Activity – Lisa Talley

Lisa Talley replied to the topic Snowball vs Avalanche in the forum Manage your debt 7 years, 3 months ago

I think Kayla hit the nail on the head when she said “psychologically.” People are different, so the right approach for one person might not be best for someone else… Maybe the avalanche method works for someone who is motivated by the emotional boost you get from seeing momentum build? But a different type of person, more mathematical or…[Read more]

Lisa Talley replied to the topic Diversification in the forum Grow your savings 7 years, 3 months ago

I would tell my former self to be brave about starting my own thing, and find teammates who complement my skill set and personality. Also, I would tell myself that becoming my own boss is a goal I can reach incrementally – that’s what nights and weekends are for!

Lisa Talley replied to the topic Saving Money Vs Earning More in the forum My journey 7 years, 3 months ago

This is such a great topic, Kayla! I am just now starting to think about ways to do this. Years ago, I would sometimes do side writing projects in addition to my full time job. My last project like that was creating all the copy for a friend’s website. It was a pretty big site that they were revamping, and the writing took a lot of time, but hey,…[Read more]

Lisa Talley started the topic Replacement for ACA in the forum Manage your debt 7 years, 9 months ago

I hope this is the right forum for this question. I didn’t know where else to put it.
I’ve been trying to follow the news about the repeal and replacement of the Affordable Care Act. I’m self-employed and I get my health insurance through the Exchange, so this is very relevant to me. If I understand the latest news correctly, the following ACA…[Read more]

Lisa Talley started the topic Buying a home next year and rising interest rates in the forum Buy a house 7 years, 9 months ago

I posted about my delay in buying a home in another thread. Long story short, as a newly self-employed person, I need to wait until I have filed an income tax return showing my self-employment income for two years in a row. Only then can I quality for a home loan. In my case that means I may qualify in early 2018.

In the meantime, I keep hearing…[Read more]

Lisa Talley started the topic Credit Karma in the forum Manage your debt 7 years, 11 months ago

I just ran my credit report and learned that it lists an unpaid medical bill from several years ago. I had no idea! My credit score is pretty high but I no one needs a blot on their record. Anyway, the unpaid bill was only for about $200 and is easily taken care of. Just a reminder that it really is worth checking our credit report/credit history…[Read more]

Lisa Talley replied to the topic How to Buy a Home As a Small Business Owner? in the forum Buy a house 7 years, 11 months ago

Brittanie, I just started looking into home loan preapproval as a self-employed person, and ran into some of the road blocks you mentioned. In my case I was asked for two years of tax returns demonstrating my self-employment income. Well, I am newly self-employed, so I don’t have any tax returns that show my SE income yet.

The first lender I…[Read more]

Lisa Talley replied to the topic What can I do now to prepare for buying a home sometime within the next 5 years? in the forum Buy a house 7 years, 11 months ago

One more suggestion for building a down payment. I haven’t done this myself but it was suggested to me by a friend – it worked for her. Move into the most affordable rental you can stand. Sock away every cent you would otherwise be spending to rent a nicer/bigger place. A few short years later, you’ll have a sizeable down payment saved up.

If a…[Read more]

Lisa Talley replied to the topic What can I do now to prepare for buying a home sometime within the next 5 years? in the forum Buy a house 7 years, 11 months ago

Hi, I have a related question about home buying but from a different perspective.

But first, for Chelsea – I have a suggestion for building a down payment. What works for me is to have a specific amount automatically transferred into a special savings account every month. As soon as my direct deposit hits, the money is transferred, so I never…[Read more]

@Lisa