30 second video: protect your emergency cash like a chess match queen May 22, 2008

New shoes, new iMac, & old cash worries:
It’s fun spending cash reserved for emergencies.
Even more than fun - it’s bloody easy!
It’s easy to break discipline & access those dollars meant to protect from rainy days. But since that approach has made my family more vulnerable financially, it’s time to rethink. [...]

my husband, me, & our financial habits make front page of business section in washington post February 10, 2008

photo by Lois Raimondo, Washington Post, 2/10/08

What a blast!
It was published today, in the Washington Post’s business section — with our happy mugs below the fold (& as the second photo in the online slideshow).
Talking with Post reporter Nancy Trejos was a comfortable, positive experience. She expressed a lot of interest in different [...]

2007 goals met & missed (plus recalling family mantra for ‘tell the truth!’) January 7, 2008

I heard that as a kid growing up from Oklahoma relatives - said when it was really time to tell the truth! I love it. And for whatever reason, it surmounts my agnosticism & paraphrases the need for honesty to this day.
In that spirit…:
Life balance goals met & missed (2006 vs 2007)
Come to Jesus 2006: [...]

$1million by 2012: dream it, plan it, live it October 13, 2007

So it’s time to take ownership & aim big.
I remember once being fearless in the face of challenges and dreams — going after them was the fun rush of life. Then on the financial front - I learned how much it costs to retire, to retire with decent health care [...]

marital money mantra #3: giving gifts is not a license to be financially irresponsible August 30, 2007

Oh the irony of having vision with blurred discernment.
Mmmmmaybe that’s one of my top embarrassing fiscal decisions considering two things:
1) My ego thinks she’s fiscally disciplined;
2) In that same week I barked at my husband for over-spending.
Yup I’m rolling in imperfection! Dang if that mantra isn’t worth repeating and recycling over [...]

ask ask ask: your employer’s benefit’s plan August 28, 2007

I rarely reviewed medical or dental coverage plans when joining a new firm (unless you consider ‘whatevah‘ as a valid acknowledgment to such material).
Today I attend a benefits fair at my husband’s work. In preparation, I’ve been humbled to learn just how much there’s to learn on our coverage — stuff like:
What [...]

marital money mantra #1: overt & unified approach August 23, 2007

HUSBAND-WIFE ROLE PLAY:
During the first years of marriage, our conversations on spending splurges went down like this:

The husband likes books - admirably. And sure I’m addicted to eating out with friends & travel.
With books though, Sean’s a read-it-once-learn-it type of brain & is a strong visual learner. Books are his [...]