http://webeatdebt.com Real-life inspirational stories of those who turned struggle into success. Wed, 08 Aug 2007 12:25:27 +0000 http://backend.userland.com/rss092 en Niche Geek has compiled a list of money facts that might surprise you. 65% of Americans would live on a deserted island all by themselves for an entire year for $1,000,000. 83% of Americans still pay with checks instead of credit cards! The average wedding in America costs a staggering $20,000.00. 92% of us ... http://webeatdebt.com/2007/08/08/41-money-facts-that-will-blow-you-away/ Seeing as how this is a blog about debt, we thought we'd share our own personal story about debt. This is where it changes from 'we' to 'me', Jules. When anyone asks me what was the moment I remembered most from my childhood, I'd paused and say, "When I was 17, ... http://webeatdebt.com/2007/08/07/25000-a-personal-debt-story/ This week's Carnival of Personal Finance is hosted by Fat Pitch Financials. Here are some articles we thought were great: This is Your Life On Consumer Debt by Growing Up... 10 Credit Card Practices That I Disapprove by Ask Mr Credit Card How to Close Credit Cards Without Affecting Your Credit Scores by ... http://webeatdebt.com/2007/07/24/110th-carnival-of-personal-finance/ In case you haven't discovered this handy tool, CNN Money's Debt Reduction Planner helps you calculate how long it'd take to pay off your credit card based on paying the monthly minimum balance or a monthly fixed sum and the amount you actually pay upon completion including interest. Based on a ... http://webeatdebt.com/2007/07/20/cnn-moneys-debt-reduction-planner/ There are many circumstances that can lead to debt. Some are conscious and necessary, such as student loans that act as a means to a better end with the premise that a good education is the a stepping stone to a well-paying job (unless you're one of those tech mavens ... http://webeatdebt.com/2007/07/20/living-frugally-paid-off-33000-worth-of-debt-in-2-years/ After reading about Joel Maxwell's success with Dave Ramsey's Total Money Makeover program, we wanted to hear from the man himself. In this interview, he tells us to use cash, 'get intense' and create an emergency fund. Disclosure: We're testing a new video publishing service called TheNewsRoom, which publishes news clips ... http://webeatdebt.com/2007/07/19/dave-ramseys-murphys-law-of-finances/ Starting a successful business is the dream of many. Heck, it's one of ours. What could be better than doing what you love and making a living out of it? Then we came across Joel Maxwell's story. Joel's dream was to set up a restaurant selling his secret recipe fried ... http://webeatdebt.com/2007/07/19/cleared-21400752-of-debt-in-18-months/ We have a confession to make: Suze Orman scares the bejeezus out of us. Her voice, the way her face contorts into a million expressions, it feels like she's right in our living room giving us a lecture on bad money management. But we have to admit that there's ... http://webeatdebt.com/2007/07/19/review-the-money-book-for-the-young-fabulous-broke/ We caught Michael Moore's Sicko recently and enjoyed it thoroughly. At one point of the film, Moore interviews Tony Benn, a prominent British Labour politician during the 1970's and 1980's, on democracy which we found very intriguing. Transcript after the jump. http://webeatdebt.com/2007/07/18/be-brave-exercise-and-dont-give-up/ Over coffee yesterday, we realized that although reading about success stories is totally rewarding and motivational, it's just not enough for those who want to learn about managing and getting out of debt. Education is everything when it comes to personal finance. So we decided that one of the goals ... http://webeatdebt.com/2007/07/18/knowledge-is-power/