Time to Leave the United States?

Things aren't always as they seem.  Even though the United States has the highest GDP by far, we rank lower in other scores compared to other nations.  This video shows how we compare.

Zuckerberg Does NOT File a Prenup

Mark Zuckerberg married long-time girlfriend Priscilla Chan Saturday.  What a surprise after Facebook just went public with the IPO launch on Friday.

"Mark Zuckerberg does NO file a prenup" is the headlines I hope to see over the coming weeks.  It would be nice to see a celebrity couple get married without worrying about what money they move IF they get divorced.  Marriage is a sacred commitment that should supersede financial considerations.  You should get married because you love your companion and you are willing to share everything with that person.

What do you think?  Should you get a prenuptial agreement just because there is a large amount of money in play?  Or should you go into a marriage relationship with a mindset that you will be married for better or worse and richer or poor?

Facebook IPO Falls Flat

The introduction of Facebook onto Wall Street began with a flop.  As the opening trading day came to a close, the share price for Facebook was back where it started, at $38.00.

I have personally witnessed activity from my Facebook friends steadily declining over the last year.  It seems like people are not as interested in sharing their daily activities as frequently as they once did on the dominant social network.  Have people started to spend more time on Twitter?  On Google Plus?  On Pinterest?

How will this lack of activity play out as we move forward?  I have a feeling Facebook will have a hard time growing from here on out.  As a result, I am not planning on purchasing any shares of newly minted IPO.  Not that I would buy single shares as I believe in buying a vast selection of companies and investing in the long haul.

Where do you think the share price will head next?

Verse of the Day - 2 Peter 3:18

2 Peter 3:18 -  But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To him be the glory both now and to the day of eternity. Amen.


I struggle with this, but it is my desire to continually grow to know the grace that Jesus Christ has given me.  I also strive to know who Jesus Christ is and also the Father who sent him.  What an amazing creator we have!  

How to Get Out of Paying Taxes in the United States

Have you ever wanted to avoid paying federal income taxes in a legal way?  Yes, you can claim tax deductions, tax credits or you could stop working.  All of these methods is a legal way of avoiding some your federal tax bill.  However, I have found a full proof way of avoiding paying your taxes and remaining a free person (without the worry of the United States IRS in full pursuit).

Apparently, you can renounce your US citizenship and get out of paying your taxes.  I don't know the details of how this is done, but apparently it is a tactic being used by some to avoid that hefty bill.  After thinking about it, I am not sure I would go that route.

As much as I believe the United States has it problems, I am also a proud citizen and one who is willing to pay his fair share in order to remain in the country.

What would you do?

Verse of the Day - Proverbs 1:7

Proverbs 1:7 - The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge; fools despise wisdom and instruction. 


You may know something, but you will never truly have knowledge and wisdom until you start to fear the Lord.  After all, the Lord made everything.  He made the heavens and earth and everything in them.  And by fear, I do not mean actually being afraid of Him, but fearing Him in such a way that you truly believe He exists and believe what he says in his Holy scriptures.


Chew on that.  How do you fear the Lord?

DOW Down 5% in 2 weeks

DOW Down 5% after 2 Weeks in May

Are we headed off a cliff or is this just a slight correction?  Is it a good time to buy or time to panic?

I may be wrong, but you should ignore the ups and downs of the market and invest for the long term, especially if this if for your retirement or a long term savings goal.

What are your thoughts?

Verse of the Day : John 11:35

John 11:35 - Jesus wept.

Jesus wept for the lost souls, not for the death of Lazarus, as he knew that Lazarus would die.  Interesting perspective.  As humans, we would think Jesus was dying simply because his friend Lazarus had died.  Instead, he wept because he knew there were many people that would not accept him as the Lord and Savior and the only way to salvation.

If you haven't already, please consider accepting the Lord Jesus as your personal salvation so you may not die a second death.  We will all die once, only those who accept Jesus Christ will avoid the second death and live for all eternity in heaven.

Praise God!

How Much Should I Save for Retirement?

I always found it discouraging to use on-line calculators to determine how much you should save for retirement.  These calculators usually said I needed to have some seemingly huge amount of money for retirement, such as $1.7 million.

Although I do agree that a million dollars is not as much as it used to be, it is still hard to wrap your mind around how you will save that much.  

Luckily, I came across an article ( almost 5 years old) that broke it down in more manageable terms, terms you could put to use.  

Here is a chart from the article:

Age---Income---------------------Savings Rate-------------------Deduction per $10,000 Saved
40-----$20,000---------------------10.2 percent-----------------------1.67 percent
40-----$40,000---------------------14.8 percent-------------------------.86 percent
40-----$60,000---------------------17.6 percent-------------------------.57 percent
40-----$80,000---------------------19.8 percent-------------------------.42 percent
40---$100,000----------------------21.4 percent------------------------.35 percent

Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,290402,00.html#ixzz1ub9zW6wI

This chart is just an example of what a 40 year old would have to work with.  

In summary, it basically asks you to identify what income level you are at.  Based on that income it specified a particular savings rate you should target.  Finally, it adjusts the savings rate by the amount you already have saved.

For example, if you make $40,000 per year, you should save 14.8% per year ($5,920).  However, if you have already saved $50,000 toward retirement, you should deduct 4.3% (.86 * 5) from this savings rate target, in this case your new savings target will be 14.5% (14.8 - 4.3).

Anyway, I found this to be a helpful target to help me towards my retirement goals.  

You may want to consider adding a percentage or two to this estimate so as to give yourself a cushion from unknown tax or inflationary increases.  

Do you have any tips as to how to plan calculate a retirement savings amount?  Please share. 

High Interest Rates to Fix Our Mess

What a breath of fresh air to read someone who gets it.

In a recent article on cnnmoney.com, Sheila Bair states it correctly that the time has come for us to raise interest rates.  Savers are being hurt, our money is being devalued via inflation and people are ending up in a bigger debt hole.  In addition, as inflation rises, wages are not keeping up with this rise.

An article worth the read.  Very well done!

Scripture Verse of the Day - Ezekiel 37:14

Ezekiel 37:14 - ¹⁴ And I will put my Spirit within you, and you shall live, and I will place you in your own land. Then you shall know that I am the Lord; I have spoken, and I will do it, declares the Lord. "


To have the spirit of God residing within me is such a comforting fact.  The Lord provides peace, daily bread and takes care of you from day to day.  He provides a place to dwell, answers prayers and is always with us.


Take comfort in knowing this each day.  Happy Friday!

jQuery's Show and Hide

One simple way to add some quick functionality to your website is to use jQuery's show() and hide() commands.  You can easily toggle between content with very little code.  Take a look at the following example:

Content 1 Area

This is one set of content. Click the show or hide button above to make this blue area disappear and then reappear.

Here is the code I used for each button:

<button onclick="$('#content1').hide();">Hide Content 1 Area</button><button onclick="$('#content1').show();">Show Content 1 Area</button>

<div id='content1' style="background-color:blue;color:white;"><h1>Content 1 Area</h1>This is one set of content.  Click the show/hide button above to toggle between showing or hiding this area.</div>

As you can see, all you have to do it select the item you want to show or hide and call the show() or hide() function.

What ways could you think of to use show() and hide() in your scripts?

Half of us are Saving Nothing!

I read today on cnnmoney.com that almost half of americans are not saving anything towards retirement.  I know there are situations where it can be challenging to save money, but you should be able to put at least $5 a week into a savings account for retirement.

Here are a list of things you can do to find an extra $5 week to put away:

• Skip the latte.
• Take a sack lunch to work every day.
• Find a way of carpooling to work at least one day.
• Go fishing and eat what you catch.
• Grow a garden.

Here are a few ways you can make an extra $5 to put away each week:

• Offer to mow a lawn.
• Pick up cans in states that have deposits.
• Pick up scrap and cash it in.

I could go on and on.  The point is, there is no reason every person can't save at least a little bit.

Scripture Verse of the Day

Phillippians 4:4. -Rejoice in the Lord always; and again I will say, rejoice! Rejoice means to "feel or show great joy and delight". After what the Lord Jesus has done for me, I pray that I will always rejoice in Him!

Earn 1.25% Interest Today on Internet Savings Account

With interest rates  so horrendously low right now, this headline should have got your attention.  I cannot seem to find any savings accounts that are yielding more than .85% APY.  That is until I read a USA Today article today on 1.25% and 1.00% interest rates.  I am debating whether I should enroll in one or both of these accounts to add a few more dollars to my monthly interest earnings.

Here are the two banks:

1.25% - TIAA Direct

1.00% - BarClays

What should I do?  Would you take the time to add .15% or .45% more yield to your regular savings accounts?

Why Create Scripts for Money Blog

Scripts, Money, Family, Wife, Babies and God

Why create another blog?  I have several reasons why I am going to take the time to start another blog.  This will not be like any other blog I have created so far.  It will be a place where I will consistently post articles about money, articles about what I enjoy, articles to practice what I can do, articles to teach.   Articles to help you reach goals and learn.

Not only will it include articles, it will include scripts.  Scripts to learn, scripts to teach, scripts to make money, scripts to help eventually keep my wife at home with out kids.  Scripts to help you reach for the goals you have in your life.

Scripting experiments, thoughts about money and the world, scripts to make money to support my family, articles to help you learn how to script and make money.  Articles for you and me to learn more about God. 

Come along for the ride, it is going to be an amazing journey!