Sunday, January 29, 2012

Unity




Unity


By Keith Bunn Jr.
January 29, 2012



Most of us know the movie 300 that came out in 2006. Whether you know it or not, and perhaps it didn’t happen quite like it did in the movie, but that battle really happened. At Thermopylae (Hot Gates) in 480 BC, 300 Spartans held off the invading Persian army, well over a hundred thousand strong for 3 days. So how did the Spartans do that? Where the Spartans stronger? Overall, perhaps not. Where the Spartans smarter? They were to the point that they knew their land and they knew that Thermopylae was the best place to hold off the invading Persians, but other than that, no. Was it their training and/or equipment that allowed them to hold off so many? Maybe to a small degree, but doubtful.
No, in my opinion, the key factor the Spartans lasted so long against massive odds is because they were united. Every man moved, attacked, and defended as one unit. There was nothing the invading army could do even though they outnumbered the Spartans about 1,000 to 1. The same unity that helped the Spartans so many years ago can and has been used in the family setting when it comes to your family’s finances. If you and your family are united in any cause, there is nothing you can’t accomplish. I’m not saying that things will be easy, but things will go much smoother when your family moves as a unified front. Everyone has to be on board or your efforts will almost certainly fail. There is no way anyone in your household can out earn the others over spending.
As with all my blog posts, and social media posts, I welcome any comments and feed back on the topics I write about. It is the only way you and I will learn more about our selves and each other, so ask away!



 But the LORD came down to look at the city and the tower the people were building. "Look!" he said. "The people are united, and they all speak the same language. After this, nothing they set out to do will be impossible for them!” - Genesis 11:5-6 NLT-


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Sunday, January 22, 2012

4 Cylinder Engine



4 Cylinder Engine

By Keith Bunn Jr.
January 22, 2012


Some time ago, I heard a wise man say that we are all like a 4 cylinder engine. Now for those of you that don’t know anything about engines, all 4 cylinders in those engines need to work in order for the engine to work properly. It will spit and sputter and have a lack of power if all 4 of those cylinders are not firing or working right.
What I mean by that we are all like those engines is that there are 4 components in our lives that make up who we are.

1)     Physical.
2)     Intellectual.
3)     Emotional.
4)     Spiritual.

Now I can go on and on about all 4 of these components, but that would make an incredibly long blog which I’m sure you would not want to read. But I do want to go over one of them, the Physical.  
As some of you may or may not know, last December, I had to be taken into the hospital because of a kidney stone. For those of you who have never had one you are not missing out! I wouldn’t wish that kind of pain on anyone.
I could not pass the stone by myself so I have to have surgery to remove it. To make a long story short, I am pain free and doing great. But I have to admit, as turned 40, five years ago, I’ve noticed that I just don’t have the energy I used to have even when I was 30. I just chalked it up to that I was just getting older and that’s just how life is. But as I have thought about what happened to me last December and the 4 components listed above. I’ve realized that I’ve already been working on the other 3 components but I haven’t been working on the physical one.
I don’t know about you, but I can remember being in my late 20’s and being in the army, I would hate having to do P.T. (Physical Training) and run miles almost every day.  But after taking my shower, getting something to eat and then leave for work, I would notice that I felt great! I had all kinds of energy, I was slimmer, etc…
The trouble is, having 2 knee surgeries on top of loving food; I stopped doing physical activities which caused me to gain tons of weight. I would just sit in my recliner, watch TV and eat an entire bag of Doritos. That’s doing nothing but hurting me. So I have cut out all pop (soda for some of you), I have already cut out alcohol drinking years ago and Julie and I have already looked into a nutrition program so we can lose some weight and feel better.
I guess what I’m saying is, we all just have one body. What we do with it will determine how well it works for us, which not only affects our family and friends lives but also affects our financial lives. The number one cause of bankruptcy in this country is because of medical bills. Even if by some chance you do create some wealth, you could spend it all on trying to get your health back if you don’t treat yourself right. Stay healthy my friends!
As with all my blog posts, and social media posts, I welcome any comments and feed back on the topics I write about. It is the only way you and I will learn more about our selves and each other, so ask away!


“Morning is nature's way of saying: "Live life one more time, make a difference, touch one heart, encourage one mind and inspire one soul." – Unknown –


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Wednesday, January 18, 2012

I need to ask you for a favor.

Hi everyone,
I need to ask you for a favor. I need some feedback from you about how I’m doing with the content I’m posting on Facebook, Twitter, & my blog.
I need your total honesty. If you like what I’m posting or if you absolutely hate it, I need to know. It is only from this feedback, I will know how I’m doing. So drop me a note & let me know at cavuscoaching@gmail.com.
Thank you!

Sunday, January 15, 2012

Are Pre-Nups Good or Bad



Are Pre-Nups Good or Bad

By Keith Bunn Jr.
January 15, 2012




When I was younger, I always thought a pre-nup was a good idea. I mean if you ever got a divorce, you didn’t lose your tail. But as I got older and learned more about this money stuff and how it affects relationships, it looks more and more like it’s not such a good idea. Now before I go any further, you should know that I have been through a divorce and it was no walk in the park. So I know that pain and I don’t wish it on anyone.
But the way I think about it now, it seems to me that if you get a pre-nup, it is like you are already planning your divorce before you are even married. Now there is only one time I would consider or advise someone to get a pre-nup and that is if you have a million dollar or more net worth, only because having that much money attracts crazy people. It may not be your fiancée who is the crazy one. It maybe be one of there family members and you have to protect yourself against that.
Now if you are on the other end of a pre-nup, make sure your fiancée doesn’t want one because they love their money or belongings more than you. If that is the case, you may want to reconsider marring them. In any case, if a pre-nup is suggested, this is a good time to talk about it. Why do they want one? What are both of your concerns? etc…
Whether or not a pre-nup is suggested, I highly recommend you both get pre-marital counseling. Either through your church or anywhere else you are both comfortable with. Money, kids, in-laws, and religion are the top subjects’ couples fight about the most. So if you can agree on those topics, the chances of you getting a divorce are almost zero and then there would be no need for a pre-nup.
 As with all my blog posts, and social media posts, I welcome any comments and feed back on the topics I write about. It is the only way you and I will learn more about our selves and each other, so ask away!


‎"By wisdom a house is built, and through understanding it is established; through knowledge its rooms are filled with rare and beautiful treasures." - Proverbs 24:3-4 –

 

 

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Sunday, January 8, 2012

The Dreaded “B” Word… Budgets



The Dreaded “B” Word…
Budgets

By Keith Bunn Jr.
January 8, 2012


I know that one of the reasons why people don’t do a budget is because they think that they won’t be able to do anything if they do one. The truth is, most people who manage their money, know where every dollar is going, and they have more money to do stuff with. It is like time management. The more you manage your time, the more time you have. Your money is the same way. I can’t tell you how many times, while coordinating Dave Ramsey’s Financial Peace classes, people telling me that it seemed like they got a raise because they found extra money they didn’t know they had just because they did a budget.
Another reason why people don’t do a budget is because of fear. They are afraid of the big pile of bills that just keep getting bigger and bigger. If you have a big pile of bills that you have been ignoring for some time, more than likely you have multiple copies of the same bill. All you really need is the most current one and the rest can be thrown out.
Whatever the reason you haven’t done a budget, you really need to do one and they are really not hard to do. The hardest part is sticking to it. The simplest budget method is called the Zero Based budget. This means you write down your budget, spending your money on paper before each month begins. Income – Outgo = Zero. Believe it or not though, there is a wrong way of doing this. You need to prioritize what you’re going to be spending your money on. It is unwise to pay on your credit cards, boats, camper, etc… and be behind on your house and/or car payments or utilities. I suggest you do what is called the Four Walls. The Four Wall are Food, Shelter, Utilities, Transportation & clothing. You have to do those four things first before you do anything else. This leaves you and your family in a much stronger position to fight another day.
After that, you can start on the Debt Snowball listing all your debts, except for your home, on paper from smallest to largest. You pay the minimum amounts you need to pay on your debts except for the smallest one and you scrape up extra money by selling stuff, extra jobs, or overtime and you throw it all at the smallest debt. Once that is paid off, you take all that extra cash you were putting on that smaller debt plus the minimum amount you were already spending on the next debt on your list and you throw it all on that next debt. You keep doing that as you work your way down your list until you are paying large amounts on your larger debts.
If you just follow these simple guidelines, you will be doing far better than most people in our culture, but as I said earlier, the hardest part of this whole budget thing is sticking to it. We are creatures of habit and it will be easy to get off track. But if you stick to it, the rewards will out weigh all the sacrifices you will have made to win with your money.
 As with all my blog posts, and social media posts, I welcome any comments and feed back on the topics I write about. It is the only way you and I will learn more about our selves and each other, so ask away!



“A budget is nothing more than telling your money where to go instead of wondering where it went.”
- John Maxwell -
   

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www.cavusfinancialcoaching.com , http://www.facebook.com/pages/Cavus-Financial-Coaching/120347681380181 , and https://twitter.com/#!/Cavuscoaching

Sunday, January 1, 2012

Parents, Kids, and Money



Parents, Kids, and Money

By Keith Bunn Jr.
January 1, 2012


I chose this subject because I have seen a trend in the younger generation that, in my opinion, is the parents fault. The parents of today, for the most part, had it pretty good when they were kids. It was around the time when the designer jeans and the Nike shoes came out, and if you didn’t have any of those, you weren’t “somebody”. As we got older, those “wants” and the need to “look good” in other peoples’ eyes got bigger. It has even gotten to the point where we have past the belief on down to our children, which is, if we don’t have the biggest and newest thing out there, then we’re not cool. You don’t believe me? Look at the lines outside the stores when a new Apple product comes out or a new gaming system. I don’t see any old people in those lines.
Then when families across the nation started to feel the economic crunch during this recession, some of our children started to display signs of entitlement. That they deserved to have the things that they had before and that is just not true. Why do you think the credit card companies do what is called “Kiddy Branding”. Where they help fund products like Cool Shopping Barbie (which is off the market now) and games like Life and Monopoly that now have versions of using credit cards to play the games where in the past it was cash. This goes even further; teens turning 18 or going into college are their number one targets. As proof, my step-son started to get credit card offers as soon as he turned 18.
 As parents, we need to protect our children from these types of predators and they are predators. We need to teach our kids that it is who they are, what their character and values are that matters, and not some article of clothing, gadget, or what someone they don’t even know may think of them. We need to teach them that money is finite. We will only get so much of it in our lifetime and the only way to get more than others is to manage it better, which means, live with in your means and don’t go into debt. I like the 10, 10, 80 method when it comes to our gross household finances. 10% for tithing/giving, 10% into savings, & 80% to live off of. If you did just that, you’d be doing far better that most people in this country. This is the kind of stuff we need to be teaching our kids and obviously the younger they are when we start teaching them the better. Because let me tell you what could happen if we don’t teach them. When they get older, old enough to be out on their own, they will not be able to handle the pressure of living out on their own and get into a ton of debt, or they will become so dependent on you, the parents, that they will never leave home. In either case, in my opinion, this is abuse by the parents by not teaching them how to become productive citizens.     
I know that I’ve probably stepped on some people’s toes by telling them what they should be teaching their kids, but if we as parents don’t do it, who will?
 As with all my blog posts, and social media posts, I welcome any comments and feed back on the topics I write about. It is the only way you and I will learn more about ourselves and each other, so ask away!



“Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not turn from it.” - Proverbs 22:6 -


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