🎙️ Episode #502 – DSCR loans are changing fast. I brought back mortgage expert Bryan Maddex to break down what’s new in 2026, where investors can… The post No W-2 or Tax Returns? DSCR Loans Explained! (2026) appeared first on Coach Carson.

People who are caregivers for an aging parent, spouse, or other family member, face greater financial strain, lower retirement confidence, and more worry about the future — and millions of people are in that boat. 

I’m a goal-setter. I like to have something I’m working toward, always. And when I set goals, I often set them across multiple different categories (e.g., health/wellness, financial, relationships, personal development, motherhood, professional, etc.).  On August 1st I started a new fitness challenge: 75 Soft. This is a lighter variant of the 75 Hard workout challenge that became popular during pandemic times when author Andy Frisella published his book about the challenge. I’ve had a few friends try it, but this is my first time jumping on the bandwagon.  In the original version (the “hard” version), you follow a diet, do two 45-minute workouts per day (one must be outside), read 10 pages of nonfiction per day (no audiobooks), drink 1 gallon of water per day, take daily progress pictures, and restart the entire challenge if you fail any of the requirements.  In the lighter version I’m doing for myself, I’m trying to eat healthy, do one 45-minute workout per day, read for at least 10 minutes per day (audiobooks are okay), and drink 3 liters of water per day.  So far, I’ve been doing pretty good! Starting on August 1st means I’ll finish by mid-October, which feels like perfect timing. I’ll be able to enjoy all the yummy fall treats and food-centered holidays that come with Thanksgiving, Christmas, and the rest of the holiday season without feeling like I’m in the middle of a fitness challenge. Perhaps because of this new goal, or perhaps because we’re now fully in the back-to-school phase and schedules are changing, I’ve been thinking back to my 2026 financial goals. I wanted to do a little check-in to see where we’re at and what I might need to adjust or change to meet my goals by the end of the year. I wrote about my financial goals for 2026 here:  Setting financial goals helps me to stay on target and make steady progress in the direction I want to travel. Let’s see how we’re doing… Plan and Prepare for Early Retirement. Grade: A I’m still actively planning and preparing for an early retirement goal, but I’ve had to accept that I’m living in some unknowns for the time being. There’s really no way to know the future well enough to have a definitive timeline.  One of the biggest things up in the air is the girls’ college plans. One of my benefits at work is a significant reduction in tuition for dependents. My stretch goal has been to retire at 50 (8 years from now). At that point, though, the girls will be sophomores in college (assuming they go straight to college from High School).  If that’s the case, I cannot see myself retiring at 50 and giving up the major benefit of having inexpensive college tuition for my kids.  So maybe I’ll work until 52. But what if it takes them 5 years to graduate instead of 4? What if they take a gap year before starting college? What if they don’t even want

Have you ever wondered why you still practice frugal living even when you’re no longer struggling to make ends meet? I’ve been thinking about that a lot lately. When I was younger, being frugal wasn’t really optional. We were raising three children on one income, and like most young families, there always seemed to be more places for our money to go than money available to go around. I clipped coupons, watched grocery sales and […]