I recently spoke in Ottumwa, Iowa.
I was there to teach the Financial Learning Experience at
I learned a lot about Ottumwa, Iowa.
* It is the hometown of Radar from M.A.S.H. and Tom Arnold
* It is about 1.5 hours south and east of Des Moines
* There is a huge need for financial training (just like all other areas of America!)
* I like Ottumwa
* It is home to a cool new church called "thebridge"
I also have realized that I have been living in the South for awhile. I showed up in Des Moines (8 degrees F and snow) wearing a light jacket, running socks, and Crocs.
Guess what? I was cold. Snow came in direct contact with my legs just above the ankles, and snow went right through the holes in the Crocs and soaked my socks.
So for those of you who were wondering: Crocs do not work well in snow.
It made me think about the number of times I have showed up ill-prepared to address financial issues. For example, I used to think that earning more money would solve my credit card balance and impulsive spending decisions. I was wrong. The fact was that I could earn millions of dollars a year, and I would still have an outgo problem.
I was ill-equipped. My monthly written spending plan using INCOME - OUTGO = EXACTLY ZERO was the correct tool to address my problem.
My Crocs have been replaced with nice leather waterproof shoes.
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