Valerio Financial

  Have you ever made goals that you were excited to track but lost steam after a few weeks or months?  Well, 2021 is the year to stop with the "good intentions" and create goals that will keep you motivated throughout the year. Of course, there are many areas where you could and should set goals, but we will focus on financial goals for now. What are your 2021 Financial Goals?   Get out of debt? Build an emergency fund? Are you saving for a car, a home, college, or retirement? Or maybe you want to be more intentional with your spending, or create monthly budgets and tracking expenses consistently. Whatever your 2021 financial goals are, let's go through a step-by-step approach to creating goals that will work for you. First and foremost, take some time to reflect on 2020. Stay with me here, I know 2020 was a challenging year for many people, but the idea is to improve and to ensure that you are moving in the right direction, you have to reflect. Think about what work...

There is no doubt in my mind that Americans have had a long-standing love affair with motor vehicles.  There's no escaping it, from celebrities to commercials, and even songs that we hear on the radio, cars have become a trophy to most Americans. So let me ask you, do you see your car or the cars that others drive as a status symbol?  What exactly does it tell you?  In my opinion, nothing!  You see, just because someone drives an expensive car doesn't mean they are financially healthy.  In fact, it could mean quite the opposite, we just don't know.  So why do Americans tend to put so much value in the car they drive?  After all, they rapidly decrease in value and add no real value to your net worth.  In fact, it shouldn't be considered an investment, in my opinion.  So why are we so quick to come up with all the excuses to buy or own a particular vehicle?  I am not sure, but if you are reading this post, it is likely that getti...

Welcome back! All right, now its time to get busy!  Last time we discussed the steps to gather and determine what you owe, which was a critical step to getting started.  You have to know what you are dealing with so you can tackle it with gazelle intensity.  Now, let's take action and continue with the steps to get out of debt. Steps 6 - 10 of my 10 Steps to Get Out of Debt 6)  Breathe, I promise, you can do this. 7)  Starter Emergency Savings  -  before you start paying off debt, it is essential to save up or set aside an emergency fund.  Dave Ramsey suggests that you save $1,000, if you already have more than $1,000 in savings, use any savings above the $1,000 to pay down debt.  This will provide a buffer should you have a real emergency while trying to get out of debt. If you don't...