In 2002, my wife and I were in a downward spiral financially. After 28 years of marriage,we were borrowed up to our necks with credit cards, school loans for our daughters, car payments and home mortgage. And, of course, we didn’t have enough left to tithe. In October of 2002, our church sponsored FPU, which my wife signed us up for. [...]

Related posts:

1. God Prepared Us from Dave Ramsey News   In 2002, my wife and...
2. Dave Ramsey – Debt Sherpa from Dave Ramsey News   March 21, 2011, following 65...
3. What can I say…WE DID IT… in 18 months! from Dave Ramsey News   What can I say…we were...

In 2002, my wife and I were in a downward spiral financially. After 28 years of marriage,we were borrowed up to our necks with credit cards, school loans for our daughters, car payments and home mortgage. And, of course, we didn’t have enough left to tithe. In October of 2002, our church sponsored FPU, which my wife signed us up for. [...]

Related posts:

1. God Prepared Us from Dave Ramsey News   In 2002, my wife and...
2. Dave Ramsey – Debt Sherpa from Dave Ramsey News   March 21, 2011, following 65...
3. What can I say…WE DID IT… in 18 months! from Dave Ramsey News   What can I say…we were...

I am SO excited to share our story! My husband and I went through Financial Peace University in the fall of 2010. We started out with about $45,000 in debt (1 car, 2 student loans). As we were plowing through our debt, we decided that we needed to have a baby step 3b-save for fertility treatments. [...]

Related posts:

1. Debt Free in the Great White North from Dave Ramsey News   After a whirlwind of activity...
2. We did it! We’re debt free! from Dave Ramsey News   For the first time in...
3. We’re debt free! from Dave Ramsey News   My husband and I hoped...

$42,000 Credit Cards (6 cards total)
$78,000 Student Loans

Last student loan deposited today! Monthly loan amount $500; this payment $3180.90; average monthly payment for the last year $1500.
Last year I could finally see the light at the end of the tunnel and last month, wow, one more month and this thing is done! And now it is over!

Did I have friends laugh at me? Oh yeah, and these friends had money problems also! Times were tough for them, but they could some-how afford Starbucks $3-4 coffee. [...]

Related posts:

1. What can I say…WE DID IT… in 18 months! from Dave Ramsey News   What can I say…we were...
2. Full-scholarship student w/$30,000 student loans from Dave Ramsey News   I was awarded a full...
3. Fear and anger kept me going from Dave Ramsey News   This morning I made my...

In a low-rate environment, deciding if annuities are right for your retirement scenario can be a tough decision, Andrea Coombes writes in her Ways and Means column. If you buy an annuity now, you lock in a lower payout than if interest rates were higher.

. [...]

Related posts:

1. Personal Finance Daily: 5 retirement tactics in a low-interest-rate world from Moneywatch Personal Finance   If you’re retired and relying...
2. Personal Finance Daily: Future tax hikes could hurt your 401(k) from Moneywatch Personal Finance   It’s difficult if not impossible...
3. Personal Finance Daily: Time to buy a house, but not to sell? from Moneywatch Personal Finance   With low prices for residential...

Currency exchange is a big concern for international travelers. It’s important to know how to exchange money without getting hit with fees or losing a ton of value in the process. Read more to learn the best ways to exchange currency while traveling abroad. . [...]

Related posts:

1. Deutsche Bank launches currency ETFS from Moneywatch Personal Finance   Deutsche Bank on Thursday launched...
2. Start-ups aim to change how you bank from Moneywatch Personal Finance   Some financial-services companies are introducing...
3. 5 Little-Known Ways to Save on International Travel from MintLife Personal Finance News & Advice   If...

Investors approaching retirement and worried about the negative effect of a volatile market on their savings might want to give annuities a closer look — even though ultralow interest rates currently make that purchase a tough decision.

Related posts:

1. Andrea Coombes’ Ways and Means: New rules to bring annuities to 401(k)s, IRAs from Moneywatch Personal Finance   The Obama administration on Thursday...
2. Andrea Coombes’ Ways and Means: Higher tax rates loom for 401(k) savers from Moneywatch Personal Finance   Delaying the tax hit on...
3. Personal Finance Daily: How to use annuities in a low-rate environment from Moneywatch Personal Finance   In a low-rate environment, deciding...

CHICAGO (MarketWatch) — The state of New York is suing Bank of America Corp. , Wells Fargo & Co. and JPMorgan Chase & Co. , claiming that they made fradulent use of an electronic mortgage database, according to published reports Friday. Attorney General Eric Schneiderman said the database, known as the Mortgage Electronic Registration Systems (MERS), has been used so that banks can “evade county recording fees [and] avoid the need to publicly record mortgage transfers,” thereby making it easier to sell mortgages in large numbers, Reuters reported. [...]

Related posts:

1. Mortgage fraud reports climb 31% in first quarter from Moneywatch Personal Finance   WASHINGTON (MarketWatch) — The number...
2. Banks With No-Fee Pledges from MintLife Personal Finance News & Advice   Are...
3. Banks waive fees in Hurricane Irene aftermath from CNN Money Personal Finance   Several of the nation’s...

FORTUNE — Dear Annie: I just got a pink slip from the bank where I’ve worked as a marketing director for the past 12 years, and which is now undergoing a total restructuring, so I’m pondering what my next move should be. Opportunities are limited in the smallish East Coast city where I live (the bank I’ll soon be leaving is the single biggest employer in town) and, having moved here solely to take the position I’m now losing, I’m not particularly attached to this area. [...]

Related posts:

1. Personal Finance Daily: Avoid these 5 lazy job-hunting mistakes from Moneywatch Personal Finance   Social networking and other Internet...
2. What job-hunting military veterans need to know from CNN Money Personal Finance   Those who have been...
3. 4 job hunting tips for tech nerds from CNN Money Personal Finance   People with superb tech...

Just one day after President Obama detailed a proposal to enable millions of homeowners to refinance to record-low mortgage rates, those rates notched another record.

Related posts:

1. Mortgages: Mortgage rates edge higher, but ARMs hit new low from Moneywatch Personal Finance   Mortgage rates on fixed-rate loans...
2. Mortgage applications surge amid record rates from CNN Money Personal Finance   Mortgage loan applications surged...
3. Real Estate Weekly: Mortgage rates are low, but do you qualify? from Moneywatch Personal Finance   For homeowners interested in refinancing,...