The Daily Meaning

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“Your daily blog posts have become a great part of my morning routine, waking up and reading your posts challenge me to reflect on something that matters in my life or view something from a different perspective.”
"Love starting my morning with a daily dose of positivity or perspective!"

Daily Meaning Reader

Travis Shelton 10/3/26 Travis Shelton 10/3/26

Head and Heart, Not Dollars and Cents

Whenever the topic of money comes up, we humans like to pretend it's all about black and white, dollars and cents, tactics and strategies. Every decision gets boiled down to what's "the right decision." And by “right decision,” we really mean the one that leaves us with more. More cash. More savings. More stuff. More wealth.

Travis Shelton 9/11/26 Travis Shelton 9/11/26

Trucks and Bugs

This is the foundation of financial management, and it's fun to watch my kids (slowly) learn and embrace them. It's a bumpy road, filled with wins, losses, celebrations, tears, progress, and regression.

Travis Shelton 7/24/26 Travis Shelton 7/24/26

Discouraged, But Not Destroyed

In a few hours, I will load my car onto a tow trailer and sit next to a tow-truck driver for a 4.5-hour trek back home.

Travis Shelton 7/10/26 Travis Shelton 7/10/26

There’s Always Something

Here's another problem: this is only the most recent in a string of unexpected needs. Truth be told, they've been putting off this big, important dream for more than six years! Why? There's always something!

Travis Shelton 4/1/26 Travis Shelton 4/1/26

Lessons From the Non-Scam

Money is never about money.....it's always about something bigger. And sometimes, "bigger" means not feeling like our chest is going to get crushed in from the weight of our burdens.

Travis Shelton 12/9/25 Travis Shelton 12/9/25

Life Happens

Wanna know how often a typical family's monthly budget goes exactly as planned? Maybe 10% of the time if I'm being honest.

Travis Shelton 10/2/25 Travis Shelton 10/2/25

Everything and Nothing

If you just blindly and arbitrarily dump money into a savings account that's intended for everything, it's actually used for nothing.

Travis Shelton 9/28/25 Travis Shelton 9/28/25

It’s Gotta Come From Somewhere

As the month winds down, Sarah and I realized we bombed a few of our budget categories. Specifically, we totally botched the kids, dining out, and entertainment categories. Part of this was due to the kids' birthday, but another part was just negligence. We fell asleep at the wheel.

Travis Shelton 9/2/25 Travis Shelton 9/2/25

Subtraction By Addition

Clients often look at me cross-eyed when, after ranting for 15 minutes about the importance of simplifying our finances, I introduce the idea of setting up a bunch of savings accounts.

Travis Shelton 8/5/25 Travis Shelton 8/5/25

Planning For Imperfection

Many families operate their finances as if everything will go perfectly. They structure their standard of living, monthly costs, and lifestyle choices all the way up to their current income.

Travis Shelton 6/20/25 Travis Shelton 6/20/25

While the Sun Is Shining

This math is straightforward......and linear. One problem, though. Life isn't straightforward or linear. It's anything but either of those. Today's reality could disappear in a heartbeat, only to be replaced with a drastically different set of circumstances.

Travis Shelton 1/21/25 Travis Shelton 1/21/25

What Gets Measured, Part 2

In the world of "what gets measured gets done," how we measure is where the rubber meets the road. If we can't find a simple and effective way to measure, we won't. And if we won't, ____ doesn't get accomplished. This is a crucial concept I discuss with my coaching clients. It's imperative to find easy ways to measure what needs to be measured. Anything else will result in inevitable failure.

Travis Shelton 10/18/24 Travis Shelton 10/18/24

What if It Were Life or Death?

Many people struggle to save. There are many contributing factors to this type of wiring, spanning from nature to nurture.

Travis Shelton 8/22/24 Travis Shelton 8/22/24

Being Responsibly Irresponsible

On the one hand, I repeatedly beat on the drum of values-based spending, investing in memories, and finding meaning in our finances. Then yesterday, I leaned into this idea that we shouldn't impulsively spend "extra" money that comes into our lives. Instead, we should apply all extra income to wherever we are in our plan. See the possible incongruency here?

Travis Shelton 6/14/24 Travis Shelton 6/14/24

Adding Plates to the Other Side

My goal wasn't to diminish or demean the role of saving, but rather try to redeem the value and dignity of spending and giving in a culture that ridicules them. I wanted to lift two up, not push one down.

Travis Shelton 5/5/24 Travis Shelton 5/5/24

Planned Impulsiveness

Some people are planners, and some people are impulsive. Both have pros and cons, but impulsive people are known for self-sabotage and occasional (or frequent!) irresponsibility. I

Travis Shelton 5/3/24 Travis Shelton 5/3/24

Putting the Pieces Together

What does it mean to win with money? I could ask 20 people and get 20 different answers. We all view it through a different lens. We each possess different skills, and we each have our shortcomings.

Travis Shelton 3/27/24 Travis Shelton 3/27/24

Smooth Out Your Lumpy Stuff

First, what's the purpose of a sinking fund? A sinking fund is another name for an account funded over time for a specific future expense. These expenses don't happen every month, but you know they will happen at some point. It's not a matter of IF, but WHEN (and how much). I call them "lumpy" expenses.

Travis Shelton 3/24/24 Travis Shelton 3/24/24

Not All Roses and Sunshine

I'm sad to report it's not been all roses and sunshine here in Nissan 350Z-ville. I wish I could tell you I've been happily cruising around in my sweet new (to me) ride for the last few weeks, but that hasn't been the case.

Travis Shelton 2/4/24 Travis Shelton 2/4/24

The 3-Bucket E-Fund Approach

On the heels of publishing a podcast episode about this topic, a few readers suggested I share the same advice on the blog. It was an episode about my variation on the traditional emergency fund concept.

The Daily Meaning

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“Your daily blog posts have become a great part of my morning routine, waking up and reading your posts challenge me to reflect on something that matters in my life or view something from a different perspective.”

"Love starting my morning with a daily dose of positivity or perspective!"