Interview with Own the Dollar

• How has blogging on Own the Dollar, changed the way you look at finances?

I don’t think blogging has changed the way I look at finances too much. I’ve always loved all things money, economics, and business related since I was about twelve years-old. As sad as it sounds, seeing the movie “Secret of My Success” changed my life and its direction. I think now that I have been blogging about finances, investing, and money topics for a little over a year, it has made me think a little more in-depth about my own finances and the things my family and I do with our money. For example, it wasn’t until I wrote about saving for three to six months of necessary expenses in an emergency fund that I realized how much three months actually was in dollar terms.

• Has experiencing debt first hand, helped you relate better to your readers?

I think that having been $30,000 in credit card debt after graduating from college, digging out of it, and paying it all off has helped me understand what my readers are going through. It has given me the knowledge and confidence that it can be done. But, I have tried not to focus too much on my own story of getting out of debt on Own The Dollar. There are so many other great blogs out there with that same story. It is not what I want to define me or the blog. I want the blog to help people learn to control their own destiny through smart money choices, financial education, investing, and planning.

• What do you suggest as quick advice to help readers dig out of debt?

The one thing that made the biggest impact in my life was actually to write down every single debt I had, add them all up, and be honest with myself that I actually had a problem. I had lied to myself for years about how much I actually owed credit card companies. I didn’t even know the actual total for the longest time. When I saw that big number written down, I was blown away and scared to death. It was a wake up call. Owning up to all that debt got me in motion to pay it off. So, first things first, you need to be honest and committed from the very start to dig out of debt.

• Where do you see Own the Dollar in a couple of years?

Of course, I would like to see the blog continue grow and steadily publish a new post everyday. It blows me away to think that two years ago I had no idea even what an RSS Reader was. I think that eventually Own The Dollar may narrow its focus with respect to personal finance. Eventually, I would like to focus more on investing and less on frugality, insurance, etc. I actually have a degree in corporate finance, but writing on the blog has helped me realize that I really love personal finance topics and helping people learn about improving their finances. So, I think in the next couple of years I am going to start going through the requirements to earn the Certified Financial Planner (CFP) designation. There are only a few CFPs actually out there blogging to the masses and even fewer breaking personal finance down to an easily understandable level.

• What is your favorite financial topic to blog about?

I love to talk about investing the most without a doubt. I really enjoy writing and talking about anything that has to do with stocks and mutual funds.

• How do you hope Own the Dollar helps readers in their own financial crisis’s?

I’ve always hoped Own The Dollar would provide its readers with easy to read and easily understood personal finance information. I’ve always striven to explain things in plain English that will help everyone understand about their own situations and how to help. I would love to see people turning to Own The Dollar in search of the answers to some of their problems. I would like to get more questions to answer on the blog.

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