In this undated image provided by NerdWallet, Ray Robertson and his wife Bailey pose for a photo. As newlyweds, Ray and Bailey paid off over $33,000 in consumer debt in 18 months. Their strategy? Aggressive payments, a lean lifestyle and plenty of communication. Now they're working on paying off their mortgage, accruing wealth and raising their son.(Amelia Campbell Photography/NerdWallet via AP) less In this undated image provided by NerdWallet, Ray Robertson and his wife Bailey pose for a photo. As newlyweds, Ray and Bailey paid off over $33,000 in consumer debt in 18 months. Their strategy? Aggressive ... more Photo: Amelia Campbell Photography Photo: Amelia Campbell Photography Image 1 of / 1 Caption Close Image 1 of 1 In this undated image provided by NerdWallet, Ray Robertson and his … [Read more...] about Married couple’s strong resolve key to ditching debt
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How I ditched debt: ‘It made our marriage so strong’
In this series, NerdWallet interviews people who have triumphed over debt. Responses have been edited for length and clarity. BAILEY AND RAY ROBERTSON HOW MUCH: $33,456 in 18 months Ray Robertson's debt-payoff journey involves two fateful conversations across the ocean from where he grew up. The first was a blind date with his future wife, Bailey. Ray had moved from Canterbury, England, to the Nashville, Tennessee, area for a soccer scholarship at Martin Methodist College and met Bailey soon after graduating in 2012. The second meeting was about a year later, Thanksgiving 2013, when Ray asked Bailey's father for his marriage blessing. He got the blessing — with a stipulation. Bailey's father wanted the couple to enroll in Dave Ramsey's Financial Peace University. The two signed up for the video-based money course in 2014 and found it to be "life-changing," Ray says. They began learning how to budget, hold each other accountable and set goals, including paying off about … [Read more...] about How I ditched debt: ‘It made our marriage so strong’
George Bush, Who Steered Nation in Tumultuous Times, Is Dead at 94
George Bush, the 41st president of the United States and the father of the 43rd, who steered the nation through a tumultuous period in world affairs but was denied a second term after support for his presidency collapsed under the weight of an economic downturn and his seeming inattention to domestic affairs, died on Friday night at his home in Houston. He was 94. His death, which was announced by his office, came less than eight months after that of his wife of 73 years, Barbara Bush. Mr. Bush had a form of Parkinson’s disease that forced him to use a wheelchair or motorized scooter in recent years, and he had been in and out of hospitals during that time as his health declined. In April, a day after attending Mrs. Bush’s funeral, he was treated for an infection that had spread to his blood. In 2013, he was in dire enough shape with bronchitis that former President George W. Bush, his son, solicited ideas for a eulogy. But he proved resilient each time. In 2013 he told … [Read more...] about George Bush, Who Steered Nation in Tumultuous Times, Is Dead at 94
The Student Loan Serenity Prayer
Several years ago, while driving around Los Angeles in a state of equal parts fury and despair, I called my cousin to tell her how sick of it all I was, that I was tired and couldn’t take it anymore. Then I turned off my phone. I needed silence. When I turned it on again a few hours later, I was greeted with frantic voice-mail messages — back then, most people still checked those — including a good number from my mother. She was terrified of what I might have done. I immediately called her back and apologized in my most soothing Southern tone for causing concern. “Ma’am, I had no intention of killing myself,” I said. “I would never do that to you, because you’d still be on the hook for these loans.” It was a very handsome college recruiter who, almost a decade earlier, had come to my public high school in Houston and convinced me that if I wanted to attend a prestigious college — private, out of state, even — it was … [Read more...] about The Student Loan Serenity Prayer
Louisiana School Made Headlines for Sending Black Kids to Elite Colleges. Here’s the Reality.
BREAUX BRIDGE, La. — Bryson Sassau’s application would inspire any college admissions officer. A founder of T.M. Landry College Preparatory School described him as a “bright, energetic, compassionate and genuinely well-rounded” student whose alcoholic father had beaten him and his mother and had denied them money for food and shelter. His transcript “speaks for itself,” the founder, Tracey Landry, wrote, but Mr. Sassau should also be lauded for founding a community service program, the Dry House, to help the children of abusive and alcoholic parents. He took four years of honors English, the application said, was a baseball M.V.P. and earned high honors in the “Mathematics Olympiad.” The narrative earned Mr. Sassau acceptance to St. John’s University in New York. There was one problem: None of it was true. “I was just a small piece in a whole fathom of lies,” Mr. Sassau said. T.M. Landry has become a viral Cinderella … [Read more...] about Louisiana School Made Headlines for Sending Black Kids to Elite Colleges. Here’s the Reality.