I’m smoking my quarterly goals this year so far. Part of my success has been that my goals were realistic and attainable, the other part has been that this year has been good to me so far. A few things that have worked to my advantage:

You’ve been waiting impatiently for days, and the deliveryman has finally rung your doorbell bringing you that coveted package you’ve been waiting for. But,…

I used to think that before I could save for retirement, I had to pay off all my debt. Though paying down debt definitely frees up money which helps you save more, it’s not a black and white area where you can only do one or the other. Instead, retirement savings should be a priority with paying off debt close behind.

Living in Southern California most of my life, I’ve only seen or heard thunderstorms a handful of times and snow twice (without having to go to the mountains.) I can remember the onslaught of February rain in 1997 and 2005, that’s how infrequently we get consistent showers day after day – I remember the dates!

Living in Southern California where the starter home prices average in the $400,000’s makes it difficult to ever imagine owning a traditional 3 or 4-bedroom home with a little bit of land, especially on an average income. So, renting has been the way of life for me.