The Financial Freedom Project

You open up your mailbox and there it is – that forgotten annual bill for your auto insurance, home insurance, or property taxes. You open it with trepidation and baited breath, wondering the extent of the damage. Your heart sinks as you realize the amount due will throw your entire finances off-balance for several months.

Sure, those Christmas gift-giving and annual vacation memories were great. But now that the credit card bill funding those memories has arrived, it’s time to pony up and pay the piper.

Do your irregular bills have you on the run? If so, it’s time to dive deep into the budgeting playbook and shore up your protection so you can avoid the unexpected bill scramble drill for good. Continue Reading

Budget, budgets, and budgeting. If you read those words and picture something akin to handcuffs, a ball and chain, or an experience about as enjoyable as plucking a nasal hair, you’re not alone. These words possess a negative connotation in the minds of many.

Based on your own past experience or perhaps someone else’s horror story, you might even believe that budgeting and the concept of financial freedom are diametrically opposed to one another.

But the relationship of budgeting to financial freedom isn’t that of a necessary evil, or even a means to an end. Done right, budgeting actually serves as the key to removing those handcuffs you’re envisioning, along with that ball and chain. Continue Reading

Understand where your money is going. Align your spending with your values. Make your financial goals a reality. Obtain the freedom to live the life you’ve always wanted.

A highly-optimized and easy-to-implement financial plan can deliver on all of the above. And if you’ve been following the Master Your Money series from the beginning, you’re on track to create just that.

In this article we’ll walk through how to use Mint transactions to lay the foundation upon which you will build the money management system that can power you to financial freedom. So grab your trowel, and let’s get started!

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Bills – one of the most critical aspects of any money management plan. No, I’m not referring to the type that have Benjamin Franklin, Andrew Jackson, or George Washington on their face.

I’m talking about the type that list your name, account number, balance, and due date. The kind that tie your stomach up in knots, increase your blood pressure, and result in late fees if you don’t pay them on time.

It’s time to put those possibilities in the rear-view mirror and eliminate your bill-related stress for good. Today I’m going to show you how Mint is standing by to come to your rescue with a bill pay safety net which will help prevent you from ever forgetting to pay a bill again. Continue Reading

Every journey starts with just a single step. In many cases that first step is the most important, as it represents the difference between thought and action, hesitation and commitment.

Today I’m inviting you to take the very first step on your personal journey to financial freedom – a destination every bit as enchanting as the photo above.

Taking this first step has the potential to forever change your life. It will put you in the driver’s seat of your finances, and give you control over your money like you’ve never had before.

So hoist up that backpack and let’s set out – I’ll be guiding you every step of the way.

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Accessible. Simple. Convenient. Efficient. Automatic.

As all workout warriors and diet veterans can affirm, these are core requirements of any successful fitness plan. Without these characteristics, most physical fitness journeys fail before they’ve truly started.

Similarly, becoming financially fit and achieving financial freedom requires a game plan possessing all of these same attributes. Crafting such a plan is a tall order, but after reading this article you’ll be well on your way to answering the bell.

Today we’re peeking through the keyhole at how online banking can open the door to your path to financial freedom.

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