About

Welcome

Thanks for stopping by Personal Finance Journey! My name is Lakita (or Kita for short) and I started this site as a way to share my thoughts and ideas as I move through the milestones of financial development on my personal finance journey. I plan to offer insight on ordinary everyday situations and how they impact our plans to save, spend or invest our money.

My Story

I was born & raised in Buffalo, NY. I attended City Honors College Preparatory school and then the Rochester Institute of Technology where I received in Bachelor of Science degree in Information Technology and a commission to the United States Air Force through the ROTC program. My first military assignment brought me to Scott Air Force Base, IL where I worked as a communications officer for 3 years before transitioning to the civilian workforce as a government defense contractor.

I was blessed to receive the education and employment opportunities I did. However, I still managed to rack up my fair share of debt. I paid the minimums with no regard for interest or savings because I was young and had a solid job….so I thought. When I was laid off for 4 months in fall of 2005, I lived off my credit cards and accumulated more debt. With a new job, I reverted back to old habits…shame on me.

I convinced myself that I was a good financial steward over God’s money because I was a faithful tither and gave liberally…but I couldn’t account for the rest. My financial awakening came in 2008 when I realized financial lack was hindering ministry endeavors. I pledged to make a plan and make a change. Within the first 6 months, I paid off $5,500 in debt and started an Emergency Fund. I am striving towards saving 3 months of expenses and paying off the rest of my consumer debt by the end of 2010.

With a new found zeal for personal finance, I learned as much as I could by reading books like Total Money Makeover by Dave Ramsey, and Women & Money by Suze Orman. I also subscribed to several other personal finance blogs such as Get Rich Slowly, Debt Free Adventure, Christian Personal Finance, and ManVsDebt to name a few. I even had the opportunity to teach a couple seminars on personal finance at Christian conferences.

It was a wonderful experience to share my testimony, raise personal finance awareness and inspire others to get their finances on track. It is truly a journey! It is not something that happens overnight, it is filled with uphills, downhills, curves, and forks in the road. It is a journey that everyone is on, whether they choose to acknowledge it or not. Some will wander aimlessly and others will map out a plan, but everyone is on a personal finance journey.

I am a Christian woman who desires to live a transparent, accountable life before the Lord. I am not perfect, yet I am saved by grace. I believe the Bible is the inspired and infallible Word of God to man. Therefore, my views on personal finance (and everything else) are based on Biblical principals.

Join the Community

You don’t have to travel the journey alone! Let’s stay connected and encourage each other along the way!

Twitter: You can find me on Twitter under the username (@PFJourney), I’ll share interesting links and tidbits of information here.

FREE RSS Subscription or E-mail Updates: You can subscribe to this blog via RSS or you can have new articles delivered to your e-mail inbox by submitting your email below.

Leave comments: This is probably the best way to build the community. I would love it if you share your thoughts on the various articles. All are encouraged to leave relevant comments or questions. Even if you disagree, I would like to hear from you. However, negative comments that attack people will be removed.

Facebook “Fan” Page: Let me be honest, I dislike the term “fan” page. I am not some famous pop star with tons of “fans”. However, I do enjoy Facebook, and for now, that seems to be the lingo for the public profile page. I’ve decided to create a “fan” (ahem, public) page for PFJ because the majority of my status updates on my profile page have to do with my other passion: worship arts. Connect with PFJ on Facebook

Subscribe to the newsletter: If you allow your eyes to wander over to the right you’ll notice a newsletter subscription box. The newsletter will used to send additional information that may or may not be published on the website. When discounts, promotions and opportunities arrive, they will be presented to newsletter subscribers first.

Submit guest posts: If you would like to write an article on a particular personal finance topic you may submit it. Guest posts are of dual benefit because they increase exposure of your content and site and also provide a quality article for the readers here from a different point of view. Below are some bullet points you’ll need to know about guest posting here:

You must be the author
It can not be published anywhere else on the Internet
Must be relevant (ie about Personal Finance)
Preferred length is 400 – 800 words but exceptions can be made
It can not be self promotional (however, if you have a blog/site a link will be provided in the bio that will accompany your article)
Articles may be edited (rare), but the meaning will remain intact
If your article is published, link backs and submissions to social media sites such as Twitter, Facebook, PFBuzz, StumbleUpon, Tip’d etc are greatly appreciated (but not required for acceptance)
Submission does not guaranteed publication. However, to increase your chances please stay within the guidelines and check for grammar and spelling. Also, you may contact me with a summary / topic before submitting the full article. I can give you an idea of rather I could use the article or not

Getting Started

If you’re new to Personal Finance Journey, check out these recommended articles for your reading enjoyment:

Advertising Policy

There are ads placed on the site to help offset operating costs. I also am a member of several affiliate programs. However, if I endorse a product or service, it is because I have experience with it and/or stand by it. In other words, there are NO PAID ENDORSEMENTS here. Most ads come from an ad network, and I have only limited control of which ads appear. If you notice any that are inappropriate, please contact me and I will take the necessary steps to get them removed. There are a few advertising spots available, so if you are interested, please contact me.