Get Back On The Budgeting Bandwagon

The term “Bandwagon” originated in the late 1800’s as the name for the wagon that carried a circus band (makes a lot of sense!). Circuses were very skilled at attracting crowds by having an exciting parade through the town, complete with a highly decorated bandwagon. Just imagine an animal parade through town with wagon full […]

Find a Financial Planner Who is a Fit For You

A financial planner can save you time and headaches in addition to helping you tackle financial goals, such as retirement, saving for college, or estate planning.   Before talking to a financial planner, get a handle on your personal finances. How much do you make each month? How much do you spend each month? How […]

Lifestyle Inflation—How to Avoid it

Lifestyle inflation is accepted as a normal part of life in America. It means each time your salary increases, so does your spending in an effort to achieve some perceived level of lifestyle where you will finally be happy. In fact, you are considered abnormal if you aren’t constantly striving for more bigger and better […]

How Do You Know if Your Spending is Out of Control?

One of the most important things people learn from Compass Catholic Ministries is that everything belongs to God and we are simply caretakers of what he has entrusted to us. Take note of these verses: “To the LORD belong even the highest heavens; the earth is his also, and everything on it” (Deuteronomy 10:14, GNT). […]

Consider This Before You Buy a House

We’ve probably bought and sold more houses than the average person. We are on our 9th house – and these have all been a primary residence – no vacation homes. Sometimes it was a job related move because we were transferred to a different city. Sometimes we just wanted a bigger house (before we got […]

How to Keep Your New Years Resolutions

The beginning of the new year is a time when most people make resolutions. One of the most common resolutions is to finally get the family finances in order, whether this means spending less, saving more, being more generous, or just figuring out where the money is going. In Ephesians 4:22-24 we read: “That you […]

How Well Are You Tending Your Flocks and Herds?

Proverbs 27:23 tells us, “Know well the condition of your flocks and pay attention to your herds.”  Most of us are no longer tending flocks and herds, but we do need to stay on top of the financial “flocks and herds” under our care. And there are a couple of basic tools that will help […]

Tell Yourself “No!”

I feel like I get tempted fairly often to purchase things that are not really necessary, even though they may be useful. I know I’ve written about temptations to buy things based on little ads that I see or being in a store and being tempted to over-buy because of a sale. But I feel […]

The Importance of a Money Plan

At Compass Catholic, we teach biblical principles of how God intends for us to handle money and possessions. In order to handle money God’s way, you need to know where it is going. And that is called a budget. There is a common misconception that budgets are only for those who are experiencing a financial […]

Vacations with a Catholic State of Mind

Vacations replace the exhausting day-to-day grind with relaxing and fun experiences that can be shared with friends and family. Most of us look forward to the next vacation as soon as the last one ends. While it is easy to get caught up in the joys that vacations can bring us, we need to be […]