Paychecks & Balances

After the initial excitement of a new job opportunity wears off, a listener begins to wonder if this move was the right move after she is confronted with an unfortunate reality check underneath the surface. It turns out things are a little bit different behind the scenes than what was presented during the interview. She asks, should I stay long term? Her question is below. Have a career or debt management question of your own? Contact Us! I started a new job recently. I was made aware there was a restructuring prior to my hire, however I did not realize how many people it impacted. Now that I've started the job it seems like a bigger deal than I realized. My direct report was one of the people who was laid off with 30 days notice. In those 30 days most (not sure if everyone) who were laid off were given a new job in the restructure. From my understanding the sales team was not rehired, and we now have a very small outside sales team. I realize that I could have potentially probed a bit more during the interview process regarding the restructure. But, I feel blindsided by some of the other things and the current climate in the office. It has made me feel like I potentially made the wrong move of working here. I don't plan on jumping ship, but would this be the type of situation that would warrant leaving after a year? Announcements: Marcus' book, Debt-Free or Die Trying, is out! Get your copy today on Amazon! Looking for more career development and debt freedom tips? Join our email list at PaychecksandBalances.com/email for exclusive content including show updates, digital giveaways, and more. We don’t spam. We just keeps it real. Yes, keeps. LIKE us on Facebook.com/PaychecksandBalances or follow us on Twitter @PayBalances!

Marcus has an epiphany: "You can spend less money than you make or make more money than you spend." What does that even mean?!!? Well, in the game of Paychecks & Balances you can work harder or you can work smarter. In this week's Money Minute we discuss why most people are more interested in how they can make more money versus cut back on where they spend. Why? Because cutting back on the lifestyle we've become accustomed to sucks! We get it! But, keeping it really reals? It might be easier to save money than make more money. On this week's Main Segment, we highlight an article from Quartz about why you shouldn't rush to quit your day job to pursue your dreams, as told by someone who quit their day job to pursue their dreams. So if happiness isn't found at the 9 to 5 and happiness isn't found in pursuing your dreams...where does happiness hide? We're glad you asked. That's why we spend the second half of the show discussing how to locate the sweet spot between your dreams, hobbies, day job while still making a livable income. Announcements: Look for us at #FINCON16! Debt Free or Die Trying is now available in stores and DebtFreeOrDieTrying.com is live. Be sure to check them both out. See what we did there? We’re happy to announce that we’ve been featured on iTunes and have been as high as #19 in the Business category! Be sure to check it out. You can also helps us reach an even larger audience by leaving us a five star review. Thank you all for the continued love and support!! Looking for more career development and debt freedom tips? Join our email list at PaychecksandBalances.com/email for exclusive content including show updates, digital giveaways, and more. We don’t spam. We just keeps it real. Yes, keeps. LIKE us on Facebook.com/PaychecksandBalances or follow us on Twitter @PayBalances!

It's hard to believe it. Marcus' book -- yes, the one he has been talking about for over 3 years -- is finally available in stores in paperback and as an eBook. Visit paychecksandbalances.com/DebtFree to buy the book and learn more helpful tips for beginning your journey towards debt freedom. On this episode, Marcus talks about the motivation for writing the book (all thanks and shout-outs to the listeners for the support). On a more reflective tone, the Money Minute segment covers the pros and cons of writing a book about being debt free. This debt freedom journey has included many supporters, a fair share of naysayers and who can forget, the haters. Fortunately, the chorus of support has far out-sung the whispers of negativity. The moral of the story? Not everyone is meant to support your journey or hear your voice. Focus your energy on the group that's ready to help, listen, and make you a better person. We've found our motivation through you. Bless up! So what's next for us? Wait...we thought this was the end of the journey. Make a funformative podcast. Release the book. Netflix and chill time, right? WRONG! It's time we embrace the hustle hard system, no Rick Ross, as Paychecks & Balances had its best month in August 2016! This has motivated us even more. You deserve the best so we'll continue to get better. We look forward to continuing to bringing you great content that helps raise your paychecks and lower your balances. We'll also remember how we got here -- and maybe even try not to forget where we came from? So, if you're a listener and you have a question or want a topic covered, don't hesitate to contact us. Remember, you ask the questions, we find the answers. Announcements: Look for us at #FINCON16! Debt Free or Die Trying, the book, is in stores and DebtFreeOrDieTrying.com is live. Be sure to check them both out. See what we did there? We’re happy to announce that we’ve been featured on iTunes and have been as high as #19 in the Business category! Be sure to check it out. You can also helps us reach an even larger audience by leaving us a five star review. Thank you all for the continued love and support!! Looking for more career development and debt freedom tips? Join our email list at PaychecksandBalances.com/email for exclusive content including show updates, digital giveaways, and more. We don’t spam. We just keeps it real. Yes, keeps. LIKE us on Facebook.com/PaychecksandBalances or follow us on Twitter @PayBalances!

Negotiation is one of the most important skills you can learn. On this episode, we talk to Kwame Christian, the Managing Partner of the American Negotiation Institute. We chat with him about his decision to go to law school, how he got into negotiation as a profession, some great tips on negotiating in situations you'll likely encounter, and a few of our previous negotiation blunders. This is a must-listen episode. A significant number of gems are dropped! Be sure to check out Kwame's podcast, Negotiation for Entrepreneurs, where he just finished up a great mini-series on negotiating with a car dealership. You should also add him on LinkedIn. Announcements: We’re happy to announce that we’ve been featured on iTunes and have been as high as #19 in the Business category! Be sure to check it out. You can also helps us reach an even larger audience by leaving us a five star review. Thank you all for the continued love and support!! Looking for more career development and debt freedom tips? Join our email list at PaychecksandBalances.com/email for exclusive content including show updates, digital giveaways, and more. We don’t spam. We just keeps it real. Yes, keeps. LIKE us on Facebook.com/PaychecksandBalances or follow us on Twitter @PayBalances!

We received two great debt-related questions this week. A listener recommends the "snowball" treatment, and another listener ask please help "fix my debt." We're always happy to answer the questions, you ask and we research! Excuse the link-overload, but it's important we provide you with all the tools you need. Check out this week's show if you have a question about the first steps to managing your debt or email us your specific career and debt management questions if you want us to consider answering on a live show! Listener Recommends: Wassup fellas, long time listener, love the show. You guys always talk about paying off debt and that's motivated me to tackle my credit card debt. I was on my company's benefits site and under financial resources they had a credit card debt payoff calculator. And basically this calculator tells you to put in your credit card balances and the interest rate and also how much extra you want to put towards paying off your debt each month. It then calculates how long it will take you to pay off the debt with the extra money versus if you just pay the minimum payments (which they assume is 3% of the balance). They then create a payment plan using the avalanche method of tackling the highest interest rate cards first and show you how much to pay on each card for how many months (you always pay at least the minimum) and then once you get a card paid off you put that payment to another card. So for example, if you're paying $300 in CC payments each month and you want to pay another $50 they allocate that $350 across the cards until all the debt is paid off. Does this make sense? Listener QA: So I want to get out of credit card debt by my 26th birthday next year in May. I have 11,464.51 at 18% APR and 1,848.43 at 0% till October after that it's 17% APR. After taxes I take home $3200. I'm just not sure where to start. Any suggestions are greatly appreciated. Helpful links and sources for this week's QA responses: We cover how to make a budget in less than 15 minutes on Paychecks and Balances episode, Where'd My Money Go? If you want to automate your budget, Rich and Marcus discuss the apps we use as well as a budget app a listener recommends on QA 8. Need a FREE Debt Payment Calculator? We've recommend three you can choose from: BankRate Credit Only All Debt Management Calculators SimpleDollar NerdWallet Editor's Note: Registration required. Chase Bank Presents: The Big Difference 10 Little Dollars Can Make Announcements: We made a guest appearance on the award-winning Stacking Benjamin podcast. Be sure to give it a listen in iTunes or on their website, From Drowning to Debt Free. We’re happy to announce that we’ve been featured on iTunes and have been as high as #19 in the Business category! Be sure to check it out. You can also helps us reach an even larger audience by leaving us a five star review. Thank you all for the continued love and support!! Looking for more career development and debt freedom tips? Join our email list at PaychecksandBalances.com/email for exclusive content including show updates, digital giveaways, and more. We don’t spam. We just keeps it real. Yes, keeps. LIKE us on Facebook.com/PaychecksandBalances or follow us on Twitter @PayBalances! Have an anonymous question? Drop a question at ask.fm/PayBalances. Our only request: Please be respectful.

All cost of living aint equal. Don't we know it! This week a listener runs into a familiar problem: It's a great job opportunity, but it's not located in my current city of residence. How do I adjust for the cost of living changes? Well, there isn't an exact science to this question, but we discuss how the use of three reliable cost of living calculators (CNNMoney, Salary.com, BankRate) can help our listener determine the best estimate for their estimated cost of living adjustment. Tune in to hear: is a 30% pay increase ever too much? Have a career or debt management question of your own? Contact Us! I currently live in a part of the country where the cost of living is pretty moderate. I'm talking with an employer in CA about a job out there. I know the hiring manager personally, and he/she is great. The job itself is also a great opportunity. The problem is, considering the 10% pay increase I'll be getting at my current job for 2017 and the increase in housing costs alone i'd see while moving from here to CA, I'd need a 25% increase in comp, just to break even. So I would probably want to ask for a 30% increase , with the intent of accepting at 25% if they push back. I think the reasoning above makes sense, but is it reasonable to request a 30% (or even 25%) increase at the new company? I don't want to start salary negotiations off on the wrong foot by going in there with a number that will turn off the employer. Announcements: We made a guest appearance on the award-winning Stacking Benjamin podcast. Be sure to give it a listen in iTunes or on their website, From Drowning to Debt Free. We’re happy to announce that we’ve been featured on iTunes and have been as high as #19 in the Business category! Be sure to check it out. You can also helps us reach an even larger audience by leaving us a five star review. Thank you all for the continued love and support!! Looking for more career development and debt freedom tips? Join our email list at PaychecksandBalances.com/email for exclusive content including show updates, digital giveaways, and more. We don’t spam. We just keeps it real. Yes, keeps. LIKE us on Facebook.com/PaychecksandBalances or follow us on Twitter @PayBalances! Have an anonymous question? Drop a question at ask.fm/PayBalances. Our only request: Please be respectful.

THE REVOLUTION WILL NOT BE TELEVISED! WIM was finally released from protective custody this week, and in a double secret probation reveal, he is un-trapped from the closet as he discusses both the title of his new book (now available in eBook for Amazon Kindle) and his government name, and that's just the first five minutes of this week's show! On topics you actually care about, this week's Money Minute covers a few easy changes you can make to save over $4,500 a year. For example, did you know if you pay over $200 for cable, you're paying more than $2,400 a year and you spent over $12,000 in the last five years? Damn Daniel, back at it again with the cable vans? And that's just one bill we discuss. Imagine how much money you could save if you focused on cutting back in the top 3 most expensive bills for the Average American Family? That's why this week's show focuses on where the average person is spending their money and how you can make some simple (and temporary) cutbacks to save thousands over the next 12 months. After all, $287,000 is the new $100,000. It might be time for you to consider some "lifestyle deflation". But, it's not all bad news! Our Main Segment talks about why Millennials do it better (than Baby Boomers, anyway)! Announcements: We’re happy to announce that we’ve been featured on iTunes in the ‘Black Voices in Business’ podcasts. Be sure to check it out. You can also helps us reach an even larger audience by leaving us a five star review. Thank you all for the continued love and support! Looking for more career development and debt freedom tips? Join our email list at PaychecksandBalances.com/email for exclusive content including show updates, digital giveaways, and more. We don’t spam. We just keeps it real. Yes, keeps. LIKE us on Facebook.com/PaychecksandBalances or follow us on Twitter @PayBalances! Have an anonymous question? Drop a question at ask.fm/PayBalances. Our only request: Please be respectful.

It's the question you hate to ask but may inevitably face: When Should I Leave My Job? This week, a listener wonder just that when a promising opportunity arises even though they weren't even looking to leave their current job. I've currently been with my employer for 2 years, and I'm really content with where I am currently at my employer. Recently I've been contacted by a recruiter. We discussed some information, and I basically told him I'm happy where I am but if the ideal position opened up I'd be willing to take it. Well, he got me 2 interviews this coming week. I'm hesitant at taking them because I'm not really actively looking for a job change. Just wanted to put the feelers out there to see if I gauge any interest. See what's new in the industry and what not. So my question to you is how do you know when it's time to move on from a company? Announcements: We’re happy to announce that we’ve been featured on iTunes in the ‘Black Voices in Business’ podcasts. Be sure to check it out. You can also helps us reach an even larger audience by leaving us a five star review. Thank you all for the continued love and support! Looking for more career development and debt freedom tips? Join our email list at PaychecksandBalances.com/email for exclusive content including show updates, digital giveaways, and more. We don’t spam. We just keeps it real. Yes, keeps. LIKE us on Facebook.com/PaychecksandBalances or follow us on Twitter @PayBalances! Have an anonymous question? Drop a question at ask.fm/PayBalances. Our only request: Please be respectful.

Optimist, Skeptics, and Cynics: which one are you? Fancy yourself a "Realist"? We discuss the three types and why it's ok to occupy two of these groups, but not the third. This week's motivational quote? “People who say it cannot be done should not interrupt those who are doing it." - George Bernard Shaw. In this week's Main Topic, we discuss five top ways to make yourself indispensable at work using Inc's 12 Simple Steps. Tips include but are not limited to: why your word is your bond; establishing yourself as someone people are comfortable and want to reach out to; staying positive; and how you can learn more later by being more now. Announcements: We’re happy to announce that we’ve been featured on iTunes in the ‘Black Voices in Business’ podcasts. Be sure to check it out. You can also helps us reach an even larger audience by leaving us a five star review. Thank you all for the continued love and support! Looking for more career development and debt freedom tips? Join our email list at PaychecksandBalances.com/email for exclusive content including show updates, digital giveaways, and more. We don’t spam. We just keeps it real. Yes, keeps. LIKE us on Facebook.com/PaychecksandBalances or follow us on Twitter @PayBalances! Have an anonymous question? Drop a question at ask.fm/PayBalances. Our only request: Please be respectful.

CASH ONLY! Are you living a cash only lifestyle? With help from MoneyQandA.com we discuss the pros and cons of leaving credit behind for the almighty dollar, dollar bill, yall. It's not easy, but it can be done. But, is the cash only life for you? We talk about the benefits of using cash over credit and how "the envelop system" might help you jump start your journey towards debt freedom. Later in this episode, Rich discusses how dividing his money in separate bank accounts for life's many expenses has actually helped him better manage his many money management goals. Announcements: We’re happy to announce that we’ve been featured on iTunes in the ‘Black Voices in Business’ podcasts. Be sure to check it out. You can also helps us reach an even larger audience by leaving us a five star review. Thank you all for the continued love and support! Looking for more career development and debt freedom tips? Join our email list at PaychecksandBalances.com/email for exclusive content including show updates, digital giveaways, and more. We don’t spam. We just keeps it real. Yes, keeps. LIKE us on Facebook.com/PaychecksandBalances or follow us on Twitter @PayBalances! Have an anonymous question? Drop a question at ask.fm/PayBalances. Our only request: Please be respectful.

On this week's Paychecks And Balances 'Money Minute' we discover some easy ways to find money that's literally laying around your house. The average American has $100 in unused gift cards. Are you one of them? Pretty sure you've spent all your gift cards? Ok. What about unused credit card points? Each year, we lose out on over $150+ million in unused credit card points. Redeem Yourself! Um, yeah, that will make more sense if you listen to the show. In this week's In the Trenches segment, we talk "The Point of Disappointment" and why you should fail hard, fail fast, then move on and learn from your mistakes. Don't let disappointment be your stopping point, it's just another point in the road to success. Learn. Apply. Repeat. Improve. Move on! Your road to success it out there. You just have to find out and we'll show you how. Announcements: We're happy to announce that we're featured on iTunes this week in the 'Black Voices in Business' podcasts. Be sure to check it out. You can also helps us reach an even larger audience by leaving us a five star review. Thank you all for the continued love and support! Looking for more career development and debt freedom tips? Join our email list at PaychecksandBalances.com/email for exclusive content including show updates, digital giveaways, and more. We don’t spam. We just keeps it real. Yes, keeps. LIKE us on Facebook.com/PaychecksandBalances or follow us on Twitter @PayBalances! Have an anonymous question? Drop a question at ask.fm/PayBalances. Our only request: Please be respectful.

This week a Listener Recommendation for a new budgeting app and a question about retirement investments leads us to a lengthy discussion on budgeting wins and fails. How can you stay faithful in a room full of clothes?! Well, it isn't easy but someone's gotta do it, so it might as well be us (Millennials). Tune in to hear how Rich and WIM avoid buying big rims and 80 gold rings, most weeks. Anyway, I'm behind like one week but a really good app (far better than Mint IMHO) is Level. You link your account (s), tap transactions that are bills and it will automatically track your spending and let you know when you're overspending. It will also let you know how much to save a month, set up personal trackers for specific types of purchases like coffee or vacation and it will automatically track the transactions as you go. It was helpful when I needed to figure out where to cut back in order to pay off a credit card. Really intuitive and simple. One last thing, are you guys ever going to talk about investing as a means to saving/accumulating wealth for retirement or anything really. Announcements: Looking for more career development and debt freedom tips? Join our email list at PaychecksandBalances.com/email for exclusive content including show updates, digital giveaways, and more. We don’t spam. We just keeps it real. Yes, keeps. LIKE us on Facebook.com/PaychecksandBalances or follow us on Twitter @PayBalances! Have an anonymous question? Drop a question at ask.fm/PayBalances. Our only request: Please be respectful.

This week we introduce a new segment: "The Money Minute." On our first Money Minute we introduce NerdWallet's 2015 AMERICAN HOUSEHOLD CREDIT CARD DEBT STUDY, which uses survey data to measure the average American's household debt from credit cards to mortgagees and everything in between. What's the average American's debt load for 2016, you wonder? We answer: the average U.S. household was carrying $204,992 in mortgages, credit cards, and student loans on a median household income of $55,192! We implore you to be better than average and on upcoming shows we'll begin covering tips for: 1) how to separate yourself from the average debt holder by first recognizing the problem; 2) designing a budget in less than 15-minutes, and 3) how to develop a debt management strategy you can actually stick to by dividing your good versus your bad debt. As an added bonus, we cover two listener questions for making a mid-career change, including tips for defining your personal values and how you can use those values to personally tailor your job search. Announcements: Looking for more career development and debt freedom tips? Join our email list at PaychecksandBalances.com/email for exclusive content including show updates, digital giveaways, and more. We don’t spam. We just keeps it real. Yes, keeps. LIKE us on Facebook.com/PaychecksandBalances or follow us on Twitter @PayBalances! Have an anonymous question? Drop a question at ask.fm/PayBalances. Our only request: Please be respectful.

This week, Rich recounts his experience and lessons from the most recent Podcast Movement 2016 in Chicago. It was a great opportunity for Rich to represent PayChecksAndBalances and connect with some listeners, followers, and talented content creators in the podcasting field. Thanks to everyone who showed support during the visit or connected with us in person! So, what's the next next conference in store for #PayBal -- #FinCon 2016??? TBD!!! Sticking to why we started the podcast -- Career Advice and Debt Management Tips -- Rich shares an app that he has been using for less than two months but that has already helped him save over $500! Want to learn more? Click here: paychecksandbalances.com/digit! To wrap-up the show, we follow-up on our most recent poll results: "Are '5 year plans' still relevant for millennials?" Survey says: NAH! But, lucky for you, we do have some advice on how to turn an un-reasonable 5-year plan into a millennial friendly 90-day plan that has already given us a proven track record for success and results you can actually measure and adjust in real-time. Announcements: Looking for more career development and debt freedom tips? Join our email list at PaychecksandBalances.com/email for exclusive content including show updates, digital giveaways, and more. We don’t spam. We just keeps it real. Yes, keeps. LIKE us on Facebook.com/PaychecksandBalances or follow us on Twitter @PayBalances! Have an anonymous question? Drop a question at ask.fm/PayBalances. Our only request: Please be respectful.

This week we're reminded about priorities: life vs. work. Adulting comes at you fast. Are Millennials destined to choose between work and life? Is the "work/life balance" a figment of our generation's imagination? We try to figure it all out on this week's episode. Also, are your friends killing your finances? We cover how to keep your friends from derailing you from the road to debt freedom and beyond. In an even more difficult scenario -- is your significant other killing your finances? We use an AskPolly: My Husband Can't Handle Money article to address how you can successfully discuss money and finances with your significant while minimizing the emotion and focusing on a goals-driven strategy that benefits both of your financial goals. Tune in! Announcements: Looking for more career development and debt freedom tips? Join our email list at PaychecksandBalances.com/email for exclusive content including show updates, digital giveaways, and more. We don’t spam. We just keeps it real. Yes, keeps. LIKE us on Facebook.com/PaychecksandBalances or follow us on Twitter @PayBalances! Have an anonymous question? Drop a question at ask.fm/PayBalances. Our only request: Please be respectful.