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How to talk money with your spouse-to-be
(ARA) – Will you raise your kids with a particular religion, will you both register with the same political party and how will you arrange reception seating to ensure your new mother-in-law is content with who is at her table and where she will sit? Getting married generates no shortage of opportunities to have important conversations with your spouse-to-be.
Maybe you can postpone or even dodge altogether some of those talks, but at least one potentially challenging conversation can actually help ensure your marital bliss down the road – the talk about finances. Numerous polls and studies have shown that money is one of the top reasons couples fight, that it generates more stress in a marriage than almost any topic other than children and is a deciding factor in a large percentage of breakups.
Making sure you’re both on the same financial page before the wedding can help ensure that post “I do” money talks will be less divisive and stressful. And, the good news is that establishing a sound financial footing for the future is not nearly as complicated as you might fear.
The financial experts at SBLI USA Mutual Life Insurance Company offer some advice:
Start with a budget
If you’ve lived alone as a single for a while, you may already have your own budget, but now you are balancing income and expenses for two people. If you combine your income and expenses, you’ll need to combine your budgets too.
Write down everything each of you spends every month, taking into account housing, food, utilities, transportation, student loans, credit card balances, car payments, taxes and nonessential spending. Next, consider what your financial goals are – do you want to save for a down payment on a house? Are you content to rent and instead focus on paying down revolving debt? Once you determine what your shared goals are, you can adjust your budget accordingly, reducing spending on nonessential items and focusing on spending that moves you toward your overall financial goal.
Establish an emergency fund
One reason so many families and couples suffered greatly in this recession was because they had little or no emergency funds set aside. An emergency fund helps ensure that you and your partner are secure should something happen, like one of you loses a job or experiences a serious health issue. Agree on how much you want to save for “a rainy day;” experts advise you should save 5 to 10 percent of your income in a joint savings account.
Pay yourself first by having cash for your emergency fund directly withdrawn from your paycheck or checking account and deposited in your savings account. Aim to accrue three to six months of living expenses in your emergency fund.
Life insurance is crucial
If you’re young, single, in good health and debt-free, you may not need life insurance. For virtually everyone else, and especially newlyweds who have taken on new responsibilities and often new debt, life insurance is a must, experts agree. Life insurance can give you peace of mind that your loved ones will have sufficient money to take care of themselves should anything happen to you – and it’s affordable. To learn how to create a budget, to access a variety of financial tools or to learn more about life insurance go to www.sbliusa.com. For a free, no-obligation quote go to pg.sbliusa.com/specialoffer/ppc/mat/ or call (866) 331-3078 to speak with an SBLI USA representative. Even better, go to www.sbliusa.com to complete the entire application process – from quoting, to paying – online today.
Make a plan – together
Write down your mutual financial goals. Your plan should be specific and realistic, listing the actual steps you will take to achieve your goals, including buying a home, starting a family, taking vacations and saving for retirement. Decide what additional investments you’ll make apart from your regular savings, such as maximizing your 401(k) or IRA contributions.
Be sure to include tracking your expense and income, as well as your tax burden, in your overall plan. Decide what tax filing status will be best for you, and consult a tax advisor if you’re not sure.
Reduce debt
Credit card debt is the top obstacle to a secure financial future and a major stressor in a marriage. Knowing your credit scores is essential; check them annually with all three major credit bureaus. Scrutinize your reports and correct any errors that could affect your ability to get a loan at a desirable interest rate in the future.
Money talk doesn’t have to be difficult. With a little strategy and the right attitude, you can build the financial security you need to secure a successful, happy life together
Courtesy of ARAcontent and Rob Dandrea, Real Estate Professional with Charles Rutenberg Realty of Clearwater, FL
727-510-2100 robdandrea.realtyoffice@gmail.com. Specializing in 1st time homebuyers.
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Are you ready for some football!? In March?
As soon as midnight hit on Thursday night, no Rex Ryan didn’t turn into a pumpkin, but NFL free agency began. The collective bargaining agreement is up and teams enter an uncapped year starting March 5th. Teams didn’t waste any time going after big name free agents, and as Eric Clapton’s song states, “After midnight, we’re gonna let it all hang down.”
Here are the some of the big moves that came on the first day of free agency through free agent pickups and trades:
Sausage and PEPPERS for Bill Bradsky and the SuperFans
5-time Pro Bowler Julius Peppers signed a 6 year contract with da Bears on Friday. The deal is worth a reported $91.5 million, $42 million of that in guarenteed money. The D end has 81 career sacks and should help improve a Bears defense that struggled last year when Brian Urlacher went down for the year with an injury.
Boldin out of Arizona
The Cardinals Pro Bowl wide receiver was signed a 4 year deal worth about $25 million with the Baltimore Ravens. The receiver is the second addition added to the Ravens receiving corps this offseason, joining Donte’ Stallworth. If Derrick Mason stays put, Joe Flacco will have three legit receiving threats at his disposal.
Baby Lockdown has a new wingman
The New York Jets have acquired cornerback Antonio Cromartie from the Chargers in exchange for a 2011 draft pick. After the release of Lito Sheppard, Cromartie will be a more than worthy replacement to the Jets secondary. Cromartie has struggled the past two seasons, but Rex Ryan could be the motivator he needs to get him back to his All-Pro form. And he will take some of the load off the shoulders of the Masterlock, Darrelle Revis.
Daylight come and you’re going DELHOMME
Quarterback Jake Delhomme was sent packing after spending seven years as the starter in Carolina. Panthers’ GM said it was the toughest decision he’d ever made, and coach John Fox couldn’t hold back his tears when answering questions about his QB. Delhomme led the team to a berth in Super Bowl XXXVIII, losing a heartbreaker to Tom Brady and the Patriots.
Day 2 had some big names moving as well. Two more Cardinals following Boldin out of Arizona was the biggest news.
Rolle-ing into East Rutherford
Soon after meeting with the Giants in East Rutherford, Antrel Rolle decided he would make New York his new home in 2010. After signing a 5 year deal worth $37 million, Rolle had become the highest paid safety in the NFL. The former Cardinal is very excited about playing next to fellow Miami Hurricane, Kenny Phillips, saying “I know we can be the best pair of safeties in the league.”
Phins land a shark on defense
The third Cardinal on the move was Karlos Dansby, signing a 5 year deal with the Dolphins for $43 million. After visiting with Miami, it took the biggest contract ever for a linebacker to keep Dansby from visiting other teams and put him in Dolphin aqua and orange.
We Got a Situation: some of the developing moves that might be ahead
- T.O. said he would change his name to Ochouno if he were to join Chad Ochocinco on the Bengals. T.O.’s agent Drew Rosenhaus said the Bengals have shown interest.
- Jets may look to re-sign their recently released running back Thomas Jones. They saved almost $6 mil by cutting the 1,400 yard back, but now they want him back.
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Burnley preview. Walk in the park? Think again.
So, here we are, the international friendlies have gone by and for once we went through them virtually unscathed – yes, Carlos Vela got injured again playing New Zealand after scoring a peach of a goal, but if you take into the account the fact that he is not really a first team regular at the moment, you will see what I mean.A lot has been said about the last week’s ‘unfortunate’ events at Britannia Stadium. I have voiced my opinion in the previous post and it did not change one bit. Shawcross came out and said he was not going to change either, which means that he is probably on course to add to the ‘impressive’ record of two fellow players’ legs broken at the tender age of 22. But no, he is not ‘that kind of player’. Twat.
Internationals or no internationals, our selection options are limited anyway – Big Sol joined Billy in the treatment room and Song starts his two game ban for collecting his 10th booking this season. This means that Silvestre and Denilson will both start – now while I don’t really rate either of them, I am intending on getting behind them fully and wholeheartedly: for the 90+ minutes today they are expected to do their best and some support could help them find the extra 10%, besides there is no point in getting annoyed with stuff you cannot change, is there? Here’s to both of them playing a blinder today and contributing to another fine victory by Arsenal FC. On the positive note, we are to welcome back Diaby and Arshavin and this should add some creativity, flair and maybe a goal out of nowhere.
Today, it’s all about the attitude: sure, it’s ‘only’ Burnley who only managed a single draw on the road this season and Coyle’s departure did not help them either, however, I have seen us losing or drawing a perfectly winnable game once or twice – the thing no Arsenal supporter wants to see today is complacency and knocking the ball about with no real purpose, we want to see The Clarets obliterated, this is a good chance to improve our goal difference, as this could be telling as far as winning the league this season is concerned. Yes, it may be THAT tight and we need to do ourselves all the favours we can. I want to see commitment, directness and belief – make no mistake, if we keep up with the two above us, we have every chance of nicking it. Yes, it would be nothing short of a miracle, all things considered, but hey, we probably deserve one, no?
It will be interesting to see if our players’ mentality has been affected by the horrific injury sustained by a team mate. We can talk about professionalism all we want, but they are all human afterall – after Taylor broke Eddy’s leg two years ago, our season went down the pan, as the players could not lift themselves up. Yes, we got a result last week, but how much of it was down to shock and not having much time to think about what happened and how much down to maturity? I guess we will find out soon enough – if we build on what we saw after the third goal, it may be the case of waking a sleeping giant (i.e. ‘now you’ve really pissed me off’), otherwise, we will witness another nearly season, simple as.
Have a good day Gooners – catch you all tomorrow to celebrate!
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Red Knights’ second move: gaining momentum
It is maybe a long shot, but I think, just think, that it maybe succeeds. As I said in the other post, I did not believe the quest would be fulfilled by the Red Knights, however, the things happened since then are very promising. They are going in the right direction with right steps. First introducing, now gaining momentum, creating a buzz around the world, grab the headlines, making the fan (like me) crazy with changes to come. Just like the US Presidential Campaign.
The Knights said we, the fans around world, MUST show our support, so we’ve done it. Now it is their turn. Though this guy, whose love for his bosses seems to grow each day, is not to be trusted, he does have his point. We need the Knights to propose a detail plan. Gill was right when he said forty people could not run a club. We also do not know yet where we, the fan, stand in all this. Does we trade a devil for another devil?, although after Glazers, we could not imagine something worse.
So words, buzz, etc are there, now we need substances.
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Crazy first day of free agency
At midnight last night or this morning if you prefer, the NFL free agency season opened. It did not take long for teams and players to get busy, both in signing free agents and in trades. So far here is what has gone down, and may happen in the near future.
Chicago Bears - Signed former Tar heel basketball player Julius Peppers to a 6 year deal. Signed Vikings backup running back with starting running back ability Chester Taylor to a 4 year deal. Signed a great blocking TE from San Diego Brandon Manumaleuna to a 5 year deal.
Huge signings for the Bears especially since they do not have a pick in the first two rounds of the upcoming draft. These basically were their picks this year. Greg Olsen has been rumored to be unhappy in Chicago so signing a TE is smart, although Manumaleuna’s career high for receptions in a single season is 29 and totaled 30 receptions over the final three seasons in San Diego.
Running back Chester Taylor is a very undervalued running back and should challenge Matt Forte for the most carries on the team. Still it will not matter who is lining up behind Cutler at running back if the Bears can not improve their run blocking which hopefully Manumaleuna can do.
Julius Peppers is a defensive freak of a player with his combination of strengh, size, and speed. Football minds across the league all agree a transition to linebacker would be a breeze for Peppers. No word if the Bears plan on making the change but either on the line or next to Urlacher, Peppers will make a definite impact for the Bears in 2010.
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Josh Cribbs-The Highest Paid Special Teamer
There are a lot of over paid athletes, but Josh Cribbs is not one of them. If anyone deserves to be the highest paid special teamer in the NFL, it’s him. He had two touchdowns this past season from kick returns he ran the whole length of the field for. He’s the only reason I watched Browns games this year. He should definitely be the highest paid player on the team. This article wonders if the Browns will feel pressured to use him as more than just a returner and I don’t know about feeling pressured, but it’s worth a try. It’s not like they have a winning record at stake. I would love to see him more involved. It could turn out that he’s just really good at returning and that’s okay because he already does it better than anyone else so his contract does not need justifying.
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Bryant a Force up Front
On the football field, you often see running backs break big runs and quarterbacks check all across the field to find the open receiver, but neither of these things could happen without a strong offensive line up front. One guy a quarterback could definitely trust to give him that time to throw, or a running back to get that open hole, is Chicago Simeon Junior offensive lineman Chris Bryant. A behemoth on the line, Bryant has been proving already that he is worthy of the hype and the attention he’s received so far.
Simeon had a pretty solid season last year, despite not making a deep run in the state playoffs. “We did really well. We lost in the first round of state but we won city which was big for us.” If you know anything about Chicago football, the city championship is still a pretty big deal. Bryant personally was positive about his season as well. “I played really well, for me to have offers early my junior year. And this past season we all did. Fabbians was the first one to go D1 in a while from my school.”
Much of Bryant’s success can be attributed to his physical dominance. At 6′5″ 330 pounds, it’s easy to see why. “It feels pretty good. When I go to combines but people say that I’m big but quick on my feet. It feels good to be a bully that can move.” But sheer strength is not the only thing that makes Bryant’s game valuable. He says there are other parts of his game that are just as valuable but are underrated. “I think my footwork is one of my strong points. We do a lot of drills that work on foot speed. My quickness is underrated though. Most people think I’m slow at first but I surprise some people.”
Bryant just got back from the Michigan lineman camp, where he was one of the top 5 offensive linemen at the event. “I’d say I did pretty good. It showed me some of the things I still need to work on, but the other Simeon guys (2 sophomores and 1 junior) they came out and did their thing too.” Simeon in general had a strong showing at the event, which proves that the future of that program is on the rise. Bryant is the teammate of a couple of other Illinois targets: defensive backs Darius Scott and Demarius Reed. Simeon plays in the Chicago Public League, which Bryant thinks is really starting to prove itself. “I still think compared to the catholic league people don’t pay too much attention to the public league. But the public league is starting to get stronger.”
With all the attention Bryant is getting from schools, he took some time to lay out what he’s looking for and how he’s handling the process. Something that often gets overlooked by many prospects, Bryant is giving consideration to far more than athletics. “Mostly I’m looking for academics in case football isn’t a career. I want to look for a team that has a strong history and tradition too.” So far Illinois is one of Bryant’s favorites. Illinois along with Kansas and Eastern Michigan have offered, but with his skills and size he’s getting attention from perennial powerhouses as well. “The ones I’ve talked to the most are Miami (FL) and Arizona. Ohio State, Wisconsin, and Michigan State are coming on hard too.” Bryant says that distance is something he’ll consider but isn’t the deciding factor. “It doesn’t play that big of a role, I’d like for my parents to be able to come to games, but they’d understand if I choose a school that’s a better fit far away.” Chris relies on those close to him for guidance through his recruitment. “Mostly my mom and dad so far and Fabbians Ebbelle (former Simeon OL). They’ve been telling me the do’s and don’ts and how to avoid stress from it all.”
How does Bryant Feel about Illinois?
“Yea I could see us all (Bryant, Scott, Reed) down at Illinois. When we went to the junior day, all 3 of us went down there and it would be a good fit for us and our families. Our families loved it.” Many players nowadays go to school with high school teammates, and with the three prospects from Simeon that seems to be a strong possibility. As for Bryant, himself, “Yea I think I would from the way coach Joe’s been telling me how the offense and the campus life is. It just felt like it was home. It felt good I felt welcome and like it could be the place for me.” Bryant’s patience will prove to be valuable in the end as he plans to be very deliberate in his recruitment. “I think I’m going to stick to waiting until signing day to collect all my offers, talk it over with my family, and make the best decision with everything I can.”
Look for more from Bryant as well as other prospects at Illini-Nation.net
-RyanE
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Taggart not shying away from tough schedule
Coach Willie Taggart has talked about chasing greatness and catching excellence.
In his first schedule as Western’s head coach, Taggart will have plenty of opportunities to do just that.
The Toppers open the season on Sept. 4 at Nebraska, a team coming off a BCS bowl game victory, before playing Sept. 11 at Kentucky, hosting Indiana on Sept. 18 and finishing up the non-conference slate on Sept. 25 at South Florida.
“It’s a very highly competitive schedule,” Taggart said. “I like it. It will give our guys something to shoot for. Kind of what we’ve been preaching since day one — chasing greatness and being a bully.
“If you’re going to be a bully, you’ve got to beat some bullies.”
There were few surprises in the 2010 schedule, which was mostly complete before former coach David Elson was fired last season.
Taggart said he’s looking forward to Kentucky in particular, because back when he played and coached at Western before leaving for Stanford, the Wildcats were the state’s “bully.”
“Since I’ve been here, UK’s been the school,” Taggart said. “Whether they’re the best school or not, that’s just how it’s been. For me personally, it would be great to get a change. How about Western being that school everyone talks about? That’s what we deserve — that’s what we work towards.”
Western has only five home games next season and ends at Troy and by hosting Middle Tennessee — the Sun Belt Conference’s top-two teams last season. Taggart said he wasn’t intimidated by that portion of the schedule.
“To be honest with you, it doesn’t matter because we’ve got to play them,” Taggart said. “We’ve got to play them earlier or later. They’re two of the best teams in the conference, and that’s where we want to be.”
-Jonathan Lintner
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Weekend Update 03/01/2010
Wow! It’s been a busy weekend. A lot has been going on in the Green house. Here is a brief run down of the last few days.Thursday: We have recently begun the early stage work for obtaining a visa for Spain. It is our understanding, from others going through the process, that this is a very involved event. So Thursday evening found us in the local sheriff office getting “old school” fingerprinted. Messy. Thanks to the sheriff office for their assistance in this step.
Friday: This was the calm before the storm. Spent the evening getting the house show ready in anticipation of potential weekend showings. (Had one on Sunday!)
Saturday: We left in the morning and immediately divided so we could conquer. Aubrey took Sean to a friend’s birthday party where he got to have a lot of fun playing. I chipped in to help set up for my parent’s 40th wedding anniversary party. They party was a huge success. It was great seeing my parents enjoy everyone who showed up. It’s a great inspiration to have that example from my family. Thanks to Aunt Carolyn, Chuck, Laura, Chuck, Melissa, Priscilla, and Annette for all your help making the event happen.
Sunday: We visited Red Fork Church of God and shared with the adult Sunday school classes about our upcoming adventure. It was a great opportunity seeing people we had known for years and meeting new faces. We love sharing with people about the needs in Spain and our plans for the future.
So, a pretty jam-packed weekend, but good stuff happening all around. Tonight we get to visit with the rest of the team. Always enjoy the opportunity to get together, even when it is virtually.
I have recently found an english language website that provides news from Spain. They do a daily weather update and a daily rundown of the top headlines of the days newspapers. It’s helpful to get an idea of the issues of the day and to help be better prepared for conversation when we are on the ground and face to face with the people. As I looked over the news from the weekend I noticed Málaga lost to Barcelona, 2 to 1. (Have to get up to speed on my Spanish football). Spain is under a warning for what the papers are calling a “perfect storm”. Winds up to 150km/h. Also in the recap of Sunday’s headlines I noticed this little blurb at the very end, almost as an after thought:
And finally,
El Mundo tells us that only a third of the 35 million Catholics pray regularly.We thank you for your prayers as we prepare to travel to Spain and share the hope of Christ. Also, pray for the people of Spain, that God would revel Himself in their lives.
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On Trying To Get Out of Bed This Morning
My roommates play flag football on Sunday mornings. I thought about joining the league when they first started talking about it, but the idea of consistently getting up before 9am and running around in the cold, plus the amount of money required to join, kept me from doing anything stupid.
That’s not to say that I think playing flag football is stupid. It just so happened I was fully aware that I am completely incapable of performing various physical tasks that, ten years ago, were no big deal. I’m not terribly out of shape, but I am nowhere near the condition I was in while playing two sports and generally being consistently active. Now, I sit at a desk for 7.5 or more hours a day, work out for maybe an hour 4 times a week, and do fair amount of beer drinking and TV watching.
In any event, this past weekend, the football team was down a girl. At 7:30am on Sunday my roommate knocked on my bedroom door and asked if I would play. I was awake, but not in the it’s-time-to-get-out-of-bed awake, more in the i-woke-up-early-and-am-going-back-to-sleep-for-ten-more-hours kind of awake. I did not particularly want to get out of bed, but I did because I am an incredibly awesome person.
I am not good at flag football. I can’t catch, I play mediocre defense, and the only thing I could contribute was getting in the way. Although I was terrible, I was still running around for about two hours. Just getting out of the car when we got home was a miserable undertaking. My legs had seized up and my Achilles felt like they were three times their normal size and would crack if I bent my ankles. Nothing a long, hot shower and 12 ibuprofen wouldn’t fix, right? Sure, temporarily.
Which brings us to: This Morning. I reached my arm out to hit snooze on my alarm – or, I should say, I attempted to reach because every muscle in my body was screaming in protest and would not obey orders. In order to be vertical, I had to roll onto my stomach, push my legs off the bed and roll out until I was sort of kneeling, and then use the bed to push myself upwards. I don’t even want to talk about what it was like going to the bathroom. (THERE ARE A LOT OF MUSCLES INVOLVED IN PULLING DOWN YOUR PANTS AND SITTING DOWN, OK??)
But, holy shit! I am NOT THAT OLD. I’m not even 30. I consider myself to be in pretty good working order. Is this what it’s going to be like as I get older? One overzealous workout and I fall apart? I feel like I’m freaking 75. I can barely get out of my chair without groaning, let alone walk down the hall, and about ten minutes ago I took the elevator down one floor because the idea of walking down a flight of stairs right now makes me sweat just thinking about it. I’m sure it doesn’t help that I’m immobile, sitting in front of a computer, for 90% of the day, but seriously, what the fuck? And don’t tell me this is an isolated incident, because I did an ab workout on Thursday and it still hurts to cough/laugh/sneeze/take a shit (TMI??). I give up.
BRB I’m going to be on permanent bed-rest. Until someone buys me a really cool cane (read: one with a sword).