WrestleMania Predictions

WWE Women’s Championship

Ronda Rousey vs. Charlotte Flair vs. Becky Lynch

Prediction: Becky Lynch

WWE Universal Championship

Brock Lesnar vs. Seth Rollins

Prediction: Seth Rollins

WWE Championship

Daniel Bryan vs. Kofi Kingston

Prediction: Daniel Bryan

No Holds Barred match

Triple H vs. Batista

Prediction: Triple H

Roman Reigns vs. Drew McIntyre

Prediction: Roman Reigns

WWE Intercontinental Championship

Bobby Lashley vs. Finn Balor

Prediction: Finn Balor

Falls Count Anywhere

Shane McMahon vs. The Miz

Prediction: The Miz

Randy Orton vs. AJ Styles

Prediction: Randy Orton

Kurt Angle vs. Baron Corbin

Prediction: Kurt Angle

WWE United States Championship

Samoa Joe vs. Rey Mysterio

Prediction: Samoa Joe

WWE Raw Tag Team Championship

The Revival vs. Zack Ryder & Curt Hawkins

Prediction: Zack Ryder & Curt Hawkins

WWE Women's Tag Team Championship

The Boss 'n' Hug Connection (Bayley and Sasha Banks) vs. The Divas of Doom (Beth Phoenix and Natalya) vs. The IIconics (Billie Kay and Peyton Royce) vs. Nia Jax and Tamina Snuka

Prediction: The IIconics

WWE Cruiserweight Championship

Buddy Murphy vs. Tony Nese

Prediction: Buddy Murphy

WWE SmackDown Tag Team Championship

The Usos vs. Ricochet and Aleister Black vs. The Bar vs. Shinsuke Nakamura and Rusev

Prediction: Ricochet and Aleister Black

Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal

Prediction: Kevin Owens

Second Annual Wrestlemania Women's Battle Royal

Prediction: Asuka

Student loan progress and learning

I look back over my near two years in graduate school and I'm not sure it was a worthwhile investment. I never did get a job in Human Resources and maybe it's not what God  wants me to do anyway. But I did learn about leadership styles an human interaction, so maybe in that sense, it was a good thing to do. But when I completed the program in 2015, I had just under $10,000 in student loans. Now that's not a whole lot compared to other people. But it was aggravating considering I was supposed to have the program completely covered by the school where I was working at the time.

When I graduated school in June 2015, my starting balance was $9,326. My required monthly payment was $108 and change and that was to have it paid off in ten years. I figured that was reasonable and if I got ahead early, I could just make minimum payments for a while and that would be good enough. But I didn't know much about interest. That $9,326 was a lot more.

Let me break down what I did, because as I wrote this it's baffling to me. In my first 12 months, from June 2015-June 2016, I paid back $2,600, about 30 percent of the principal. But I guess I got complacent. Because then I started to slack off. I didn't stop making payments, but my intensity was gone. Over the next 24 months, I paid $802.

It wasn't until the fall of 2018 when I started budgeting my money and realized what a choke hold that debt can have that I decided I should push myself. I had always tried to be smart with money but I never really knew exactly what was coming in, because I never used a budget. And if I could get out of debt quickly in order that I could actually build wealth. I began to make more regular payments starting in July 2018. Between then and December, I paid just under $700. So by the end of 2018, my balance was down to $5,276.

Then I realized that I could get crazy and get out of the debt way quicker. I resolved to pay at least $500 a month. Plus any additional money I had at the end of the month would go towards the balance. So whereas in the past, I would make a payment every other month, now I was making two payments per month.

In the first 3 months of 2019, I have paid $2,800. My balance is now $2,473 and I fully expect to have this debt paid off by my birthday at the end of July. Upon which time, I will be 100% debt free. Keep in mind, I'm not making much more money than I've made in the past. I'm working three gigs to make what I have now. But I have faith the work will pay off for me. Literally.

Just to recap:

After 3 years, I had paid $3,400.
After 3.5 years, I had paid $4,050.
After 3.75 years (today), I have paid $6,853.

I have $2,473.16 left to go. Praise the Lord for his gifts and wisdom.