by Libby Balke | Debt Free Living
I assume you’ve heard the phrase, “House Rich, Cash Poor.” It refers to the idea that someone’s overstepped their family’s finances when it comes to purchasing a home, meaning a lot of money is tied up in real estate and leaving them...
by Libby Balke | Debt Free Living
A while ago, I told you about my dumbest investment decision ever – now, I’m going to open the vault of stupidity and tell you about my worst debt decision ever. After all, what better place to talk about dumb money moves than on a blog that’s about...
by Libby Balke | Debt Free Living, Maximize Career
For the past two years, my husband and I have lived on a gross income of less than $50,000 – and while we were never part of the “entitled” 47% of Americans who didn’t pay income tax (our effective tax rates during those two years averaged out...
by Libby Balke | Debt Free Living
My husband grew up, quite literally, in a one-horse town. Technically, his town had hundreds of horses, thanks to a horse farm located within its city limits; it did, however, have just one traffic light – a blinking red one at the intersection of two rural...
by Libby Balke | Debt Free Living
This spring marks eight years since I graduated from college – a pricy, private institution – and embarked on my professional career. Eight years since I started earning a paycheck. Eight years since I became financially independent. And, unfortunately,...
by Libby Balke | Debt Free Living
I’ve never carried a balance on my credit card. I paid off my undergraduate student loans in a mere five years. I bought my first new car – a 2008 Hyundai Sonata – with cold, hard cash, spurning the high-interest car loan offered to me by the dealer....