JUGHEADS
Youth Juggling Company, LLC
5905 Concord Avenue
Edina, MN 55424
jugheads@comcast.net
or 952.926.0896

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January 2001

“The Debt that Pays Dividends”

For those who know me well, there is no secret about how I’ve been able to earn a living by directing a youth juggling program. Simply put, Wendy and I have stayed out of debt. I come from a very conservative family, and my older brother gave me excellent two-fold advice as I transitioned from college to the workplace in 1992: “Stay out of debt and continue to live on a college student’s budget.” Our subsequent frugal choices allowed Wendy to quit her job to pursue a career in graphic design in 1996, and it allowed me to quit WISE GUYS in order to found the juggling program independently in 1998. These risks have proved rewarding in the long run, both professionally and financially. As we now endeavor to pay off even our home mortgage, I am motivated by a Bible verse: “Owe nothing to anyone except to love one another; for he who loves his neighbor has fulfilled the law” (Romans 13:8).

By becoming debt-free in all financial areas, Wendy and I also become spiritually free to focus on our “debt of love” to our neighbors. It’s not a coincidence that we live in Edina; we chose to live in the same literal neighborhood where I’ve invested my career with youth over the past nearly nine years. The kids are my “neighbors,” and paying my debt of love to them will continue long after our household financial debt is cleared. Indeed, life dividends are received through investments of love, and the giver is fulfilled.