Weekly Roundup

Blog Round-Up: Week of May 13, 2013

blog roundup

I have a confession to make: I was a little nervous to how you would respond to this week’s post, Important College Considerations and Conversations. I pride myself on keeping The Heavy Purse a positive place, especially when dealing with difficult financial situations, but at the same time, ignoring these issues would be a disservice to you and your children.

Hopefully, I gave you plenty of food for thought and from your responses, it sounds like I did. And for those parents who are fearful their children won’t have the same opportunities as college graduates— don’t lose hope. There have been 10 U.S. presidents who never graduated from college, including Abraham Lincoln and Harry Truman (Some attended college but withdrew before earning their degree Wikipedia). Granted, times were different, but the truth remains that education, while important, does not determine’s an individual’s worth.

The Heavy Purse received quite a few mentions last week including:

Thank you so much for your support; I truly appreciate it! And if I missed you, please let me know so I may add you to the list.

A Few Good Reads

There are so many great posts to read every week, and it is incredibly hard to weed them down to a handful. Here a few of my favorites and I hope you enjoy them as much as I did.

in his post, Money and Morality: How Much Is Yours Worth?, Grayson from Debt Roundup shared an enlightening conversation he had with a potential client that confirmed his moral compass is pointed in the right direction.

Pauline from Reach Financial Independence may endure a little teasing for wearing the same jacket (sacre bleu!) but as she acknowledges in Jackets and Life Priorities, she also knows the joy of financial freedom.

In her post, Your Credit Cards are Paid Off, Now How Do You Stay Out of Debt, Kim at Eyes on the Dollar shares some great tips to help you from falling off the debt-free wagon.

Money thoughts, good and bad, consume so many of us, but as Catherine from Plunged in Debt pointed out, It’s Not About The Money. Very true.

John at Frugal Rules had a great post on Freedom Without Boundaries is Enslavement. There is definitely a balance to strike between work and play and money and obsession.

Sean from One Smart Dollar examined the effects of how we think in his post, How the Abundance Mentality Can Benefit Your Life and Career. It can make a huge difference.

Erin from Broke Millennial had a message for parents questioning whether they should Charge Their Kids Rent. And before you accuse of her of being an entitled millennial, her answer is yes.

Holly (the newly minted full-time WAHM) from Club Thrifty shared 5 Financial Habits that Changed My Life. My favorites were #2 and #4.

Shannon

The Heavy Purse Store is now open! My new downloadable Money Club Workbooks are now on sale. Each workbook provides five targeted lessons to help you raise Financially Confident Kids. Please check them out in The Heavy Purse Store.

May 17, 2013  •  26 Comments  •  Weekly Roundup

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Comments

  1. Friday, May 17th, 2013
    Shannon, your article this week was great - thanks so much for having the courage to put the info out there. Enjoy your weekend, my friend!
    • Friday, May 17th, 2013
      Thanks, Laurie. Always appreciate your support! You have a wonderful weekend too, my friend! :)
  2. Friday, May 17th, 2013
    Thanks for the mention Shannon, much appreciated :) I find the PF community to be great at offering diplomatic advice and opinions (99% of the time....) glad your post was received well.
    • Friday, May 17th, 2013
      You're welcome, Catherine. I really enjoyed your post. I find the PF community to be very supportive overall too. But when it comes to our kids, the mama and papa bear in us can kick in. :) Have a great weekend!
  3. Friday, May 17th, 2013
    Thanks so much for the mention Shannon, I really appreciate it! I loved your post and think we all benefitted from it. That said, I can understand the nervousness...I am writing a post about saving for college & for retirement that'll be going up in about a week and fear some cyber stones might be thrown my way. ;) Have a great weekend Shannon!
    • Friday, May 17th, 2013
      You're very welcome, John! Thank you for your kind words. I appreciate them. I look forward to reading your article and a respectful discussion regarding your thoughts. :) You have a great weekend too and Happy Anniversary.
  4. Friday, May 17th, 2013
    I thought the post was great and very true. Thanks for including me. Have a great weekend!
    • Friday, May 17th, 2013
      Thanks, Kim! Appreciate your encouragement. I enjoyed your post too and am happy to included it. You have a wonderful weekend too!
  5. Friday, May 17th, 2013
    Loved your post this week Shannon; it was part of my link love round-up :)

    Have a wonderful weekend!
    • Friday, May 17th, 2013
      Thanks, Mackenzie! And I appreciate you giving me some link love! Have a great weekend. :)
  6. Friday, May 17th, 2013
    Hi Shannon- I'm glad you didn't shy away from the topic of thinking twice about college, because it's definitely a conversation that has to be had more often. So many people go into it without any sort of plan and don't even take a second to consider real alternatives or just waiting until they figure things out.
    • Friday, May 17th, 2013
      Thanks, Mario. I appreciate your support. College is a great opportunity but there is a growing cost that cannot be overlooked. Kids understandably can't fully comprehend that cost nor the pain of carrying so much debt, which is why parents need to take charge of the conversation, rather than automatically approving whatever their child decides. Have a great weekend!
  7. Friday, May 17th, 2013
    I enjoyed the post Shannon.Unfortunately as much as we want to believe everything is positive it's not. Without bringing forward the hard truth we can't fix or work towards improving the negatives and turn them into positives. Never losing hope is important and talking about school is so crucial.
    • Friday, May 17th, 2013
      Thanks, Mr. CBB. I think recognizing your child is not college material or their child's dream school is cost prohibitive is a hard gut check for most parents. Many will ignore those concerns and move forward. I get it. But it definitely does not serve you or your child to force them to go or take on unsustainable debt. Hard conversations and hard truths but better to have them now.
  8. Friday, May 17th, 2013
    Thank you for the mention Shannon, I really appreciate it. I enjoyed your post and thought it was well done. Don't worry about how us internet folk will respond because you have to write about how you feel on each subject. That is the only way!
    • Friday, May 17th, 2013
      You're very welcome, Grayson! You're absolutely right; we have to be ourselves, regardless of it upsets other people. You do that so well, and I really respect you for being genuine. I am glad, however, that my post made people pause and think, rather than get defensive and attack. Have a great weekend!
  9. Friday, May 17th, 2013
    I can't imagine you being anything but positive! Have a great weekend!
    • Sunday, May 19th, 2013
      Thanks Tonya! I hope you had a great weekend too!
  10. Friday, May 17th, 2013
    I really enjoyed your post and I think it is something that people should really be thinking a little bit more about before they jump in or push their children into.
    • Sunday, May 19th, 2013
      Thanks, Glen! I appreciate your kind words. College can be an amazing opportunity, but it's one we tend to take for granted and we need to make sure it's the best choice for both parents and kids.
  11. Saturday, May 18th, 2013
    Great reads! Hope you have a great weekend.
    • Sunday, May 19th, 2013
      Thanks, Mike! You have a great weekend too! :)
  12. Saturday, May 18th, 2013
    Thanks for sharing this list Shannon.

    I'm especially looking forward to reading Erin's post on whether we should charge our kids rent and I love her answer ;)!

    Have a great weekend Shannon!
    • Sunday, May 19th, 2013
      You're welcome, Corina. You'll enjoy Erin's post as it's probably not the answer most people would expect from a millennial but she makes a great case for it. I hope you had a great weekend too!
  13. Tuesday, May 21st, 2013
    I think all of your posts are great Shannon because they cover a topic we all need to learn about. Now I love the direction you take and that's by educating our young people.

    I wish I could get my nephew to pay attention to what you share but I have a feeling he'd just get upset with me. He doesn't know anything about money, his mother has been sheltering him for way too long. But he starts college this year now so reality will soon kick in.

    Love your roundup here so you did great sharing all these posts for us again.

    Thanks so much and you have a great week.

    ~Adrienne
    • Tuesday, May 21st, 2013
      Thanks, Adrienne! A lot of parents believe they are doing their child a favor by sheltering but unfortunately they are not. We wouldn't throw our kids into the pool without teaching them how to swim first, but that is what happening to a lot of kids. With little money management skills, they are sinking fast. Your nephew will hopefully catch on quickly and his Aunt Adrienne will be there to point him in the right direction! Thanks for your support; I always appreciate it!
Shannon Ryan SHANNON RYAN, CFP®
  • Meet Shannon

    "As a Certified Financial Planner, it is my passion to help individuals and families build a healthy relationship with money. I look forward to helping you raise financially confident kids.” - Shannon Ryan