InControl Financial Podcast | Get Out Of Debt (G.O.O.D.) | Personal Finance That's: Fun. Uplifting. ...

Do you feel that everything has to be just right before you take action?  Do you find yourself constantly planning and not making any moves forward until the time that you think everything will be perfect?  You're not alone, and unfortunately, the perfect time will never come.  We need to move forward with our plans and take action.  The way to not fail is by simply giving ourselves permission to fail.  Hear more about how this works by listening to today's episode.   Please leave a review on whichever platform you are using to listen to this podcast, or simply go to http://incontrolfinancial.com and click on Contact Us to send an e-mail and let us know how we're doing!  Thank you for listening, and as always, God bless!

Let's talk for a moment about being grateful.  Did you know that God put our ability to be grateful right into our DNA?  That's right.  God created us to be grateful, even though we can easily forget to do this sometimes.   In this episode, Tom reminds us why we need to stay grateful - even when it can be difficult at times.  He lets us know exactly what happens to us when we are grateful, and how that one simple thing can change our lives for the best.   If you haven't done so already, please leave us a brief review on iTunes or follow us on Facebook at http://facebook.com/incontrolfinancial.  You can also follow us on Twitter (@ICFPodcast).  Thank you for listening, and as always, God bless!

Tom gives you some much-needed advice if you're considering debt consolidation.  Perhaps you have heard some commercials on the subject, or maybe one of your friends or family members thought that it might be a good idea (especially if you have several credit cards, loans, etc.).   But wait.  As is with most everything in the world of finance, things aren't always as simple as they seem.  Tom will go into more detail about what debt consolidation is, how it works, and some potential dangers that you need to be aware of.   If you haven't done so already, please leave us a brief review on iTunes or follow us on Facebook at http://facebook.com/incontrolfinancial.  You can also follow us on Twitter (@ICFPodcast).  Thank you for listening, and as always, God bless!

On this episode, Tom discusses the budget and addresses some misunderstandings about how the budget is to be properly utilized.  Some of these misuses are precisely why some married couples have difficulty getting on the same page financially.     The budget is a tool, provided by God (Luke 14:28).  He did not provide us with this tool to cause marital strife.  Quite the opposite - He wants to see us work together as one, as He intends for all marriages.   If you haven't done so already, please leave us a brief review on iTunes or follow us on Facebook at http://facebook.com/incontrolfinancial.  You can also follow us on Twitter (@ICFPodcast).  Thank you for listening, and as always, God bless!

On today's episode, Tom answers some of your most pressing questions about personal finance.  These questions are from listeners just like you, so hopefully this helps you, too.   Do you have a question that you would like to hear on a future Q&A episode?  Simply go to http://incontrolfinancial.com and click on the Contact Us button located near the top of the screen.  From there, you can send an e-mail directly to Tom's inbox and ask whatever questions you have.  He'll either answer you directly in an e-mail, or he may even use your question to help others that have a similar inquiry in a future podcast episode!   Follow us on Twitter (@ICFPodcast) or on Facebook (just do a search for InControl Financial).   Thank you for listening, and as always, God bless!

Have you ever found yourself fantasizing about what it would be like to have no payments?  Have you dreamed of the day when your only monthly financial obligations were the house payment (or rent), utility bills, buying groceries, and having some spending money?   There is a way to turn that fantasy into a reality.  Tom is going to explain how we can perform a simple exercise that not only helps us to dream a little but also puts us on the path to one day living that dream.  Get your notebook out and take notes, because you're going to love this one!   Did you like what you heard?  Please take a moment to leave us a review on iTunes.  If you're not on iTunes and listening to the podcast on the incontrolfinancial.com website, please click on the Contact Us button to send an e-mail instead!   Follow us on Twitter (@ICFPodcast) or on Facebook (just do a search for InControl Financial).   Thank you for listening, and as always, God bless!

You've probably heard of all of the tips and tricks and strategies out there to help you to get out of debt.  In this episode, Tom sifts out only the best, adds his thoughts, and condenses this information into five simple steps for you to follow; it's easy to digest and completely doable.     Here are the five steps (Tom will go into more detail for each, but this is provided here to help you to take some notes while you listen in):   1. Don't bury your head in the sand. 2. Curb your spending. 3. Stop loaning the IRS your money for free. 4. Negotiate a lower interest rate. 5. Don't add to the pile.   Did you like what you heard?  Please take a moment to leave us a review on iTunes.     Follow us on Twitter (@ICFPodcast) or on Facebook (just do a search for InControl Financial).   Thank you for listening, and as always, God bless!

Any major change will usually bring with it the (sometimes unwanted) extraction of opinions from others.  While your friends (and family) may mean well, you may find yourself in some uncomfortable situations where you feel that you have to explain why you are tightening the belt and not spending as much in order to meet a bigger financial goal.   Some of the common scenarios where this happens is a friend's jewelry party, a health food party, a cooking utensils party, etc. where items are presented and sold and/or folks are invited to participate in the host's downline and start their own businesses.     Now, I'm not against these types of businesses in particular, but we all know that there is a bit of guilt involved when you go in that you should purchase something in order to show your friend or family member that you are backing them in their new venture.  Personally, I think that it takes more courage to stand your ground and not buy that $40-$50 trinket that you'll never we

Debt payoff strategies come in all different flavors, but these two are as common as chocolate and vanilla.  Is it better to pay off debts in the order of highest to lowest interest rate or lowest to highest balance?  Both have their pros and cons, and Tom goes through each strategy to help you to determine which is best for your personal finance plans.   Keep up to speed on when we broadcast new podcast episodes by following us on Twitter at @ICFPodcast and on Facebook at http://facebook.com/incontrolfinancial.  God bless!

It's getting close to mid-month, so it's time for a quick update on the Aldi Experiment (if you missed it, please listen to episode 24 first).  Also in this episode:   Why you need to be sure that your retirement savings is being funded appropriately.   Why paying off your mortgage - no, let's rephrase that - why GOING TO WAR on your mortgage is absolutely crucial to your long-term financial well-being.   Thank you for listening to the InControl Financial Podcast.  Please follow us on Twitter (@ICFPodcast) and on Facebook at http://facebook.com/incontrolfinancial - and as always, God bless!

Are you one of those people who feel better ignoring problems and burying your head in the sand?  I know, it's hard to admit your own faults - but this is one in particular that you want to correct as soon as possible!   Go ahead, listen to this episode.  Even if you don't want to admit any shortcomings, you will come out of this a better, more focused individual who is ready to get on the right path to personal finance success!    Do you know someone who may want to give this a listen?  Please feel free to share this on social media, e-mail, or whatever way you like to do it.  And, as always, God bless!

Do you live in an area with a local Aldi grocery store?  Have you ever tried shopping there to see how much money you can save?  If not, then why not?   Tom talks about Aldi and a little experiment that he and his family are going to try heading into February 2016.  The hope is that you will join him and save some money at the same time on a big budget buster - the grocery budget.   If you're listening on iTunes, please take a few moments and write a review for this podcast.  We would not only love to hear what you think, but we also know that reviews (especially the positive ones!) help to put us in front of more eyes and ears.  We thank you kindly for your time, and as always, God bless!

It's not always easy to achieve marital bliss when you're talking about finances, but in this episode, Tom explains how that very thing is entirely possible.  While this episode is geared more towards married folks, single folks out there should definitely give this a listen if they plan to one day be married.   If you're a natural saver, this episode is for you.  If you're a natural spender, this episode is for you.  If you don't always agree with your wife's choices when it comes to personal finances, this episode is for you.  If you don't always agree with your husband's declarations on how things should be (financially speaking)... you guessed it... this episode is for you!   Wait... you mean you haven't left us a review in iTunes yet?!?  What are you waiting for?  Tell us how you love this podcast so that others can also get a chance to love this podcast!  It's important to us, and we thank you kindly in advance for your words of encouragement (or words o

Many of us have made New Year's resolutions at the start of 2016, but are you still adhering to them?  How are you doing with the goals that you've set for yourself?  Are you still on track?   If the answer is a negative or a no to any of those questions, don't feel too bad.  Nine out of ten people who start a New Year's resolution fail to keep said resolution past mid-February.  We're not quite there yet, but being at the midway point of January is a good time to do an episode on exactly how we can succeed with our resolutions (especially those having to do with finances, because hey, let's face it, this is a personal finance podcast).  Of course, we'll also be addressing how to get back up, dust yourself off, and get on track again if you have already failed to live up to your resolutions.   Still don't have a solid New Year's resolution made yet?  Perhaps you are looking to pay down some debt this year?  Hey, feel free to join us in our CRUSHING DEBT I

As we pause to immerse ourselves in the reason for the season, please take a few minutes to listen to the story of a King.     InControl Financial wishes you a blessed Christmas.  

You are invited...   TO CRUSH DEBT IN 2016!!   We are going to form a powerful mastermind group with the goal of crushing debt in 2016.  Whether you want to better manage your existing debt and be more in control of your finances or eliminate debt completely, this is the episode for you.  We are inviting you to join in this movement starting in January 2016 to CRUSH debt!   The best part?  It's FREE.  That's right.  It costs you exactly ZERO dollars to join a group where we all help each other, hold each other accountable, and provide each other with real suggestions and advice that will help all of us accomplish the same goals and collectively improve our financial lives.  You can't beat that deal!   To join this mastermind, simply head on over to http://incontrolfinancial.com and click on the Contact Us button.  Send an e-mail with ICF2016 in the subject line, and you're in!  It's truly as easy as that.  We look forward to having you join

In this special Thanksgiving 2015 episode, Tom reminds us how we can be thankful for what we already have instead of giving special attention to the barrage of Black Friday ads and social media posts.  When we put our hearts and minds in the right place in the spirit of the Thanksgiving season, it makes it that much easier to praise our Lord and not only thank Him for our individual blessings - but to ask Him to bless others as well.   Please don't forget to leave a review in iTunes or on Stitcher Radio.  Your feedback helps to guide the format and content of future podcast episodes.   Follow us on Twitter: @ICFPodcast   Follow us on Facebook: http://facebook.com/incontrolfinancial   Got a question that we can help you with?  Go to http://incontrolfinancial.com and click on the Contact Us button to send an e-mail directly to Tom's inbox!   Please share this podcast with any friends or family members who might find the content that we broadcast in this podcast to be usef

We've all heard the saying.  How do you eat an elephant?  One bite at a time.     There is truth to this saying.  When we are looking at a particularly large debt, we tend to focus on the total amount itself.  Immediately, we feel a departure of energy leave our bodies as we take on a can't-do attitude instead of the can-do attitude!   Tom explains how we need to break down these large debts into manageable chunks.  Using an example of a $25,000.00 car loan, Tom illustrates how we can look at this debt payoff goal as 25 separate smaller goals (or even 50 separate smaller goals) to keep us focused and on track.  He'll show us how using this method will lead us into good debt payoff habits and may even lead us to come up with inventive ways to earn more income!   Please don't forget to leave a review in iTunes or on Stitcher Radio.  Your feedback helps to guide the format and content of future podcast episodes.   Follow us on Twitter: @ICFPodcast  

When we run into financial difficulties, it's easy to want to grab the wheel, take control, and steer.  However, God wants us to acknowledge and depend upon the fact that He is in control, no matter what the situation.   Tom discusses how to keep God in the center and acknowledge His control in everything, even through the roughest of storms.   Please don't forget to leave a review in iTunes or on Stitcher Radio.  Your feedback helps to guide the format and content of future podcast episodes.   Follow us on Twitter: @ICFPodcast   Follow us on Facebook: http://facebook.com/incontrolfinancial   Got a question that we can help you with?  Go to http://incontrolfinancial.com and click on the Contact Us button to send an e-mail directly to Tom's inbox!   Please share this podcast with any friends or family members who might find the content that we broadcast in this podcast to be useful (and maybe even life-changing!).  God bless!

And now... introducing... the ULTIMATE budget!!   Yes, this episode introduces a concept to monthly budgeting that you likely haven't heard of before, but it's a concept that is well worth implementing.  This truly is the ultimate budgeting method, and we invite you to share this with friends and family who may also benefit from this advice.   Brief show notes: - The link for the discounted YNAB (You Need A Budget) software: http://incontrolfinancial.com/ynab - There is no easy button for this - it will require work and perseverance   Please don't forget to leave a review in iTunes or on Stitcher Radio.  Your feedback helps to guide the format and content of future podcast episodes.   Follow us on Twitter: @ICFPodcast   Follow us on Facebook: http://facebook.com/incontrolfinancial   Got a question that we can help you with?  Go to http://incontrolfinancial.com and click on the Contact Us button to send an e-mail directly to Tom's inbox!   Please share thi