Badges & Budgets

If there's one question I consistently have had over the years, it's this one: How do I get my spouse on board with our finances?In this episode, you'll learn how to navigate the minefield that is this topic. First, by recognizing that perhaps you shouldn't view it as something that will potentially blow up in your face.  Mindset, is everything, people!Seriously, though, it's not an easy topic to bring up with a spouse. There can be years of anxiety, frustration, shame, and fear associated with money in a person's background. The key is to approach it in a specific way...and in this episode you'll learn all about it.YNAB - The Best Budgeting Software! YNAB keeps you on track with a budget. Whether home or traveling, you can be confident in your money

The Envelope System. Brilliant in its simplicity. Straightforward in its usefulness.The Envelope System has been in use for countless years to help families keep on track with their budgets. Somewhere along the line, it lost its popularity with the advent of online banking and the advent of credit.It's beyond time to reinstate this easy and helpful strategy when it comes to spending money.If you take the time to do some simple research into your spending (and in conjunction with your established budget), you can incorporate the Envelope System into your daily spending. It's a very tangible reminder that money is finite and it helps to train you in some self-restraint and allows you to flex that budgeting muscle.YNAB - The Best Budgeting Software! YNAB keeps you on track with a budget. Whether home or traveling, you can be confident in your money

Your car's alternator just died. Can you pay for its repair without using your credit card?According to BankRate.com, 56% of Americans can't. Which is why this week we're discussing the concept of an Emergency Fund.You'll learn about:Two different Emergency FundsWhen to establish eachA variety of ways to fund them bothWhy they are important

I hope you said, "No."Unfortunately, that's what we as Americans due every year. Then, on April 15th, we celebrate if we get a "refund" from Uncle Sam.In effect, you loaned your beloved Uncle Sam all that money and he gave back what he didn't want...at 0%.In this episode, you'll learn some strategies on how to maximize your monthly income, tax-wise, and minimize your refund (which means you get to keep it during the year.)YNAB - The Best Budgeting Software! YNAB keeps you on track with a budget. Whether home or traveling, you can be confident in your moneyYNAB - The Best Budgeting Software! YNAB keeps you on track with a budget. Whether home or traveling, you can be confident in your money

One of the key features of any successful financial plan is to include a category that allows you to spend money on less important things.We've already talked about the FACTS of budgeting (Food, Accommodations, Clothing, Transportation, and Services). These are the cornerstones of your budget. The Blow Money category will keep you on your path because it lets you "cut loose" every so often. It isn't an unlimited category and still requires some discipline, but it is functions like a release valve when the pressure starts to build and you need some "retail therapy".

The first step in creating a road trip plan is knowing where you're starting from. If your GPS doesn't know where you are, it can't give you directions to where you want to be.Financially, that's exactly what Step 1 in your 5-Day Budgeting Challenge is all about.In this episode you'll learn:The most efficient way to review where you spend your moneyHow to categorize your spending (be sure to join the 5-Day Challenge for a free Category PDF)What Mary Poppins thinks you should do when adversity strikes (She's a genius)This step is likely to take the longest of all five steps, but it's the foundation to getting from where you are with your money to where you want to be.YNAB - The Best Budgeting Software! YNAB keeps you on track with a budget. Whether home or traveling, you can be confident in your money

When you face a significant task with lots of moving parts, it can be quite overwhelming.Ever sit in your patrol car and look at the pending details and think, "Well...guess lunch won't be a thing today."While those days definitely happen, there are ways to strategically tackle them...and your finances are no different.In this episode, we'll talk about eating some weird animals and how that relates to taking control of your money.Filthy Pirate Coffee LEO & Veteran owned! Great coffee for a great price! Use "pirateship"at checkout for free shipping.

The goal of any business should be to make their customer/client the hero in their own story. Marketing folks will tell you to talk less about yourself and more about the client.Ordinarily, I'd agree...but cops are a bit different. You can't just show up to teach a class and expect seasoned officers to take your authority at face value. Unless your wearing stars or bars, we're gonna wanna know what your pedigree is and why we should bother listening to what you have to say.This episode is, albeit briefly, about that. This is my story...and I hope it can become yours.YNAB - The Best Budgeting Software! YNAB keeps you on track with a budget. Whether home or traveling, you can be confident in your moneyYNAB - The Best Budgeting Software! YNAB keeps you on track with a budget. Whether home or traveling, you can be confident in your money

Budgeting can definitely be challenging. Especially when unforeseen circumstances arise.But, there's a secret savior to combat these "unforeseen" issues: Sinking Funds.In this episode, you'll learn all about how Sinking Funds can protect your budget from ruin:What Sinking Funds areHow to create themWhy "unforeseen" is rather inaccurateThis episode is brought to you by the best budgeting software on the planet, YNAB!YNAB - The Best Budgeting Software! YNAB keeps you on track with a budget. Whether home or traveling, you can be confident in your money

When it comes time to pay those bills, there's a definite order in which to pay them.We're not talking about due dates or amounts. We're talking about who gets paid first.There's a simple acronym that will help you prioritize your spending: FACTS.Much like Joe Friday (that's from Dragnet, y'all), when it comes to prioritizing our spending, the first thing we're concerned about is that the FACTS.

No...not Woodsy the Owl (but please, give a hoot and don't pollute), but rather OWL: Outstanding Warrant List.If you're a cop, you know this term. In this episode, we'll be framing your outstanding debts as a list of offenders we want to take off the street. Just like a warrant sweep, we're going to approach this tactically with specific steps in mind.YNAB - The Best Budgeting Software! YNAB keeps you on track with a budget. Whether home or traveling, you can be confident in your moneyYNAB - The Best Budgeting Software! YNAB keeps you on track with a budget. Whether home or traveling, you can be confident in your money

Sex life of rabbits?! Have I completely lost my mind? Perhaps, but not for the reason(s) you may think. I promise the analogy is a good one. We all know about the prolific reproductive abilities of rabbits. You get a couple of those suckers together and before you know it, you've got yourself a hutch full of bunnies.If you keep all of those rabbits together, you're likely to get exponentially more of the furry little suckers. One could even go so far as to say you've compounded the amount of rabbits you now have to deal with.And THAT is what we'll discuss today: Compound Interest.For a FREE 15-minute consult, go to GPS Financial Coaching and click the big red button!Filthy Pirate Coffee LEO & Veteran owned! Great coffee for a great price! Use "pirateship"at checkout for free shipping.

What, you don't take your money out for a nice meal?Yeah, that's weird. Thankfully, I'm not talking about that kind of a relationship. In this episode, we're going to talk about how you relate to your money. What kind of opinion do you have about money? How about wealthy people? Does inherent evil exist in either?The truth about money might surprise you.

The old shooting axiom "Slow is smooth and smooth is fast" is easily relatable to your personal financial journey as well.Through slow and intentional practice, you will be able to cultivate an efficient process to achieve your financial goals. If you try and get rich quick you'll find yourself (if you're lucky) suddenly flush with cash, but just as quickly, you'll find it gone before you know it.In this episode, we will equate the slow, methodical approach of the Five-Point Pistol Presentation to a different way of thinking about your finances.We'll also talk about the best financial advice a billionaire ever gave to Dave Ramsey.YNAB - The Best Budgeting Software! YNAB keeps you on track with a budget. Whether home or traveling, you can be confident in your money

Debt can be scary, but in this episode, we'll start to put together a plan to get rid of it once and for all.The first step? Recognition. There's an issue in your financial life that is damaging your future. It can feel overwhelming and terrifying, but there is hope and reason for bravery.Here are three reasons to be brave:You aren't fighting aloneThe monster isn't as frightening as you thinkYou won't spend your time looking behind youIn the next episode, we'll talk about your next step in eliminating your debt!Be sure to check out my GPS Financial Coaching site for more information as well as details on the FREE  5-Day Budgeting Challenge!YNAB - The Best Budgeting Software! YNAB keeps you on track with a budget. Whether home or traveling, you can be confident in your money

I know what you're thinking. Pronouns?! For marriages? Have you lost your mind?Pre-marriage, money was easy to define. There was his and hers…or yours and mine, if you prefer. After saying “I do”, however, I submit the delineation between them doesn't just get bleary.It gets obliterated.And it should. This episode is all about why.In addition, you'll learn about four reasons you shouldn't  keep separate accounts when you're married.For more information, please check out my GPS Financial Coaching site and learn more about my FREE 5-Day Budgeting Challenge!

Nothing like starting off a brand new podcast by telling your target audience they suck at money stuff, right?Don't worry, it's not all our fault, the deck has been stacked against us for years. Here are some reasons why:We start this job being told we don't make enough. Some will tell you “You'll always be able to work overtime.” Many of us weren't brought up to be financially responsible. That damn OverTime cycle. The good news is it doesn't have to be this way. We can take intentional steps to get ourselves out of the OT Cycle. We can create a personalized spending plan designed to get us out of debt. We can start building for the retirement we deserve.This podcast is going to help you do all those things and more.Be sure to check out my GPS Financial Coaching site for more information as well as details on the FREE  5-Day Budgeting Challenge!

Welcome to the Badges & Budgets podcast! This is a brief introductory episode to give you a rundown on what to expect on the show.These episodes are going to be succinct and will cover topics ranging from the 30,000' view of overall money mindset down to the nuts and bolts of how to build your own personalized, sustainable spending plan. The implementation of that plan will start you down the road to being debt free…regardless of where you live, how much you owe, and how much you make.Some of the things we'll be talking about on Badges & Budgets are concepts like:·      Why budgeting matters in the first place·      Why your credit score is misleading you·      How compound interest works & why it's so amazing·      How to get your spouse on board with creating a spending plan·      …and much, much moreThe first three episodes will launch on Tuesday, March 1st, 2022! Stay tuned!If you have questions for me, feel free to reach out to me directly!