Nick is a soccer star

Nick is a soccer star, a photo by SkipGienapp on Flickr.

The boys are playing Upward soccer this year, and seem to be enjoying it. It's a great way to learn basic athletic skills and sportsmanship.

Why I chose Perkstreet Financial

I'm certainly not the first person that has begun to see the value in cloud computing and online banking, and there are certainly many, well established personal finance websites and blogs available. But I thought it was worth putting down my own thoughts on the issue, if only for a resource to point back to for my friends who might be interested.

A Little Background On Me

You could begin by reading about how I got into debt. Or you could fast-forward to the Spring of 2008. I found Dave Ramsey and his message immediately struck a chord with me. I had heard his name before, seen his book, and had actually seen him live AND had an autographed copy of his book, but had never really paid attention to what he was saying. Meantime I had a self-imposed deadline of getting out of debt by the year I was 40. I turned 40 in December of 2007, and it hadn't happened yet. In the spring of 2008, I rediscovered Dave Ramsey, and began listening to his radio show.

Much has already been written about Ramsey and his methods, and I don't intend to re-write all of it. But I began to see that my former ideas were all wrong, and that it was possible to get out of, and stay out of, debt. I really began to examine everything that my wife and I were doing, and what are goals were for our family.

I don't mind telling you that I became a Ramsey fanatic, hanging on his every word. Everything he was saying was making sense, and I needed a clear direction. I needed motivation, I need inspiration. I began to learn about the proper ways of thinking about and handling money.

I was listening to all three hours of Ramsey's radio show every day. Ramsey single-handedly led me to several financial repairs. Each of them could be an individual blog post.. but for now.

1) We got on a written budget. Outlined by Ramsey

2) We used Churchill Mortgage to refinance our house. Endorsed by Ramsey

3) We used US Legal Forms to establish a will and start an estate plan. Endorsed by Ramsey

4) We used Zander Insurance to shop for term life insurance. Endorsed by Ramsey

5) We created an emergency fund.

6) Most recently, we established an online-only checking account with PerkStreet Financial.

Why an online bank?

I understand that not everyone would be so quick to jump on a bandwagon as whole-heartedly as I seem to have. Admittedly, if Dave Ramsey told me to jump off a bridge I'd have to give it a least a moment of serious consideration before politely refusing- but I don't think I'm in any danger of that happening. The thing is- he hasn't been wrong yet. I have yet to be disappointed by any suggestion he has made, or any service he has steered me to. I fully expected a quality experience from Perkstreet and I wasn't disappointed with them either.

I had already begun the move to online banking- I mean who has time to go to the bank to wait in line anyway? The drive-thru window at lunch? 6 p.m. on Friday evening? I spent most of my adult life in the every-week routine that we call banking. Plus- up until this year it wasn't always enjoyable. The thought of standing in line to deposit a check that i wasn't even going to see- usually being behind in covering bills- seemed akin to waiting at the dentist to have a cavity filled. Online banking was certainly a better way for me to manage time, and keep 24/7 track of our cash flow.

But once I was well in to the budgeting routine, and we had eliminated the last of our (mostly mine) credit card debt, something weird began to happen. I had some money left over. We had an emergency fund. We had some traction, and I finally had money to manage. Now, what to do?

Perkstreet's Idea

It's perfectly simple. Create a familiar online banking environment without the overheard of a brick and mortar bank, and all of the accompanying staff. Have a beautiful, streamlined web experience. Use social media to connect with your customers. Offer free checking, with no minimum balance. Offer perks, like iTunes credit or Starbucks credit. Offer up to 5% or $600 back annually on balances over $5000.

Incidentally, I don't have $5000 in my Perkstreet account. While the offer of iTunes and Starbucks will have an appeal no matter what your saving or spending level is, to get the highest possible cash back you'll need to keep $5000 in the account. My understanding of it is this is how they can afford to offer no-fee checking and free music. Perkstreet makes it's money investing the capital- but this does not mean that this account is not for the little guy (me).

What's stopping you?

I'm very much of a financial nerd. I like adding money up. I like watching it grow. I like trying to figure out how to make more. I'm not so hot on the spending. On the other hand, I like iTunes. This is how Perkstreet hooked me. I was already banking online with my regular bank of over 25 years. I was no longer going in the brick and mortar locations- except on Saturday mornings to make deposits. I was already seamlessly transferring money between online accounts. I already had experience with PayPal as an online bank vehicle. And I was probably spending $4-5 every week on iTunes. If Perkstreet would offer (at a minimum) one free iTunes song for every $100 that i spent, the question was not "Is this a good deal" but rather, "how can I spend what I normally spend" and be earning all the free songs for just doing what I was already doing?

While you are issued a pin number for ATM's, and a checkbook, it is the "non-pin" purchases that earn the awards. So instead of sliding my regular check card at the Burger King, movie theater, I use the Perkstreet debit card. For regular recurring purchases, such as Netflix, Audible, and my Dave Ramsey subscription, I use the Perkstreet card. This is money I was already spending any way. In addition, there are monthly "Power Perks" at various retail locations on a rotating or special basis.

My wife and I used the Perkstreet account to manage our Christmas budget. We opened the account and put all the money that we were going to spend on Christmas in that account, and earned perks on all of that regular shopping. We have a recurring transfer to that account every week, so that we'll have already saved our Christmas money before we get to Thanksgiving 2011.

These are just a few easy ways to earn free iTunes or Starbucks. But I have found that Perkstreet Financial is different from my traditional bank in another way. They seem to be pretty accessible. I'm a huge Twitter fan and so I quickly followed @perkstreet and discovered that connecting with their customers happens day and night. I don't think this is the sort of thing you could expect from your traditional bank.

All of this is why I'm glad I chose Perkstreet. And I believe that their view of how to handle money, and achieve financial success, lines right up with my own.

I have added the Perkstreet Financial Blog to my daily reading list.

Mac Powell Family Testimony

Mac Powell, vocalist for Christian Band Third Day talks about his adoption through Bethany Christian Services..

My own two adopted sons got to meet Mac and the guys at the Riverbend Festival last summer. It was their first rock show!

What the heck am I blogging?

I must not have anything worthwhile to say. It's also possible that my so-called spare time is dominated by trying to keep up with all of my other Internet channels. I'm drawn to Twitter I think because I like the challenge of being pithy or informative or humorous within the 140 character limit. The blog was originally intended to SEE if I had anything to say... more of a "If you build it, they will read" idea, a creative outlet for any muse that happened along. A few things have captured my interest for a short time- like my whole mini-series where I attempted to reverse-scam the 419 scammers. And then I tried it again.

In an attempt to prove I could produce, meaningful, heartwarming content I wrote about the adoption of our two sons. The blog took a decidedly parental tone after that because I realized that people would rather read about personal, emotional, and spiritual things than random posts about me playing online poker or stuff plagiarized from other sites, etc etc.

To quote a movie that was VERY important to me in the early 90's-
"What's the blog about?"
Does it have to be about ANYthing? It's more of a vehicle for me than you. If I can make you laugh or think... that's good enough.

VisualEconomics.com Best Infographics of 2010

VisualEconomics.com Best Infographics of 2010: "

(LINK TO FULL INFOGRAPHICS BELOW)

Food Consumption in America

The average American consumes a LOT of food and beverage over the course of a year. Just how much, you ask?

How The Average American Uses Energy

In the United States, we take light switches and electrical sockets for granted.

But how many of us know how much electricity we’re using throughout the day, the week, or even the year?

Or even where it comes from?

Cost & Effects of The BP Oil Spill

This is a visual representation of just how much the spill was costing BP (and the rest of the world), in May 2010.

Choosing a Certificate of Deposit (CD) vs. a Savings Account

There are several key factors to take into consideration when deciding between a certificate of deposit (CD) vs. a savings account.

There are also a number of different types of CDs to choose from, depending on what the customer’s specific needs for the money will be.

How Much The Average American Spends on Entertainment

It’s no secret that America loves its entertainment, from movies to music to video games. Just how much do they spend on these things every year?

The Republic of Facebook

It’s impossible to ignore the immensity of Facebook, its users, and how much money is involved with it.

Here’s a look at some if its statistics, and how Facebook would look as its own independent economy.

How Much Does It Really Cost to Raise a Kid?

Just how expensive is it to raise a child? The answer is shocking!

How The World Spends Its Time Online

Millions of people across the world are constantly connected by the internet. Here’s a look at what everybody’s doing when they’re in front of their computer screen.

What BP Could Have Bought With All the Money They Lost

Obviously BP has lost a lot of money on their whole oil spill fiasco, but here’s a different perspective on just how much money that is.

Healthcare Costs Around the World

The United States spends more on healthcare than any other country in the world, but has high rates of infant mortality, diabetes and other ills than many other developed countries.

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