Budgeting | Dollar Barrister

How to use our household finances Excel spreadsheet to stay on top of your savings during tax season

Posted by Dollar Barrister | Mar 23, 2019 | Budgeting, Investing |

It’s tax season again! April 15 is right around the corner, and you might be getting ready to write a check to the IRS (ugh) or trying to figure out what to do with a refund check (yes!). If so, having a spreadsheet like this at your fingertips to calculate credit card payoff balances and utilization rates, cash flow, savings, and your net worth is critical to staying on track with your financial goals once April 15 comes and goes. It’s priced at just $15, which we think you’ll agree is a fair price once you dig into the template, start using it, and see your net worth and cash flow management skills increase. What gets measured gets improved!

Thirteen years after graduation, I finally paid off my law school loans – here’s how I did it

Posted by Dollar Barrister | Oct 21, 2018 | Budgeting, Law School |

Just over 13 years since I graduated from law school, my loans are finally paid off in full! I’m really excited about this, with good reason, so I thought I would share with you some thoughts on how I did it – both the good and (some) bad choices that I made over the years. Even if you were lucky enough to get a full scholarship or have a rich uncle pay your way in full, I still think there are some good lessons you’ll take away my experience that you can apply to paying down other debt that you still have on the books.

How I used an Excel spreadsheet to become a millionaire – and you can too

Posted by Dollar Barrister | Oct 15, 2018 | Budgeting, Investing, Living |

“What gets measured gets improved” is one of my personal mantras, and in net worth it applies more critically than anything else. To do this for our family finances, I decided to stay away from an online net worth service and started my own spreadsheet to keep track of things. This was the best thing I ever did. And now I’m really excited to share a public version of that spreadsheet with you!

Five reasons why personal finance is so important for in-house lawyers

Posted by Dollar Barrister | May 2, 2017 | Budgeting, Going In-House |

It’s important for everyone, of course, but I think there are a few specific reasons why personal finance is that much more critical for lawyers, and even more specifically for in-house lawyers. Here are my top five reasons

Why I have a savings – and not a spending – budget, and how I calculate my savings rate

Posted by Dollar Barrister | Apr 4, 2017 | Budgeting |

If I’m hitting my savings targets I want to give myself the ability to buy a $4 latte worry-free. So I have a savings budget – and not a spending one.