Resources

This page contains resources that I have found useful in my journey as a Family CEO.

Please note that some of the links below are affiliate links, meaning they will earn me a small commission. You should know that I never recommend products unless I have used them personally and they have provided value to me.

• Cash4Books is a site where you can sell your books online. There are no fees and the shipping is paid by them.

• Charity Navigator evaluates and rates over 5000 charities based on their financial health, transparency, and accountability. I use it to track the charities we’re involved in, like Kiva and CFCA.

• It’s Deductible from TurboTax is a simple way to keep track of and value your charitable donations. Better yet, it’s free to use.

• Mr. Rebates is a great source for online coupons and you’ll earn a 1% to 30% cash back rebate on what you buy online when you go through Mr. Rebates first. I’ve used Mr. Rebates since 2006 and I never shop online without first visiting the site. It’s free to use and you’ll earn a $5 bonus just for signing up.

• PerkStreet is an online bank that pays you 1% – 2% back on debit card purchases. PerkStreet accounts are FDIC insured. I have had a PerkStreet account since Fall, 2010 and I take my rebates in the form of Visa and MasterCard Gift Cards. Since September, 2010 we’ve earned $615 in cash back from our PerkStreet checking account.

• Quicken- I’ve used Quicken software for 15 – 20 years and I’m obsessed with it. It does all kinds of amazing things, but my favorite is the ability to run reports to see exactly where we are spending our money.

• Swagbucks is a site that lets you earn a virtual currency (Swagbucks) for doing things like searching the web, shopping online, and completing surveys, among others. Swagbucks can then be exchanged for items in the Swagbucks store, including Amazon gift cards.

Recommended Reading

I read a lot of personal finance books so you don’t have to. The ones that make it to this list are the ones that I wholeheartedly recommend.

The Total Money Makeover by Dave Ramsey – Dave’s book is the book to read on getting out of debt. Actually, it’s about much more, but Dave is known for debt reduction and for good reason. If you commit to Dave’s system, it will work.

Debt-Free U by Zac Bissonnette – The subtitle to Zac’s book is “How I Paid for an Outstanding College Education Without Loans, Scholarships, or Mooching off My Parents” and he doesn’t disappoint. Before reading this book I thought that the key to a debt-free education — assuming you didn’t already have a ton saved — was applying for multiple scholarships. Zac’s way is better. (You can read my interview with Zac here.)

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