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Published Friday, September 26, 2008 in Local

Are you struggling with debt?

By Amy Lott

The Times-Herald

For Coweta residents struggling to make ends meet, the odds of overcoming debt often seem insurmountable.

Today, author Joe Sangl -- founder of I Was Broke. Now I'm Not., LLC -- aims to lessen those odds.

Sangl, who writes a weekly newspaper column called "Money Help" for the Anderson Independent-Mail, will be leading a seminar entitled "DebtFreeCoweta.com" from 10 a.m.-noon at the Newnan-Coweta Chamber of Commerce in an effort to assist those local families suffering from economic hardship.

"Having counseled hundreds of people one-on-one and taught thousands of people throughout the region, I see the impact that the econonmy is having on people," Sangl said. "Grocery prices have increased 14-20 percent, and gas prices have more than doubled. This has eliminated most of the margin that folks had in their finances."

According to Sangl, one of the largest contributors to money problems is a lack of clear planning. "The DebtFreeCoweta.com event is all about teaching people exactly how to create a plan that will enable them to win with their money -- even in these troubled economic times," he said.

Sangl said seminar attendees will learn how to create a spending plan that really works, calculate a "Debt Freedom Date," determine the amount needed for retirement, figure how much to save each month to achieve retirement goals and learn how to capture the power of compound interest through investing.

Most people can be debt-free, except for a home mortgage, in less than three years, Sangl said. "It is my commitment to teach tools that are very practical and immediately applicable to one's own finances," he said. "The tools that I teach are the exact same tools that I used to become debt-free -- except for the mortgage -- in just 14 months and have allowed me to experience financial freedom. My family has been free of non-house debt since February 2004, and we are never looking back."

Sangl said it is his passion to help people accomplish far more than they ever thought possible with their personal finances so they are able to do exactly what they have been put on the earth to do, regardless of the income potential.

"Too many people are struggling with debt and don't know how to get out," said Scott Whitaker, pastor of StonePoint Church, the event sponsor. "We believe it's possible for residents of Coweta County to be debt free. That's why we're doing this."

Tickets for the seminar are $15 for singles and $25 for couples. Child care will be provided. For additional information and to register, visit www.DebtFreeCoweta.com or call 770-683-5645. Sangl will also be speaking at 10:30 a.m. Sunday morning at StonePoint Church, which meets at the Georgia Cinemas.