I’m excited about the start of a New Year, the opportunity to pursue some important new goals, and the opportunity to share ideas with you on how to live with the freedom and joy that come from getting the money thing right. As we reset the calendar, this seems like an appropriate time to explain […]
Archive | Generosity
Money and Marriage: Living With Financial Freedom
For many couples, money is a tough topic. That’s why, for the past couple of months, I’ve been using the first post of the month to focus on ideas for making money work in marriage. It’s also why I created a financial workshop to help engaged and newly married couples get their relationship started in […]
An Outpouring of Generosity
The tragic earthquake in Haiti has touched the hearts of people around the world, prompting donations of several hundred million dollars so far. Have you contributed to the relief efforts in Haiti? My family is doing so through a contribution to an organization that our church has partnered with: Water Missions International. There are many […]
What I Believe
By Matt Bell on November 18, 2009 in Faith & Finances, Budgeting/Planning, Generosity, Saving, Credit/Debt, Spending Smart, Money & Marriage
I am very excited about the launch of this new web site and blog. Switching from the eNewsletters I’ve been writing for the past three years to a blog will allow for more of a two-way dialogue with readers and will free me to write about more money-related topics. Since this marks the beginning of […]
Lots of People Just Getting By
According to a new national survey by CareerBuilder, over 60 percent of today’s workers always or usually live paycheck to paycheck. As reported on the MSN Smart Spending blog, that’s up from 49 percent last year and 43 percent the year before. Even 30 percent of workers earning $100,000 or more say they’re living paycheck […]
The Heart of Simple Living
“I do want to point out, friends, that time is of the essence. There is no time to waste, so don’t complicate your lives unnecessarily. Keep it simple — in marriage, grief, joy, whatever. Even in ordinary things—your daily routines of shopping, and so on. Deal as sparingly as possible with the things the world […]
A Hand Up
In the midst of all the bad economic news there are some positive stories. Like the story of Hal Colston’s Good News Garage in Burlington, Vermont, which repairs donated cars and then makes them available to people in need for as little as a few hundred dollars. Quoted on Oprah.com, Colston said, “In so many […]
Amish Money Management
There was an interesting post on the Houston Chronicle’s web site about the money management habits of the Amish. According to the story, Amish children all learn a trade such as farming, welding, or woodworking. Money earned through apprenticeships goes to their parents, who give the child 10 percent for spending and put the rest […]
Home Improvement
By Matt Bell on May 1, 2009 in Faith & Finances, Budgeting/Planning, Generosity, Saving, Credit/Debt
“I delight in your decrees; I will not neglect your word.” – Psalm 119:16 In the mid 1990s, Kevin Bauman began photographing abandoned houses in his hometown of Detroit. It was a creative outlet, a way to express his amazement and concern that “a once great city could find itself in such great distress.” Viewing […]
Thanks GIVING
In the midst of all the belt-tightening going on during these turbulent times, many charities are seeing an increase in donations. As reported by the Associated Press (which I heard about through Dan Miller’s excellent eNewsletter, 48 Days), Washington state’s largest food bank is getting calls from companies whose employees have decided to forgo their […]