From the category archives:

Case Studies

My friends John and Lisa recently shared some exciting news with me: for the very first time in their lives they paid cash for a car – a sweet 2 year old Toyota Prius with only 29,000 miles on it. They saved up the $17,000 purchase price (new price was $31,000), did some shopping and drove off in a vehicle that will last them for years and will never require a single payment. As we talked, I learned that this family has been doing all the things I like to write about: they have zero debt and a paid for house.

Naturally, I assumed you would want to know more of their story, so I asked if they would agree to an interview. Good sports that they are, they agreed. Thank you John and Lisa! Here is their story:

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Our normal anxieties in dealing with insurance companies are based on the concern that we won’t be sufficiently compensated.

However, not everyone fits this mold.  This post is based on an email from one of my clients (I will call her Carol) who, because she had been injured in an auto accident, is in the process of hiring an attorney to represent her in dealing with the insurance company. Although she was hospitalized, missed work and could have ongoing medical issues, Carol is struggling with the morality of “going after” the insurance company. Because of the trauma of the accident, she doesn’t clearly remember it, which creates some guilt issues. Carol is also concerned about the possible “greed” mentality many lawyers seem to have. [click to continue…]

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A Great Phone Call

June 11, 2010

As you may know, I am a self employed financial counselor, meaning that I help people devise a plan to reach their financial goals. I wish that I could say that every story has a happy ending, but life is real and story book endings don’t always happen. You may remember reading The Sad Tale [...]

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The Sad Tale of Clarence and Evita

April 26, 2010

photo credit: Let Ideas Compete Clarence and Evita (not real names) came to see me recently for financial counseling. As they entered my office, I noticed that Evita walked slowly, with a noticeable limp. Clarence, white hair with matching full beard, offered friendly banter. After introductions, I asked them what their short term financial goals [...]

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Debt Free in One Year: A True Story

December 9, 2009

This post was awarded Runner-up in Free Money Finance 2010 March Money Madness contest. Erin, “Debt free for me means that we have more choices, more freedom and less that will hold us down keeping us from what and where we want to be.” Jeremy, “It means tremendous peace…now we can pay ourselves every month.” [...]

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Should Christians Tithe While Paying Off Debt?

October 9, 2009

photo credit: processwhite Darren and Cynthia (fictional names) had $80,000 in credit card debt, two old paid for vehicles and a house with zero equity that they were trying to sell. Because Darren’s job required him to work sporadic hours, it was difficult for him to find extra work. Cynthia worked a sales job that [...]

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Case Study: Alline Davenport Our Plan Hits a Snag

September 9, 2009

photo credit: snappybex Meetings 4 and 5 Introduction: This is the fourth post in a case study series of financial counseling meetings with Alline Davenport (real person with fictional name). Previous entries are found under the “Case Studies” tab. Alline is a widow in her mid 60′s who works full time as a receptionist and [...]

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Case Studies: Alline Davenport

August 18, 2009

photo credit: Jen_Maloney_Photo Meeting Three: 6/15/09 Review of Meeting One: Alline’s short term financial goal is to become debt free. Her long term goal is to rebuild some of her lost retirement and put herself in a position not to be a burden to her children. We established a preliminary budget with plans to review [...]

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Case Study: Alline Davenport. Some Financial Homework

August 3, 2009

photo credit: AanikaP Entry Two: May 13, 2009 The purpose of this meeting is to follow up on homework from our last meeting, discuss how the budget is working and discuss plans to help her meet her short term goal of being debt free. Homework: Alline is working on her goal of a $1,000 “Baby” [...]

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Case Study on Achieving Personal Financial Goals: Alline Davenport

July 27, 2009

photo credit: timtom.ch As a financial counselor, I help real people with real issues. This series on case studies will walk our readers through the process of discovering the short term and long term goals of my clients, formulating a plan to achieve those ends and then holding the client accountable to actually carry out [...]

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