If you are one of the 775,000 Americans who woke up one morning last year and decided to open a business, this article might be for you.  According to the Small Business Association, there are over 30 million small businesses in the United States alone.  Each one of these businesses started with a plan in place (or hopefully) to be successful.  Unfortunately, about half of all small businesses fails within the first five years of operation.  After 10 years, only a third are still in business. Why the high failure rates?  Running a business is hard.  Most owners st ..read more

Today is my first post as a podcast and I’ve titled it the Centsible Wealth Success Podcast.  It’s enjoyable for me to interview friends and colleagues who are business-minded and have been able to create very successful businesses, particularly online.  Garland Sullivan and Max Abreu have built an incredible Amazon business from scratch and have taken challenges head-on while adapting to their ever-changing environment.  If you have considered building your own online business, I hope this provides some insight and encouragement to you.  Enjoy the interview below!  &n ..read more

“The stock market is a device for transferring money from the impatient people to the patient people.”  If you need to sit there for a minute or two to let that fully sink in before you move on, I encourage it.  If you understand this quote and follow the principle it teaches, your election market concerns will have less control over you. I didn’t come up with this quote, but I wish I did.  Warren Buffett said this a number of years ago and I’m not one to remember quotes, but this one stuck.  If you’re having trouble connecting the dots, let me explain further because it’s ..read more

With the rise in building materials for new houses, historically low interest rates, and an overall supply shortage, the demand for existing homes has increased significantly.  In June alone, 62% of Americans sold their homes in less than one month!  If you live in Wichita, Kansas, things haven’t been much different.  It’s a great time to be a seller! If you’re one of the over five million people in America who plan to buy a house this year, you need to maximize your sale value without robbing your bank account.  Home improvements are an excellent way to get a “SOLD” sign o ..read more

Sharing successes of friends and colleagues is something I’ve come to enjoy.  Moving forward, I plan to include success stories as part of my regular posting schedule.  Today’s article is with The Mommy Markdown founder, Lindsay Depperschmidt.  If you are wondering if she is indeed a success story, I’ve had to change the number of her members in my title above twice, in one day.      Lindsay originally grew up in Pennsylvania and moved to Wichita 5 years ago. She has a wonderful family and an incredible online business she built from scratch just over 12 mont ..read more

For many people, their 401(k) is their largest asset.  The decision involved in potentially rolling an old 401(k) plan to their own IRA is huge.  So, when I got this question from a reader, I jumped at the opportunity to share. Are there fees if I move the account?  Where would I move it?  What if I move the account and I do it wrong?  Will I be penalized or taxed?  Where do I even start? Let’s take a look. The Choices Okay, let’s make this as easy as possible.  You really only have four main choices when considering what to do with your 401(k) plan.  1 ..read more

I’m a huge sports fan.  I got a Little Tikes basketball hoop for Christmas when I was four years old and was hooked.  Up until I had my first child two years ago, I still played at the local YMCA every Tuesday morning.  Nobody told me my priorities would change after I had a kid.   There is one caveat to the “huge sports fan” statement made above.  Soccer is a sport I have never had an interest in watching or playing.  It has one ball and a team of players like most other sports, so why don’t I enjoy it?  I simply don’t understand the game.  The most bas ..read more

Time to ruffle some feathers!  If you know me, you know ruffling feathers is not something I do often.  However, I feel this is worth sharing.  Much like the opinion of who is the best basketball player in the world (Jordan or LeBron), your age is likely to determine whether or not you agree with student loan forgiveness.  If you’re over 35, you think Jordan is the best basketball player to ever play the game.  You also think student loans should not be forgiven.  If you’re under 35, you think LeBron is the best player in the world and student loans should be forg ..read more

If you just got married, you need an estate plan.  If you just had your first child, you need an estate plan.  If you lean down to put your socks on and your back says, “Don’t do that again,” you need an estate plan. Estate planning isn’t complicated, but it does take some thought and preparation.  Many people think having an “estate” means owning a vast green countryside with rolling hills.  In reality, an estate is all the money and property someone owns, regardless of the amount.   Estate planning is simply determining how this money and property is distributed ..read more

Need a little extra wiggle room in your budget each month?  After you’ve canceled that gym membership you bought as your New Year’s resolution five years ago to trim your waistline, cutting costs on your TV service might be the next best thing to get you back on track.   Cable and satellite TV providers have become increasingly expensive over the last several years, often running $100 - $200 a month.  Like anything else that skyrockets in price, people begin to look for alternatives.  In this case, the alternative is a streaming service.      Streaming S ..read more