How the Seattle-Denver Super Bowl applies to your finances

Just because this is finance and credit blog doesn’t mean we can’t have a little fun on Super Bowl weekend. Even if you are not a football fan and could not care less about Sunday’s game, you might enjoy these fun facts that serve as metaphors for your financial situation.

First let’s look at the cities: Seattle and Denver.

Did you know that Seattleites claim the term “skid row” comes from the Emerald City? The legend is that mill owner Henry Yesler had his crews grease logs and skid them downhill along a path called “Skid Road” to a mill below. A Historylink.org piece now rules that legend to likely be untrue. Later, though, a prohibitionist used the name “Skid Road” to condemn an area filled with brothels and saloons. Eventually that term morphed into “Skid Row,” and in every city it connotes the seedy part of town.

The metaphor in this? Well, let’s get creative. Don’t let your finances hit the skids. Or, if your finances have already hit the skids, take those finances and carve out a new financial situation by paying down your debts and working with an American Financial Solutions credit counselor to improve your overall picture.

Now, let’s look at Denver. The city was settled by gold seekers, but where Denver stands now there were three towns originally. One was Highland. The other two were Auraria and St. Charles City. The tension among the three towns was intense and they competed for new residents. In the end it became one city, Denver City, after some threats, promises and whiskey were exchanged.  

The lesson here? Sometimes doing the work and getting creative to get things that are at odds with each other to work together, can generate a wonderful, single reality. Three towns turned into one beautiful Denver. Take your income, your commitments and your ongoing education to create a wonderful financial situation for yourself.

Now, let’s look at the two teams.

The Denver Broncos have the number one offense in the National Football League. By going on the offensive you can be proactive in reducing your debts, employing new strategies to increase your income and taking on challenges rather than letting them attack you.

The Seattle Seahawks have the best defense in the National Football League. By playing defense with your financial situation you can effectively stave off attacks, not only by fraudsters, but also by strategies that in the end, will not make your financial life better.

Who will win the football game? We’ll find out on Sunday. But there is one major difference between that game and your financial situation. In that game one team will win and the other will lose. In your financial situation, no one has to lose. You can come out the winner by taking sound financial steps, talking to a credit counselor and by being good at both offense and defense.

Published Jan 31, 2014.