Wealth: One Card Budget

Keeping a bunch of envelopes around the house or at arm’s reach can be a pain in the Kim Jong-Un. It’s one of the primary reasons that the envelope system of budgeting is hard for some people. If you don’t have the luxury of carrying around a purse or a man-bag (AKA: a satchel, AKA: Indiana Jones had one), keeping track of the envelopes can really be enough in itself to stop someone from using that way of budgeting. That’s why I offer an alternative to the equal to zero budget. The alternative is what I like to call the One Card Budget. With this budget, one can easily manage their expenses, track their spending, and make money by spending money.

The budget itself revolves around one simple rule: put everything on one credit card. I know; it seems a bit wild to be talking about savings and credit cards in the same sentence but it works. In fact, it works just about as well as any cut scene in a Marvel movie where Stan Lee gets five more seconds of fame. The best part is that it’s one of the easiest out there to keep track of.

Quick Adjustment

Even though I would like to think that I am above making errors, I must admit that I made one on my last post. The good thing however is that it is a good error. On my last post I had announced that I had made a little over $40 in dividends for the month of April. After looking at my trading account today however, I noticed that the AT&T (T) and Verizon (VZ) dividends didn't show as having been made in April but they were in fact made in April.

This brings the month of April's dividend income to a much more respectable total of $75.40. Sorry not sorry.

Wealth: April Dividend Income

Hello everyone and thank you for stopping by for my monthly dividend income report. The dividend reaper was very successful this month. Multiple companies made payments and the dividend scythe swung hard to collect all that could be taken. This left my family with $45.51 in total dividends received by the scythe this month. This is slightly lower than the expected average payment per month but that is to be expected given that it's a monthly average and not a guaranteed monthly breakdown.

The key is to simply stay on track. Each month, as long as the received are larger than the previous years (given little/no surprises), that month should be seen as a success. That being said, this month has been a huge success. The scythe shows a 230% increase YOY for this month's dividend income. One can't complain when leaps forward are at that big of an increase.

Health: Green Deliciousness

This last weekend, my wife and I were enjoying a sun kissed afternoon lunch at the nearby golf course with my in-laws (their treat). As our conversation had progressed, we had gotten to talking about my new favorite jolly green monster. It was sweet, it was cheap, and I believed it to be a healthy option in a world of poor choices. No, I’m not talking about licorice again. I’m talking about iceberg lettuce. It was something that I had only just moved to a short while ago in an attempt to lose some weight and save some cash at the same time.

The delicious and cheap green orb of juicy goodness had become a staple for me. At only 99 cents a head, it was what I was now

Wealth: Equal to Zero Budget

Making more money each month is hard. Saving more money is easier. When one is trying to put together their own dividend scythe or simply just trying to put away money, the easiest way to do so is to learn how to budget effectively.

A budget can come in many forms. I'll be detailing many different budgets on the blog soon but first I wanted to start with one of the most common - the "Equal to Zero" budget. If any of you have ever read anything by Dave Ramsey, you've likely become very familiar already with this type of budget. If you haven't, I'll try my best to walk you through how you could create and use this type of budget for the very first time.

Don't worry if you have never put together a budget before. They aren't as scary as everyone talks them up to be. They simply require a little time and a good bit of control in order to work. The particular budget that I want to talk about today requires only two columns that pretty much anyone could emulate.

Wealth: Debt Optimization

Living with debt can be hard. No, really. Ever hear Dave Ramsey’s show? Hear his guest’s “debt-free screams” when they come on the show to publicly announce that they have eliminated all of their debt? Crushing all of your debt is a big deal and it’s not an unreasonable thing to do when you’ve annihilated a lot of debt. However, one thing that I feel gets missed in all the hustle bustle about identifying and paying down debt is that sometimes investing in other items can be more beneficial than paying down your debt. Please allow me to explain.

Everyone knows that debt is huge in the USA but just how huge? In 2015, studies conducted found that the average American has $15,609 in credit card debt. That’s not including student loans, car loans, home loans, or other much larger loans that are generally expected. That’s just the amount that was currently sitting on credit cards. If you do the math at the staggering 25% interest rate that some credit cards are subject to, you’ve got an amount of credit card debt that is by all intents and purposes insurmountable by a lot of households. For this type of debt, the Dave Ramsey, “attack the debt with a sledgehammer” is probably the best approach. However, once that type of debt is gone and one if left with only other lesser interest rate debt, there could be a much better direction to take.

Wealth: Stock Alert - TGT

TARGET CORPORATION

Target Corporation is a general merchandise store that distinguishes itself apart from others by offering great deals without sacrificing service or options. While Walmart can be seen as the corner store for deals and therefore a staple for many American homes, Target seems to aim for a more middle class clientele. Their brands are recognizable, their selection isn't lacking, and their service always seems to be a cut above other general merchandise stores. They offer clothing, groceries, and much more.

Their merchandise comes from a network of forty distribution centers and are then carrier through multiple channels to their intended Target locations that are primarily located across the United States. They also offer digital services through their Target website with added perks for Target RED card customers. The company's risk factors seem to revolve around the same risk factors that can affect all general merchandise stores. Most notably is whether or not they will be able to maintain a good reputation. While this would seem simple for some stores, Target itself can be an easy target as they already walk a tight line as they have been called the store that is "Not Walmart". In addition, if Target cannot stay ahead of the trends, they themselves will be given the boot in lieu of another general merchandise store that can stock items faster or offer more competitive prices. Lastly, items like the data breach that occurred some time ago can adversely affect business as they know it.