I had the pleasure of interviewing one of my top favorite personal finance bloggers: Matt Jabs from Debt Free Adventure! Matt’s blog posts have shaped the way I view finances and have helped me “get back to the basics.” Not only have my finances improved because of Matt but now I glorify God with my resources more than ever before. Without further ado, here is my interview, enjoy!
Tell us about yourself Matt, career, life background (general).
Hello Jon and Free Money Wisdom readers… my name is Matt Jabs. I’m 35, married, and â“ as of 3/2011 â“ a full-time entrepreneur. I graduated with a BSBA from Central Michigan University in May of 2000 and worked as an IT administrator for 10 years before leaving for full-time entrepreneurship. I currently run DebtFreeAdventure.com and diyNatural.com
How did you get started in personal finance blogging?
On January 1st, 2009 I created Debt Free Adventure to help my wife and I pay off debt, save, give, and live our mission. It has since morphed into a ministry where we help others pay off debt, save, give, and live their mission… and we love it.
How should Christians view finances?
The bible instructs us to, “Owe no man any thing, but to love one another: for he that loveth another hath fulfilled the law.” To me that means to owe no man anything, put another way, have no debt. We also need to reaffirm daily that all possessions belong to the Lord and we are simply entrusted managers who are called to love God and love our neighbors with our finances and our lives.
Any tips for young married couples in terms of personal finances?
If you haven’t already, you HAVE to get on the same page financially – to do this I highly recommend taking Dave Ramsey’s FPU together. Betsy and I are living proof that Financial Peace University is worth the money. Be sure to have joint accounts. Create a real budget and stick to it. Pay off debt. Save money. Give joyfully every month, no matter what. Figure out your mission and start living it out.
How should a fresh college graduate invest?
If you work for a company offering a 401(k) match, contribute enough to get the full match – don’t throw away free money. If you have debt, pay it off – paying off debt is the one guaranteed investment you can make. If debt is paid off and 401(k) match is funded, be sure to have enough highly liquid money to live on for 6 – 12 months. If you have that done, fund other tax sheltered options like IRAs and HSAs. After that, look for high return investments like peer lending with Lending Club.
What is your take on emergency funds? How much is enough?
No amount is right for everyone, just be sure you have one. Betsy and I currently have 3 months expenses saved because $1,000 wasn’t nearly enough to make us feel good about it. Once debt is gone we plan to have a years worth of expenses saved.
If you received a tax free $5000 check, what would you do with it?
Me? I would pay off debt.
What are the top five topics your readers are interested in?
Paying off debt, saving, investing, giving, and living their mission.
If you could give one financial piece of advice, what would it be?
Pay off all debt.
Tell me about some of your favorite personal finance books?
My favorite personal finance book to date is “Early Retirement Extreme” by my friend and fellow personal finance writer, Jacob Lund Fisker. I like this book because it throws cultural norms out the window and challenges people to see their money, work, and possessions in an entirely new – and smart – light. I also like Economics in One Lesson by Henry Hazlitt because it gives the reader a wise view of economic policy and helps them understand why the current economic policy in the USA will end in collapse if not changed.
Thanks for the opportunity to share… God bless!
Follow Us!