Live Q&As

I just had to start off the chat with this great testimony.

Starting off 2013 debt-free except the mortgage is a wonderful way to being the New Year. So proud of you!

Happy New Year to you too. 

And if anyone else has a testimony, send it on!

I think right now is the perfect time for people to take something they love doing and turning it into their livlihood which is what a Passion Hit is.

If you need examples take a look at Passion Hit TV where I profile people doing exactly that and I haven't had any shortage of finding people.

It is never an easy time, but if you are out of work or only working a job to pay the bills then you should be looking to do something you love doing right? Yes, you have to make sure the bills are paid for, but I think anyone would prefer doing what they love doing for work rather than only doing it because they have to.

I think we are going to see many more people starting businesses directly because they can't find work. I'm not an economist, but when people need money they get creative and finding a way to start a business no matter how small is a great option. 

The trick is that you must figure out a way to make a business of it. Not all hobbies magically turn into money making ventures.

I just recorded the audiobook two weeks ago and it is scheduled to be released in Q1 of this year, but I don't have a date yet. Sorry.

Keep tuned to CC-Chapman.com or follow me on Twitter @CC_Chapman and you can be sure I'll share as soon as I know. 

First, I'm so sorry you are struggling. But you have nothing to be ashamed about for deciding it was time to be upfront about Santa given your situation. So if other parents try to make you feel guilty, don't take the bait. You did what was best for your family. 

Now two things. I agree that many parents overidulge their kids and I agree with you that I don't see the sense in giving a 5 year old an iPad. I wouldn't do it even if I had it like that. 

But others do have it like that. They may have savings, no debt, college fund, etc and feel they are in the position to give lavishly to their child. That's their right, just like it's your to try and explain that your kids about Santa. Are people really showing off their stuff or just using it? 

You have to explain to your children (and yourself) that others are doing better but it's not a reflection on you or them. 

I understand you are sad for you and your kids. I was sad often. I remember well while in college watching as the young women in my dorm went off to dinner with their parents on weekends. I had to send money home. It made me sad. But I just resolved to do the best with what I had. My grandmother couldn't afford to take me to dinner. She couldn't afford to give us a lot of gifts at Christmas. But we still had a good holiday with what little we did get. 

Keep the focus on your love and the family. They may not understand now, but they will. I did.

I can't tell you that mine is any better than anyone elses. I actually say that right up front in the book.

The book I wrote was to collect what has helped me be successful in life. It is a guidebook and nothing else. 

But, I do believe that every single person can read the book and come away with the motivation and inspiration to try to live a more fulfilling life. 

Great question and I'm a big fan of my iPhone and never leave the house without it.

But, as much as I love technology and am rarely far from it there is something very different about writing things down by hand. You still can't doodle, take notes, sketch and collaborate on a device as well as you can in a notebook.

That being said, I do love Evernote and use it a lot to grab my thoughts and other things I see. That in combination with hand written notes are how I keep my mind straight and collect everything from ideas to brainstorming out new books.

You are doing exactly the right thing but looking ahead to what could be a hard time. For the time being, I would hoard cash. If you pay off the cards every month, pay off the next bill and then you should also stop charging anything! Start living as if you might be laid off to see where you can cut quickly. 

I would double check the life insurance policy. It may be portable, meaning you can pay your own premiums should you lose your job. Check with the insurance company. If the insurance ends with the job, you should get a supplemental policy if you can.

I don't mean live in fear, just start being smarter about the cash going out. Ask yourself everytime you spend any money if it's a need or a want. 

If it turns out that you don't lose your job, you will still be in a better position because you would have hopefully cut any fat in your budget.

It is hard to answer this without knowing what sort of career you want.

Some fields most certainly open up when you have an MBA. That is a fact that can't be disputed. 

But, there are plenty that don't. It is more about the person, their skills, drive and wants than it is about any piece of paper.

I think you first have to clearly determine what kind of job you want. Your question almost feels like you are looking to get whatever degree will get you a good job. That is fine if all you want is a paycheck, but how many years before you are unhappy with that?

Once you know the industry you want to go in and have some schools you are considering, talk to their career councilors who should be more than willing to discuss the market with you.

It is never bad to have more education, but never feel you must have an MBA only because someone told you that you should.

I agree with C.C. I frequently get mail from folks who have a graduate degree and a ton of debt only to find that the degree didn't get them any more dough. If you want to stay in your field, talk to hiring managers and HR folks about the value of an advanced degree. With more information you can then determine if it's worth the effort. I would NOT take on debt for it. If there's a possibility of higher pay, start saving and pay cash for the degree. That way if you don't get more pay, you aren't saddled with a lot of debt. You still get a good education but without the burden of debt.

It MAY be futile because if they are already in trouble than they haven't done something right in the past.

But, with that being said it IS the first step towards improving your current situation.

If you don't know where are at and where you want to get to than there is no way that you can plan out a strategy and approach to make it all happen.

It isn't easy at all and it does take a lot of time, dedication and work, but I do believe anyone can do it if they are determined enough.

I never ever take my job for granted. So I save what I can to live long enough to get some kind of job to at least pay the basics -- roof over my head, food, utitlities. Sometime things don't work out. So it is always good to plan for the worse and hope for the best.

They haven't yet, but have you been reading MY notebook because this is something I'm in the process of putting together. 

You just confirmed that it is a good idea. Thank you.

Amazing Things Will Happen

So sorry for the broken link. Here' a link that should work.

Thanks.

I had to keep them broad because I knew the audience for the book would come from all walks of life. 

If curious, I just posted my three words for 2013 which are Menu, Build and Minimize. Also, I saw this Pinterest board collecting others. 

The thing with this exercise is that it is up to you to determine how broad or narrow to make the words because in my case I like to keep them open and with more than one meaning so that I don't box mysef in.

For example a few years ago one of my words was Create and that was big for me because it gave me permission to create new things. I took more photos, starting making more videos and began to create the idea that grew into the book.

That could have simply been Photos and been more narrowed focus, but I always choose mine to be bigger than that.

Hope this helps and be sure to check out those links to other people's words because you'll see that many people do the exercise in their own unique ways.

Thank you. You said it even better than me. That's what I was going for. And please know I'm not and I don't think this reader isn't trying to minimize how hard it is watch your kids watch others getting so much more than you can give them. It is hard and doesn't mean you are materialistic.

Our society is, which in turn makes it hard for all of us -- me included -- to just bake cookies or sing around the tree and NOT give presents. 

But in the end, it is those things that matter. Your presense does matter. My grandmother couldn't give me a lot of "things" but she gave me what she could and it turned out to be more than enough. So much more. 

There has been so many and that is why I wrote Amazing Things Will Happen so that I could share all the advice from over the years. 

But, if I had to pick one I think one of the most important pieces was when my Dad told me "To Each Their Own."

I use to get really bothered when people didn't agree with me or said I was crazy to do something. But, as I learned from my Dad telling me this there would always be people that didn't agree with me and that the trick was to realize that unless their opinion and actions directly hurt me or someone I cared about than I should just let them be and move on.

It is only a few words, but it greatly changed how I approach every day.

A promise to a friend

For those who didn't see the column see the link.

And thank you so much for your note. It was a hard column to write but one I needed to write. I miss my friend so much but seeing how she lived her life has changed me. I hope all of you will pass along this column. Tweet it, post it on Facebook. It's an important lesson for us all.

I'm so glad to be back. And I'll be getting back to a more frequent schedule for the chats in 2013.

So not exactly a personal finance question but good one even so.

I lived away from my husband for almost two years when we first got married. I hated it. And couldn't wait for it to end. It's probably why I follow him around the house now and we've been married for 21 years. (And when I tell him he has to sleep on the couch after an agrument, he just laughs. He knows I'll be right there with him after about 5 minutes).

But that's us. Talk to your spouse and find out if the distance is a problem. Don't worry. Act. You know if the signs are there that the distance is too long. So follow your gut. If you are concerned there may be something to be concerned about. 

YES!

Sorry for the all caps, but students were one of the main audiences I thought would benefit from this book. Afterall the motivation for writing the book was to serve as a guidebook for my children.

Your description of your goals for the class are exactly how I hoped people would use the book. 

If you go to my publishers site, there is a link in the upper right hand corner for professors to request evaluation copies. Hope that helps.

The point is check about the portablity of your policy. You don't want to be left without coverage.

I love, love these Debt Defeater stories. Good for you. My heart just beats faster when I see people taking control.

Debt free is the way to be!

Let's make that our words for 2013

She was. And scary. And frugal. And a hard worker. And honest. And did I mention scary like a drill sergeant. 

But it was her presence, her decision to raise me and my siblings on so little money that made me admire her more and set me up for a life of community service. I wanted to be there for others like she was there for me. Nothing like presence. Can't buy that in a store.

I'm a dedicated father of two great kids. My mantra has always been family first.

It is easier to chase your dreams when you are single and without commitments. Anyone who tells you otherwise is lying.

I'm constantly having to balance things. I pass up on opportunities quite often because of other commitments.

That being said, if you are unhappy or always away working that isn't good for your family either.

It sounds like you should have some very honest and open conversations with your spouse and figure out how to find a balance for everyone. 

You should be sure you can be approved for the amount of house you are looking for. But there is a difference between being pre-approved and pre-qualified. The first step is to be pre-qualified, which involved finding out if you can afford the house you want. Once you decide on the area and price, then you can go to one or two banks, credit unions, etc. to get pre-approved, which is a more involved process involving really going over your finances and credit reports.

If you are just starting find out generally what you can afford by getting pre-qualified. And keep in mind you should keep your housing costs per month to about 30 to 36 percent of your net take home pay.

I wish it was a simple formula for success.

For me, what has worked is constantly hustling and never sitting back and getting comfortable. That means that every day I get up and am looking for new work and opportunities because I don't know when things might dry up.

But, having the DNA of an entrepreneur means I'm always looking for new problems to solve and coming up with a way to do it that be turned into a business. 

You might need to change a couple of times to find success. Some businesses just don't work. Might not be a market for it, too early to market or  a million other things that could show why it fails. 

I wish you the best of luck as you chase your dreams!

Not too much to expect at all. It SHOULD be something that everyone strives for in my opinion.

An MBA might open doors for you, but in the end it is your performance that will allow you to get promotions and keep the job you get. Never forget that.

Again, talk to people in the industry you are looking to jump into. Ask public affair folks if they needed a masters. Say with library science. Just do some homework with people working in the jobs you want. Find out if they have masters or if it really made a difference. 

No. And no.

I switch the channel. 

The only way is through hard work. 

I might be over simplifying it, but growing up in a blue collar family this is how I was raised. Success only comes to those who make it happen.

Besides that I think the key is for someone to understand clearly what success looks like to them. It isn't all beaches and yacts for most people. Do you know what you want to do? More importantly do you know how to get there? 

I think most people have to start there so that they can plot out a course for success. It isn't going to happen over night no matter how much some people want it to.

You actually answered your own question. Take the extra money and:

-- Pay off your managable mortgage now rather than later.

-- Save up all the money now for the tution for the one kid. I'm not sure when you say tuition won't be a big deal if you mean you have fully funded your child's college fund. Probably not. So take extra money and speed up that funding.

-- Retirement is closer than you think. Examine your retirement savings and see if you can put more in the plan. Go to www.choosetosave.org and use the ballpark retirement calculator to see if you are truly on track to retire the way you want.

-- Save up all the money to replace your cars 10 years from now. So when you decide it's time, you can pay cash for the one or two cars.

-- Love that you want to give more. Give generously. Perhaps there are some kids belong to relatives you could help with school costs.

-- Save up for that trip and go first class. 

All good watches keep the same time. 

This is a big question and I can't address the financial angle directly, but it sounds to me like you are doing rather well and stable enough that taking a hit on your income would not have dire consequences.

With that being said, it feels just from reading your question that you've made your mind up and know that you want to make this change. Is it something where if a year down the road it really wasn't working that you could go back to what you are doing today?

I think you and your spouse should sit down and really talk about it and look at where you are from all angles and give it a go.

Thank you for sharing your testimony! And so glad you are doing better and that you had that reserve.