You ask and we answer.  Five listener questions on everything from Dave Ramsey to credit cards to how to stay disciplined with spending.

 1.  What is Lending Club and how is it classified?  Lending Club is a market place for crowd sourced loans.  It should be a tiny portion of your portfolio because it’s very risky.  It would be more akin to something like a penny stock than a bond.

2.  Why do we rag on Dave Ramsey so much?  Oh, you noticed.  A couple of reasons.  LMM’s doesn’t like the religious overtone to everything he says and writes.  We also disagree with his snow ball method of debt reduction.  It doesn’t make sense mathematically.  We go into this in great detail in Episode 95.  We also give Dave a lot of credit for making people think about personal finance.  Anyone doing that is doing a good thing even if we disagree with the tone or approach.

3.  How do you develop the discipline to not spend money?  In the beginning at least, surround yourself with personal finance.  Read books, listen to podcast, discuss your goals with your friends and family.  Put it in the front of your mind until it’s just a habit.  Also use our friend Tony Stubblebine’s Lift app to help you build good habits.

4.  Is it crazy to value time and freedom over money when it comes to the hours you work?  Definitely not crazy!  LMM’s delved into this in Episode 41 and it’s an important issue for us.  The five day work week is largely a result of our Puritan work ethic here in the states.  There are plenty of examples of other countries and increasingly, companies here at home that are moving to four day work weeks.  There are many benefits to both employer and employee.  Try to foster this way of thinking in your own company.  The government isn’t going to help us out here.  It has to be a grass roots effort one company at a time.

5.  I grew up being told credit cards are evil, you seem to disagree, why? And do credit scores really matter? If someone steals your cash, the cash is gone.  If your credit card is stolen, you’re out nothing.  With cash back rewards, your life can be a small percentage cheaper than if you had paid with cash.  Spending via a credit card is easier to track than cash spending.  Credit scores do matter.  When you take out a loan for a home or car, the higher your score, the better your loan terms.  They are increasingly mattering for things like renting an apartment and getting a job too.  Having a good credit score is never a bad thing.  The best way to do that is to pay your balance in full every month, no exceptions.

We love these episodes.  Keep sending in your questions!

Show Notes

The Lost Art of Negotiation:  Andrews’ article on how to get a raise, more time off, maybe even a four day work week!

Betterment:  LMM’s favorite investing tool. Use our link and get six months free!

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