Growin' Up Gregory

So apparently the other night, President Trump hosted the national champion Clemson Tiger football team for dinner the White House.  Typically, these type stores make the local headlines, fill a few newspapers and die a day or two later.  But not this one, oh no.  Here we are days later with it still spreading across both mainstream and social media.  Why? Is everyone upset that he served fast food instead of steak?  Are you mad he left out Zaxbys, Chic Fil A, Taco Bell, or your favorite fast food place? Maybe you're a republican who think it was awesome for him to open up his home and do the best he could with minimal staff?  Or perhaps you're a democrat who thinks it was insulting to feed national champions (though still college kids) fast food? Or maybe you're a Gamecock or Alabama fan who's just upset that the Tigers are the national champions and wish they'd all starve!?! Allow me to state the obvious.  This is not about fast food.  I...

If you've purchased, refinanced, or built a home in the past three years, odds are that you signed a slew of paperwork during your mortgage process. Hopefully, you had a lender who explained all of the details and answered any questions you had in order to make sure that you fully understood your mortgage terms and options. I can't count the number of people who have commented, "This is a lot more paperwork than the last time we did this." In late 2015, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) introduced two new forms, the Loan Estimate (LE) and Closing Disclosure (CD), which went into effect at that time.  Like most new rules, regulations, and forms, there were some things they got right, some things they got wrong, and some things that have room for improvement. From both a borrower and lender's perspective, here is some background info as well as my thoughts on the current status and changes that should be considered. Purpose An explanation of ...

As each new year rolls around, millions of Americans make New Year's Resolutions on how they want to change their life:  eat healthier, exercise more, save money, make new friends, etc.  But year after year, many find themselves making the same failed resolution as the year before.  What if instead of spending time thinking about a resolution, you spent time developing resolve - a firm determination to do something.  Resolutions sounds good and offer many benefits, but without the resolve to actually follow through on them, they often wind up being empty words. The concepts in this outline come from a story found in the Bible in 2 Kings 4:1-7.  Go read it, it's not long.  This is the story of the woman who's husband has passed away, debt collectors are coming for her children, and she has almost nothing left to her name.  But she meets a prophet who gives her some guidance and hope.  She follows his suggestion and turns her small bottle of oi...