Be a bird. Tweet with us!

Thank you for being a friend of The Christian Dollar. I’m excited for the new year. I have a lot of top secret things in the works, so stay tuned!

God bless!

-John of The Christian Dollar

John

John officially launched TheChristianDollar.com on January 1st, 2010 with the intention to provide an excellent financial resource for biblically-minded individuals and families. Influenced heavily by Dave Ramsey, John started researching how he might better handle his money and help others in the process. John enjoys reading, writing, playing with gadgets, and spending time with his wife Courtney.

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I’m excited to share with my readers some awesome news! Over the last few months, I’ve worked closely with Samer Forzley of eBillme.com to bring my content to the eBillme Blog. If you’re unaware of eBillme.com, here are two articles to bring you up to speed:

• BibleMoneyMatters.com – Good Customer Service And The Power Of Social Media: eBillme Goes Above And Beyond To Fix A Problem Through Twitter
• TheChristianDollar.com – A Revolutionary Way To Shop Online: eBillme.com!

The eBillme payment option allows you to securely pay for goods online using your bank’s online bill pay system. This is much more secure than using your debit or credit card, as no sensitive personal information is given to the merchant.

I was recently interviewed by eBillme.com. In the process, I found that there was a lack of conversation in the blogosphere about secure payment options such as eBillme. To get the conversation started, I’ll be writing frequently for the eBillme Blog. You can read the first article here.

Another exciting piece of news is that Dave Ramsey has now recommended eBillme as a secure payment option! It’s easy to understand why! Dave has always been about security and shopping debt free. Congratulations to eBillme for this wonderful endorsement!

Over at the eBillme Blog, I’ll be writing about personal finance fundamentals. It’s encouraging to see that a company is allowing a blogger to write content to help people in their everyday lives.

TheChristianDollar.com will continue to be my main focus. I’m excited to have some guest posts coming soon to The Christian Dollar, and I’ll be writing some more juicy articles here soon. Stay tuned!

—

UPDATE: Second article on eBillme about creating a solid budget posted today!

John

John officially launched TheChristianDollar.com on January 1st, 2010 with the intention to provide an excellent financial resource for biblically-minded individuals and families. Influenced heavily by Dave Ramsey, John started researching how he might better handle his money and help others in the process. John enjoys reading, writing, playing with gadgets, and spending time with his wife Courtney.

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As many of you know, ChristianPF is doing an awesome giveaway of an iPod touch. Sweet! One of the ways to enter is to link to your favorite article from your blog. So, because I want to win and because I’m honored to share my favorite ChristianPF classic, I present to you the following article:

How To Make Money With A Blog

This article has really been helpful with paying the bills around here at The Christian Dollar. For anyone serious about blogging, this is a must read! Check it out when you get a moment. You’re sure to take away several nuggets of wisdom!

John

John officially launched TheChristianDollar.com on January 1st, 2010 with the intention to provide an excellent financial resource for biblically-minded individuals and families. Influenced heavily by Dave Ramsey, John started researching how he might better handle his money and help others in the process. John enjoys reading, writing, playing with gadgets, and spending time with his wife Courtney.

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This is more of an update article on our lives than anything else. Courtney and I have come a long way with our finances. We were both heavy spenders before marriage. Today, we’re on the extreme side of frugal. As of late, our financial focus has been tested due to several big projects that have sprung up.

Our dilemma: Dip into our emergency fund, or not?

Currently, we are working Dave Ramsey’s 7 Baby Steps and are on Step 3: building our emergency fund of 3 to 6 month’s worth of expenses. We initially chose to build up to 6 months, but were recently considering only 3 months. Why? Consider these major financially-impacting projects (adjusted for what our health insurance covers):

• Braces for Courtney (est. $4,000-$5,000)
• Potential oral surgery for Courtney (est. $15,000-$30,000)
• College for Courtney (est. $5,000-$10,000)
• Potential oral surgery for John (est. $5,000)

The combination of all these projects has been quite overwhelming – especially when we’re trying to complete our baby steps. We’ve been tempted to sacrifice a portion of our emergency fund in order to fund these expenses, but then we realized that none of these projects are urgent. Any or all can be done within the next 5 years and we’ll be okay.

College for Courtney was especially high on our priority list. Getting a medical degree would likely help her find a high-paying job that would propel us onward. We believe this is a major part of our financial plan. However, college can be expensive, and we must make sure we don’t get started before the timing is right.

We’re going to have to find more ways of raising our income to truly attack these projects. My online endeavors have helped, and a big “THANK YOU” goes out to all of you who have supported my work. What a blessing! So if you’re looking for a writer for your company, blog, website, etc . . . you know who to contact!

God has always provided. Whenever we think we’ve hit a dead end, or struggle to see how we’re going to accomplish our goals, God always surprises us with something new and unexpected!

It seems we were trying to get ahead of ourselves. Slow and steady has done well for us so far, so we’ve decided to stay on that course and fully build our emergency fund before we do anything else. That 6-month emergency fund will be the bedrock on which our financial lives will stand. This doesn’t mean we won’t continue to strive toward the goals that we have in front of us – in fact, we’ll get intense about meeting those obligations.

What is focused intensity?

Focused intensity is the mode in which you are solely dedicated to one objective at one time. There is great power focusing all your energy on a single task. I’m convinced that this focusing of energy can help you reach your goals faster as a whole.

What I’ve found is that those who try to multitask and dilute their efforts to several objectives get burnt out. Because they are not seeing major goals being accomplished, they feel that progress is not being made and can more easily give up. On the other hand, focused intensity will show you results quickly. The rush of completing one step will propel you forward to complete the next!

Last thoughts.

We’re going to build that emergency fund! We’re not giving up! We’re not giving in! We’re holding on and trusting God with our finances and that everything will be completed in the timing he has planned for us. In what ways have you struggled with staying on track with your financial plan? We’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments below.

John

John officially launched TheChristianDollar.com on January 1st, 2010 with the intention to provide an excellent financial resource for biblically-minded individuals and families. Influenced heavily by Dave Ramsey, John started researching how he might better handle his money and help others in the process. John enjoys reading, writing, playing with gadgets, and spending time with his wife Courtney.

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It’s a tool for our minds; a lever and fulcrum, if you will. In today’s world, it’s difficult to live without a computer. Many of us use computers to pay our bills, keep our finances on track, and enjoy a streamed movie or two on Netflix.

Over time, computers break down. Not only the hardware, but occasionally the software needs some updating as well. Whether you are a user of Windows, Mac, Linux, or some other foreign operating environment I’m unaware of, here are a few things to keep in mind when you’re hunting for that new computer.

Consider The TCO

Your hard drive fails. You get the blue screen of death. It’s time for a new computer. What do most people do? Well, they head on over to Best Buy (or some retail location of the sort) and grab the cheapest computer they can find that will get the job done.

Buying a computer, to me, is an art. You want to choose something that will last a long time and come with software you will actually use. If you buy a cheap net-book, it’ll probably fail apart within a few years or be slow enough to warrant a replacement.

Here’s a tip for buying a computer with the best value: consider the TCO (Total Cost of Ownership). Sure, you can buy a computer for $600, but if it requires $400 in software that you need and dies in two years, what good is that? Instead, go for something with a little more quality that has premium applications that come preinstalled or for a low cost. Future-proof your purchase.

Many computer companies recommend that you upgrade your OS (Operating System) when a new version arrives. This improves your computer’s security and usually enhances the usability and efficiency of the system. I recommend that you upgrade to the latest operating system for these reasons, but it is important to consider the cost of upgrading your OS before you buy a computer.

What Do You Need A Computer For In The First Place?

Everyone has different needs. Maybe you’re not a savvy web-designer and don’t need that fancy dual-core, RAM-blasting, solid-state piece of perfection lab technicians are often seen with in the movies. Perhaps all you need is to browse the web, shoot off a couple of emails, and play the occasional game of solitaire.

Tablet computers are becoming ever-more popular. From Apple’s iPad to the German-made WeTab (formerly WePad), there are lot of lower-cost options out there to choose from. If you’re not a power user (using graphically-intense applications or building software), tablet computers will become an increasingly attractive option.

Another thing to consider is whether you need your computer to be mobile. Many people assume they require a laptop. But if you’re doing all your work at home anyway, why not save a few bucks and get a desktop? They come at a fraction of the cost of a laptop and are typically more reliable. Desktop computers have less room for error, as the components are spread farther apart – resulting in less heat on your parts.

Don’t Skimp, Buy Quality

Remember, it is not wise to merely grab the first computer you see on the shelf. Do your research and you’ll come out ahead of the game. Think long-term when you are buying a computer. It is well worth to get something that will stand the test of time so that you don’t have to buy new technology every few years.

It’s a great idea to try and project where computing will be in the next 5 to 10 years. If you see a trend in a certain direction, buy something down that path. With patience, you’ll find a machine that will last you year after year. Now go shopping!

Photo from http://www.flickr.com/photos/lselibrary/4401344940/

John

John officially launched TheChristianDollar.com on January 1st, 2010 with the intention to provide an excellent financial resource for biblically-minded individuals and families. Influenced heavily by Dave Ramsey, John started researching how he might better handle his money and help others in the process. John enjoys reading, writing, playing with gadgets, and spending time with his wife Courtney.

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You want to be financially fit. You want to be physically toned. You want to be spiritually on track. You want to create a better you.

If these things reflect your attitude, you’ve already taken the first step towards excellence. Listening to Dave Ramsey on the radio the other day, he gave a monologue on what it takes to be excellent at life. The mix included dedication to a goal with a generous helping of consistency. He made it a point that people who take steps toward their goal EVERY DAY are the people who win.

You need near flawless execution on a task in order to obtain a degree of excellence.

This is the challenge. Not only for me in my finances, but also in my work at The Christian Dollar. My goal is not to be bland, general, or all-inclusive. My goal is to be straight-forward, honest, and hard-hitting. My search is for truth, not widely accepted ideas about finance. I want to find the debt reduction strategies that actually work. I long to explore how families can survive when financial emergencies hit.

Do you have a higher standard for your work? It’s not always easy to hold the bar high, but practice will make near-perfect. To be consistent, I’m convinced one must reevaluate their life and simplify everything. I’m one of those people who are motivated by accomplishing things on lists. Over time, I found my lists were out of control and needing simplification.

By eliminating tasks that are unnecessary, you can spend more time focused on the things that really matter. You know, things that bring an income, keep you healthy, and create a foundation for life.

So I pose a question today: Got Excellence? What will it take for you a reach your goals, dreams, and ambitions?

John

John officially launched TheChristianDollar.com on January 1st, 2010 with the intention to provide an excellent financial resource for biblically-minded individuals and families. Influenced heavily by Dave Ramsey, John started researching how he might better handle his money and help others in the process. John enjoys reading, writing, playing with gadgets, and spending time with his wife Courtney.

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