Beating Broke

Debt Heroes

April 10, 2013 By Shane Ede 3 Comments

Debt Heroes

By: Jeff Rose & Ben Edwards

Ben and Jeff approached me a couple of weeks ago and asked if I’d like to read a copy of their book, Debt Heroes. It’s $2.99 on Amaon.

They released the book as a companion to the Debt Movement that Jeff started back in February. They even offered it for free on Amazon for a couple of days. I was hoping to release this review during those days, but I just couldn’t get it finished in time. Unfortunately, it’s back up to it’s regular price of $2.99 (free for Amazon Prime members). That’s probably good for me, as I’ll be using my Amazon affiliate links to link to the book here, but I’m a bit disappointed that you won’t be able to take advantage of the free deal.

Ben and Jeff set out to write a book about debt heroes. Everyday people that you and I, the readers, can look up to as heroes in the fight against debt. Inside the book, you’ll find profiles of 21 debt heroes that have conquered debt, and some tips from each on how they did it. What I found even more interesting in each profile is that each debt hero points out what their weakness was. Not surprisingly, it isn’t the same for each one. Also not surprisingly, that weakness played a huge part in each of their debt story.

The book is a pretty quick read (about 177 pages if it were printed), and it’s full of inspirational stories about getting out of debt. It’s not another “get out of debt with these steps” book, but a book to give you inspiration in your own debt battle. Of course, the hope is that you read it and it gives you the push that you need to become your own debt hero.

I think I would have liked to have seen a little bit more of each debt hero’s story. Each of the stories is accompanied by a link to where you can read the full story, so it’s accessible; I just haven’t progressed in my kindle reading to be clicking on links and such.

If you’re looking for a little inspirational reading to help you keep on track (or get on track) with your debt elimination, I think you’ll find what you need inside the (electronic) pages of this book. Also, remember that you don’t need a Kindle to read the book. Amazon has Kindle apps for Android and iOS phones, as well as for PC and Apple computers, and most tablets.

Pick up Debt Heroes today.

You’ll read about it at the end of the book, but Jeff and Ben have also created a “Debt Heroes Club” that you can join to get more tips and inspiration at DebtHeroes.com.

How Big Is Your Circle Of Support?

April 2, 2013 By MelissaB 6 Comments

You’ve likely heard the phrases, “No man is an island, entire of itself” and “It takes a village to raise a child.” What these phrases get at is the importance of having a circle, a group you can depend on. Although we like to think we can do it all alone, life is generally much easier if we get through it with support from others.

Years ago, before people moved frequently, their circle consisted of family members, neighbors, and friends. Their circles were large and included not only their own family and friends, but their parents’ friends.

Now, people move frequently, and we are connected more through social media rather than in person. It’s increasingly easier to be isolated (and many people are), yet we still ultimately need a circle of those close to us. The larger your circle, the more advantages you have and the healthier you’ll be.

Why We Let Friendships Lapse

In our busy world, friendships and connections often fall by the wayside because they require time. You need to spend time nurturing your friendships, connecting, and helping others. Some days you may be so busy that you feel that you don’t have time for yourself, let alone others, but ultimately, nurturing your circle will reward you in multiple ways.

The Benefits of Having a Large Circle of Support

There are multiple benefits to having a circle of support.

1. A healthier life. Time recently reported that those who have strong social ties are more likely to live longer than those who don’t. In fact, researchers at Brigham Young University and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill found that “a healthy social life may be as good for your long-term health as avoiding cigarettes” (Time).

2. More likely to get a job. The larger your circle is, the more people who can help you find a job. Mashable argues, “People get jobs through other people, not computers. By having a personal connection to the company you’re applying for, your chances of getting a job multiply.”

I saw this first hand in the 1980s when my dad was unemployed for nearly two years. My mom babysat at home, and one of the moms of the children she babysat for, Carla, was able to get my dad a job interview at the company where she worked. When the man interviewing my dad started to smoke during the interview, my dad did, too, which was enough for the boss to decide not to hire him. Carla was able to smooth things over, and my dad was ultimately hired. Without Carla in our circle, who knows how much longer my dad would have been unemployed.

3. More likely to feel secure. If you have a difficult decision to make, you can bounce ideas off your friends and those in your circle. If you run into hard times, you know your circle of connections can help support you. Having a safety net, so to speak, in the form of friends and family, can make you feel more safe and satisfied with your life.

4. Feel better about yourself. Giving to others can make us feel better about ourselves and our own life. If you’re part of a circle, you’re expected to give back. They help you; you help them. As you help friends and family, you also feel better about yourself.

In our society, it’s increasingly easy to let personal relationships fall by the wayside. Resist the urge and take the time to nurture your friendships and family connections. You’ll benefit financially, medically and personally.

Propaganda Alert: Visa Direct Deposit Prepaid

March 29, 2013 By Shane Ede 15 Comments

There I was driving home from work, when an ad on the radio catches my attention. It was an ad for a Visa Direct Deposit Prepaid card. Apparently not satisfied with a plethora of prepaid cards that are terrible for users (some are O.K., just not most), Visa would now like you to believe that it’s the next best thing to sliced bread to have your paycheck direct deposited to a prepaid visa card. Yeah, you read that right.

Prepaid Direct Deposit

The radio ad is the voice of a woman, and she talks about how she has her paycheck direct deposited to a Visa prepaid card. She goes on to talk about how she doesn’t have to drive all the way downtown and stand in a line at her bank to cash the check. Not content to simply portray the card as a time saver, the ad goes on for the woman to say that because she’s not driving all the way downtown and standing in line, she now has so much more time with her daughter. Now, the prepaid direct deposit card is not only a time saver, but a family bringer-togetherer. No, that’s not an actual word/phrase. I don’t care.

I have a friend from college that used to make fun of infomercials by saying that all they really did was demonstrate how terribly impossible common everyday tasks can be and then show you a miraculous new gadget to “fix” that impossibility. The problem is that most of those every day tasks aren’t all that impossible. Most able-bodied humans can do them easily without any help from the gadget. It loses a little something without his “demonstration” of the whole situation. Obviously, the tactic works though, or we wouldn’t have those infomercials.

Welcome to the Infomercial-ization of Prepaid Cards

Not that we haven’t seen some of this done before. Heck, the level of celebrity endorsements of prepaid cards with outrageous fees is still amazing to me. But, this goes a level further. They aren’t just banking (see what I did there?) on your needing a card with Justin Bieber’s face on it anymore. No, they’re going right for your heartstrings. After all, what parent among us doesn’t desire to spend more time with our children? And this card can deliver it to you! (You should read that last sentence in your best Billy Mays voice. R.I.P. Billy.) In fact, maybe they need the Sham-Wow guy to do the next voice-over for a commercial!

Visa Direct Deposit Prepaid : Solution to a Problem that Doesn’t Exist

Much like those infomercials, the problem that they claim the card fixes just doesn’t exist. Direct deposit isn’t a new service. Most employers offer it. In fact, most actually require it now. It’s just easier for them. No lost checks to try and track down. No delay in mailing a check from a payroll service. And, most of the time, if they direct deposit the check, it gets deposited into a checking account. And, do you know what most of those checking accounts have attached to them as a service? A debit card! It’s exactly like a prepaid visa card, but without most of the fees! Mine has no fees. I’m not sure there are many places that do have fees, in fact.

Maybe I’m wrong. Maybe there’s a whole population of the country who’ve been waiting patiently for someone to come along and solve this very problem. Maybe they still bank at an institution that keeps their account records on old green ledger books. If that’s so, I’d like to introduce them to the amazing egg shell separator that I’ve created. Yes, it looks exactly like the lip of a mixing bowl. But, it doesn’t have the added bulk of the bowl! It’s just a convenient shard sized device that helps you separate your egg shells without having to have the whole mixing bowl there! Yes, I came up with the idea when the bowl I was cracking eggs into suddenly grew heavy in my arm and fell to the ground, breaking into lots of small pieces. And one of those pieces was the prototype for the amazing egg shell separator!

What do you think? Am I wrong? Was there a need for a product like this? Or is Visa just pulling on emotional strings to get more cards in peoples’ wallets?

original img credit: classic visa (the inception of the “we’ve got you covered” campaign) : london underground ad (1988) by torbakhopper, on Flickr