I'm A CHO And You Can Be Too

I am the knower of things. 

When my husband suspiciously asks how I know some tidbit of pop culture, I usually say that to him.

I am the knower of things, honey! I'm with it! 

The implicit joke is that I know nothing when it comes to pop culture. Can someone please explain this hashtag to me??

But I am in fact the knower of things and I have knowledge to share. I know how to be a good technology reporter and since going freelance in 2011, I know how to be a really good Chief Home Officer. I am now ready to embrace this roll and proudly call people like me a CHO. I am the knower of how to be a really great CHO! 

What is a CHO? I know it sounds kind of rude so get your giggling out about the acronym so we can discuss. I'll wait....

Okay then. A CHO is a term marketers use for the person in the household who makes the financial decisions. I would like to expand. A CHO is something at least one person in your household must be. It has nothing to do with cooking or cleaning. It has to do with rocking your home finances like the CEO of a Fortune 500 company. That's what I do. I am the Chief Home Officer of Morris Family Inc. and I use the lessons I've learned in business school to track, predict, and manage our financial lives. 

I love doing this. I'm really good at it. I want to help other families be good at this too. 

Managing online bill pay is not enough. Checking in on Mint.com every so often is not enough. Someone in your house needs to know the entire financial picture and plan for the future. Someone needs to keep the books. If that someone is you, keep reading. If that someone is your spouse, text them the link to this post. 

I was a CHO before I had a family. If you're single you have to be your own CHO because no one is going to do it for you. You must have a handle on your own finances. There is no other way to be! 

As for families, what is one of the top reasons couples fight? Money. Duh. Why? Usually that happens when there is a lack of communication and common goals. This can be avoided with a good CHO. 

I'm not saying that my husband and I haven't had fights about money. Oh we have! My husband is Mr Spendy Spend on things that I do not agree with. He wants to eat out WAY too often. He comes up with home improvement projects that are $$$$$!!!!!#$%#$^%%$&#%^#!@! 

Early in our marriage I would kind of freak out about these extravagances. I would attack him personally. I try not to do that any more. Instead, I sit him down with my spreadsheets and explain how we can (or cannot) make those choices work and then we make a decision collectively. This way is better, trust me. 

I have been to business school. I have read copious personal finance books. I have worked for CNBC for over 3 years. I know about personal finance. I am the knower of things! I'm ready to share those things! 

What are your CHO questions? I am going to make an effort to write about this topic regularly here on my personal blog. Please contact me in any form or fashion and I'll address your home finance issues. Together we are going to ROCK our personal finances so that no bill catches us off guard, no blood is drawn over money in our families, and no financial goals slip through our fingers. Because we're CHOs dammit!