Dear Dave, My wife and I have been married for nine months, and we’ve been following your Baby Steps plan for three months. We have about $50,000 in debt, and I recently cashed out an old whole life policy that enabled us to pay off $22,000 of... More
Dear Dave, I switched to a debit card so that the money I spend comes directly from my checking account. But I still have a problem some months with overspending and buying things I shouldn’t. Do you think I should stop using my debit card? Debbie Dear... More
The hardest word in the dictionary to put into practice is the word “yes.” It’s one of the first words that many of us learn as children, and yet we still struggle to apply it to our everyday lives. It is one of the most powerful... More
Dear Dave, Our 21-year-old son is in college, and we’ve always warned him to stay away from credit cards. Despite our warnings, we recently learned he got a store-branded credit card. The good news is he has stayed under the credit limit. The bad... More
Colossians 3:2 says, “Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things.” One of the biggest things I see affecting young people today is overconsumption, always wanting the newest trend and never just being content with what was cool... More
Dear Dave, We’ve all our debts paid off, except for our home, and our fully funded emergency fund of six months of expenses is in place. In talking to people, it seems there are lots of different opinions as to what constitutes an emergency.... More
Dear Dave, My wife and I have started teaching our 5-year-old son about money. Do you feel we should step in and fix things when he makes mistakes, or let him experience the consequences of his actions? It’s so hard on my wife, especially,... More
The perception of God as cold or distant often appears to be believable. Tragedies are rampant throughout the world while loneliness and hopelessness can be a frequent feeling within the heart. However, the art of the journey of prayer involves learning... More
Dear Dave, My mom and dad always told me to live within my means. As an adult, I’ve made some mistakes with money, including falling right back into debt after paying off everything. I’m tired of this rollercoaster, and I want to get... More
Dear Dave, I think my mother-in-law has a serious credit card problem. She can’t afford stuff, but she shops anyway, chalks up more and more debt, acquires more credit cards, and thinks she’ll pay for it all later somehow. Her ex-husband... More