Money Plan SOS
214 episodes - English - Latest episode: over 3 years ago - ★★★★★ - 131 ratingsPay attention - not interest.
For most, that’s all it takes to get their money under control. That’s how Steve and his wife got out of debt completely - even the mortgage…and you can too!
Your host, Steve Stewart, shares his extreme-but-proven ways that money really works. The show isn’t just about making a Money Plan (aka: a budget). Steve also explains what’s really wrong with credit cards and credit scores (spoiler alert: It’s not what you think). You’ll also learn about rich habits, how various investing vehicles work, and how you can have no debt, no credit, and no problems!
The show is retired, but still relevant in today’s radically changing financial world. Begin with Episode 201, then go back and listen to the archives in your favorite podcast app!
Money Plan SOS is the response to the call for help with your finances.
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Episodes
10 Steps to Improve Attention and Cash Flow
May 15, 2014 08:00 - 17 minutes - 12.3 MB#154: It had been a hectic morning. I recorded two interviews before leaving for the airport but I made it to the terminal with plenty of time. About 100 passengers ahead of me were being rushed as their flights were affected by weather but I had plenty of time. No reason to panic - I've done this dozens of times: Print boarding pass Check a suitcase Head towards security Have ID and boarding pass ready Take out any liquids, aerosols or gels Take everything out of my pockets Place my shoes o...
Debt Snowball Methods, and The Secret Credit Card Companies Don't Want You To Know
May 01, 2014 05:07 - 16 minutes - 11.7 MB#153: 3 Debt Elimination Strategies that WORK! Any one of these debt elimination plans will work if you work the plan: Debt Snowball: Pay extra on the debt with the smallest balance. Debt Avalanche: Pay extra on the debt with the highest interest rate. Risk Reduction: Pay extra on the debt with the most risk. This could be back taxes or a loan from your mother (you don’t want to risk the relationship, do you?) Pros and cons: Debt Snowball: You pay more interest than the Debt Avalanche. H...
Interview with Rachel Cruze, author of Smart Money Smart Kids
April 17, 2014 12:00 - 27 minutes - 18.9 MB#152: Rachel Cruze is a speaker, debt-free evangelist, part-time co-host of the Dave Ramsey show, known for being the inspiration behind the book “Careless at the Carnival”, and is soon to be a NYTimes best selling author for a book to be released on April 22, 2014 - Smart Money Smart Kids. MoneyPlan SOS listeners wanted to know what she thought about these questions: Chris Pilon from Dadrenaline podcast: Aside from not paying commission, what did your parents do when you or Denise or Daniel...
Blown Engine to Creating Independence - Interview with Kraig Mathias
April 10, 2014 05:52 - 34 minutes - 23.6 MB#151: Kraig Mathias began his journey to debt freedom after blowing the engine on his car on a cross-country road trip. We geek out over the math behind his car debt, then get inspired from his journey from debt freedom to creating independence. You can find more about Kraig at Money tips: Save tons of interest by spending a little more on insurance Leave the plastic at home, even the debit card, for one Saturday. Just try it. For more information, visit the show notes at
Top 5 Ways To Pay Off Your Mortgage Early
April 01, 2014 01:26 - 59 minutes - 56.1 MBHAPPY APRIL FOOLS DAY! I'm not here in this episode - I've commandeered three other shows that are not my own. Here's where I am today: where I turn the tables on Jared Easley and interview him on his own show! On the (usually by James Kinson) I talk about getting out of the car payment business. While Joe is in taking over my show I am also taking over the . You can click on any of the links above for their (or should I say “my”) shows. If you would like to read the backstory of why ...
Top 5 Ways To Pay Off Your Mortgage Early
April 01, 2014 01:26 - 59 minutes - 56.1 MBHAPPY APRIL FOOLS DAY! I'm not here in this episode - I've commandeered three other shows that are not my own. Here's where I am today: where I turn the tables on Jared Easley and interview him on his own show! On the (usually by James Kinson) I talk about getting out of the car payment business. While Joe is in taking over my show I am also taking over the . You can click on any of the links above for their (or should I say “my”) shows. If you would like to read the backstory of why ...
Lies We Tell Ourselves To Keep Our Credit Cards
March 28, 2014 20:18 - 25 minutes - 17.4 MB#149: People love their credit cards. Why? They aren’t valuable. They can’t be traded or sold. And they cost people a lot of money and often their freedom. I’ve been separated from my credit cards for over seven years and can tell you: I don’t miss them a bit. Now that I’m coaching people through their debt problems I get to hear all the same lies I used to say that justified my reason for keeping the plastic crutches. Here are some of the lies people tell themselves so they can keep their cr...
Habits of the Rich: Interview with Tom Corley
March 19, 2014 11:15 - 28 minutes - 19.4 MB#148: The Daily Success Habits of Wealthy Individuals. Tom Corley joins me for a discussion about the habits of the rich. We also learn the 4 things that can make you un-fireable. A short list of Rich Habits: Tom Corley published a number of Rich Habits, which you can find here: The ones that took me buy surprise were: What Wealthy people do before work Habits of the Wealthy during the workday: Gossip is a Poor Habit FOUR STRATEGIES TO BECOMING "UN-FIREABLE" To read more abou...
Are you Financially Smarter than a Millennial?
March 13, 2014 05:26 - 25 minutes - 17.9 MB#147: A new study released by FINRA reveals only 18% of millennials are able to correctly answer 4 out of 5 questions about finance. Links mentioned in the show: FINRA releases results of study: http://www.finra.org/Newsroom/NewsReleases/2014/P456463 Take the quiz yourself by following this link: http://www.usfinancialcapability.org/quiz.php The national average is 2.88 out of 5. How will did you do? Listen to the podcast for the answers. For more information, visit the show notes at
Redefining Retirement: Interview with Mitch Anthony
March 06, 2014 21:11 - 25 minutes - 8.69 MB#146: Mitch Anthony joins me in a discussion about redefining retirement. His book, , helps us understand this relatively new word. Resources can be found at
Five Ways To Reduce Financial Stress
February 21, 2014 02:58 - 14 minutes - 9.88 MB#145: Money can cause us to experience a large number of unnecessary anxieties. A number of things can help alleviate a majority of worries when it comes to money and finances. In this episode I give you five ways to reduce financial stress and make you feel more powerful, confident, and in control: Have $5,000 in the bank Automatically save money into a retirement plan Have a Will Rent or live in a paid-for house Carry a $100 bill in your wallet For more information, visit the show notes ...
Tax Deductions you want (and 3 you DON'T!)
February 12, 2014 04:46 - 25 minutes - 17.8 MB#144: The sole benefit of Federal form Schedule A is to give us the opportunity to keep more of our hard-earned money. These are commonly referred to as “itemized deductions.” These are the tax deductions you want, and 3 you don’t. For the list as well as links to Federal tax forms visit
What happens to my credit score after paying off debt?
February 06, 2014 14:50 - 22 minutes - 15.4 MB#143: What happens to my credit score after paying off debt? In this episode I share survey results that show debt-free people aren't worried about their credit score. FICO says what's in your credit score FICO says your credit score is based on the length of credit, new debt, the variety of debts, how much debt you owe, and your payment history on debts. In short, you need to borrow money for a long time. More than likely you will end up paying interest. I'd rather be paid interest than ...
This Teen's Got Cents - Eva Baker, 17yr old blogger
January 30, 2014 15:40 - 30 minutes - 20.7 MB#142: This 17 year old has got some sense! Eva Baker started a personal finance blog at http://TeensGotCents.com and is learning a lot about how money really works. This will benefit her greatly when she strikes out in this world and makes her mark. Eva tells the story of how she started a personal finance blog at age 16, how she budgets her money with a basic envelope system, and then speaks from her own personal experiences about why having a simple plan and broad goals is key for any teen...
How We Doubled our Net Worth - and YOU CAN TOO!
January 16, 2014 06:28 - 17 minutes - 12 MB#141: Before starting our debt-free journey we had $176,000 in retirement accounts but our net worth was only $74,000. What’s the secret that doubled our net worth in 8 years? We followed Dave Ramsey’s advice: We got on a budget We stopped borrowing money We paid off all of our consumer debt We put 3 months worth of expenses in emergency savings We increased our retirement contributions once we got out of debt Our plan has us saving for our daughter’s future at least six more years We conti...
Creditors Behaving Badly
January 10, 2014 17:23 - 26 minutes - 18.4 MB#140: Wendy had her credit card debt discharged when a collector broke the law. You have rights under the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act. Listen to Wendy's story and how she was legally able to discharge a debt she owed. For more information, visit the show notes at
Making my obsession my occupation in 2014
January 02, 2014 23:54 - 21 minutes - 15 MBUPDATE: I didn't quite make it in 2014. Listen to my goals from 2 years prior to going pro with Financial Coaching. Full list of resources at
Medi-Share Health Insurance Coverage (2014)
December 26, 2013 18:21 - 25 minutes - 20 MB#138: Are you covered by Health Insurance? It's the law, at least it will be in 2014. Medi-Share is a faith-based option that complies with the Affordable Care Act. Tony Meggs is the President and CEO of Christian Care Ministries. One of the best things they do is help Christians pay each other's medical bills through a third-party system that is pretty amazing. For more information, visit the resources in the show notes at
Paying Attention Is More Important Than Talent
December 19, 2013 14:51 - 15 minutes - 12.9 MB#137: Paying attention to our money, physical health, career, family, etc. allows us to reach our goals. Paying attention can be more important than talent and is second only to desire. Why paying attention is so important: Paying attention identifies where we are Paying attention shows us where the goal is Paying attention is the enemy of distractions Identifying where we are is the first step in setting a course towards the finish line. By focusing our attention on the goal we can easily ...
How to Talk to Aging Parents about Money Problems
December 12, 2013 06:36 - 16 minutes - 13.9 MB#136: Over the past year I have received calls and messages from adult children who are concerned for their parent’s finances. Papa has been working hard for decades and Mama was promised that she would never have to work outside of the home again. Papa has been stripped of any financial responsibilities because he wrote some bad checks years ago. Mama took over the household finances since then but has a problem with over-consumption. As a result they have more debt than they have money sa...
Why Credit Cards Are Against My Religion
December 05, 2013 04:29 - 23 minutes - 18.7 MB#135: Credit cards are against my religion. I shared my beliefs in a webinar on October 3rd. Only a handful of people have watched the video, which I understand; it was an hour long and you have better things to do. But there are other reasons I am bringing this message to you in podcast form today: The Devil doesn’t want you to hear this - credit cards are against my religion. The Devil is at work There have been quite a few challenges trying to get this message to you: 1. There were tech...
7 Common Denominators Of The Wealthy
November 26, 2013 12:00 - 18 minutes - 15.3 MB#134: Thomas Stanley found several common denominators when he studied the wealth. Extras: In this episode I feature some of the conversations I had with Pat Flynn from SmartPassiveIncome.com and Dustin Hartzler from YourWebsiteEngineer.com. Good stuff! For more about being wealthy, check out the resources in the show notes at
5 Ways To Save Money In December
November 21, 2013 03:04 - 10 minutes - 8.18 MB#133: The holidays are upon us. The year is almost over. Like it or not, the winter season is in full gear and more money changes hands in December than at any other time. It’s also the best time of the year. College students come home for the holidays, relatives send well-wishes in the form of [See more at ]
How To Pay for Things With Cash: An FPU Graduate’s Testimony
November 14, 2013 12:14 - 18 minutes - 13.4 MB#132: How To Pay for Things With Cash: An FPU Graduate's Testimony Financial Peace University is a 9-week course taught on DVD by nationally syndicated radio host Dave Ramsey. The class covers everything from how to control spending with a budget to real estate and investing for retirement. Millions of families have taken this course and [...] The post appeared first on .
Financial Lessons That Stand The Test Of Time
November 07, 2013 08:41 - 12 minutes - 9.62 MB#131: It takes a lifetime to learn how money works. With the speed of change, the creation of new financial products and an overabundance of data that can be reached simply by tapping on your iPhone, you would think there are many things I was taught about finances that no longer apply today. For more information, visit the show notes at
The Most Powerful Payment Option is __________
October 31, 2013 06:40 - 33 minutes - 24 MB#130: The greatest tool that lets us live on less than we make is an option that has been around for ages: CASH. And it's not going away any time soon. The awesome benefits of paying with cash will make your budget go farther... Read more at
FinCon13 Game Show recorded live from St. Louis
October 23, 2013 13:17 - 26 minutes - 19 MB#129: LIVE from the FinCon Expo - find out if you know more about money and investing than financial bloggers. This show was recorded live at #FinCon13 in St. Louis on October 19, 2013. Personal Finance Bloggers competed for prizes by answering a variety of money-based trivia, filling in the blanks, and competing head-to-head in [...] The post appeared first on .
About Medi-share. Also, Dissecting Cardmember Services
October 16, 2013 02:01 - 28 minutes - 20.8 MB#128: Bob Lotich, Founder of ChristianPF.com (now Seedtime.com), has been a customer of Medi-Share for over four years. He shares the moments when he used them and how much Medi-Share saved him money when he broke his hand. What is Medi-share Medi-Share is a healthcare sharing program, also known as a "Christian Care Medical Sharing" program, where participants [See More at
Trickle-down Effect For Your Savings Buckets
October 10, 2013 02:38 - 27 minutes - 19.6 MB#127: Where should I save my emergency fund? Should I begin with investing or put money away for my kids? These are the questions of a young couple that wanted to make sure they were saving money in the right places. This episode will give you a clear picture of how your extra money should trickle-down [...] The post appeared first on .
4 Steps to Get Away from Credit Cards Forever!
October 02, 2013 06:05 - 27 minutes - 19.4 MB#126: How To Get Away From Credit Card Debt Forever. These 4 Steps slowly weens you away from your dependency on credit cards. The old rules about credit cards no longer exist How long have we been hearing that debit cards are not as safe as credit cards? How many years has Suze Orman scared us [...] The post appeared first on .
1, 2, or 5 Talents: God Wants You To Be Rich
September 25, 2013 01:05 - 22 minutes - 16 MB#125: God wants you to be rich. How do I know? Because Jesus died to pay our debts - so at least we all get to start with a net worth of zero! Also, Jesus also told us the Parable of the Talents. It's a story of a rich man that went away and left a [read more at ]
4 Steps To Making Smart Purchasing Decisions
September 13, 2013 22:58 - 20 minutes - 15 MB#124: There are 4 steps to help make smart purchasing decisions. Being responsible with your money is very important when trying to get out of debt. We all want our money to go as far as it can and wasting money isn't being responsible money managers. The better we use our money the more we have to [...] The post appeared first on .
1-2-3: Three Budgeting Processes that WORK
September 06, 2013 11:33 - 28 minutes - 20.1 MB#123: CBS news reported that 76% of American households are living paycheck to paycheck. Less than half have three months of worth savings. We are sending our kids to college with no money and over a trillion dollars of outstanding student loan debt. Normal in America is being broke. It's time to get weird.It's time to stop managing our [...] The post appeared first on .
Can You Really Retire Early? Featuring Dividend Mantra and Kraig Mathias
August 29, 2013 17:01 - 51 minutes - 36.3 MB#122: What does it take to retire early? Saving a ton of money now and/or building a business that will provide you with a stream of income are two ways to make it happen! The DividendMantra, Jason Fieber, and Kraig Mathias from YoungCheapLiving.com share their stories with us. Saving for retirement in non-retirement options Jason and [...] The post appeared first on .
Equifax Got Sued, Jeff Rose’s Soldier Of Finance, and No Free Lunch
August 21, 2013 21:57 - 28 minutes - 20.1 MB#121: Equifax got sued, Jeff Rose talks about his new book "Soldier of Finance", and there's not such thing as a free lunch. Jeff Rose is on a Roll Jeff and his blogger-wife Mandy have just released a new podcast geared towards bloggers and online marketers. It is dedicated to giving you tips, strategies and success [...] The post appeared first on .
What Happened To PerkStreet?
August 14, 2013 23:00 - 19 minutes - 14.2 MB#120: PerkStreet closed its doors in 2013. Listen to an exclusive interview with PerksStreet CEO, Dan O'Malley about what happened to PerkStreet, what happens to our money, and what about the Perks? One of my soldiers is down: PerkStreet was that final ammunition that proved you don't need a credit card to exist and prosper in America [See more at
The Real Cost to be a Stay At Home Mom
August 08, 2013 00:54 - 26 minutes - 18.7 MB#119: Our culture is so material-driven that it keeps many of us in jobs we hate, stressed out to the point that it is unhealthy, and disconnected from our own families. The position of “Stay At Home Mom” has been eliminated in order to achieve the “American Dream”. When we get out of high school and [...] Find out more by visiting
Stay in your Investing Seat! How baseball and Investing are the same
August 01, 2013 02:05 - 23 minutes - 17 MB#118: The Wall Street Journal released an article that shows the average 3 hour major league baseball game averages only 18 minutes of actual actions. That means there is absolutely nothing happening 90 percent of the time. Those 18 minutes contain all the real action and the real big plays often last less than 30 seconds. [...] For more information, go to
Baby Step 7: Build Wealth and Leave a Legacy
July 23, 2013 09:30 - 40 minutes - 28.8 MB#117: Dave Ramsey's 7th Baby Step is to Build Wealth and Give. If you've been following each step then you have absolutely no debt, even the house, and you have more than three months worth of expenses in savings. I believe there is more to BS7 and it should be renamed Build Wealth and Leave a [...] The post appeared first on .
Baby Step 6: Pay off the house
July 18, 2013 01:14 - 23 minutes - 17.2 MB#116: Paying off the house early is Dave Ramsey's Baby Step #6 UPDATE: We paid our house off in December 2015. Why should you pay off the house early? Owning a home free-and-clear means you don't pay rent or a monthly mortgage payment - you have no obligations on for the place [...] The post appeared first on .
Baby Step 5 with Rachel Cruze: Save For Kid’s College
July 10, 2013 01:35 - 27 minutes - 19.4 MB#115: Special guest Rachel Cruze discusses ways to pay for kid's college as we talk about Dave Ramsey's Baby Step 5. Baby Step #5 is to save for kid's college. Once we have gotten ourselves out of debt and started to save 15% in retirement it is time to save for our children's higher education. College expenses have [...] The post appeared first on .
Baby Step 4: Invest 15% for retirement
June 28, 2013 00:05 - 15.4 MB#114: Dave Ramsey's 4th Baby Step is to invest 15% for retirement. This brings you half way through a complete Total Money Makeover - and the rest is pretty easy. Baby Step 4: The Easiest Baby Step Dave Ramsey’s BS4 is to invest 15% for retirement
Baby Step 3: Save 3-6 Months of Expenses
June 21, 2013 01:45 - 20 minutes - 14.8 MB#113: Baby Step 3: Save 3-6 Months Of Expenses. Dave Ramsey's third Baby Step is to create a fully-funded emergency fund equal to three to six times your average monthly expenses. Why? Emergencies come in many shapes and sizes Car troubles (repairs, accidents, and what I call "beater replacement") House repairs (roof, HV/AC, fence damage) Unemployment [...] The post appeared first on .
Baby Step 2: The Debt Snowball Method
June 12, 2013 10:26 - 19 minutes - 14.5 MB#112: This is Week 2 in the 7 week series of Dave Ramsey's Baby Steps to Financial Peace. Last week I talked briefly about Baby Step 1: Build a $1,000 starter emergency fund. Baby Step #2 is to pay off all consumer debt using the Debt Snowball Method. Why is The Debt Snowball in Baby Step 2? [...] The post appeared first on .
Andres Gutierrez: From ELP to El Machete
June 06, 2013 02:18 - 40 minutes - 28.6 MB#111: From ELP to El Machete, Andres Gutierrez is the voice of Financial Peace for the Hispanic community. Andres has been helping people with their finances for the past decade but it wasn't until 2009 that he became "The Hispanic Dave Ramsey" with his own syndicated radio show and a 6 DVD series that teaches Financial Peace [...] The post appeared first on .
10 financial products Debt Free people must have
May 30, 2013 09:12 - 16 minutes - 12.3 MB#110: What are the top 10 financial products debt free people must have? Over the past 50 years our society has invented thousands of financial products: Credit cards, hedge funds, and the inappropriately named "FreeCreditReport.com". The most marketed category of products today, the ones we are the most familiar with and are told we can't live [See More at
Dave Ramsey says saving 100 a month can make you a millionaire!
May 16, 2013 00:19 - 26 minutes - 19.1 MB#109: Dave Ramsey Tweeted "Saving 100 dollars per month from age 25 to age 65 at 12 percent growth will turn into 1.176 million dollars This Tweet caused a lot of uproar in the financial community. To get to the bottom of this OG from the Stacking Benjamins podcast shares his thoughts about: Average equity returns [...] The post appeared first on .
Emergency Funds: How Much You Should Have Saved?
May 09, 2013 19:40 - 24 minutes - 17.5 MB#108: Do you know how much you should have in an Emergency Fund? Dave Ramsey recommends having a 3 to 6 month worth of liquid savings in case the unthinkable were to happen. Serious illness, sudden loss of income, or expensive unpredictable events can take anyone by surprise. Having thousands of dollars in savings could convert [...] The post appeared first on .
Money For Sale! (How money and debt really works!)
May 01, 2013 21:17 - 14 minutes - 11 MB#107: Get it while it's hot! Banks and lenders are offering to sell us money everywhere – and they are telling us it’s cheap! The marketing around selling debt is more prevalent than ever before. Try turning on the TV or driving down the road without hearing an ad or seeing an billboard for a debt product – you’ll never make it. For more information, visit the show notes at
Paying for a Speeding Ticket with Emergency Savings
April 24, 2013 01:51 - 13 minutes - 9.77 MB#106: Have you ever had one of those weeks when everything went wrong? I’m having one and it might just cause me to pay for my speeding ticket with emergency savings. This week's mishaps: Our stupid backyard fence needed repair My laptop battery stopped working I got me a speeding ticket! The post appeared first on .