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Face the Music

A new year is historically a time when each of us promises ourselves that we are going to implement positive variations in our lives in some form or another...I am going to eat less junk food. I am going to get more exercise. I am going to lose weight. I am going to get more organized. I am going to be a better mother, grandmother, friend, or (insert your relationship-word here). My favorite? I am going to get in control of my finances.

More often than not, executing these new actions means doing something really hard...changing. Change is not easy, and it often means facing some tough, deep-rooted habits and lifestyle behaviors–demons, if you will. It can be uncomfortable and scary. But, as they said in the Old West, sometimes you gotta grab the bull by the horns.

In the days of the cowboy, ranch hands literally wrestled with steers.  It was part of their everyday working life throughout the west, and it was dangerous. While facing your financial situation might be frightening, at least you won’t have to worry about getting impaled by something sharp and spikey.

In my humble opinion, it’s easier to face something head on when you have a clearer picture of what it is. So, amid your start-of-the-year-renewal, make the time to figure out your net worth. Use an online calculator, if that makes it easier for you, like the one at Ramsey Solutions. (Thanks, Dave, you're my hero.)

Get in front of this. Maybe it’s not as bad as you think.

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