How SmartDollar Helped This Couple Change Their Financial Legacy

If you’re looking for some inspiration toward your money goals this year, look no further than the Piepkorn family! Patrick and Megan have made enormous progress with their finances since finding SmartDollar through Patrick’s employer. Their story is inspiring, and we never get tired of hearing how these life-changing principles are helping millions nationwide to feel more hopeful than ever about their money.

Nowadays, the Piepkorns are quick to mention how much peace of mind they have about their future. After all, they’re the proud parents of a newborn baby boy, and they’ll soon be completely debt-free!

An Eye-Opening Discovery

 Their SmartDollar journey began the week Patrick’s company rolled out SmartDollar to their team in 2017. With a long hunting trip already on the agenda for the weekend, he decided to make the SmartDollar video lessons his road companion. Little did he know how much impact the new benefit was about to have on his life.

“That weekend, I had a 14-hour round-trip drive to go hunting,” Patrick says. “I listened to all the video lessons on the drive and was hooked.”

What can we say? There’s something truly addictive about our SmartDollar speakers and their rock star personalities.

Patrick returned home with a lot more than a hunting trophy. He had a completely different vision for his and his wife’s financial habits! It didn’t take him long to see things needed to change—and quick.

“Entering our debts into the debt snowball was eye-opening, because we had never really thought of car loans as being debt,” Patrick says.

Fact check: true! At SmartDollar, we’re out to help you pay off all of your debts, and car notes are no exception. Let’s take a look at where the Piepkorns stood at that point with their debts.

“Between undergrad loans, graduate school loans, and car loans, the total figure was alarming.”

We can imagine. Luckily, the lessons and content from SmartDollar were on hand to help Patrick take on his next challenge: persuading his wife that the whole thing was a good idea!

“Getting Megan on board was a challenge. But having content and videos from SmartDollar accessible at home for her to watch was a help in getting her on board.”

That’s the way to do it, Patrick! So, what would Patrick say was the key ingredient to their SmartDollar success story?

“Dual buy-in. Now, we both guide how we divide and conquer our finances within our household.”

Is that the sound of unity we hear in your voice, Patrick? Music to our ears!

“I track the budget, take out money for our envelopes, and set aside additional debt payments. My wife double-checks my work, pays off the loans, and holds us accountable to not taking additional money for our envelopes.”

Wait—what? Y’all split up the work and keep each other accountable? Forget going debt-free, you’re on your way to the Millionaires Club! But how do you stay focused and inspired along the way during all this intense debt reduction? (Asking for a friend.)

“One of the biggest game changers for us was taking out cash for our monthly date nights. We celebrate with a nice night out with each loan repayment.”

Folks, this is what’s known as romance!

Staying Strong Through the Tough Times

This family’s SmartDollar journey hasn’t been all rose petals and champagne, though. Making big life changes rarely is. But like millions of others across America, Patrick and Megan are proving it’s possible.

“There were challenges—like managing the purchase of a new home and having our first baby while maintaining our relative standard of living and the discipline to aggressively pay off debt.”

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Hold on a minute, because that was a mouthful. You mean you all bought a new house, became first-time parents, and you kept up your intensity to pay off debt? You people are rock stars! We love it anytime we meet people who are not sacrificing their dreams just because they’re changing their money habits for the better.

The Peace of Mind That Comes From a Winning Plan

As you can see, Patrick and Megan are well on their way to a great financial future. It all began with a conversation about money and a willingness to talk about it all with honesty. In the end, they got closer than ever with each other and made big progress toward their dreams.

Here’s a breakdown of what all they’ve accomplished in the past year:

• Paid off over $22,000 in student loans and car loans. Yes!

• Sold their second car and covered the commute by taking public transit. This was a really smart move! It not only helped them knock down some debt, but it also saved them around $400 per month!

• Saved over $4,000 in a rainy-day fund for emergencies and planned expenses.

• Got reimbursed for $700 of fraudulent charges they found through using EveryDollar. (That’s the world’s greatest budgeting tool available to all SmartDollar users!)

• Welcomed a new baby boy.

• Moved into a new home.

• ·Built peace of mind knowing they have a plan in place.

 And they’re just getting started.

“That’s a weight lifted, knowing we’ve made a material impact to our debt load,” Patrick says. “At this point, we put all of our extra money toward paying down debt. We even allocated some of our long-term saving toward it to help give us a boost.”

So, how does Patrick think SmartDollar will impact his family’s long-term prospects?

“It has already impacted our future and will continue to do so, because we have greater confidence and peace of mind financially,” he says. “In the next five years, our lives will change greatly when we can allocate the thousands of dollars currently being spent on debt repayment toward savings, travel and fun.”

That sounds like a plan nearly anyone can sign up for! But what if there are still people out there who just aren’t convinced? Patrick’s got a closing thought.

“Jump in and start now! Although it may seem like something you don’t want to spend time on or to admit that your finances are out of order, the investment now of even an hour to listen to some of the videos will make a huge difference in your life moving forward.”

We could not agree more. What about you? Are you ready to see the power of SmartDollar transform your company and release the power of real financial wellness in your team’s lives? Contact Us Today!

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