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Fresh Perspective Interview with Matt Jabs

Written by Aaron Pinkston, Sun, Jan 10 2010
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In case you’re new to the Fresh Perspective series, it’s where I interview someone new and interesting every week. I ask questions to get your brain cranking and headed off to a wonderful week. I hope there are some thoughts and perspectives to help you.

Matt Jabs is a caring and giving guy who is the owner of Debt Free Adventure. If you haven’t discovered him yet, he’s pretty awesome. And whether you agree with his particular point-of-view or not, I believe his story is a compelling one that we can all learn from.

AP: Becoming debt free doesn’t sound like an adventure to most people. Tell me about the adventure part of your journey. What makes it so fun?

MJ: The idea that one day we will control the flow of our own money. The bible teaches that it is not financially wise to be in debt bondage, while modern culture has desensitized us from the power debt has over us. Our adventure is about us running the show, instead of bankers running it for us. Maybe we’re nerds, but to us the thought of that is just plain fun! At the end of the day my wife and I desire freedom from debt so we can better serve the Lord.

AP: One of the more unique financial moves you and your wife made was to tap into social lending as barrowers to pay down your bank-owned debt. Some people have pointed out the social aspects of Clarifinancial, so I’m curious to hear about your experience with a social finance website.

MJ: We consolidated 4 debts into 1 loan through LendingClub. The fees for the consolidation loan cost us a mere $80 and will save us around $500 over the life of the loan. Beyond the savings, our experience with Social finance has been fantastic.

One great thing about the social web that readers need to understand is the return of power to the consumer. Using social media opens channels of direct communication between them and their service providers. Customers can also freely give positive or negative social media feedback regarding their experiences. Because of this we are seeing a return to sound customer service practices, and I say, “it’s about time!”

AP: It’s safe to say you’re a techie. In fact, you work as an Information Technology Manager in a medium-sized business and I notice you giving advice and help to other bloggers on Twitter. How has pulling from your other expertise helped your work at DebtFreeAdventure.com, and how has it helped you network with others who can help you?

MJ: My work as an Internet entrepreneur has greatly benefited by my experience as an IT professional. Because I have over 10 years experience working with computer and web-related technology I definitely have a leg-up on other bloggers and I am happy to pass that knowledge and experience on down the line.

Many people with much more success than me have bent over backward to help me when I need... and I simply want to offer the same genuine mentoring others have so graciously given to me. Most times that manifests itself in the form of me helping them with technical aspects of blogging, which is just fine with me.

AP: You are a Christian and you speak and write a lot about how your religion impacts your financial life and decisions. How would you recommend people who have different religious beliefs pull inspiration to tackle their own finances?

MJ: I am a Christian – but I never rely on religion... I rely on God’s word. When studied accordingly, the bible is the best personal finance book out there, packed with wise counsel that transcends religion. I would urge all to read the bible... it is the greatest book on earth – packed with wisdom, knowledge, and understanding for all matters of life, regardless of religious background and/or affiliation. All sound personal finance books simply glean from the original wisdom laid out in the bible.

AP: You are also an existentialist, in that you believe others measure our life after we are done living it. You use the idea of what you want to be remembered for as a motivation and a constant guide post. What do you want to be remembered for after you are done with this life?

MJ: I want people to say that I was a passionate man who loved God. I want people to say that I followed God and that I followed my passions. When people think of me I want them to think of love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, and temperance. If thoughts of Matt Jabs do not already elicit such thoughts, then I need to continue striving to become the man I should be. Period. If I do these things first everything else will fall into place.

AP: Thanks for doing this interview Matt. I hope you had fun, and it inspires others to have an awesome week.

MJ: Thank you for the interview Aaron, I was honored to participate.


Last week, I talked with Brad Chaffee from Enemy of Debt about truth, love, and change. Check it out.