Comments for We, the Savers

Comment on You need checking fees like you need… by Freelance-Zone.com » Blog Archive » What Freelancers Can Learn From ING Direct and Capitol One

Wed, 22 Feb 2012 17:46:21 +0000

[...] hammer customers with fees. Recent example: A call-out to readers asking them to end the sentence, ‘You need checking fees like you need …’ But the blog is mum on the Capital One merger, offering no insight as to what customers can expect [...]

Comment on Coming to grips with financial fragility by Jeff

Jeff — Wed, 15 Feb 2012 16:11:00 +0000

You have got to get rid of debt! 2.5 years ago we both had good jobs, made over $110,000 per year but found ourselves with $85,000 in debt between 1 credit card, car loans, and student loans. Now we have no debt besides our house (which is on a 15 year note – so important!) and we our almost done with our 6 month emergency fund. We also have a zero base budget (we allocate every penny to something every month-huge!) which makes this possible. The thing that helped us get this all going is Dave Ramsey’s Financial Peace University. Next step in 2 months is to start putting 15% away in retirement savings and start paying down the mortgage early. I am 34 right now, and we hope to be totally debt free in 7 years! Oh and we are contributing to the kids college fund as well. All of this is happening on my 1 salary while my wife gets to stay home with the kids – how awesome.

Comment on Smart money lessons from everyday Savers. by Jeff

Jeff — Wed, 15 Feb 2012 15:58:00 +0000

We use a zero based budget in our household. Every month my wife and I sit down and allocate every penny of our paychecks to something (entertainment, savings, groceries, future expenses, etc). This has helped us tell our money where to go, plus we each have input on what goes into the budget that month so there are no more “money fights”. Doing this has allowed us to pay off all our debt (except the house), save 6 months worth of expenses in an ING savings account, and start investing 15% of our income and pay off our house early.

Comment on Three 401(k) reforms that can help save America’s retirement. by Jeff

Jeff — Wed, 15 Feb 2012 15:50:00 +0000

I think you bring up some good points about people being auto enrolled in a 401k but I think the biggest issue we face today is lack of responsibility for our own future. People need to take ownership for their future by taking time to understand investing and not rely on some preplanned target fund to get it done for them. We took Dave Ramsey’s Financial Peace University class and it really helped us understand how to budget, helped us pay off $85,000 in debt, understand investing, and now we are investing 15% of our earnings or more for retirement. You have to have a plan if you want to retire with dignity. “People don’t plan to fail, they fail to plan”.

As savers, we should never rely on the government or anyone else to get us to our future.

Comment on You need checking fees like you need… by Marni M

Marni M — Tue, 14 Feb 2012 15:33:00 +0000

Lemon juice in a paper cut.

Comment on You need checking fees like you need… by Anonymous

Anonymous — Mon, 13 Feb 2012 20:57:00 +0000

another student loan.

Comment on You need checking fees like you need… by Lois Weinert

Lois Weinert — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 20:34:00 +0000

a hole in your pocket!

Comment on You need checking fees like you need… by Aq

Aq — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 20:19:00 +0000

Another “coming soon” tweet about remote check deposit.

Comment on Ring in the holidays with 12 chances to win $1,000 (or a $5,000 grand prize). by Caladan Ravnos

Caladan Ravnos — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 10:58:00 +0000

So, did anybody actually win or was this contest a complete fake?

Comment on You need checking fees like you need… by Ekim Snevig

Ekim Snevig — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 00:37:00 +0000

a case of hemorrhoids If a bank charges checking fees, then you need to run to the nearest financial proctologist – ING Direct.