Personal Finance

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    I Will Teach You To Be Rich

  • WTF happened last night? Oh yea, my server got CRUSHED

    Ramit Sethi
    6 Nov 2009 | 12:16 am
    Listen, if you tried to access my webcast last night, you probably didn’t get in, and I am REALLY sorry. I have literally never seen as much traffic as last night — not even when I was on the FRONT PAGE OF YAHOO.COM. At 6:50pm, I logged onto my webcam and finalized everything At 6:55pm, I logged into my blog to add a link to the webcast URL. By this point, my server had slowed to a crawl At 6:56pm, over 1 person/second was trying to access iwillteachyoutoberich.com/blog At 7:01pm, we had my webhost on the phone attempting to resolve the issue It took until 7:21pm to completely fix…

  • Live webcast tonight: Psychology techniques + live answers to your questions

    Ramit Sethi
    4 Nov 2009 | 11:40 pm
    The webcast is over Tonight (Thursday, 11/5), I’m doing a live webcast to show you 5 psychological techniques to change your financial behavior. You’re learn how to trick yourself to save and earn more using powerful techniques I haven’t mentioned anywhere else. After showing you the new psychological models, I’ll do a Lightning Talk to answer YOUR questions. I’ll also answer questions about the Boot Camp. I want to pack this full of information in 30 minutes, so here’s what I’m covering… 7:00pm – 7:10pm: 5 Psychological Techniques to…

  • Announcing the I Will Teach You To Be Rich Boot Camp

    Ramit Sethi
    2 Nov 2009 | 11:20 pm
    Over the last week, you’ve seen examples of people using my strategies to: Negotiate an $8,000 salary increase + 50% more equity Save tens of thousands of dollars Learn more using entrepreneurship Travel around the world, and Automate their money so they don’t worry about day-to-day finances Today I’m announcing the I Will Teach You To Be Rich Boot Camp to take ACTION. The Manifest Destiny Problem: “More is Better” Have you noticed how lots of people always want more and more information, but rarely implement what they already have? A couple years ago, I started…

  • Analysis: 7 readers who saved over $100,000

    Ramit Sethi
    2 Nov 2009 | 12:44 pm
    Do you ever wonder how people who read I Will Teach You To Be Rich actually implement the strategies for huge savings and earning increases? Below are 7 stories, straight from readers just like you, who have saved and earned thousands of dollars using I Will Teach You To Be Rich techniques. The stories include details on how they got out of debt, saved more, and earned more so they could travel, buy a house, and live a richer life. Remember — tomorrow I launch the I Will Teach You To Be Rich Boot Camp (early details), where I’ll unveil a 6-week course and curriculum to force you…

  • How to trick dumb kids into eating less Halloween candy

    Ramit Sethi
    30 Oct 2009 | 2:19 pm
    How can a mirror cause dramatic behavioral changes in kids? First, I should acknowledge that the kids are not really dumb because of the psychological technique I’m going to describe below, but can’t we all agree that kids are pretty dumb in general? Come on. My parents just told me a story about how, when I was a kid, my Dad once cut a grapefruit for me and sprinkled sugar on it. I screamed and screamed for FIFTEEN MINUTES about how I didn’t want sugar on it. When my dad finally said, “Ok ok” and took the sugar off with a spoon, I still screamed because I…
 
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    Get Rich Slowly

  • The Curse of a Big-Win Mentality

    Baker
    6 Nov 2009 | 4:00 am
    This article is by GRS staff writer Adam Baker. Despite his best attempts, Baker struggles to budget while adapting to life in New Zealand. Earlier this week J.D. tackled an important issue with his tenet Large Amounts Matter Too. This concept goes by many names: Focus on big wins. Pick the low-hanging fruit Attack high-leverage areas. You get the point: It’s efficient to do things that have major impact with minimum effort. J.D. wrote: Some people spend so much time sweating the small stuff that they don’t bother to do the same on the big stuff. They’re penny wise and pound…

  • Knocking Out the Beliefs That Hold You Back

    April
    5 Nov 2009 | 4:00 am
    This post is from GRS staff writer April Dykman. A college professor once told my journalism class that freelance writing is something you should do on the side. It’s not anything you could make a living at full-time.  I graduated and worked at an office job until I decided I wanted to become self-employed and do something that would give me more free time to write. A real job and a writer on the side, just like the professor had suggested. I went into real estate. To say it was an awful fit would be an understatement. The very thought of cold-calling made me want to stay in bed with…

  • Daily Links: 11,643 Words Edition

    J.D.
    4 Nov 2009 | 3:23 pm
    Whew! It took a long time — nine days instead of the scheduled seven — but I finally finished the frugality chapter for my book. Do you know how difficult it is to compress that topic into a single chapter? It’s worth an entire book by itself! The version I just submitted to my editor is 11,643 words and includes April’s should I buy it? flowchart. I expect the published version to be significantly shorter, but we’ll see. How much is 11,643 words? It’s about 39 printed pages. It’s also the equivalent of 12-15 major blog posts. If you wonder why…

  • Ask the Readers: What Do You Do for Frugal Fun?

    J.D.
    4 Nov 2009 | 4:00 am
    I used to wonder why my colleagues’ blogs became strangely silent when they were working on their books. Haha. I don’t wonder anymore. Writing a book is an all-consuming process that’s difficult to describe. I’m thankful I recruited April and Baker as staff writers before I began working on my own book. Progress on Your Money: The Missing Manual actually ground to a halt this week. Well, that’s not strictly true. I did miss my deadline on Monday, but it’s not for lack of trying. I’ve already written as much (~12,000 words) for the frugality chapter as…

  • The Regrets of Christmas Past

    J.D.
    3 Nov 2009 | 4:00 am
    This is a guest post from Robert Brokamp of The Motley Fool. Robert is a Certified Financial Planner and the advisor for The Motley Fool’s Rule Your Retirement service. He contributes one new article to Get Rich Slowly every two weeks. Every summer, my wife and I cull our closets for stuff we and our kids no longer use. This is followed by a yard sale (complete with the obligatory lemonade stand from our kids), and the items that aren’t sold get donated to a local thrift store that uses the proceeds for charity. In the end, we have more closet space, some extra cash, an entrepreneurial…
 
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    Personal finance news - CNNMoney.com

  • Globetrotting for a strong dollar

    5 Nov 2009 | 7:05 am
    When the U.S. dollar gained ground on the Euro and other currencies last year, glossy travel magazines celebrated the affordability of once-pricey locales. Cheap lattes in Paris!

  • Be a smarter charitable giver

    5 Nov 2009 | 1:48 am
    When it comes to charitable giving, some well-intentioned moves can backfire.

  • Never too old for stocks

    5 Nov 2009 | 1:28 am
    Question: I'm nearing retirement, but would like to continue investing in stocks and bonds. My question: Should retirees continue to put money into the markets even after they have retired? --Lee Benge, Charlotte, North Carolina

  • Personal bankruptcies surge 9%

    4 Nov 2009 | 9:50 am
    The number of Americans filing personal bankruptcies surged 9% in October, and were on target for the highest annual total in four years, according to a report issued Wednesday.

  • Extreme savers

    4 Nov 2009 | 8:28 am
    The Great Recession has forced some people to find creative ways to cut back on their spending. CNNMoney.com looks at what five people are doing to save money.
 
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    CONSUMERISM COMMENTARY

  • Expedited CARD Reform for Consumers Act of 2009

    Smithee
    6 Nov 2009 | 11:02 am
    After the Credit CARD Act of 2009 was signed into law, we saw how credit card issuers started making life tougher for their customers. In short, banks were levying fees on their customers indiscriminately, affecting both the good and the bad. This has been going on for months. Lawmakers have publicly condemned it, and made requests to the federal reserve, but all to no avail. This week, however, an amendment to expedite the Credit CARD Act (giving it an effective date of December 1st) has passed the House of Representatives in a better-than-average bipartisan manner (only 53% of Republicans…

  • Quicken Online Users Will Be Migrated to Mint

    Flexo
    6 Nov 2009 | 9:00 am
    When Mint and Intuit announced the latter would be acquiring the former, the Quicken team and Aaron Patzer, the CEO of Mint, now a vice president of Intuit’s personal finance division, claimed that their two similar online product offerings, Mint and Quicken Online, would continue to co-exist. This made little sense to me. In fact, I asked, “How long will it continue to make sense to maintain two highly similar services under one roof?” We now know the answer is, “Not long at all.” The acquisition has passed regulatory requirements and is now official. With this…

  • President Obama and Congress Extend the $8,000 Home Buyers’ Credit

    Flexo
    6 Nov 2009 | 4:00 am
    It’s official. Today President Obama will sign a bill into law that extends the $8,000 First Time Home Buyers’ Tax Credit, recently set to expire on November 30, until April 30 next year. The tax credit, originally part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 was intended to stimulate the real estate industry, and Congress has been talking about extending the credit for months. 1.8 million home buyers have qualified for the $8,000 first time home buyers’ tax credit so far or will qualify by the end of November. According to the National Association of Realtors…

  • Personal Balance Sheet, October 2009

    Flexo
    5 Nov 2009 | 6:18 pm
    Although it’s a little late this month, it’s now time to share my personal finances. I’ve been doing this roughly every month since Consumerism Commentary started in July 2003. I did recently make one important change — I am no longer counting my “business” bank accounts in my net worth. I’m trying to separate my business, which consists mainly of Consumerism Commentary, from my personal accounts. October was an interesting month. I traveled to my brother’s wedding in California, so there were a number of extraordinary expenses related to the…

  • Should Target Date Funds Be Standardized?

    Flexo
    4 Nov 2009 | 5:00 am
    The Security and Exchange Commission (SEC) is setting up a new division to oversee new financial products, and this group is starting with target date funds. These are mutual funds usually taking the form of baskets of other mutual funds, designed to target a certain year of retirement. As the year approaches, the fund automatically changes asset allocation, usually between stocks and bonds, to become less risky. I’ve pointed out some of my concerns with target date funds here before. Mainly, they could be too conservative and it’s easy to hide fees. Mary Schapiro, the head of the…
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    MSN Money Latest Articles

  • India's big vote for a gold rally

    6 Nov 2009 | 5:12 pm
    The naysayers have said gold was ready to fall at every step of its upward march toward $1,100. But the world can't get enough of the shiny stuff.

  • Call them 'need-based' businesses

    6 Nov 2009 | 5:00 pm
    Despite a dreary economy, it was a great year to start a business from home, as entrepreneurs identified and filled voids for consumers and other businesses.

  • Fight the financial-industry thugs

    6 Nov 2009 | 2:08 pm
    The bullies who nearly ruined the economy are now trying to kill a proposed agency that would protect US consumers. Don't let lawmakers sell you out again, folks.

  • 9 questions Wall Street must answer

    6 Nov 2009 | 9:39 am
    Another Depression may have been averted, but the bailouts compromised our future. We need to know how the economy fell into such a deep hole.

  • Why investors should ignore the Dow

    5 Nov 2009 | 5:26 pm
    The 30-stock index represents the market to many people. But few of the stocks are worth buying, and a third should be dumped fast. If you don't own them, why follow them?
 
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    Yahoo! News: Personal Finance News

  • Best of both worlds? Combined pension/401k plan (AP)

    6 Nov 2009 | 12:31 pm
    AP - Over the last year it's become abundantly clear that the stock market can devastate even seemingly healthy retirement accounts. Even so, with the guaranteed income of traditional pensions disappearing, most investors have little choice.

  • Defense asks jury to clear ex-hedge fund managers (AP)

    6 Nov 2009 | 12:30 pm
    AP - Two former Bear Stearns hedge fund managers charged with lying to investors always were honest about the risks of investing in securities linked to the volatile subprime mortgage market, a defense lawyer told a jury on Friday.

  • THE INFLUENCE GAME: Business aided by jobless bill (AP)

    6 Nov 2009 | 8:55 am
    AP - Emergency help for the jobless will be a huge windfall for Realtors, homebuilders, mortgage bankers and others, and that's no accident.

  • Neb. senator takes issue with student loan stance (AP)

    6 Nov 2009 | 8:35 am
    AP - U.S. Sen. Mike Johanns said Thursday that his concern for Nebraska families is what's driving his opposition to legislation that would turn control of student loans over to the government — not lobbying from private student loan provider Nelnet Inc. of Lincoln.

  • Dolan more than doubles 3Q profit (AP)

    6 Nov 2009 | 5:49 am
    AP - Dolan Media Co., a provider of legal and professional publications and services, said Friday its third-quarter profit more than doubled as revenue grew sharply in its mortgage default processing services business.
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    My Money Blog

  • MicroPlace: Buy a $20 Gift Certificate, Get One Free

    Jonathan
    6 Nov 2009 | 4:26 am
    Just got an e-mail from MicroPlace that they are running a gift certificate promotion where if you buy a $20 GC, you get another $20 GC free. The gift recipient can then lend out the money to a poor entrepreneur and receive interest + $20 back later. Since the person actually gets the money back (or at least most of it assuming some defaults), and thus isn’t the same as a “$XX has been donated in your name” gift, I think it’s a cool twist on gift cards. Give a Gift that Keeps on Giving Give a unique and special gift this holiday season. It is a gift of connection, a…

  • British Airways Credit Card - 100,000 Miles Offer

    Jonathan
    6 Nov 2009 | 2:22 am
    Here’s a nice credit card offer for those interested in international travel. The Chase British Airways Visa Signature card is offering 50,000 BA Executive Club miles for new cardmembers with first purchase, and another 50,000 BA miles after spending $2,000 within 3 months, for 100,000 miles total. Regular features include earning 1.25 miles per dollar spent. The card does have an annual fee of $75 as well. 50,000 British Airways miles is enough for an economy class transatlantic flight from USA to their “Europe Zone 1″, which includes the United Kingdom, Belgium, France,…

  • Planned vs. Perceived Obsolescence

    Jonathan
    5 Nov 2009 | 3:36 am
    I recently watched the film Story of Stuff, which is a film about the lifecycle of material goods. While the video has its biases and has thus become politically controversial, I still think the video is worth viewing with a critical mind. There is some good debate on the film’s Wikipedia page, I don’t want to get into it here. One thing that I did like was her discussion of planned vs. perceived obsolescence. Here are the definitions from the film glossary: Planned obsolescence: designing and producing products in order for them to be used up (obsolete) within a specific time…

  • Should I Buy This Gadget? Here’s a Helpful Flowchart

    Jonathan
    5 Nov 2009 | 12:02 am
    Click below or on the thumbnail above to see the whole thing. Credit to Scordit.

  • Prosper P2P: $50 For New Lenders + Up to 2% Rebate Bonus

    Jonathan
    4 Nov 2009 | 4:47 am
    Prosper.com was the first big name in the person-to-person lending space. Things have been quiet recently, as they took a while getting SEC approval for their investment notes. In addition, the problems with “old” Prosper included the fact that they let just about anyone apply for a loan in the beginning, including people with horrible credit who had been basically turned down everywhere else. Many lenders thought charging a 35% interest rate was enough - it wasn’t. But as this recent Washington Post article outlines, things are picking up in the P2P space. The way I see it,…
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    The Simple Dollar

  • Teaching Money Management Through Self-Responsibility

    Trent
    6 Nov 2009 | 12:00 pm
    In the past, I’ve strongly advocated for families to introduce their teenagers to financial reality as early as possible. I know that in my own case, I went off to college with almost no idea of how to manage my money and it really showed in the spending decisions I made over the next ten years of my life. Over the past decade, I’ve had the chance to intimately watch other families raise their children through the teenage years with lots of success and some failure. I’ve been impressed with some of the young people that are the core of Generation Y coming of age. Two in…

  • Ten Spectacular Tips for Getting Started in the Kitchen

    Trent
    6 Nov 2009 | 6:00 am
    I love cooking at home. I used to hate cooking at home, though. I was awful at it. I burnt things. I messed up scrambled eggs beyond all recognition. But over time, I got better at it. I started figuring out lots of little things that made the entire process smoother and made my results much better without necessarily improving my skills. Now, I vastly prefer what I make in my own kitchen over what I can get at most restaurants. What I make at home is tastier, usually healthier, and quite a bit cheaper, too. Along the way, I’ve picked up lots of little techniques for making home cooking…

  • A Reflection of Your Closest Friends

    Trent
    5 Nov 2009 | 12:00 pm
    It’s often said that people are reflections of their five closest friends in many ways: behaviors, income levels, values, and so on. Five years ago, almost all of my closest friends spent money like it was water. They were constantly doing things like playing poker, pushing each other to “one up” the rest with better gadgets and other material things, going out for drinks all the time, making fun of each other for looking less affluent, and so on. To put it simply, if you didn’t show many signs of material affluence, you were made fun of and ridiculed. You felt like…

  • 24 Ways to Save Money Today

    Trent
    5 Nov 2009 | 6:00 am
    A big part of successful frugality is the routine with which you live your day-to-day life. Here are twenty four little things that you can incorporate into your daily routines that just trim a little money away from your spending – and puts it into something more important to you. 1. Brush your teeth. An unclean mouth is a perfect place for unwanted bacteria and germs to take root. Good oral hygiene reduces the chance for bacteria to grow in your mouth. This reduces doctor visits, medicine costs, and productivity lost to illness – not to mention the time spent feeling awful. 2.

  • Revising and Reworking a Failed Financial Plan

    Trent
    4 Nov 2009 | 12:00 pm
    In 2003, shortly after getting married, I had an ambitious goal of saving for a 20% down payment on a house by the end of 2007. Over the next year, I did make some savings progress, but I kept falling behind my milestones. Eventually, fed up with myself, I gave up and more or less just spent the money freely. I thought of myself as a complete failure. When I made that choice, I was exposing my own idiocy in several different ways. First, I was demonstrating a complete lack of commitment to a goal. Rather than making small sacrifices to fulfill a big long-term dream, I let the dream fall by…
 
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    Wise Bread

  • Secrets of Telemarketing From an Industry Insider

    Paul Michael
    6 Nov 2009 | 12:15 pm
    By Paul Michael They call you at all hours. They don't care if you're eating dinner or taking a shower. And they really don't like to hear you say no. They're telemarketers. And recently, someone from "behind enemy lines" came forward to give us all invaluable tips on dealing with those harassing calls. The information comes from reddit's Ask Me Anything section (IAMA). Usually, people will put themselves out there to answer questions on anything from work and hobbies to computer games and, well, anything you can think of. Today, a telemarking insider came forward to reveal all on a…

  • Simple Living: Determining Your Priorities

    Sarah Winfrey
    6 Nov 2009 | 8:00 am
    By Sarah Winfrey Even with the economy slowly exiting the spectacular nosedive it took last year, many people find themselves with a renewed interest in living simply. However, what that means for each person depends on their own individual priorities. Determining what this means for each of us sounds like it should be easy, but instead is something many of us struggle with more than we are at peace about it. Simplistic it might seem, but the easiest way to figure out your priorities is to make a list, then whittle it down based on how the different things that are important to you interact.

  • Best Deals For Friday 11/06/09

    Paul Michael
    6 Nov 2009 | 7:10 am
    By Paul Michael Today's WISEBUY. 1000 Full Color Custom Business Cards For $3.37 + FREE s/h Office Depot offers 1,000 Full-Color Raised Print Business Cards (four boxes of 250) for $3.37 with free shipping   FREE - 1400 Christmas Cards! There are 4 cards to choose from and you can order up to 350 of each card.   FREE Sears Classic Montage Portrait + 20% Off Entire Purchase Print the coupon and bring it with you to Sears Portrait Studio.   FREE 3 Issues Of Wood Magazine Enjoy 3 issues (March '10 - July '10) No strings attached. You'll never receive a bill.   FREE…

  • 5 Quick Fixes to Salvage a Good Meal

    Tisha Tolar
    6 Nov 2009 | 7:00 am
    By Tisha Tolar We've all likely burned a pot of something in our lifetime, but sometimes a ruined dinner may not be so ruined after all. Learn a few tricks of the trade and save yourself some time and money. As more and more families go back to basics and choose to stay home to eat, there is a big interest in the recipe industry and cooking shows. Catching a few episodes of these shows or investing in a new cookbook can certainly help to keep meals at home fresh and interesting. If you make a mistake during your experimentation, don't throw out the food. Use these 5 quick fixes to salvage a…

  • The First Step to Budgeting

    Nora Dunn
    6 Nov 2009 | 6:00 am
    By Nora Dunn Why do so many budgets fail? Because the first step to budgeting is omitted. When implemented correctly, it can make a huge difference. When the first step is neglected, intangible and unrealistic budgets are often created — a recipe for disaster. So, you ask, what is the first step to budgeting? Keeping Track of Expenses It’s that simple. But it still requires a process, which is described below. Once you decide you want to create a budget, you need a starting point. You can’t accurately and immediately forecast what you will spend in the future if you have no…
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    Bargaineering

  • pfPicks: We’re Almost to 2010!

    Jim
    6 Nov 2009 | 10:24 am
    Whew, the end of yet another week. Can you believe it’s already November? It seemed like only yesterday I was trying to figure out what to get my wife for Valentine’s Day and already we’re planning for Thanksgiving in a few short weeks. It’s been a heck of a year so far, though we still have a little bit to go, and while things haven’t been too rough, I know that everyone’s been dealing with challenges this year. One thing we can be thankful for is that we’re still here, still kicking, and 2010 is just a few weeks away. Keep your head up and keep…

  • Homebuyer Credit & Jobless Benefits Extended (H.R.3548)

    Jim
    6 Nov 2009 | 7:48 am
    In the last few months, there have been two big “stimulus” related items discussed in the House and Senate. The first was talk of extending the first time homebuyer credit in both time (when you could use it) and scope (who qualified). The second was about extending unemployment benefits by an additional 13 weeks. Well, it turns out both are going to become a reality as the Senate passed H.R.3548 – Worker, Homeownership, and Business Assistance Act of 2009 two days ago. The House passed their version in late September and just yesterday agreed to the Senate amendment to the…

  • Your Take: Will Your Recession Changes Stick?

    Jim
    6 Nov 2009 | 4:38 am
    While most of us don’t believe we’re out of the recession, no matter what the statistics say, we can all agree that we made a few sacrifices over the last year and a half. Some have made a lot of sacrifices. One of the things my wife and I cut back on was dining out. We would go out to restaurants several times a week, not counting weekend festivities with our friends. For a dual income, no kid household, it’s not uncommon because our other expenses are generally low. However, with the uncertainty of the recession and my wife starting a PhD program, we thought that cutting…

  • BVC #22: Big Impact of Small Everyday Spending

    Jim
    5 Nov 2009 | 9:12 am
    All too often we go through our lives spending a little here, a little there. We make these purchases automatically because they can be so small and so routine that we forget we even make it. A lot of these things are habits, like smoking, or they’re part of our daily routine, like a cup of coffee in the morning. In this video, I talk about how you should take a look at all those small purchases because over time they can accumulate into something bigger. I also want to thank the fine folks at Intuit and TurboTax for supporting Bargaineering and sponsoring this video. With the end of…

  • American Express Cardmember Gift Offers

    Jim
    5 Nov 2009 | 8:20 am
    If you’re an American Express cardmember, you probably recognize the annual mailings from American Express about their cardmember gifts. They usually send out a couple of these types of offers each year and if you’re like, many of them go into the recycling bin. The one I always remember is the offer of an appointment book and day planner, but they do a lot more. This year, the offer is for a 2009 Food & Wine Annual Cookbook that has a retail value of $29.95 (you can buy it from Amazon for $19.77 plus shipping). For the cost of shipping and handling, $2.99, we can get this…
 
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    fivecentnickel.com

  • Did Congress Make the Homebuyer Tax Credit Retroactive?

    Nickel
    6 Nov 2009 | 7:36 am
    I’ve received several comments/e-mails asking about whether Congress has decided to make the first time homebuyer tax credit retroactive. If you saw my previous article, you’ll know that Congress has extended the first time homebuyer credit and added a new $6500 credit for existing homeowners. Is the homebuyer tax credit retroactive… or not? From everything that I’ve heard, the answer is that it will not be made retroactive. While this might not seem fair, the undelrying logic makes sense… Since the goal is to stimulate sales going forward, it makes no sense to…

  • Congress Extends $8000 Homebuyer Tax Credit, Adds New $6500 Credit

    Nickel
    5 Nov 2009 | 6:10 pm
    This just in… The House of Representatives has voted to extend — and expand — the first time homebuyer tax credit. Extending the $8000 credit, adding a $6500 credit According to the NY Times: The bill extends an $8,000 tax credit for first-time home buyers that was due to expire on Nov. 30, making it available to those who have a contract before May 1 on a primary residence priced at up to $800,000. The bill also creates a new credit of up to $6,500 for existing homeowners who buy a new residence if they have lived in their current one for at least five of the last eight…

  • Lending Club Update – October 2009 Performance

    Nickel
    5 Nov 2009 | 12:42 pm
    As October came to a close, things were still going well with my Lending Club investments. The one loan that has gone bad has stayed bad, but everything else is being paid on time. Even with that delinquency, however, my “High Risk” portfolio is back in the black, as I’ve earned more than enough in interest to cover the loan that I lost. Assuming things keep going as they are, that one bad loan will soon be a distant memory. During October, a couple of borrowers paid off their loans early, so I’ve re-deployed that cash (along with some additional funds that I’ve…

  • How Much to Budget for Car Maintenance?

    Matt
    5 Nov 2009 | 4:39 am
    If you don’t control your money, your money will control you. Today let’s focus on getting control over the cost of auto repair and maintenance. The cost of owning a car Here’s a look at all the budget categories you may want consider when attempting to nail down your auto expenses: Purchase price – payment (cash and/or financing and interest) to acquire the vehicle Taxes – paid when you buy or sell the vehicle Fuel – the gasoline/fuel you need to make the vehicle run Insurance – all levels auto insurance including personal liability, collision,…

  • Series I Savings Bonds Now Paying 3.36%

    Nickel
    4 Nov 2009 | 1:34 pm
    This is just a quick note to say the new Series I U.S. Savings Bond interest rates have been released. I haven’t written much (anything?) about savings bonds in the past, but I’m planning on changing that in the near future. In the mean time, I’ll just say this… The interest rate on Series I bonds is made up of a fixed rate component and an inflation component. Rates are updated twice a year, in May and November. The latest update saw the fixed component increase from 0.10% to 0.3% and the inflation component went from 0% to 3.06%. In other words, they’re now…
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    AllFinancialMatters

  • Turning Home ‘Buyers’ Into Renters

    JLP
    6 Nov 2009 | 12:35 pm
    Fannie Mae is becoming a landlord… Fannie Mae will allow homeowners facing foreclosure to stay in their homes and rent them for as long as a year, as part of the government’s latest effort to help troubled borrowers, while keeping more foreclosed properties from hitting the housing market. The “Deed for Lease” Program lets borrowers who don’t qualify for loan modifications transfer their property to Fannie Mae in exchange for a lease. Borrowers-turned-tenants will pay market rents, which in most cases are lower than the cost of mortgage payments, and might be…

  • A Little Friday Fun For You…

    JLP
    6 Nov 2009 | 11:33 am
    Back in August, my wife and I went to see Chris Isaak in concert. It was awesome! If you get the chance to see Chris in concert, GO! Anyway, below is a live video of my favorite song from his newest CD, “Mr. Lucky.” Enjoy…

  • Schwab is Introducing ETFs That Trade Commission-Free

    JLP
    5 Nov 2009 | 9:08 am
    Charles Schwab recently announced that they were getting into the exchange-traded funds game by introducing several new Schwab-branded ETFs. I have listed the new ETFs below, along with their expense ratio and the description as provided by Schwab. What makes these particular ETFs interesting is that they will trade commission-free to Schwab clients. Of course, free doesn’t mean that they won’t have spreads—the difference between the bid and ask price—but they won’t have the traditional brokerage commissions that are paid when buying or selling other ETFs. The…

  • How to Use the RATE Function in Excel

    JLP
    3 Nov 2009 | 7:24 pm
    Yesterday I used the RATE function in Excel for a post. A reader asked me if I could explain the RATE function. This post will attempt to do that. First off, you use the RATE function when you want to calculate what rate of return would be required to meet a certain goal, based on a few assumptions. Let’s use the information from yesterday’s post: Retirement Goal: $1,000,000 Years until retirement: 20 (240 months) Current retirement account balance: $100,000 Monthly contribution amount: $500 You can set it up like this in Excel: Then, to solve for the rate, you simply put your…

  • Liz Pulliam Weston – Debt: And you think you’ve got it bad?

    JLP
    3 Nov 2009 | 9:55 am
    Interesting article by Liz Pulliam Weston over on MoneyCentral titled, Debt: And you think you’ve got it bad? The article compares the United States’ bankruptcy system to other systems around the world. People in the U.S. have it made in comparison. For instance, check out the Islamic system: You also can get loans in Muslim countries, although they work differently. People who want to buy a car without paying cash go to a bank and write a series of postdated checks, to be cashed once a month until the debt is fully paid. A similar system is employed for apartment rentals. In…
 
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    Personal Finance Advice

  • Why I Keep My SUV

    David G. Mitchell
    5 Nov 2009 | 11:01 pm
    I drive an SUV that I purchased new in 2002. It has relatively low mileage but, after nearly eight years of hauling sports equipment for my kids and mulch for my garden, and after assorted spills while my kids negotiated who got to sit where, my car is not as pristine as it once [...]

  • 22 Low-Cost Flu Fighters

    Jennifer Derrick
    4 Nov 2009 | 11:01 pm
    With H1N1 going around and the vaccine in short supply (even the seasonal flu vaccine is hard to come by in some areas), you may want to find other ways to protect yourself this season. While nothing (not even the vaccine) is 100% guaranteed to keep you from getting the flu, there are many steps [...]

  • Death At WalMart

    David G. Mitchell
    3 Nov 2009 | 11:01 pm
    The Circle of Life is almost complete at Walmart. I just discovered that Walmart now offers a large selection of caskets for those of us who are planning for the great hereafter. I suppose that it can’t be too long before Walmart also offers a mid-wife service, and after that, dormitories for its [...]

  • A Life Without Debt: Not Immune From The Credit Crisis

    Sadie Morris
    2 Nov 2009 | 11:01 pm
    I knew it was bound to happen, but I’d been hoping that somehow I’d avoid it. Despite having excellent credit and no debt, we got a letter from one of our credit card companies dropping our limit from $10,000 to $300. This was done because of “inactivity” on our account, which really translates into the [...]

  • You Don’t Have To Tell Your Insurer Everything

    Jennifer Derrick
    1 Nov 2009 | 11:01 pm
    A friend recently got a bit of a shock when his auto insurance came up for renewal. He discovered that his new rate was $400 higher than his old rate. He couldn’t figure out what was wrong until he remembered: He filed a minor, one person accident on his insurance. The total claim was for [...]
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    FreelanceSwitch

  • Seasonal Myths About Freelancing

    Thursday Bram
    6 Nov 2009 | 4:30 am
    Every year, around this time, I get an email or two from someone wanting to know how to make a few bucks freelancing in time for the holiday season. I generally try to point these folks towards other options, although it does get me thinking about why someone would turn to freelancing for seasonal work. There are more than a few myths that seem to pop up, making freelancing seem like a viable option for seasonal work. While debunking these myths shouldn’t scare off any freelancers in it for the long haul, they can be easy answers for any friends hoping you’ll help them find a…

  • Leveraging Your Blog to Promote Your Services

    Martha Retallick
    5 Nov 2009 | 4:30 am
    If you’re like many creative freelancers, you have a blog. And being the diligent type that you are, it’s updated at least once a week. But here’s the bad news: There are a lot of other blogs out there. Which means that you’ll have to work hard to make yours stand out. Oh, no. Those two four-letter words: w-o-r-k h-a-r-d. They beg the question, what should you be hard at work on? Here are six suggestions: 1. Don’t just create a blog post and let it sit there. Tell the person/people involved in about it. I like to send a short e-mail with the header, “You have…

  • DMCA: Is It a Muzzle or Security?

    Rita Lewis
    4 Nov 2009 | 4:30 am
    Since the advent of the Internet as a wide-open information conduit there has been a lot of worry amongst legislators, media corporations, and others with a stake in preventing content piracy to create a law that would add teeth to copyright for electronic communications. The long discussions, lobbying, and heated arguments between interested parties were loud and public. The end result was the passing of a complex law called The Digital Millennium Copyright Act, or DMCA. DMCA was enacted by Congress in October 1998, to bring American copyright law in line with the World Intellectual Property…

  • Freelance Radio, Episode 39: A Typical Freelance Day

    John Brougher
    3 Nov 2009 | 5:25 pm
    The latest episode of Freelance Radio, the official FreelanceSwitch podcast, is now available! This episode, the panel (John Brougher, Dickie Adams, Kristen Fischer and Von Glitschka) talks about a typical day. Subscriptions to the podcast are available via iTunes and an archive of all podcasts will appear in the podcast section. We hope you enjoy it! Subscribe to Freelance Radio on iTunes You can subscribe on other podcast aggregators by using our podcast feed–it’s simply http://feeds.feedburner.com/FreelanceRadio. Download the podcast file (in MP3 format) via the link…

  • Linkswitch #13

    Joel Falconer
    3 Nov 2009 | 4:30 am
    Freelance Contracts: Do’s And Don’ts: “Drafting a contract that covers you, and doesn’t just enumerate information, is more than important: it is a must. Freelancers do not have the benefit of a legal department dedicated to protecting their interests with a watertight contract. Nevertheless, a freelancer’s contract must be comprehensive, concise and clear. It should outline the scope of the job, scheduling demands, the expectations of both parties and more.” The History and Evolution of Social Media: “Social media has become an integral part of modern…
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    No Credit Needed

  • Taking My Daughter To The Bank To Open Her First Savings Account

    NCN
    13 Oct 2009 | 8:11 pm
    I am so excited. I am going to take my oldest daughter to the bank and help her open her first savings account! She’s ten now, having recently celebrated her birthday, and she has some birthday-checks to cash.  One of our local banks offers a no-fee, no-minimum balance required savings account for children under 16.  This type of account will be perfect for my daughter. Over the past few years, my wife and I have worked hard to teach our kids about saving, spending, and giving.  Last year, we introduced them to the wildly-successful Kids’ Fun Fun. I want to incorporate trips to…

  • How A Silly Little Experiment Helped Me Get Out Of Debt

    NCN
    12 Oct 2009 | 4:01 am
    I once sent a credit card company $5 per day, every day, for a month.  Seriously. The year was 2005 and I was in full on debt reduction mode.  Pumped up by the comments left by my readers – and ready to be debt free – I spent most of my waking-hours thinking about ways to reduce my debt. Somehow, the thought struck me:  What if I manage to save $5 a day – say by skipping my morning trip to the convenience store or brown-bagging lunch – how quickly could I put that $5 to work? I decided, just to see if it would work, to use online bill-pay to send a series of $5…

  • Only Six Months Left To Make Year 2009 Contributions To Roth IRA Or Traditional IRA

    NCN
    9 Oct 2009 | 11:58 pm
    My wife and I both have contributions to the retirement plans offered by our employers deducted from our paychecks.  In addition to those pre-tax retirement contributions, we also make monthly contributions to our Roth IRAs. For me, the annual contribution limit to my Roth IRA is $5000.  (See IRS Publication 590 for complete information about contribution and income limits.)  My wife’s limit is the same. The contribution time-table for both the Roth IRA and the Traditional IRA runs from January 1, 2009 until April 15, 2010.  That’s right.  We have until the tax-filing…

  • Some Thoughts About Thinking

    NCN
    7 Oct 2009 | 4:00 am
    Isn’t it amazing how our thoughts work?  I’m sitting here, typing this article, and it’s October 7, 2009.  There’s a part of my brain that is occupied with next word I’m going to type.  There’s another part that’s focusing on an appointment that I have tomorrow – and yet another part that’s thinking about next year’s summer vacation.  Even if I tried, it would be impossible to control just how far out into the future my thoughts are capable of exploring.  I can, in a split second, imagine tomorrow’s breakfast, or, just as…

  • How To Save Money On Groceries

    NCN
    30 Sep 2009 | 4:00 am
    I’ll admit it.  I actually enjoy shopping for groceries.  I usually shop on Tuesdays and I try to go to the store when there are fewer customers shopping.  Over the years, I’ve learned how to save money (and a little time) while shopping for groceries.  Here’s what works for me - 1.  Use a grocery store price book to track the prices of regularly purchased items.  (I’ve created a free printable version of the price book that I use.  Feel free to click the link and print out a copy for yourself.) The price book will help you figure out the rock-bottom prices from…
 
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    Uncommon Cents

  • No Post Today

    admin
    6 Nov 2009 | 8:35 am
    Taking the day off; back with more Uncommon Cents goodness tomorrow.

  • What Increases Income?

    admin
    5 Nov 2009 | 1:38 pm
    In my parenting class, we discuss finances once a session, and I typically write a really simple equation on the board while we’re discussing it: Income – Expenses = ? The point of the equation is that you end up with some number after subtracting all your expenses from your income, and if the number is negative, you’re running a deficit; if deficits continue, they will inevitably become debt. On a smaller scale, this also points out to the participants that there really are only two things they can do to improve their financial situation–increase their income or…

  • Is Innovation Really a Sure Way to Success?

    admin
    4 Nov 2009 | 2:09 pm
    No, it’s definitely not. While innovation tends to be rewarded over the long term by the marketplace, coming out with something new is not always innovation. Take the odd case of the Blackberry Storm, for instance. Where RIM’s long entrenched smartphones with physical keyboards have carved out a large presence in the market, to compete with the iPhone, RIM and Verizon came out with this intriguing phone with a touch screen that also gave tactile feedback to someone typing on it. The end result: a phone which was not met with warm receptions by either the press or consumers. Yes,…

  • Not the Money Budget

    admin
    3 Nov 2009 | 2:02 pm
    Randy Pausch’s lesser known but very valuable video on time management mentions that if he’s asking someone about their budget, the person being asked typically thinks about their monetary budget, but he is more likely to mean their time budget. His underlying belief is that you can always make more money, but you can never recover squandered time. He’s correct. Time is the most important commodity we have. We can never make up for lost time–once it’s gone, it’s gone forever, and in the case of someone like Pausch, he could appreciate his incredibly short…

  • We’re Number One!

    admin
    2 Nov 2009 | 1:51 pm
    Not in the best way. This is a bit about myself, but it’s also about people who I’m very close to, doing work most people want no part of. I’m talking about social workers, of which I have been for many years. My first job in social services was over 20 years ago, and I’ve had jobs only in this sector since that time. It’s been a given that it’s not a high paying field, and the jobs in it are usually difficult, stressful, and often not very stable or secure. But CNNMoney.com verified it all for me this week when they published a list of stressful jobs that…
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    The Digerati Life

  • How One Homeless Person Lives: Coping With Homelessness

    Silicon Valley Blogger
    6 Nov 2009 | 4:09 pm
    I’ve discussed how to avoid foreclosure and how to avoid bankruptcy in the past, but in some cases, things don’t work out too well, and there are people who end up becoming casualties of the real estate bust, credit crisis and weak job market. Lots of people have been forced into homelessness due to a variety of reasons. Many cases of homelessness are because of mistakes and choices people make in their lives. There are those who fall into substance abuse and become stuck in this kind of existence. But there are other cases — particularly in recent years — that are not…

  • Personal Finance Boot Camp: Last Call To Register

    Silicon Valley Blogger
    6 Nov 2009 | 9:57 am
    Here’s a reminder to those of you who’ve been contemplating on getting your finances in order. Ramit Sethi, the blogger and New York best selling author behind “I Will Teach You To Be Rich” is offering a personal finance boot camp — or interactive online course, if you will — that will run from November 9 through December 20. It will cover all topics from debt and credit management, to budgeting, saving, investing and entrepreneurship, and promises to help you get yourself financially organized. I’ve written about this boot camp in detail here, so if…

  • Best Ways To Invest Small Amounts of Money

    Silicon Valley Blogger
    5 Nov 2009 | 12:37 pm
    Investing simply means putting your money to good use with the expectation that you’ll receive a return or reward for doing so. A lot of us don’t have much money to spare. Sometimes you may find yourself with an extra $100; maybe someone finally paid you back for a long-forgotten debt (it’s happened to me!) or your mom sent you over a cash gift for your birthday. Or chances are, it’s just an extra $100 rattling around in your bank account that could find better use somewhere else. A few days ago, I published a guest post on where to invest extra cash and savings. Well…

  • How Our Consumer Debt Problems Got Out of Control

    Silicon Valley Blogger
    4 Nov 2009 | 7:12 pm
    Should I get a personal loan? At any given point in time, that’s what a whole lot of us are pondering. Taking on consumer debt has become one hard habit (or vice) to break. One of the most eye-opening profiles on consumer debt that I’ve seen was one from the New York Times, where they presented a whole bunch of articles and multimedia elements to answer the question: how the heck did America get in the current financial mess it’s in right now? How did we fall into such a deep debt hole? 9 Decades of Consumer Debt: How Our Debt Problems Got Out Of Control There’s a lot…

  • I Will Teach You To Be Rich Boot Camp: Improve Your Financial IQ

    Silicon Valley Blogger
    3 Nov 2009 | 11:16 pm
    Did you love the book “I Will Teach You To Be Rich”? Even if you haven’t had a chance to read it, I’m hoping that you’ll find this post helpful. This is a time sensitive post and you’ll know why in a second. You may have noticed the new prominent banner I have on my sidebar, advertising the first of its kind personal finance boot camp. This interesting online course is courtesy of Ramit Sethi, the top financial blogger behind the blog, I Will Teach You To Be Rich.com. Well here’s what this is about. I’m one of several bloggers who’s helping Ramit get the word out on an…
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    Mighty Bargain Hunter

  • Friday Fiscals: Wii Fit Plus edition

    mbhunter
    6 Nov 2009 | 7:58 pm
    My wife got Wii Fit Plus earlier this week and it makes you think on some of the games.  Nice build-on to Wii Fit.  Besides, what other game can I flap my arms and fly around in a giant bird suit? Here are some links of interest from my feed reader: Bible Money Matters comes through with a huge list of budgeting tools, finance software, and iPhone money applications. Tough Money Love wonders if Las Vegas deserves a recovery. Frugal For Life discusses the secondhand shopping be-attitudes. Being Frugal shares her inexpensive photo Christmas card trick. All Financial Matters shows how to use…

  • Convenience credit card users are not perfect customers

    mbhunter
    5 Nov 2009 | 7:58 pm
    This article on MSN Money misses a bit in the title: Banks punish perfect customers The article is another one on how credit card companies are hitting otherwise conscientious users with annual fees.  The users that are being targeted now are those who pay their bills on time and don’t carry a balance. These are not perfect customers as far as the bank is concerned.  They are close to the worst, actually: just one step above those customers that declare bankruptcy and discharge their debts.  Convenience users are not very profitable for the credit card companies, and could well cost…

  • Carnival of Debt Reduction time!

    mbhunter
    1 Nov 2009 | 10:46 pm
    Welcome to this week’s Carnival of Debt Reduction! I’m very pleased that more of the submissions are on-topic. This is a very good thing, and I know it will benefit everyone concerned, from readers to submitters to hosts, to have a more on-target carnival each week. Here are this week’s debt reduction posts, with the personal debt reduction stories up top: The Good Life on a Budget has paid off a car loan eight months early! Congrats! Man vs. Debt has a post from a reader on how they paid off their $15,000 debt by selling their stuff on eBay. Digerati Life has a post from a…

  • Friday Fiscals: Oof-tah!

    mbhunter
    30 Oct 2009 | 8:27 pm
    Here are some posts of interest from my feed reader: Generation X Finance shows how to get your cheap books and movies. Free Money Finance tells us what not to aspire to:  being at the bottom of the financial barrel. Wise Bread hones the fine art of haggling for a great deal on a used car. The Simple Dollar discusses stress and overspending. Get Rich Slowly alerts us to the pitfalls of buying in bulk. And a special thank you to”Dr. Dean” The Millionaire Nurse for participating over at Cash Commons! Hot hot hot money questions at Cash Commons Related Posts:Friday Fiscals: Tearing…

  • Review of Phil Villarreal’s Secrets of a Stingy Scoundrel

    mbhunter
    29 Oct 2009 | 10:49 pm
    I requested a review copy of Secrets of a Stingy Scoundrel, and the first time the book was sent out, somehow it got lost in the mail.  The publicist contacted me to ask if I was going to review it, and I said that I never remembered seeing it. They sent me another copy, and looking back, I really wish that I hadn’t responded to that e-mail. Many of the tips in this book will quickly and efficiently alienate you from your family, your friends, your colleagues, and the businesses you patronize.  Try these tips once, or at most twice, and they will tell you about it, or they may just…
 
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    Personal Finance Online Resources for Indian Users

  • Introduction to Financial Planning

    2 Nov 2009 | 7:36 pm
    Financial Planning is a roadmap to realise and achieve financial goals in life. The process of financial planning involves identifying the financial goals in life, based on the person’s financial position and risk profile charting out a feasible plan to a achieve those goals. Financial Planning includes identifying goals, making the plan, allocating resources and regular review. Common Financial Goals that Every Person has in Life: Everyone has various financial goals in life. Through proper Financial Planning a person can achieve various financial goals in life. Every Financial Goal…

  • Human Life Value – How Much Are You Worth?

    2 Nov 2009 | 7:18 pm
    A popular advertisement in media which most of us must have seen says “There are some things that money can’t buy, but for everything else there is MasterCard.” Ask people in which category does human life belong and without a second thought they will agree that human life is priceless and no amount of money can compensate for the value of a human being. But insurance advisors/agents will differ. To arrive at the amount of insurance cover that a person should take they assign a monetary value to human life which they term it as Human Life Value (HLV). Through Human Life Value (HLV) we…

  • Ten Important Things About Money & Life

    30 Oct 2009 | 6:00 pm
    Over the past three years, I’ve had countless opportunities to reflect not only on my own personal finance and life journey, but that of thousands of readers who have contacted me over the years with questions and stories. Along the way, quite a few principles for personal and financial success began to appear. These same features pop up again and again in people’s stories and comments – and I find them to be deeply true in my own life as well. The single most important part of personal finance is truly knowing yourself. Why do you buy the things that you do? Why are you worried about…

  • What are Exchange Traded Funds?

    29 Oct 2009 | 1:12 am
    ETFs are just what their name implies: baskets of securities that are traded, like individual stocks, on an exchange. Unlike regular open-end mutual funds, ETFs can be bought and sold throughout the trading day like any stock. Most ETFs charge lower annual expenses than index mutual funds. However, as with stocks, one must pay a brokerage to buy and sell ETF units, which can be a significant drawback for those who trade frequently or invest regular sums of money. They first came into existence in the USA in 1993. It took several years for them to attract public interest. But once they did,…

  • What are the Equity Index Funds available in India?

    29 Oct 2009 | 12:29 am
    What are the equity index funds that are available in the Indian market? Key equity index funds include: Banking BeES, Benchmark S P CNX 500, Birla Sun Life Index, Canara Robeco Nifty Index, Franklin India Index BSE Sensex, Franklin India Index NSE Nifty, HDFC Index Nifty, HDFC Index Sensex, ICICI Prudential Index Retail, ICICI Prudential SPIcE, Kotak PSU Bank ETF, Kotak Sensex ETF, LIC MF Index Nifty, LICMF Index Sensex, Magnum Index, Nifty Benchmark ETS, Nifty Junior BeES, PSU Bank BeES, Principal Index, Quantum Index, Reliance Banking ETF, Shariah BeES, Tata Index Nifty A, Tata Index…
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    Generation X Finance

  • Friday Finance Findings for November 6th

    Jeremy
    6 Nov 2009 | 6:16 am
    Money trivia time. What was the highest value note ever printed by the U.S.? If you guessed $100,000, you’d be right, but not so fast. It wasn’t your typical bill. The highest-value bank note ever printed by the Bureau of Engraving and Printing was the $100,000 Gold Certificate, Series 1934. These notes were not circulated among the general public, but only issued for transactions between Federal Reserve banks and the U.S. Treasury. A single note worth $100,000 seems like a lot, but do you know how much that was really worth back in 1934? You’d need to print a note today…

  • Poll: How Much Money Do You Feel You’ll Need to Save For Retirement?

    Jeremy
    4 Nov 2009 | 7:27 am
    In the discussion about income for life and annuities earlier this week a lot of interesting points were brought up. We all know that we need to save something for retirement, but just how much are people expecting to save? You hear all sorts of numbers thrown out there saying you need to have a million dollars by retirement, or save up ten times your annual pre-retirement income, and so on. But these are just broad assumptions and most people’s true needs are going to vary significantly. So, have you thought about how much money you should have saved up by the time you retire? One way…

  • How to Earn Income for the Rest of Your Life: The Good, Bad, and Ugly of Annuities

    Jeremy
    2 Nov 2009 | 8:44 am
    It wasn’t long ago that employees were rewarded for their loyalty to a company with a pension. For you younger readers the word pension may seem like it’s from a foreign language. It’s true, and in recent years the classic pension plans have been dwindling. Pension plans had a very unique feature that most retirement plans today lack: income for life. That’s right, most pensions were set up to pay you each month for the rest of your life, regardless of how long you live. That’s a great benefit, right? This feature is what made pensions so attractive. While the…

  • Friday Finance Findings for October 30th

    Jeremy
    30 Oct 2009 | 7:31 am
    Happy Halloween! Well, we technically still have one more day but it’s close enough. I’m not terribly excited about Halloween, but there is one thing happening this weekend that is going to be great, and that’s reverting from daylight saving time. You know why? It means one extra hour of sleep on Sunday! It’s a perfect time of year to squeeze in a little extra sleep too with it being so cold and dreary around these parts. Unfortunately, there’s no sleeping when it comes to personal finance. Your bills don’t get put on hold and the stock market will continue…

  • How to Satisfy Your Need for Books and Movies Without Spending a Fortune

    charissa
    29 Oct 2009 | 6:58 pm
    Has your current financial situation got you tightening your belt and omitting things like gifts and entertainment from your budget?  Has your weekly trip to the movies been replaced by Netflix?  Do the books that you read primarily come from the library?  Do you find yourself wishing you had more money to buy the things that you enjoy most? Stop fretting and start typing!  By putting your good skills to use, you can acquire your fair share of blockbuster hits and bestsellers.  From writing book reviews to mystery shopping to peer-to-peer swapping, you can acquire an arsenal of reading…
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    Earn More and Invest Wisely at The Sun's Financial Diary

  • October 2009 Unemployment Rate 10.20% – Chart of the Day

    Sun
    6 Nov 2009 | 4:11 pm
    The economy has grown again, but the labor market showed no sign of improving. Actually, if you look at the the unemployment report released this morning, you will probably feel things are getting worse, not better. In the latest job report, the government said that the nation’s monthly unemployment rate reached 10.20%, the highest level in more than 26 years. For a long time, we have been warmed that the unemployment rate may reach double-digit, but it seems that it came a little earlier than expected. Despite the huge amount of money the government has spent to pull the economy out of…

  • Schwab Launches Extra-Cheap ETFs

    Sun
    6 Nov 2009 | 9:50 am
    One of the biggest advantages of Exchange-Traded Funds (ETFs) over traditional mutual funds is that ETFs usually cost much less to own because of the way ETFs are structured. Also helping to reduce the cost is that not before long, all ETFs are passively managed, meaning that they all track their respective index, minimizing the amount of research the fund manager has to do to select which equities to invest. Among big ETF players, Vanguard has been known for offering funds with rock-bottom fees, not just mutual funds (which most are index funds), but also ETFs, until now. Early this week,…

  • I-Bond Rate for November 2009 – May 2010 Is 3.36%

    Sun
    5 Nov 2009 | 8:15 pm
    The last time I wrote about I-Bond interest rate was last May when the Treasury Department set the total earning rate of Series I-Bond issued from May to November to 0.00% due to the negative annual inflation rate, which has already affected the contribution of 2010 401(k) plan. Even though that I-Bonds purchased in the past six months didn’t earn me anything, I still kept my monthly purchase of $100 I-Bone intact because the investment was made through an automatic purchase plan and I was too lazy to cancel the orders that I planned for many years. Plus, since most savings account…

  • October 2009 Score Card — Part I: Net Worth

    Sun
    4 Nov 2009 | 7:12 am
    I feel that the last few days of October kind of ruined the whole month for investors. Even though the Dow closed above the physiologically important, but symbolic 10,000 mark for the first time in a year in October, the stock market sold off in the second half of the month. Major indices closed October on the negative territory with the exception of the Dow, which was break-even for the month. The Nasdaq was the biggest loser, giving up 3.64% in October while the S&P lost 1.98%. As the stock market did poorly last month, so did our net worth as we have a large portion of our assets…

  • Firstrade Trading Platform Review

    Sun
    2 Nov 2009 | 6:35 am
    Early last week, I took a look at Scottrade trading platform because it’s the broker that I use the most for stock trading (not that I trade a lot). As you know, Scottrade isn’t my only stock broker. In fact, it is one of many brokerage accounts I own. Another *old* account I have is Firstrade. Though I don’t use Firstrade as much as I do with Scottrade, I still keep the account alive and trade only when I receive referral bonuses from referring new customer to the broker.I have discussed Firstrade briefly in my broker interface comparison post. Now I am going to expand the…
 
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    Money Hacks

  • Need a Job? 10 Companies Hiring for the Holidays

    billspaced
    4 Nov 2009 | 12:40 pm
    Here’s a link to a list of 10 companies that are hiring for the holiday season. Most of it’s retail…but that’s not a bad thing. Everybody needs to know how to sell. YOU especially need to know how to sell yourself and you need to know how to interact with customers. For at the end of the day, business is selling and all of selling’s associated components. Plus, if you’re currently looking for work, it’s not a bad idea to fill in that resume. Hiring managers and HR folks get turned off pretty quickly by unemployment gaps. A seasonal job addresses this…

  • CIT Bankruptcy 5th Largest in US History

    billspaced
    1 Nov 2009 | 3:25 pm
    Will this ever end? The economy seems like it's in a funk. The patient is recovering from cancer, only to find out that it has heart problems. What's next? TERMINAL brain damage. CIT files for bankruptcy as part of reorganization plan – Nov. 1, 2009 CIT files for 5th largest U.S. bankruptcy Small business lender seeks court approval for a debt reorganization that has approval of bondholders. ShareThis

  • Young, Broke, Fat, and in Debt

    billspaced
    28 Oct 2009 | 8:49 pm
    Now what? In 12 years, Antoine Walker(notes) made more than $110 million playing professional basketball moderately well. It always seems to happen. Whatever the details, it was a big chunk of change, which, amazingly, wasn’t enough. These guys seem to wind up in debtor’s prison or the poor house, or both. It’s a shame, in a way, to see all that money wind up gone, but at least these guys stimulate the economy, right? I mean, that money didn’t just vanish; it just moved from his pockets to everybody else’s. I’m really surprised that the professional sports…

  • JP Morgan Chase Up on Earnings Report

    billspaced
    14 Oct 2009 | 7:24 am
    Banks, insurers head higher – MarketWatch A quartet of top U.S. bank stocks rose on Wednesday after J.P. Morgan Chase & Co. reported earnings that surpassed Wall Street estimates, and the insurance sector also weighed in with gains to lift financial stocks more than 2%. I suggest that the management at JPM horde all that cash, as the next big mortgage resets occur in 2012 (5 years after the peak of 2007, when everybody and their mother, dog, parakeet, and gerbil bought houses with no money down, poor credit, and insufficient income). Now that many of those same people are now either…

  • The Easy Way to Wealth

    billspaced
    25 Sep 2009 | 11:57 am
    A New York man is suing Bank of America for $1,784,000,000,000,000,000,000,000 (I think that’s right). If only they had that much. Reminds me of the old quote from the infamous Willie Sutton, bank robber: Why do you rob banks?Because that’s where the money is! Man sues BofA for ‘1,784 billion, trillion dollars’ | Reuters ShareThis
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    My Open Wallet

  • An Avatar's Open Wallet

    Madame X
    23 Oct 2009 | 11:41 am
    Here's an interesting concept: spending virtual dollars to live an online live that is much more luxurious than your real one: No Budget, No Boundaries: It’s the Real YouIt may be raining pink slips, and some people may be hard-pressed to make the rent, much less splash out on a pagoda-shoulder jacket from Balmain, but Vixie Rayna is hardly feeling the pinch. Not a month goes by in which she isn’t spending as much as $50,000 on housing, furniture or her special weakness: multistrap platform sandals, tricked out in feathers and beads.Recession or no, Ms. Rayna isn’t reining in her…

  • Coping with a Pay Cut

    Madame X
    14 Oct 2009 | 9:08 am
    A poignant article from the Times: Still on the Job, But at Half the Pay.The dark blue captain’s hat, with its golden oak-leaf clusters, sits atop a bookcase in Bryan Lawlor’s home, out of reach of the children. The uniform their father wears still displays the four stripes of a commercial airline captain, but the hat stays home. The rules forbid that extra display of authority, now that Mr. Lawlor has been downgraded to first officer. He is now in the co-pilot’s seat in the 50-seat commuter jets he flies, not for any failure in skill. He wears his captain’s stripes, he explains, to…

  • September '09 Monthly Recap

    Madame X
    6 Oct 2009 | 9:31 am
    I can't believe it's October... but here's the dirt on my September spending and net worth. (I tried to post it on Networth IQ but the site seems to be down. Anyone know what the deal is?)Total Net Worth: $389,166Cash & bank accounts: $51,248Stocks/Mutual funds $20,339Bonds $5,091Retirement $228,634Home Equity $85,307Credit card -$1,453As always, the credit card is paid in full every month. I moved a few thousand dollars into E*Trade recently, so the increase there isn't just market gains. As for home equity, I reduced the value of my apartment by $10,000, based on a recent sale of an…

  • The Cost of Being Gay

    Madame X
    2 Oct 2009 | 1:44 pm
    The New York Times has a very interesting analysis on the higher costs gay couples (or unmarried heterosexual couples, in some cases, though they of course have the option to marry) may face for things like health insurance for a partner, having a child, etc. Their calculation for the worst case lifetime loss? Almost half a million dollars! Of course the numbers will vary depending on each individual situation, and same-sex couples fare better on federal income taxes because without their marriages being recognized, they aren't subject to the "marriage penalty."Here's one example:Health…

  • Whaaa?? The Gift that Does NOT Keep on Giving

    Madame X
    1 Oct 2009 | 5:37 am
    Hey, I've got a deal for you! You will lend me $50. In order to do this, you will have to pay me a service charge of $3-7. If I keep the money for longer than a year, I'll owe you $2 less every month. If I don't pay you back in 3 years, I'll owe you nothing at all! Great deal, huh?You'd think no one would be crazy enough to lend that money, but it's actually incredibly popular to do exactly that: millions of American Express gift cards are sold every year. You give American Express money up front that they don't have to repay to a merchant until later-- essentially you are giving them a loan,…
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    Almost Frugal- a frugal blog

  • This Is What Frugal Looks Like: Remodeling This Life

    Kelly
    5 Nov 2009 | 2:00 am
    This is What Frugal Looks Like is a series that highlights different ways that people can be frugal in their lives- after all, frugality doesn’t have to be drastic or just about clipping coupons. Frugality can be fun and easy. Each respondent answers the same four questions. Today’s interview is with Emily, from Remodeling This Life. What does frugality mean to you? Since becoming more frugal in my life, frugality has taken on different meanings. First, it was out of necessity and it felt hard to even spend less without feeling like we didn’t have enough to be comfortable. It…

  • Making Room for Others

    Kelly
    4 Nov 2009 | 7:01 am
    One of the things that I’m enjoying most about my new apartment is the extra space that it gives me for entertaining. Our living room can now hold more than 1 extra person at a time… it’s very exciting! Last Sunday, we had friends over for dinner. Including small children, of whom there were many, there were 12 people in my house at the same time. It’s still amazing to me that I can host a gathering of that size. We didn’t have a fancy dinner, just pizza which the adults ate sitting on the couches and the kids ate at the kitchen table. But it was so nice to be…

  • Showing Your Face to the World

    Kelly
    3 Nov 2009 | 1:11 pm
    How do you think of yourself? How do you want others to think of you? How do you think others really think of you? And what kind of behavior would it take on your part to make the three coherent? For example, there is still a flaky 17 year old somewhere inside of me. I have a hard time feeling (almost) thirty-five sometimes because to me, being thirty-five denotes responsibility and grown-upness. But others think of me as grown-up and responsible, a ‘Get Things Done’ kind of person, because in fact, I am in part a boring, ‘Get Things Done’ kind of person. Another…

  • How Disposable is Your Money?

    Kelly
    2 Nov 2009 | 4:23 am
    I was scrapping the food left on the dinner plates into the trash the other night when I started to think about all the money I was throwing away. Not that there was a lot of food left (I use measuring cups to measure out the food, so I know approximately how much to give my kids so that they eat it all), but there was enough left that we weren’t able to stick the plates into the dishwasher as is. And of course there’s always water or milk left unfinished in the cups, or maybe only half a serving left in the pot. Then I started to think about all the other ways that I throw money…

  • Weekly Round-Up: On Loose Teeth & Cat Litter

    Kelly
    1 Nov 2009 | 12:41 am
    My oldest son lost his second tooth yesterday evening- I didn’t even know it was loose! Then, carrying it around the house in his tooth fairy bag, he lost it. Again. I’d never before realized how much baby teeth look like pieces of cat litter! Maybe I need to vacuum again… Here are some of my favorite reads for the week. Confession: I ate really old food- Smart Spending @ MSN Money What Would We Do Without Second Hand Stuff? @ Frugal Babe Cheap and Simple Home Decorating @ Being Frugal I live without cash – and I manage just fine | Mark Boyle | Environment | guardian.co.uk…
 
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    7million7years

  • Poll: What Is Your Number?

    Adrian
    5 Nov 2009 | 12:15 am
    Note: There is a poll embedded within this post, please visit the site to participate in this post's poll. I’m not sure why I have never asked this question directly before, but I would dearly love ALL of my readers to take the 20 seconds that it would take to let us all know what Number you are aiming for (i.e. how much you need in order to stop work and finally live your life)? Of course, no such poll would mean anything without also knowing when you want to finally stop work … so, please take another 12 seconds to make your selection below: Note: There is a poll embedded within…

  • How to become an expert in your chosen field!

    Adrian
    4 Nov 2009 | 12:16 am
    Last week I suggested that a great way to compete against your larger, more established competition (particularly if you are a small business trying to sell products or services to larger businesses) is to become an expert in your chosen field. Problem: Your LITTLE COMPANY cannot hope to be able to compete on even footing with the BIG CORPORATIONS you will most likely be facing off against. Solution: You change the game: you make it about PEOPLE … better yet, you make each person at each corporation compete with YOU, rather than your company competing with theirs! Implementation: You…

  • 7 miljoonaa 7 vuotta

    Adrian
    2 Nov 2009 | 12:05 am
    … that’s just my way of saying hei [hello] to my Finnish readers! It seems that I have a few because I’ve been tracing some backlinks to my blog and found this one: http://www.taloudellinenriippumattomuus.com/ which (thanks to Google translate) asks if I am one mg/ml of the investors? Now, this is a very clever way [AJC: if you understand metric measures, such as 'milligrams' and 'milliliters'!] of challenging us to decide if we are the ‘one in a thousand’ investors who can actually make money trading in the stock market [AJC: presumably, this is a Finnish blog…

  • A primer on compounding interest …

    Adrian
    1 Nov 2009 | 1:23 am
    If you want to understand the difference between ’simple’ interest and ‘compounding’ interest – and, if you want to understand why it makes a difference as to how often you compound that interest – then watch this video (until the presenter starts writing with a blue pen … from that point on, only watch if you are a mathematician) …

  • Can you ’small ball’ your way to wealth?

    Adrian
    29 Oct 2009 | 1:14 am
    Mitch suggests that while you are waiting for the “landmark victory … i.e. a four-bagger, a game changer … one that propels your business to a new level” you should play a little ’small-ball’ with your business: Small ball for me is the ability to deliver small but meaningful enhancements to your business in succession and continually. A 2% improvement here, a 1% improvement there and a 4% pick up in efficiency here – those small bits can really add up.  If you stopped to think about how you can deliver a 10% or a 20% improvement in your business it…
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    Lazy Man and Money

  • Amazon Friday Sale: L.A. Clippers For the Win Edition

    Lazy Man
    6 Nov 2009 | 9:24 am
    A hummus recipe yesterday and an Amazon Friday Sale today?!?! If this site hadn't jumped the sharked so long ago, this would surely be a jump the shark post... or maybe I'm just reducing your expectations so that I can knock your socks off next week. We'll go with the later. Be prepared to lose your socks. However, for today, I'm back to picking out some products that Amazon has put on sale for today and today only. So if you like it then you should put a ring on it (or something like that). NBA Kids' L.A. Clippers Future Star Watch - This is my product of the week. This watch has a nice…

  • Energy Gal’s Easy Homemade Hummus Recipe

    Lazy Man
    5 Nov 2009 | 7:59 am
    About two years ago, I was grocery shopping with my wife when she picked up some hummus and added it to our cart. Being the jerk price-conscious person I am, I inquired why it was so expensive. (I believe it was either $3.99 for around 12 ounces.) "Isn't hummus just ground up chickpeas?", I asked. My wife kind of shrugged her shoulders and I said, "I think so, but it's soooo good. It's healthy too!" That logic was a good enough for me given the time and the place, but I had a feeling that I was onto another money-saving idea. It turns out that I was mostly right about hummus being ground up…

  • Three Ways To Get Free Stock Trades

    Lazy Man
    3 Nov 2009 | 5:15 am
    [Below is a guest post from Bullishness.com. More information about the author and Bullishness are at the end of the article. Many of you probably know about how Zecco offers free stock trades, but did you know Zecco isn't the only online stock broker that does this? If you're an investor with a fairly large portfolio, there are two other options for free stock trades available to you: Banc of America and Wells Fargo. You've probably heard of these financial service providers before but you probably didn't know that they offered free trades. This article will cover the requirements, and…

  • Save More Money in Aruba

    Lazy Man
    2 Nov 2009 | 12:30 pm
    Almost two years ago, I wrote a fairly comprehensive guide on how to save money in Aruba. My wife and I went back there a couple of weeks ago and I was surprised to find that I had more tips to share. We like to go to Aruba because it's a lot like our Boston home due to the direct flights. Also, the weather is perfect, it has great food, casinos, and no hurricanes. The best tip (and the first one) was one I got from a friend after I got back from Aruba: Make Money in Aruba - As opposed to most of the things I write about, this is second-hand information from a trusted source. It's even…

  • Personal Finance Links (Dallas Advice, Anyone?)

    Lazy Man
    1 Nov 2009 | 4:38 pm
    This week my wife and I are traveling to Dallas for a wedding. It's my first trip to Texas. We are planning to see the The Sixth Floor Museum as we've heard a lot of great things about it. However, we don't know a great place for good authentic Texan BBQ. Does anyone have suggestions? Also if you know any other good tourist attractions, I'd love to hear them. I'll trade personal finance links for your Dallas information? Money Writers: Brip Blap shares this tip on how to keep a customer happy. Digerati Life blogs about Leveraged ETF Investing: more risk with more reward. In time for Halloween…
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    Personal Finance 101

  • Making A Case For Higher Commodity Prices

    Tyler
    23 Oct 2009 | 7:48 am
    The following is a case presented to support why we should continue to see an upward investment trend in commodities and how this positive long-term trend is due largely to the supply and demand imbalances that persist in industries that produce commodities. In addition, the market turmoil of the past two years caused new financings of commodity exploration and development projects to become next to non-existent, so these imbalances have been exacerbated. Ultimately, the message is the supply / demand imbalance has created a recipe for longer-term commodity price strength. It appears all…

  • French Investors Turn To Cash Cows…Literally!

    Tyler
    11 Sep 2009 | 8:32 am
    In spite of the many articles published here at Dividend Money and the powerful rally that took place over the summer across global equity markets, some investors are still not ready to plunge back into equities.  However, long-term Investors who choose to sit in perceived ‘safe’ investment like savings accounts, CDs and money market funds should realize that the historically low yields are likely going to leave their portfolio returns flat for some time. In response to the low yield environment, it seems that some are taking innovative (albeit somewhat questionable)…

  • 3 Key Issues That Influence the Stock Market

    Tyler
    2 Sep 2009 | 3:06 pm
    As we head into the fall and we look forward toward next year, it is important to take a look at the general econimc landscape, assess the data that we have access to, and develop our views on the performance of our investments going forward. The following are three high-level economic data points that we can use, along with our other tools, to further assist us determining our views on equity market investments. 1.) U.S. Housing As the root of the credit crisis, healing in the U.S. housing market is a precondition for sustainable recovery. Recent data has confirmed that the worst is behind…

  • A Look at the Market’s Big Picture

    Tyler
    5 Aug 2009 | 8:06 am
    Just a few days into August and markets seem to have picked up where they left off in July. Here’s a summary of market action and key developments from last month, including monthly benchmarks. Investors saw more data indicating that healing is underway in the global economy. Increased optimism paved the way for a fifth consecutive month of gains across world markets. International stocks advanced. The MSCI World Index returned 8.4% (in $US terms). Since March 9th, the MSCI Asia Index has risen about 58% in local currency terms. Commodity prices rose. Copper is up more than 80% year-to-date…

  • 3 Reasons You Should Be Invested In Stocks Right Now

    Tyler
    16 Jul 2009 | 8:52 am
    If you’re still standing on the sidelines in cash at the moment, here are three good reasons that you should be invested in stocks right now. An investor’s choice of asset allocation is the single largest factor that will influence the probability of long-term success. Historical evidence suggests that cash investments return the least amount over the long run. There is significant upside potential in equities for long-term investors right now. Stock valuations are, despite Q2’s rebound, well below their highs and have a long way to go to be back in line with what we consider to be…
 
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    No Credit Needed

  • Taking My Daughter To The Bank To Open Her First Savings Account

    NCN
    13 Oct 2009 | 8:11 pm
    I am so excited. I am going to take my oldest daughter to the bank and help her open her first savings account! She’s ten now, having recently celebrated her birthday, and she has some birthday-checks to cash.  One of our local banks offers a no-fee, no-minimum balance required savings account for children under 16.  This type of account will be perfect for my daughter. Over the past few years, my wife and I have worked hard to teach our kids about saving, spending, and giving.  Last year, we introduced them to the wildly-successful Kids’ Fun Fun. I want to incorporate trips to…

  • How A Silly Little Experiment Helped Me Get Out Of Debt

    NCN
    12 Oct 2009 | 4:01 am
    I once sent a credit card company $5 per day, every day, for a month.  Seriously. The year was 2005 and I was in full on debt reduction mode.  Pumped up by the comments left by my readers – and ready to be debt free – I spent most of my waking-hours thinking about ways to reduce my debt. Somehow, the thought struck me:  What if I manage to save $5 a day – say by skipping my morning trip to the convenience store or brown-bagging lunch – how quickly could I put that $5 to work? I decided, just to see if it would work, to use online bill-pay to send a series of $5…

  • Only Six Months Left To Make Year 2009 Contributions To Roth IRA Or Traditional IRA

    NCN
    9 Oct 2009 | 11:58 pm
    My wife and I both have contributions to the retirement plans offered by our employers deducted from our paychecks.  In addition to those pre-tax retirement contributions, we also make monthly contributions to our Roth IRAs. For me, the annual contribution limit to my Roth IRA is $5000.  (See IRS Publication 590 for complete information about contribution and income limits.)  My wife’s limit is the same. The contribution time-table for both the Roth IRA and the Traditional IRA runs from January 1, 2009 until April 15, 2010.  That’s right.  We have until the tax-filing…

  • Some Thoughts About Thinking

    NCN
    7 Oct 2009 | 4:00 am
    Isn’t it amazing how our thoughts work?  I’m sitting here, typing this article, and it’s October 7, 2009.  There’s a part of my brain that is occupied with next word I’m going to type.  There’s another part that’s focusing on an appointment that I have tomorrow – and yet another part that’s thinking about next year’s summer vacation.  Even if I tried, it would be impossible to control just how far out into the future my thoughts are capable of exploring.  I can, in a split second, imagine tomorrow’s breakfast, or, just as…

  • How To Save Money On Groceries

    NCN
    30 Sep 2009 | 4:00 am
    I’ll admit it.  I actually enjoy shopping for groceries.  I usually shop on Tuesdays and I try to go to the store when there are fewer customers shopping.  Over the years, I’ve learned how to save money (and a little time) while shopping for groceries.  Here’s what works for me - 1.  Use a grocery store price book to track the prices of regularly purchased items.  (I’ve created a free printable version of the price book that I use.  Feel free to click the link and print out a copy for yourself.) The price book will help you figure out the rock-bottom prices from…
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    Boston Gal's Open Wallet

  • Amazon.com Friday Sale

    Jane
    6 Nov 2009 | 6:02 am
    Another Friday, another sale! My pick this week? The Strollometer Wheel-based Stroller Speedometer/Odometer. Looks like a great baby shower gift!Find your own bargain at the Friday Sale. - Enjoy! [Head on over to Boston Gal's Open Wallet to read the rest!]

  • Voluntary Simplicity

    Jane
    3 Nov 2009 | 5:42 am
    I spent some time poking around Oprah.com last night looking for something interesting (to me) to read. I came across Women Around the World which aired October 21. The portion which showed the... [Head on over to Boston Gal's Open Wallet to read the rest!]

  • Using downtime to grow food for the food pantry

    Jane
    2 Nov 2009 | 4:38 am
    The USAToday article: S.D. man uses unemployment to raise food for charities is starting my Monday on a hopeful note thanks to Brian Parsons who has been using his time since unemployed to grow food... [Head on over to Boston Gal's Open Wallet to read the rest!]

  • Another reason to never marry

    Jane
    30 Oct 2009 | 7:22 pm
    The Wall Street Journal article: The New Art of Alimony tells the tale of several Massachusetts couples who learned the hard way that a failed marriage can cost you for the rest of your life...Paul... [Head on over to Boston Gal's Open Wallet to read the rest!]

  • Update: Man, Woman, Baby And The Book Deal

    Jane
    28 Oct 2009 | 7:18 am
    Starting back in March NPR aired a series of stories by Caitlin Shetterly about her family's financial failure, cross-country trek, move to her Mother's spare room, and ultimate move to an affordable... [Head on over to Boston Gal's Open Wallet to read the rest!]
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    Free From Broke

  • It’s Official First Time Home Buyer Tax Credit Extended Now For Existing Owners Too

    ffb
    6 Nov 2009 | 3:13 pm
    President Obama made it official earlier today – He signed into law an extension of the First Time Home Buyer’s Tax Credit.  The tax extension is part of a $24 billion bill signed into law, which hopes to provide incentive for new home buyers as well as existing home buyers to purchase new homes.  The original tax credit, part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, is set to expire November 30th. For first-time home buyers the tax credit remains a maximum of $8,000.  A new home buyer is defined as someone who has not owned a home in the prior three years. Existing home…

  • 10 Things Similar About Personal Finance And Running The NYC Marathon

    ffb
    6 Nov 2009 | 4:54 am
    I did it. It wasn’t pretty mind you, but I completed all 26.2 miles of the ING NYC Marathon this past weekend.  Let me tell you running a marathon is an awesome experience!  There’s a lot of work and pain but it’s all worth it once it’s over. Know what else is a lot of work and pain but well worth it?  Taking care of your personal finances!  In fact there are a lot of similarities between running a marathon and personal finance. Here are ten thoughts on personal finance and marathons: - Anyone can do it.  If I can run 26.2 miles then anyone can train for it. …

  • Senate Possibly Extending First Time Home Buyer Tax Credit

    ffb
    30 Oct 2009 | 5:40 am
    Did you want to use the first time home buyer tax credit but you couldn’t get it to work for you in time (it’s set to expire the end of November)?  You may be in luck!  Senate is considering extending the first time home buyer tax credit until Spring of next year.  The current proposal would allow potential buyers to sign contracts up until April 30th and they would have to close within 60 days.  The amount of the credit would still be $8,000.  Income limits would also be raised from $75,000 to $125,000 for individuals and from $150,000 to $225,000 for couples.  Above that…

  • 52 Ways To Make Extra Money E-Book

    ffb
    29 Oct 2009 | 5:17 am
    You may have noticed that I’ve written a couple of articles recently on ways to make some extra money (cleaning homes, taking real estate photos).  This is because my good friend at PT Money put together an incredible new e-book called 52 Ways to Make Extra Money…Revisited and my two articles are part of the 52 ways. The e-book outlines 54 ways a person can make some extra cash (there are two bonus methods).  Some are real easy like using CashCrate or SwagBucks online while others, like my home cleaning suggestion, require a little more work.  These are some great suggestions…

  • Make Extra Money Taking Real Estate Photos

    ffb
    28 Oct 2009 | 5:43 am
    We recently closed on the sale of our home. Selling a home is a tricky process.  So many factors go into presenting your home to prospective buyers: Price, listings, open houses, dressing your home, getting the best real estate brokers, where the market is…I can go on!  One aspect you can control is how your place is presented to buyers.  One thing we noticed is many people don’t have good pictures of their homes online in their listings.  I’m talking bad picture angles, terrible lighting, pictures of clutter, old dates showing on the pictures, blurry shots, you name…
 
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    Blogging Away Debt

  • Waiting for Unemployment…

    Beks
    6 Nov 2009 | 2:00 am
    We’ve been waiting for a check from unemployment for 4 weeks… and we’re still waiting. Don’t get me wrong, I understand government paperwork – heck, I process it every day as a government employee! But I think it’s important for everyone to be prepared. Here’s a head’s up to those who think they may lose their jobs… save to survive longer than 4 weeks. Am I alone in this? Anyone else waiting for all of eternity? We’re still coasting through on savings and odd jobs – and I am grateful we were prepared.

  • Looking for Peaceful Sleep…

    Beks
    4 Nov 2009 | 11:03 pm
    You know how I talked about my comatose stress reaction to my husband’s unemployment? Well, it didn’t last. Now I’m awake at all hours of the night. I get drowsy at work and drink energy drinks to stay coherent – though I use the word ‘coherent’ loosely. It’s normal to randomly start singing ‘Jimmy Crack Corn’ at work right? I counteract this sleep loss with sleeping pills. Makes sense right? OR, I could ‘theoretically’ stay awake after taking the twice the recommended dose of sleeping pills and then find myself suffering from the world’s worst sleep hangover known to…

  • About the Comments…

    Beks
    4 Nov 2009 | 2:00 am
    I wanted to thank everyone for the comments. I read every comment and I have learned so much from each of you! Just a note, if your comment does not immediately appear, it is likely labeled as a ‘spam’ comment. I review the comments labeled as spam every other day and approve them – unless they refer to Viagra, Nigerian Lottery Winnings, or Olestra.

  • Hiding Money…

    Beks
    3 Nov 2009 | 2:00 am
    I was paid $100 for some accounting work I was able to do at night. Rather than deposit the funds, I decided to set it aside as grocery money. I try not to keep money in our house since I’m terrified of thieves and think that somehow they will know I’m stashing cash. I asked my husband where I should hide the money and he looked at me quizzically. ‘Hide it? It’s one hundred bucks, not the Hope Diamond honey. Just put it on the desk’ he said. ‘No!’ I screamed. ‘Can you hide it in a DVD?’ I begged. ‘Sure’ he laughed (sadly, I’m used to him laughing at me). A few minutes…

  • Running…Pushing…

    Beks
    1 Nov 2009 | 2:00 am
    I’ve been running hard since the time will soon be changing. Running with my dogs after work will soon start a 4 month hiatus. Running is good for the dogs, but it’s been good for me too. It’s a nice chance to escape and to see all the beauty around me. Thursday I went running and felt a painful pop in my left knee. I fell, sat on the concrete for a bit, and then wished I hadn’t worked so hard to teach my dogs not to pull on their leashes. I was hoping to sprawl out on the ground and have them pull my limp body home like sled dogs. Who knew well behaved dogs could be the bane of my…
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    Clever Dude Finances & Life

  • Clock is Ticking on ‘09…Surprising Ways to Stretch Your Healthcare FSA

    Clever Dude
    5 Nov 2009 | 7:25 am
    Copyright © 2006-2009 Clever Dude. All Rights Reserved. The following article is courtesy of Coppertone. I normally don’t publish unsolicited articles sent to me, but this one caught my eye because of the items for hand sanitizer and sunscreen.  I’ve added my own notes about each. The average American family spends $2,000 on personal health care expenses each year. Contributing that amount to an FSA can translate to a federal tax savings of more than $500 (assuming the average tax bracket of 27%). But there’s a catch…you need to use all of the funds in one calendar year—or…

  • Video Game Deal: Spend $80, get $40 Credit (Amazon.com)

    Clever Dude
    28 Oct 2009 | 7:16 pm
    Copyright © 2006-2009 Clever Dude. All Rights Reserved. While I’m not big on video games, I do enjoy a new game about every 6 months. My most recent purchase was Guitar Hero World Tour, and I love it mainly because I once had aspirations (and the expensive instruments) to be in a band, but I didn’t take the time to learn to play. But back to the point of this article. Amazon.com has a deal through Sunday, October 31st, where if you buy $80 in games (mix and match between consoles if you like) and you’ll get a $40 credit. It’s a ploy to get you to spend, but with…

  • Food Stamps via Text Message?

    Clever Dude
    27 Oct 2009 | 12:34 pm
    Copyright © 2006-2009 Clever Dude. All Rights Reserved. A story out of Reuters says the U.N. will begin sending food vouchers to Iraqi refugees via mobile phone text messages that they can redeem at local shops. The “virtual vouchers” worth $22 per family every two months will supplement traditional aid which rarely includes perishable goods, WFP spokeswoman Emilia Casella said, announcing the pilot project supported by the mobile company MTN. “They will be able to exchange their electronic vouchers for rice, wheat flour, lentils, chickpeas, oil and canned fish, as well as…

  • Restaurant.com: How we get a lot of food for little money

    Clever Dude
    24 Oct 2009 | 8:41 am
    Copyright © 2006-2009 Clever Dude. All Rights Reserved. If you live in a moderately urban area, near or in a big city, you may be interested in Restaurant.com. For years, I kept ignoring the emails and advertisements for Restaurant.com until one day a friend of my wife brought her family down for a visit to D.C. from PA. They always hear us talking about Ethiopian food (which is awesome here in the D.C. area), and since they are very frugal, they decided to investigate deals on any Ethiopian restaurants near us so they can try it out. That’s when they emailed us a coupon code for 80%…

  • “The Finish Rich Dictionary” Book Review and Giveaway

    Clever Dude
    19 Oct 2009 | 5:35 pm
    Copyright © 2006-2009 Clever Dude. All Rights Reserved. After reviewing and giving away 3 copies of the “Skinny On” books, I got a bit of an urge to get through more of my book pile. Up next: “The Finish Rich Dictionary: 1001 Financial Words You Need to Know” by David Bach. I’ll admit it’s difficult to review a dictionary, and I’m definitely not going to read through the whole thing, but I picked out a few key terms, and skimmed through others, to see how David defines each. What makes this dictionary different than just Googling the search term, or…
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    Don't Mess With Taxes

  • The home buyer credit's three E's: extension, expansion and effective date

    skbell1
    6 Nov 2009 | 12:12 pm
    That's right! Politics trumps tax and economic policy yet again! Obama put pen to paper this morning and signed the Worker, Homeownership, and Business Assistance Bill of 2009 into law.Don't get me wrong, I'm happy for folks who can use this to buy a house. Despite the ongoing frustration of keeping a residence in good repair (even without a water heater disaster!), I've been a tax-deducting homeowner for almost three decades. I just hope that the first-time buyers and those who've lived in their homes for five or more years and are able to claim $8,000 and $6,500…

  • Home buyer credit new definitions, limits

    skbell1
    5 Nov 2009 | 12:42 pm
    UPDATE: On Nov. 6, Obama signed the bill extending and expanding the first-time home buyer credit. Read more on the final tax credit inThe home buyer credit's three E'sThe House just voted to approve the Senate's latest changes to the first-time home buyer credit. Since the tax break is tied to unemployment benefits, Obama should sign it into law any time now. Yes, Capitol Hill is still calling it the first-time home buyer credit, even though some folks who currently own residential real estate can now benefit from the new soon-to-be law. More on that in a minute. I hit the…

  • Senate OKs home buyer credit extension

    skbell1
    4 Nov 2009 | 3:55 pm
    UPDATE: On Nov. 5, the House passed the Senate's first-time home buyer credit provisions discussed in this post. Obama is expected to sign the bill, possibly as soon as Friday, Nov. 6.Read more on the final tax credit inHome buyer credit new definitions, limitsThe Senate finally extended unemployment benefits, with continuation of the first-time home buyer credit part of the deal late this afternoon.As expected, and blogged about in Reconfigured home buyer tax credit, the $8,000 credit would stay in place through April 30, 2010, with a two-month grace period for folks with signed…

  • Voters opt to keep taxes

    skbell1
    4 Nov 2009 | 12:28 pm
    At least that was the case yesterday in Maine and Washington state.Tuesday's final votes in those two states highlight a tax conundrum. We love to complain about taxes, but often we decide to keep them or refuse to limit them because we like the services the revenue pays for.Did your state or county or city have any kind of tax issue on the Nov. 3 ballot? How did it turn out?What would you give up to get lower taxes?How would you convince your tax-paying neighbors to go along with you on cutting or restricting taxes?Related posts: The good side of taxes 'Tax us more,' say some…

  • More first-time home buyer horror stories

    skbell1
    4 Nov 2009 | 11:08 am
    I know Halloween is over, but at the Capital of Texas Enrolled Agents (CTEA) meeting I attended this morning, I heard a few more first-time home buyer credit horror stories I thought you might find of interest. Many of the cases that the Austin Taxpayer Advocate Service office is dealing with right now are connected with amended returns filed in order to claim the credit. As you might expect, a fair share of taxpayer mistakes have led to IRS run-ins. Locally, as has happened everywhere, folks claimed the credit before they actually owned and occupied the residence. Some married couples who…
 
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    Money Smart Life

  • Open Enrollment Deadlines

    Ben
    6 Nov 2009 | 6:44 am
    Open enrollment deadlines are one date you don’t want to miss.  Choosing the best insurance options and benefits at your job is an important part of your personal finances. Open Enrollment Window October and November are the time when many companies have open enrollment, a time period during which you can make changes to your benefits for the coming year.  Open enrollment is often the only time during the year you can make changes to your health insurance and flexible spending plans unless you have a qualifying change in status during the year such as a marriage or new baby.

  • College Savings Accounts for a Bad Economy

    Kristie
    5 Nov 2009 | 5:45 am
    Many parents and students see college as the bridge between this life and a better one. While more and more kids are heading off to college, many are struggling with how they’re going to pay for it. While a recent study conducted by Fidelity Investments in California indicates that more parents have started some type of a college savings or investment account, many have experienced a decline in the value of the account because of the declining economy. The results reveal that this loss is in the neighborhood of 27%. Many parents are wondering what types of accounts are available to save for…

  • Investing and College Savings – October Review

    Ben
    3 Nov 2009 | 6:19 am
    Investing was the main topic covered here on Money Smart Life in October with an emphasis on bonds.  We haven’t talked all that much about how bonds fit into an investment portfolio so I decided to take spend a few days covering bonds. Investing Topics Victor started out the the basics of investing in bonds and followed it up with a look at some of the common bond market terms.  Then we talked about a few different bond investing strategies and then wrapped it up with a post on bond funds. The next investing topic was that of annuities and what types of investors are…

  • TradeKing Promotion Extended

    Ben
    2 Nov 2009 | 6:14 am
    The TradeKing promotion has been extended through the end of this month. For some reason, TradeKing likes to run thier promotions in the fall of each year.  Last October Tradeking ran a $50 bonus promotion and despite the turmoil of the stock market had a lot of people sign up to try out their online brokerage. This year the market has a lot more positive momentum than it did last fall and some of the people that were sitting on the sidelines are getting back in.  TradeKing is offering a $50 bonus if you open a new account and try out their stock trading platform. …

  • Mobile Money Guide – Banking, Shopping, & Coupons

    Ben
    30 Oct 2009 | 6:46 am
    Mobile banking and shopping are becoming more and more popular thanks to smart phones like the iPhone and Palm Pre.  A year ago we ran a series of articles on what the mobile web could do for your money. Today, I’m revisiting the mobile money guide because the options for banking, shopping, and managing your money with your phone keep getting better and growing in number, Quicken Online mobile is just one example. We did research on your mobile options and I interviewed an expert on using mobile technology to connect consumers with merchants and deals, Kim Dushinski. …
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    Being Frugal.net

  • Friday Linkfest: Savvy Shopping Edition

    Lynnae
    6 Nov 2009 | 3:00 am
    I used to buy my kids’ clothes a year in advance, on clearance.  Then they both hit huge growth spurts and started skipping sizes.  So this year I found myself needing to buy winter clothing for both kids…right before winter. I wasn’t too hopeful that I’d find a great deal, but I did.  For my son, I hit The Children’s Place Online.  Looking in the clearance section, I was able to buy 7 shirts, 4 pairs of pants, and a nice, heavy hoodie for $82.  Then I applied a $20 off $80 code.  Add $5 for shipping, and I spent $67. In addition, I shopped through Ebates, so I’ll receive 3%…

  • Kyle’s Coupons: Not-So-Common-Sense Money Saving Tips

    Lynnae
    5 Nov 2009 | 3:00 am
    The following is a regular feature by Kyle of Rather-Be-Shopping. If you like this post, consider subscribing to his blog’s RSS feed. I like Lynnae’s tagline, “Live More. Spend Less.” This made me think of some of the more unconventional ways you can spend less money in everyday life. Most of us are already familiar with money saving tips like cutting back on the cable bill or stop driving through your local Starbucks for a $4 milkshake, I mean, umm, cup of coffee. Those are fairly common sense. But here are a few not-so-common sense ways to save money. Some of which I…

  • Tightwad Tuesday: Photo Christmas Cards

    Lynnae
    3 Nov 2009 | 3:00 am
    I like to send and receive Christmas cards.  In today’s busy society, sometimes Christmas cards are the only time I update relatives on our family.  And sometimes it’s the only time I receive updates. But a few years ago, I found that my Christmas card routine was getting pretty cluttered…and expensive.  I would buy the cards.  Then I’d sign every one, with a short, personal message.  Then I’d type up a longer family update in a family newsletter.  I’d march the family down to a photo studio, for a Christmas picture.  Then I’d have to cut out the pictures and stuff them…

  • Don’t Wait Until January to Think About Budgeting

    Lynnae
    2 Nov 2009 | 3:00 am
    It’s November, and people are thinking about buying Christmas presents, shopping for Thanksgiving dinner, and all the other little expenses that go along with two months of holidays. There’s a temptation to bury your head in the sand, pull out the credit card for expenses, and deal with the aftermath in January.  I know.  I’ve been there.  But do you really want to do that?  Are you really going to be better able to pay for Christmas come January than you are right now?  Probably not.  So don’t set yourself up for budgeting failure. This month I’m going to be focusing on…

  • You Tell Me: The Future of the United States

    Lynnae
    30 Oct 2009 | 4:00 am
    Since Halloween is approaching, I thought I’d give myself a good scare.  I decided to take a look at the U.S. National Debt Clock.  As of the time of this writing (Thursday evening), the national debt of the United States is…hold on to your hats, folks… $11,897,603,494,874.04 Yikes.  According to the Debt Clock website, that works out to about $38,730.25 per person.  In addition, the national debt continues to increase by an average of $3.79 billion (yes, that’s billion) per day.  Scary stuff for sure. We can try to point fingers as to who is responsible, but the fact is that…
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    My Two Dollars

  • Money Quote Friday – Tomorrow Is A New Day/Moving Edition.

    David
    6 Nov 2009 | 6:30 am
    “Finish each day and be done with it. You have done what you could. Some blunders and absurdities no doubt crept in; forget them as soon as you can. Tomorrow is a new day; begin it well and serenely and with too high a spirit to be cumbered with your old nonsense.” - Ralph Waldo Emerson It’s time to move on and start over. Today is the day I am moving to Colorado, so My Two Dollars will be offline for a few days until I get settled in up there (and get an internet connection back). I hope you guys all have a fantastic weekend and see you next week. Wish me luck. Share and…

  • A Dream Will Lead You Out of Debt.

    David
    5 Nov 2009 | 6:30 am
    The processes and practices of getting our personal finances in order are simple to understand, but difficult to implement because they involve behavior changes. In the past something about how you were managing your finances was working for you – you were getting something beneficial from it or you would have been doing it differently. For me, I was getting to avoid facing reality and could go on pretending to be “successful”. A dream is what is going to get you through the process of changing your behavior. A Dream is a Big Hairy Audacious Goal; an idea that today seems a bit…

  • The 2009 Best Small Towns To Live In.

    David
    4 Nov 2009 | 9:18 am
    CNN/Money has come out with their 2009 Best Places To Live – Small Towns list, and I always enjoy checking out the towns that they include. And to my surprise this year, my hometown was ranked #16! I mean, it’s a great New England town, for sure, but to see it at #16 was pretty cool. I am sure that my mom would agree, and I have fond memories of growing up there. This is what they said about Acton, MA: With its myriad landmarks from the American Revolution and its 1,600 acres of conservation land, Acton has a traditional New England vibe. But it’s also a highly diverse town…

  • Looks Like Progressive Insurance Is Cheapest…

    David
    3 Nov 2009 | 6:30 am
    …for my car in Colorado, at least. I have had State Farm car and renter’s insurance here in New Mexico, and while they have been fine I do think that they are a little on the expensive side for Colorado. The best insurance company I have ever had the pleasure of doing business with was Wawanesa, but they are only for residents of California and Oregon (unless that has changed and I didn’t notice). So, I had to start looking around and it looks like Progressive is going to be the best combination of price/value/convenience for me in Denver. And because I am a new customer, I…

  • Vehicle Tax Deductions For 2009 Tax Year.

    David
    2 Nov 2009 | 10:25 am
    Thinking of buying a new car in 2009 to get the tax benefits? Better act fast – you only have 60 or so days left before 2010! Because of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, any new car, light truck, recreational vehicle or motorcycle purchased between February 17 and December 31, 2009 is eligible for a state and local motor vehicle sales and excise taxes deduction on your federal tax return. To get the full deduction of the taxes, your new car must not have cost more than $49,500 and you must not have made more than $125,000 ($250,000 for joint filers) in 2009. Of…
 
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    Personal Finance Blog by Money Ning

  • 12 Surprisingly Simple Ways to Get More Done

    MoneyNing
    6 Nov 2009 | 5:00 am
    There are a ton of things going on with my business, and people are often surprised to find that I’m still doing practically everything by myself. A question I often get asked is “How do you do it all?” The Secret is Written on the Wall There is no secret. I get more done because I work longer hours than most of you. Everyone sees me out and about during the week and people are always jealous, but they never realize the time I put in every single night when they are watching TV, and all the hours I put in during every single weekend when everyone else is doing anything but…

  • How to Get Your Wife to Invest

    MoneyNing
    5 Nov 2009 | 5:00 am
    Do you find that your money philosophy is different than your wife’s (significant other)? Well, I do. Steve recently sent in an email with the following question: I recently got married. My wife and I are working on our future finances. I am aggressive and she is conservative when it comes to investing. Example: Her money is in a savings account and her 401k is making nothing (also not losing anything). My money is in stocks and my 401k is in stocks (fluctuating). We do not have plans to co mingle our money at this time which I feel is best. However, I want to get her money working for…

  • Three Easy Steps to Determine Your Financial Priorities

    Miranda Marquit
    4 Nov 2009 | 5:00 am
    When you are trying to make a financial plan, or reach a certain financial goal, it is important to have an idea of your financial priorities. After all, without priorities, it is impossible to decide what you should do with your money — not to mention figure out what actions you need to take to reach your financial goals. Determining your financial priorities can take a little bit of time, and it requires some introspection. The good news is that once you figure out what your priorities are, it is a little easier get your finances on track. First, Decide What’s Important to You…

  • Three Economic Indicators You Ought to Know How to Read

    Ritu Agrawal
    3 Nov 2009 | 5:00 am
    The announcements of economic indicators like the Consumer Confidence Index and Personal Income were blamed for market ups and downs in the past week. Economists at large institutional investment firms such as hedge funds keenly watch these indicators and act upon them. Indicators are very important data to them because they act as guideposts in developing and testing their “macroeconomic thesis”, a fancy term for their view of where the economy is headed. It is essential for such large investors to get their macroeconomic thesis right, because it is the foundation for their investment…

  • Best of MoneyNing Personal Finance – Oct 2009

    MoneyNing
    2 Nov 2009 | 5:00 am
    Time seems to speed up as you age. Emma is already five months pregnant and before you know it, we will be watching her grow into an individual with her own thoughts and desires. This is the biggest news of our family by far and also the biggest step I’ve taken in my life. I’m happy that you you are here for me to share all the good news with you and once again, thank you for your support. Site Happenings Some of you already know but I’m quietly putting together the biggest money saving ebook ever created – How to Save Money on Everything. I say biggest because I plan…
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    Money Blue Book

  • Best Online Bank: Savings and Checking Accounts

    Raymond
    7 Nov 2009 | 1:11 am
    Reviews Of The Top Online Banking Options For High Interest Rates If you’re searching for a list of the best online banks to deposit your savings in, then you’ve arrived at the right place. One of the most common, if not the most often asked question I get as a personal finance blogger, is which bank I would recommend to those looking to get the best interest rate of return for their money. While some of us plow our personal savings into home mortgage payments or invest them into stocks, most of us invariably keep a certain stash into more accessible bank accounts for emergency…

  • October 2009: Net Worth, Stock Loss, and New Home Update

    Raymond
    30 Oct 2009 | 8:54 pm
    Well gang, it’s time for another networth update. For those unfamiliar with these reports, I’ve been calculating my net worth and tracking my financial progress for a few years now. The personal balance sheet numbers I report on these updates are not meant to be boastful or intended to be wantonly exhibitionist (although unfortunately I understand how they might come off as such). The purpose of following my networth changes over time is actually to inspire and encourage readers to do the same for themselves. These periodic progress updates are not only great ways to help one…

  • Get Paid To Take Free Online Paid Surveys

    Raymond
    26 Oct 2009 | 6:53 pm
    Reviews of the Best Paid Online Surveys: Avoid Internet Survey Scams If you are searching for a genuinely legitimate paid online survey, you’re at the right place. The following is a recommended list of popular online marketing firms that are offering free paid surveys and is a nice resource for people looking to make some money online from home or earn a little bit of extra cash on the side by filling out short survey questionnaires. After much research with a lot of trial and error, I’ve compiled a list of what I’ve found to be the top paid online survey programs that compensate…

  • ETrade Online Broker: Discount Brokerage Account Review

    Raymond
    15 Oct 2009 | 12:28 am
    Update: Get 100 Free Trades With This E-Trade Promo Offer I Just Found Back when I first started getting serious about investing during college, E-Trade was one of the very first online brokerage firms that I opened a trading account with. My inaugural entry into the world of investing occurred around the time of the dot com bubble in 1999 – when E-Trade wasn’t exactly known for its cheap commissions or discounted fees. At the time, one couldn’t really consider E-Trade a true discount broker – as back then, the firm catered more to the savvier advanced traders who were…

  • 2010 Federal Income Tax Brackets (IRS Tax Rates)

    Raymond
    6 Oct 2009 | 9:45 pm
    Death and taxes. You can try to fight them both tooth and nail, but at the end of it all, it’s a losing proposition. Especially when it comes to taxes, the government is going to want its fair share cut of your salary and business profits one way or another, whether you like it or not. Rather than engage in tax evasion and possibly live the remaining years of your life on the run as a tax fugitive from the long arm of the Internal Revenue Service (IRS), you might as well confront the issue of taxes head on. All we can do is try our best to understand how income taxes work and take…
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    My 1st Million At 33 - yes, you can do it too

  • Missing Gold Bars at GLD ETF?

    Frugal
    30 Oct 2009 | 9:22 am
    Rob Kirby has recently alerted people at financialsense.com for the possibility of missing gold bars at GLD. Here is what he said: An alert reader I communicate with [who shall remain anonymous] has been documenting the length of the published GLD bar list: on Friday, Sept. 25 – the list was 1,381 pages long on Friday, [...]

  • Time to change your auto insurance company?

    Frugal
    17 Oct 2009 | 9:02 am
    I have noticed that Ameriprise, the auto insurance company thru Costco has been raising its price. I just have recently changed to GEICO, because when calling their sales agent, he was willing to not only match the prices from Ameriprise, but also lower the price by a little bit more. A solid proof again that [...]

  • Gold at new high in $US

    Frugal
    6 Oct 2009 | 8:57 am
    Gold broke all time record in $US today. It is a confirmation that the bull market is alive. Some people could argue that this may be a double top. That is definitely possible. However, if gold does get up to more than $1100, then I think that argument is a little weak. [...]

  • Reality check of option ARM recast

    Frugal
    5 Oct 2009 | 12:30 pm
    I have blogged about “different ways for a busted refinancing plan” back in 2006 at the height of housing market. I argued that once the housing markets fall, most of the real estate “investors” will NOT be able to refinance out of their payment troubles. It was very clear to me that a [...]

  • Interesting inflation/deflation debate on financialsense.com

    Frugal
    21 Sep 2009 | 11:36 pm
    There is an interesting ongoing debate on inflation versus deflation at financialsense.com. This week was a debate between Mish and Daniel Amerman. Mish has been one of the most vocal deflationist before the stock market collapse, and he has nailed it correctly. Getting the big picture correct on inflation/deflation is probably the [...]
 
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    Beyond Paycheck to Paycheck

  • Jump$tart National Educator’s Conference

    Michael
    6 Nov 2009 | 4:28 am
    I am heading down to Washington, D.C. today for the first ever personal financial planning national educators conference.  The wonderful non-profit, Jump$tart, has put together this conference.  Approximately 250 teachers of all grades from nearly every state will attend. Along with Sheila Bair, Chairwoman of the FDIC and Janet Bodnar of Kiplinger’s Personal Finance, I am honored to be offering a general session seminar.  I am also very excited to meet some of these presumably very motivated teachers and to learn of the challenges they face everyday in trying to incorporate this…

  • Welcome to the new Beyond Paycheck to Paycheck blog design

    Michael
    4 Nov 2009 | 3:17 am
    After several months (don’t ask) waiting in the winds, the new blog design has arrived.  Some highlights: Easier to read, with cleaner font choices and more obvious line breaks for links Two right nav’s makes it easier for you to find what you want quicker Same thing up top: twice as many links to category content My popular graduation speech is now in the proper (chronological) order for easy reading and sharing More polls, including the one to the right. Take a minute to vote, if you don’t mind. Rotating graphics (linked primarily to popular articles) in the right. Easier…

  • What really matters

    Michael
    3 Nov 2009 | 6:51 am
    Numerous studies have demonstrated weak correlations between happiness and wealth. (The sole exception are the truly impoverished, who are most likely to report being unhappy.)  Still, once you are out of poverty, there is very little relationship between happiness and financial stature. Before I had children, I learned the most from my parents, grandparents, and other mentors of my personal and professional life.  Nearly all were at least several years older than me.  Yet, since I had my first daughter in 2005, I have to come to appreciate just how much I can learn from both her and her…

  • First time home buyer credit – extension talks underway

    Michael
    30 Oct 2009 | 7:27 am
    Within my post last week titled First time home buyer tax credit may actually expire, I maintained my steadfast belief that Congress and President Obama would not allow the credit to end.  Simply stated, I argued, the housing market is still so unstable that taking away stimulus was unlikely.  (Furthermore, it’s far easier for the government  to defend stimulating a market even if things take off than to defend passing on a stimulus package should things crash.) Nonetheless, there was serious talk last week about letting the credit expire. Just a few days later, the President has…

  • Blogging is like vegetables and the benefits of waiting to get stuff

    Michael
    28 Oct 2009 | 8:05 am
    The post you are now reading is my 400th post at the Beyond Paycheck to Paycheck blog. You: Is that a lot? It is to me. You: Do you like blogging? Do you like vegetables? You: Usually, but not always. Blogging is like eating vegetables.  Blogging today is more enjoyable than unusual, however, since, it’s my first post with the new blog re-design.  What do you think?  Please let me know in the comments field. This week’s carnival of personal finance, hosted by Money Crashers, features many excellent reads including my recent post about how the First time home buyer tax credit…
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    treesfullofmoney.com

  • The Frugal Yuppie’s Car Buying Guide

    Ben
    20 Oct 2009 | 5:31 am
    With the economy in a funk, many young urban professionals (affectionately known as yuppies) are finding it harder and harder to project an image of success by driving an exotic late model car. If you are one of these vain individuals who “are what you drive” but the economy has placed the most pretentious vehicles out of your reach, don’t worry, this article is written just for you! Roll up the collar of your Lacoste polo shirt, grab yourself an ice cold bottle of Perrier sparkling water, and follow along as we review the best values in budget minded yuppie transportation each priced…

  • Credit: If You Use It, Use It Well

    Ben
    14 Oct 2009 | 4:00 am
    To many people credit cards are a necessary evil. Using credit cards unwisely can lead to significant debt, exorbitant monthly payments and eventual financial trouble. On the other hand, credit in general and credit cards specifically provide access to many of the material things we count on to provide us with a better life, and unless you have an ample supply of cash on hand, credit will play a significant role in your life. Credit allows access to large purchases and good credit affords the same buying power at better rates of interest. When used correctly, credit cards can make some of…

  • Another Goodwill Letter Success Story: Removing A Capital One Late Payment

    Ben
    8 Oct 2009 | 11:29 am
    Last week I received an email from a reader sharing her success removing late payments from her credit reports using my sample “Goodwill Letter”.  Today I am republishing her message with the hopes it will inspire other readers. I wanted to send you a note thanking you for your help and your information posted on your blog. I am trying to repair my credit in anticipation of qualifying for a home loan purchase and had gone thru a rough patch when I had some late pays (30, 60, 90’s) on a few credit cards. My husband had just finished grad school and was unemployed, I was…

  • Installing A Fireplace Ballon To Prevent Chimney Drafts

    Ben
    28 Sep 2009 | 3:43 am
    Stop cold drafts in your fireplace with a fireplace ballon plug! Sixty-five percent, or over 100 million homes, in North America are constructed with wood or gas burning fireplaces. Unfortunately there are negative side effects that the fireplace brings to a home, especially during the winter heating season. Fireplaces are energy losers. Researchers have studied this to determine the amount of heat loss through a fireplace, and the results are amazing. One research study showed that an open damper on an unused fireplace in a well-insulated house can raise overall heating-energy consumption by…

  • Home Energy Audits: A Do It Yourself Guide

    Ben
    22 Sep 2009 | 3:45 am
    The following article has been prepared as a step by step guide on how to conduct a do it yourself home energy audit. It is not my intention to replace the services offered by a professional energy evaluator; instead this article shall serve as a DIY guide for families that (for what ever reason) choose not to hire a professional at this time. Identify Air Leaks (Drafts) In Your Home Stopping cold air drafts in your home is essential to maximizing the efficiency of your home’s heating and cooling system. According to the US Department of Energy, the potential energy savings from…
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    The Baglady

  • Green Shoots and Change We Can Believe In

    admin
    6 Nov 2009 | 6:16 pm
    One of my friends often makes fun of government economic reports and other news by repeating the numbers reported and adding some catchphrase the Obama administration, Geithner, or Bernanke has been spewing.   His favorite phrases are “green shoots” which references Bernanke’s report that the economy is getting slightly better and the ubiquitious “change we can believe in”.  He also likes to say “lols” at the news that are really stupid and refers to generally stupid things as a “clownshow”.   Here is an example of a reading of this…

  • Five things to do for the baby before returning to work

    admin
    2 Nov 2009 | 11:04 am
    I have been at home for almost three full weeks now with the baby, and it hasn’t exactly been a vacation.   I feel like the baby needs me constantly, and when I get a moment alone I tend to fall asleep or I end up pumping out extra milk.   I have to admit that I actually wanted to go back to work on a couple days because taking care of the little one is getting pretty repetitive and I just want some time alone.  Then when I think about returning to work I also feel a bit panicked because I have no idea how I could leave the little one without missing him.  He is a little poop…

  • Thoughts on being a food dispenser

    admin
    24 Oct 2009 | 10:25 pm
    For the past week and a half my daily routine has consisted mostly of feeding the baby and sleeping while the little guy is sleeping.   I have barely had time to read the news or email.  I always knew that I would breastfeed because breast milk is “free” food for the baby and I don’t care much about what my boobs look like, but I have to admit that it is a lot harder than I thought it would be.   Everyday the little guy asks to eat more than ten times, and I feel like he is constantly attached to my boobs.   These are my thoughts on being a walking talking  milk…

  • The Birth Story

    admin
    18 Oct 2009 | 6:54 am
    Well, it seems that babies are very unpredictable little creatures.  In my last post I thought that I had three more weeks before the little guy arrived, but he had other things in his little brain.  My little boy was born on October 13th at 6:17 PM in the midst of a rainstorm.  The last few days have been quite busy so I haven’t had a chance to talk to a lot of people besides immediate family and a few friends. Now that the little guy is sound asleep, I am going to write up his birth story as quickly as I can since many friends have been asking how the whole thing happened and I…

  • Counting down to the Bagbaby birthday

    admin
    11 Oct 2009 | 10:20 am
    Lately my friends and family have pitched in to help me get ready for the baby and I am very thankful for everyone.  I have pretty much everything I need for now and now I am just counting down to the big day.  According to my last ultrasound my doctor said that the baby is growing at a normal interval which means that I have been controlling my gestational diabetes well.  The due date is now anywhere from 10/31 to 11/5.  I will be starting my leave from work on 10/24 unless the baby comes earlier than that.  I am seeing the doctor every week now and for the most part I am feeling pretty…
 
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    The Dough Roller

  • Don’t Be Tempted By The Glitter Of Gold

    Michael
    6 Nov 2009 | 3:57 am
    There can be no mistaking that gold is once again in vogue.  There are so many commercials on late night television with celebrity endorsements trying to convince you to buy gold coins or telling you that you can make a fortune by selling your scrap gold.  But the only people who are actually making money from stuff on late night TV are the guys selling it?  I should know…I am the proud owner of a Magic Bullet and a Salad Shooter which are still sitting under my kitchen sink.  And, like the stuff hawked on infomercials, gold sold on late night television is not a good investment for…

  • How to Tell if a Credit Card Number is a Fake

    Michael
    5 Nov 2009 | 10:09 am
    Have you ever taken all of your credit cards, spread them out on a coffee table and noticed patterns in the 16 digit numbers?  Well, neither have I. But believe it or not, there is a way to verify if the credit cards you hold in your wallet are the real deal or phony bologna. Hans Peter Luhn patented an algorithm in 1954 which would forever be known as the Luhn algorithm. For those not familiar with the term, an algorithm is just a series of instructions used in mathematical applications to complete a task or problem.  Anyway, the Luhn algorithm is particularly fun because every credit card…

  • Discount Brokers that Pay Interest on Cash

    DR
    4 Nov 2009 | 7:52 pm
    A reader recently asked which low cost stock brokers pay the highest interest rates on cash. This question is particularly important if you plan to have a fair amount of cash in your brokerage account. And the interest rates paid by brokers on cash balances vary considerably. Some brokers don't pay any interest, while others offer rates comparable to interest rates on demand accounts like high yield savings accounts or short term CDs. So if you are looking for an online broker that pays interest on cash balances, here are some of your best options. Zecco: With Zecco, you get two options to…

  • 10 Simple Steps to Buying a Car or Truck on eBay.

    Michael
    4 Nov 2009 | 4:51 am
    For someone who is prepared, buying a vehicle on eBay can be a financially responsible decision.  For those who are unprepared, it can be a very scary, very disastrous move.  Four years ago, I purchased a 2003 Ford Mustang with 23,000 miles from a dealer in Florida on eBay and the car runs just as smooth today as it did when I bought it. However, just as my experience was excellent, there are plenty of people that have had miserable times purchasing a car or truck on eBay.  In 2008, eBay stated that they sold a vehicle every 51 seconds, which means there was plenty of opportunity for…

  • Where Does The Money You Spend on A Movie Ticket Go?

    Michael
    3 Nov 2009 | 3:49 am
    As has become recent tradition, some friends and I decided to head to the movies and see Saw VI.  Even though I haven’t really liked the last 3 Saw movies that have come out, I feel compelled to continue to watch them, as if I’m addicted.  Well, Saw VI certainly lived up to my expectations, of which there weren’t any, and I considered another $10 well spent. Then I got to thinking.  I remember when movie tickets were just a few bucks and a matinee was even cheaper.  Now, taking your family to the movies can cost a family of four $50, just for the tickets.  When you add up…
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    Moolanomy Personal Finance

  • Redbox Movie Rentals versus Netflix and Blockbuster

    MLR (Staff Writer)
    5 Nov 2009 | 4:00 pm
    One area in which I have vigilantly slashed my spending is the “Entertainment” category. I include cable television, movie theaters, concert tickets, bars, sporting events, and a bunch of other things in this category. The easiest expense to cut back on thus far has been the TV/movies area. For television, Hulu has aided me in getting rid of cable completely. This may change with the recent news of them converting to a pay service. Photo by Greg Bowers via Flickr This move towards Hulu had an unintended effect of limiting my movie options when I just want an hour and a half…

  • Why The First Time Home Buyer Credit Is Terrible For The Economy

    Kevin (Staff Writer)
    4 Nov 2009 | 4:00 pm
    The first-time home buyer tax credit extension cleared a hurdle in the Senate today with a 98-0 vote, and it could be a done deal if approved by the House this week. All over the U.S., there is an increasingly heated argument over the benefits of the First Time Home Buyers Credit and this extension. The program has been touted as one of many remedies for our economic woe, specifically it’s used to prop up the sluggish housing sector.  Before, you make up your mind on whether or not this popular program should be extended, I encourage you to read on and consider why I believe this…

  • Should You Purchase a Cheaper Product or Upgrade to a More Expensive Product?

    Craig Ford (Staff Writer)
    3 Nov 2009 | 4:00 pm
    In general, people want to make financially responsible decisions when they go shopping. Often times, I look at two apparently identical items that priced differently.  On some occasions, the difference between two products is as obvious as the price.  The question is: should you buy the cheaper item or the more expensive one?  Do you purchase entry level items or upgraded ones? Photo by jpockele via Flickr In the long run I believe you will be better off purchasing the entry level item until you prove to yourself that you will (1) use the product and (2) take advantage of the additional…

  • Make Money Online: Cash Crate Review

    Miranda Marquit (Staff Writer)
    2 Nov 2009 | 4:00 pm
    When you are looking to make money online, it is common to come across a variety of web sites offering to pay you for doing a number of seemingly easy things. One of the most popular types of online money maker is the paid survey site. There are also a number of web sites out there that will pay you to fill out offers. Cash Crate is among the faster growing sites devoted to paying participants to take surveys and fill out offers. The web site is also one of the most reputable and easy to use sites of its kind. On top of this, Cash Crate also allows you to make money on referrals who sign up…

  • What To Do With A Financial Windfall

    Jill (Staff Writer)
    1 Nov 2009 | 4:00 pm
    We’ve all heard the stories of lotto winners who win millions, think they’re set for life, and then go broke within a decade. Or people who inherit large sums of money and end up in financial ruin, family feuds, or both. The word “windfall” can mean different things to different people — if you’re young and drowning in debt, even $10,000 can do wonders for your quality of life. If you’re older with no debt and decent retirement savings, it will probably take a lot more to really change your life. Whatever the amount is, here are 12 things you should…
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    Fabulous Financials

  • An Update on My Fabulous Financials

    Single Ma
    6 Nov 2009 | 6:45 am
    - HSBC redeemed itself for this stunt.  Reversal of the unauthorized debit and refund of the INSF fees were credited to my account overnight.  But I’m still irritated by that phone call. - Despite their screw up, I managed to save and invest ~$6,000 last month, in addition to my 401k.  No, I’m not a saving fanatic.  Ok, yes I am.  But most of it came from an extra paycheck in October. - I received a $10 tax bill for my dog. *scooby doo look*  Why is the county imposing a tax on my pet?  Can I claim my pet on my taxes now?  Better yet, can I claim this tax as a deduction on…

  • An HSBC Bank Error Cost Me $105 and a Headache

    Single Ma
    3 Nov 2009 | 6:24 pm
    About a week ago, I scheduled an online transfer to move $1,400 from my checking account to my HSBC savings account.  A few days later, HSBC pulled $1,400 from my checking account…TWO TIMES!!  During one of my random, daily reviews of my bank accounts, I noticed a big fat, red, NEGATIVE number. *eyes stretched* Huh? At first, I was more curious than upset.  So I began digging around to investigate the problem.  It appeared that the HSBC transfer was going to post twice…hmm.  I logged into HSBC to make sure I had not fat fingered my transfer request.  Nope, just one…

  • Credit Card Reform Has Changed the Game

    Single Ma
    31 Oct 2009 | 12:29 pm
    Congress recently passed the Credit CARD Act of 2009 to protect consumers from unfair credit card practices.  Here’s a good summary of the Credit CARD Act in laymen terms.  However, banks are scrambling for ways to protect themselves before the law becomes effective.  As a result, there are unintended consequences of the new law that will negatively affect consumers. One, in particular, that concerns me is Bank of America’s plan to assess an annual fee ($29 to $99 per year) on consumers who are not profitable.  These are consumers who don’t use their credit card(s)…

  • Blogging on Cruise Control

    Single Ma
    27 Oct 2009 | 3:49 am
    I’m sorry for staying away so long…again. Maintaining this blog has become a chore, so I’ve decided to relieve the pressure on myself and just update whenever the mood strikes me. Cool?  Cool! Maaan, guess WHAT?  My mother AND father sent me a friend request on Facebook.  *dead* Then I found out they were friends with each other! *side eye*  I was going to quit the whole internet until I learned how to limit what they can see.  Sorry mom! Money, money, money, muuuu-nay! I spent the last $600 of my FSA on two people: Eye Dr and Dentist.  Leeches! I feel compelled to…

  • How I Avoid Lifestyle Creep

    Single Ma
    16 Oct 2009 | 6:57 am
    In my last post, I said I would explain how I avoid lifestyle creep and maintain self control.  Well, that was only partially true because I have no self control.  Perhaps, a less self deprecating way to say it is…I lack willpower.  Oh wait, that didn’t sound any better.  I guess there really isn’t a nice way to say it.  Like many of you, I have very little self control or willpower.  Ok, now that my confession is behind us, how do I avoid lifestyle creep despite my weaknesses? Hmm, let’s see… I earn more money now than I ever have in my entire life. It…
 
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    Gather Little by Little - Personal Finance with a Christian Perspective

  • Friday Gathering: Daylight Savings Edition

    Stew
    6 Nov 2009 | 3:00 am
    I don’t know about you, but I think Daylight Savings is dumb. Why not just let the amount of sunlight wax and wane naturally? I miss driving home when the sun is still up at 5 pm . . . not a big deal, but I would love to get rid of it. Here are some articles that I found interesting this week: Ron from the Wisdom Journal posted the top 10 consumer credit card events of 2009 – a good read. I am not sure that our current credit paradigm is going to last much longer. We’ll see . . . The Silican Valley Blogger give a few suggestions of the best ways to invest small amounts of…

  • Are you preparing for the worst?

    Mike
    5 Nov 2009 | 1:00 am
    Last week, after reading Stew’s article about why he does not expect to buy gold, I started thinking. Over the past few months, I’ve been hearing an increasing amount of interest in preparing for “worst case scenarios”. It seems as though last year’s major crisis left some very important consequences. So what are these dark scenarios? Here are a few that are often discussed: -Collapse of the entire financial system: This one can no longer be dismissed easily since it was a distinct possibility during last year’s collapse of several US and foreign banks. -Hyperinflation: With all…

  • How much does your vice cost?

    Stew
    4 Nov 2009 | 3:00 am
    Wikipedia defines a vice as a practice or a habit considered immoral, depraved, and/or degrading in the associated society. In more minor usage, vice can refer to a fault, a defect, an infirmity or merely a bad habit. Recently, I spent some time thinking about how much money I spend on things that I really do not need – not necessarily things that make life easier – but rather things that are simply a habit, a pleasure or a waste of time. I am not going to exactly reveal my particular “vices”, but I think it is a good idea once in a while to take stock of the little…

  • 10 Small Ways to Save Money That Make a Big Difference

    Mike
    3 Nov 2009 | 1:00 am
    Image: alamosbasement When it comes to saving, sometimes starting small feels almost like not starting at all. A bit here and a bit there tends to add up like drops in a bucket. The important thing to remember though when it comes to saving money is that those drops can eventually grow to a trickle, then to a stream, then a torrential current of cash. Using small ways to save is similar to the bundle of sticks story – remember the one that starts with the man easily breaking a single stick. Then he snaps two, even three sticks together. But when given an entire bundle of sticks, he…

  • Be a discriminating customer, a diligent employee and a generous entrepreneur

    Stew
    2 Nov 2009 | 3:00 am
    The free market is not perfect. We all know of stories about unethical or corrupt businesses, but lately capitalism has been getting a bad rap. I just thought it might be nice to remind ourselves of a few of the benefits of America’s historic economic system – not because it’s perfect or because it was ordained of God or anything – but just to help us realize that capitalism is not all bad: Capitalism generally drive prices lower. Businesses want your business and they know that you want to pay as little as possible. Just think about how the prices of electronics have…
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    Art Of Money

  • Selling my WordPress Installation Business

    Jon
    11 Oct 2009 | 2:06 pm
    Ive decided that my original WordPress blog installation service http://www.NinjaBlogSetup.com/ needs a new home. Ninja Blog Setup is a well established and recognized brand and receives many word of mouth and referral clients to compliment very high search engine rankings. Currently the average blog setup takes me under 30 minutes to install, with a commission fee of anywhere between $60 to $100. Reason for Selling The fact is that I am an affiliate marketer. I had the idea for this site as a way to increase affiliate commissions from hosting companies. But I have never really been able to…

  • Time Management Tips by Randy Pausch

    Jon
    6 May 2009 | 6:52 pm
    Here’s an excellent talk about time management from a Randy Pausch. Randy gained fame for his “Last Lecture” but here he shares time management tips from the perspective of someone with less than 3 months left to live. Below you’ll find the notes that I made while watching the video. And here are the powerpoint and pdfs of the slides from the lecture. Click here to view the embedded video. Why Am I doing this? Does it help me get to my goal? Is it fun? If there isn’t a good reason, then just cross it off of your to-do list. Goal setting: it is much more important…

  • Ask Peter Schiff – Reality Can be a Tough Sell

    Jon
    19 Nov 2008 | 3:53 pm
    This guy who I haven’t heard of before today, was on all the top economic TV shows, stating EXACTLY what was wrong with the economy and what the results would be. The experts mocked him and laughed at him. Click here to view the embedded video. And if you’re like me, after you watch that, you’ll be thinking, “so what’s he saying now?” Part 1 of Peter Schiff on BLOOMBERG 28 Oct 2008 Click here to view the embedded video. Part 2 of Peter Schiff on BLOOMBERG 28 Oct 2008 Click here to view the embedded video. Politicians and people in general all go for…

  • A Make Money Online Reality Check

    Jon
    28 Apr 2008 | 5:41 pm
    I’m writing this primarily as a reminder to myself, but if you’re trying to make money with an online business, you may enjoy it as well. It was taken from Shoemoney’s latest Q & A session: Marty asks: When you first got started, how long did it take you to start earning significant money online? Significant meaning when you started earning let’s say at least $1,000 a month. Thank you, Marty ShoeMoney: 7 years 7 YEARS!!!!!!!!! Not 7 days, or 7 months. I guess the take away is that it takes time, there is a lot to learn an assimilate. The other thing is to favor the…

  • Pay Per Play Audio Ads – The Next Big Thing?

    Jon
    6 Dec 2007 | 1:43 pm
    When I first heard about these new ads my first thought was, “ya right, as if music blasting every time I visit a MySpace page isn’t bad enough, imagine an advertisement!” But then I remembered a post by Darren @ ProBlogger’s post called How Not Throwing the Baby Out With the Bath Water Earned me Hundreds of Thousands of Dollars. When I read that post is did hit home. I have, quite a few times emphasized the negative aspects of my first impressions when something new came along and decided to dismiss it, or take a wait and see approach. So, when I heard about Pay Per…
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    Hustler Money Blog

  • Chase $200 Business Checking

    Hu$tler
    5 Nov 2009 | 12:15 am
    Hot! Hot! New Chase $200 Business Checking valid until 11/30/09.  You must log into your Chase account to see the  coupon. If not, email me and I will send you one. I would print now ASAP even if you are just thinking about it. Chase is well known to take down their bonus offer. You must deposit $500 when opening the account to get your bonus. You are wondering, can I open one anyway..say sole proprietorship? YMMV on this. I don’t think you can just walk in and say you have an Ebay business and you want to open a business checking account. If you are a licensed professional such as a…

  • WalMart Super Hot Deals This Saturday!

    Hu$tler
    4 Nov 2009 | 5:48 pm
    Best deal? Xbox with $100 gift card or the Laptop. You can be sure to make money by selling it back on Craigslist, etc. Most likely there will be a long line. You might want to buy it now, and do a price adjustment at 8AM this Saturday. YMMV. Hustler’s Saving Money Tip of the Day: One of the things I learn with car insurance is that you can always cancel your policy at any time. There is no early termination fee and you get your money back pro-rated if you pay it full in advance. Since rates are always changing, you can be sure to find a lower price from all the competitors. It took me…

  • $125 Citi Premiere Elite

    Hu$tler
    4 Nov 2009 | 10:06 am
    As you can imagine, credit card bonuses are hard to come by these days. They are being more stingy and putting more restrictions on all bonuses. However, there is the Citi Premier Elite for 20000 bonus Thank You points. This citi link takes you to a list of credit cards. It’s the 1st card on the list: Once you go through the link, there Citi PremierPass Card – Elite Level gives you 20000 bonus points after $600 in purchases made within 3 months of account opening. If you don’t want the 20000 points for $200 in gift card, then you can exchange it for an airline round ticket…

  • Chase Sapphire Card 10,000 Bonus Points

    Hu$tler
    3 Nov 2009 | 7:34 pm
    I believe we might be coming back from a recession. How do I know? I notice credit cards bonuses been on the rise lately. Currently, Chase Sapphire(SM) Card is giving away 10,000 Bonus Points after first purchase. The 10,000 bonus points can be cashed in for a $100 check. There is no annual fee with the Chase Sapphire Card. Once you apply for the Chase Sapphire Card, then make one purchase to get 10,000 points. Do the following to cash out: - Call Ultimate Rewards Redemption Center at 1-800-610-5676 - Enter in CC# and zip code when prompted — the automated voice prompt should verbally…

  • New Chase $100 Bonus til 12/31/09

    Hu$tler
    2 Nov 2009 | 10:29 pm
    The $100 Chase bonus is back! Print out now before they take it down again. It’s good until 12/31/2009. Get a $100 cash bonus when you open a Chase CheckingSM account and set-up direct deposit or make five debit card purchases. You’ll need a $100 minimum opening deposit. With so many branches and thousands of ATMs, banking with Chase couldn’t be more convenient. Since you need to keep it open for 6 months, simply sign up and make 5 debit purchases each month in order to keep the account free. You can cancel the account after the sixth months. I’m pretty sure they will…
 
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    American Consumer News

  • Kmart Black Friday Deals Released

    admin
    5 Nov 2009 | 10:48 pm
    Looking for Black Friday deals? Kmart’s Black Friday list of deals has been released. Without further adieu, here are Kmart’s Black Friday deals. Items categorized as “Door Busters” have been marked with an asterisk. Automotive Comfort Cushion w/Heat Massage – $17.49 DieHard 10/2/50 Fully Automatic Battery Charger – $39.99 DieHard Wheeled Battery Charger/Starter – $69.99 * Travel Mug Set – $7.49 WeatherHandler 44 Piece Emergency Kit – $9.99 * Babies & Kids All Kids Character Athletic Shoes – 50% Off Athletech Kids Supreme Fleece…

  • Lowe’s (NYSE: LOW) and Sears (NASDAQ:SHLD) Black Friday Ads Released

    admin
    5 Nov 2009 | 10:41 pm
    As Thanksgiving gets closer, bargain hunters are scouring the web for various “Black Friday” ads. Although most of the ads aren’t available yet, both Lowe’s (NYSE: LOW), Sears (NASDAQ:SHLD) and Old Navy’s Black Friday ads have been released in some form or the other. Lowe’s is taking advantage of the Black Friday hype and posting some of their Black Friday deals directly on their website. Some of their deals include a ShopVac 14-Gallon, 4.5HP Wet/Dry Vac with Bonus Micro-cleaning Kit for $29.00, a Stanley 26-LED Bar-Flex for $14.97, a 7-Piece LED Flashlight Gift…

  • Thefts at Open Houses Return to Real Estate Market

    admin
    5 Nov 2009 | 10:28 pm
    An old scam is making its rounds again in the world of real-estate. During an open house, criminals may work in tandem with one of the criminals distracting the realtor while the other rifles around the house looking for jewelry and other valuable items. Often, the criminals may arrive separately within minutes of one another and sometimes they may come pretending to be a couple. The Washington Post recently reported on an instance where over $43,000 in jewelry was stolen during five open houses in Fairfax County, VA. A group of two men from Maryland traveled down to Virginia and worked in…

  • Don’t Wait for the Supreme Court, Save on Mutual Fund Expenses Today

    admin
    5 Nov 2009 | 10:23 pm
    The U.S. Supreme Court is hearing a case regarding the disparities in fees that consumers pay on mutual funds compared to largest institutional investors, but you shouldn’t wait for a court ruling to lower your investment expenses. Instead, review your existing investments and use these tips to save on your overall investment costs. First, you should buy your investments directly from a brokerage, known as “no load” in the industry, rather than through a commissioned sales person, which is known in the industry as “load” or “loaded.” Second, consider purchasing index funds,…

  • Systems Engineer the “Best Job in America” According to CNN Money

    admin
    5 Nov 2009 | 1:46 pm
    The U.S. unemployment rate is currently somewhere between 10% and 16% depending upon what statistic you believe and many are hurting for work, but there are some people that are making it through the recession and general economic downturn without too much trouble, depending on their job situations and the industries that they’re in. CNN money recently released their list of “Best Jobs in America” list for the year. At the top of the list was the title of “Systems Engineer”, which was followed by being a physician’s assistant, being a college professor, a nurse practitioner and…
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    Cash Money Life

  • How Much Can You Save By Doing a Balance Transfer?

    Patrick
    5 Nov 2009 | 9:47 pm
    If you have high interest credit card debt, balance transfers can be a great way to save some money and pay off your credit cards more quickly. Basically, a balance transfer is a way to consolidate your debt on a credit card at a lower interest rate than what you are currently paying. Instead of paying interest rates of 20% or higher, you may be able to transfer your credit card debt to a credit card with a lower fixed interest rate than what you are currently paying; possibly as low as 0% if you qualify for a 0% balance transfer credit card. Determine how much you can save with a balance…

  • How to Lower your Auto Insurance Bill

    Patrick
    3 Nov 2009 | 8:34 pm
    Auto insurance is one of those necessary expenses in life that many people don’t pay much attention to. Once you purchase your auto insurance policy inertia sets in and it is easier to simply renew your policy every 6-12 months than it is to shop for better insurance rates. But you may be able to save 30% or more on your annual bill by shopping for cheaper car insurance rates, making it well worth the effort. How to shop for affordable auto insurance The first thing you need to do is grab a copy of your current car insurance policy and write down your coverage and rates. Next, get car…

  • Alternatives to High Yield Savings Accounts

    Patrick
    2 Nov 2009 | 8:28 pm
    Right now savings account rates are relatively low, which leaves a lot of people looking for a better return on their money. While many people prefer leaving their money in a standard savings account, there are some options where you may be able to earn a little more interest. These tips are primarily for people who have an established emergency fund and are looking for a better return on investment for money they do not need immediately. High yield money market accounts & high yield checking accounts Many banks offer high yield savings accounts, high yield money market accounts, and high…

  • 2009 Year End Tax Moves

    Patrick
    1 Nov 2009 | 8:20 pm
    The calendar just flipped to November, which means the holidays are fast approaching. I don’t know about you, but for me it seems like the year is practically over once Thanksgiving hits. My holiday season will be full with travel and a newborn at home, so I thought now would be a good idea to look at some end of year tax planning. End of year tax planning There are several new ways to save on taxes this year due to the personal tax breaks in the economic stimulus packages passed by Congress earlier this year. Some of these include exemption from the first $2,400 of federal unemployment…

  • Free Stock Trades, Bonus Money, and Discounts

    Patrick
    31 Oct 2009 | 9:43 pm
    There are a lot of great deals going on in the financial world right now, so if you are looking for some free stock trades at one of the leading online brokerage firms, discounts on financial management software, or a $50 sign up bonus for TradeKing or the Chase Freedom credit card, then you are in luck. Free stock trades, bonus money, and financial management software discounts TradeKing $50 sign up bonus extended until November 30th. OptionsHouse 100 free stock trades. Expires December 31. E*Trade 100 free trades when you open an IRA. Ongoing. Quicken WillMaker free with purchase or Quicken…
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    Grad Money Matters

  • 5 Ways to Lower Your Auto Insurance Premiums

    2 Nov 2009 | 8:10 pm
    (This is a guest article*)With auto insurance being mandatory for all drivers, simply canceling coverage is out of the question. But paying for premiums that could be lower when you’re just starting to make some dough isn’t smart either, especially since student loans and other expenses loom. Auto insurance premiums can be especially daunting if your parents were taking care of them while you were in school. Fortunately, there is hope for the struggling grad and you may be able to hold on to more of your hard-earned cash. Do smart comparison shoppingBefore you decide to stick with your…

  • 15 Free Online Accounting Courses for Self-Learners

    23 Oct 2009 | 12:02 pm
    (This is a guest article by Karen Schweitzer*)Getting a quality education in accounting doesn't have to mean spending several months in a classroom and several thousand on tuition. There are many free online courses that allow you to learn in your spare time and at your own pace. Here is a list of 15 free online accounting courses from top-notch colleges, universities, and educational institutions: Financial Accounting - The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) provides a variety of free courses for self-learners including this Financial Accounting course. The free online course…

  • 7 Easy Ways to Save on Healthcare

    25 Sep 2009 | 9:21 pm
    (This is a guest article by Mary Ward*)Healthcare costs are among one of today’s hottest topics. And, one thing that’s not up for debate is the fact that, whether you have employer provided healthcare or you’re paying for it on your own, costs have risen dramatically in the last few years. In fact, costs have risen so dramatically that many small businesses have had to cut health insurance for their employees, or at least reduce the benefits they pay for, and new businesses have difficulty adding this benefit for their workers. More people are paying for their own healthcare insurance…

  • 7 Don’ts for Fiscal Freshmen

    22 Sep 2009 | 1:14 pm
    (This is a guest article by Jack Busch*)As a student, your financial picture is a bit unique. You have few assets and few hours to devote to a job, thus little income. You have little credit history (good or bad) but some limited access to revolving credit and other loans. Because of this, the years between matriculation and graduation are somewhat of a testing ground for your creditworthiness. Lenders give students just enough rope to hang themselves – and during those crucial four or so years, you can either establish a firm foothold on your way up to excellent lifelong credit or scar…

  • 5 Ways Parents Can Help Reduce Student Debt

    7 Sep 2009 | 2:42 pm
    (This is a guest article by Gary Foss*)Often when a child leaves to enter further education, they will not have had to budget or manage their own money before. This can be quite a shock to the system and some young adults will deal with this more responsibly then others. Unfortunately, some will leave with considerably more debt than others. In many cases, this will be because the temptations of having money are all too much. Many parents may not be able to help their children by providing money and helping to pay for their education and, for this reason, there is a lot that parents can do to…
 
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    brip blap

  • linklings, dude, where’s my break? edition

    Steve
    6 Nov 2009 | 6:39 pm
    As noted in this article (October 2009 Unemployment Rate 10.20% – Chart of the Day) unemployment’s high.  Too high.  I was in the 10.2% for about a week, but as of next week I’m right back at it with the same client after they got a budget increase.  Although I’m glad to return to work, what with the economy the way it is, I’m a little bit sad that my “break” only lasted about 7 days.  It was a very productive break in almost every category (except, obviously, blogging).  We made a trip to visit relatives, I got a lot of the paperwork related to our…

  • how working overseas helps your career

    Steve
    3 Nov 2009 | 6:27 pm
    When I was younger, I was uninterested in the world outside the US. Things changed when I won a scholarship to study in Germany at the age of 15. I had a terrific experience, both personally and academically, that inspired me to continue my German studies and gave me the motivation to return to live and work in Germany someday . One of the main reasons I went into accounting was the knowledge that it was a worldwide profession – business travel, international business, and so on made it likely that I would have a shot at going overseas sometime in my work life. During college I decided…

  • linklings, rethinking the linking edition

    Steve
    30 Oct 2009 | 9:00 am
    I know I usually publish these link roundups on the weekends, and recently they’ve gotten huge. I may try to do two separate posts in the future, rather than one enormous one each week. Or I may do what I’m doing today – write a lot about a few articles and then just link to some other good ones. But they are worth reading, in my opinion – if you have the time. But last week’s did get a little bit out of control, so I’m ramping back down a bit for this one. What if You were Required to Share your Finances?: I always think pro athletes have to put up with…

  • the cruise, the bagel and the black castle

    Steve
    29 Oct 2009 | 3:00 am
    Who doesn’t like to sit around and daydream? I daydream about going on a cruise again. The fact that I daydream about cruises surprises me a bit: I like to think of myself as an adventurous traveler and cruising is not the same as hiking the Gobi. Another person who might be surprised is Bubelah, who probably thinks that I’ve become allergic to vacations since we’ve had kids. But it’s my daydream, and although I can direct my thoughts towards visiting Suzdal, I guess I’m the guy with black socks, sneakers and a t-shirt that says “My wife is a Parrothead,…

  • how to keep a customer happy

    Steve
    27 Oct 2009 | 3:00 am
    Ever heard the phrase “the customer is always right?” That phrase comes from the American founder of the British retail chain Selfridges (coincidentally named Harry Gordon Selfridge). Managing customers or clients can be a challenge for anyone in business, from a freelancer to a manager for a big corporation. I use the word “challenge” because Bubelah’s let me know that I use the word “problem” too frequently – but let’s face it, managing customers can be a problem. I work as a contract consultant where I have to sell and deliver, and…
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    Think Your Way to Wealth

  • Fixing Financial Leaks in Your Life

    RC
    3 Nov 2009 | 9:15 pm
    Every so often, as I am standing at the bathroom sink early in the morning getting ready for work, I hear a familiar sound- Drip, drip, drip, drip…. I know where it it coming from, it is the bathtub faucet. If my wife or I forget to turn the faucet fairly tight after giving the kids their baths the night before, the faucet will drip- (I usually blame it on my wife). There does not really appear to be anything wrong with the faucet, but if it is not tightened just enough, it will leak-just a little. If either of us forgets to consciously turn the faucet off with a little extra effort, we…

  • Save Money by Practicing Moderation in Your Life

    RC
    21 Oct 2009 | 3:57 am
    Somewhere between living in a frivolous manner and grossly overspending and living a spartan, miserly lifestyle there is a happy medium. That happy medium is sometimes called….. Doing things in Moderation. Consuming or spending in moderation in certain areas of your life can be a great way to save money and spend less without feeling like you are sacrificing ” the living” of your life. For some people, when they decide to cut back in certain areas, focusing on the longer term goals, such as financial freedom, living debt free, or having a comfortable retirement can be…

  • Time for Homebuyer’s Tax Credit Running Out, Will it be Extended?

    RC
    30 Sep 2009 | 3:56 am
    The $8000 Homebuyer’s Tax Credit expires November 30th of this year, so for those planning on taking advantage of this by buying a home, time is running short. For those interested in taking advantage of the program, this means a house purchase must be completed by that date in order to receive the credit. Because many loans can take up to 60 days to process, many in the real estate and banking industry worry that the numbers will start tapering off in early October. At some point in the very near future, it is expected that mortgage lenders will stop taking applications on tax-credit…

  • Personal Finance Links- End of Summer Edition

    RC
    21 Sep 2009 | 8:31 pm
    Summer is wrapping up, and hopefully we’ll get some nice cool weather down south pretty soon. Fall is my favorite season of the year (it may also have something to do with football!), so I can’t wait! It has been a while since I posted some links to some of the great personal finance posts from around the web. Here are a few great reads from the last week or so: How to Keep Your TV from Stealing Your Money and Your Life from Prime Time Money JD from Get Rich Slowly posted his free e-book, The Get Rich Slowly Guide to Roth IRAs 51 Unusual Money Saving Tips from Readers at Wisebread…

  • 10 Ways To Develop a Saving Habit

    RC
    17 Sep 2009 | 3:58 am
    Saving Money Saving money, is one of those things that most people, even if they are saving a decent percentage of their income, would probably like to do a little better at. Money is just one of those things where it is hard to feel that you have too much of it. Maybe Bill Gates does, but I  know most of my friends and family don’t. Whether you have $100, $10,000, or $10,000,000 saved, you probably don’t feel like you are “done” saving money and can spend all of your income as you see fit. Most people want to save more money than they are currently saving-certainly…
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    Poorer Than You

  • Why You Should Join a Credit Union

    Guest Author
    4 Nov 2009 | 4:39 am
    The following guest post was contributed by Christine Howell, who frequently writes about Online Finance Degrees and college related topics for Online College Guru, an online college directory and comparison website. Credit unions have been around since the 1840s when a group of weavers in England banded together to form the Rochdale Society of Equitable Pioneers. Credit unions continue to be pioneers in the financial world, providing a level of service to their members that traditional financial institutions cannot match. But why should you join a credit union? Here’s what’s in it for…

  • Net Worth Update: October 2009

    Stephanie
    1 Nov 2009 | 9:24 am
    Did it go up? Did it go up?!? Did it go UP?!? Oh yes, it went up! Change: $112 or 0.29 % Finally, a little breathing room! The last few months of moving and not finding full-time work right away really took a toll on me emotionally – and on my finances. But, things are starting to come solidly come together! Work: Income is a little funny right now. I’ve got a huge freelancing job that’s 40+ hours a week, and the clients are pretty awesome. I love working with them. But, I still have to be careful about money. Because I’m an “independent contractor,” I have to take care of taxes…

  • How To Pay Off More Than One Debt

    Stephanie
    28 Oct 2009 | 7:00 am
    If you’ve only got one debt hanging over your head, paying it off isn’t rocket science: you pay as much as you can every month until the sucker is gone. But if you’ve got more than one debt to worry on, how do you prioritize them? No New Debt Before you even think about how to pull yourself out of a debt hole, you’ve got to stop digging the hole! Stop acquiring debt. Don’t use your credit cards if you’re carrying a balance on them from month to month. Use a debit card instead. If you’ve got some fancy home equity line of credit, don’t draw anymore from it. If you can’t stop…

  • Have an Idea for How Twitter Can Improve the World?

    Stephanie
    26 Oct 2009 | 7:00 am
    If you’ve got an idea for how Twitter can be used to improve the world, and you can communicate it in less than 140 characters, up to $1,400 could be yours! CollegeScholarships.org, the organization that once gave me a $100 scholarship for this blog (really!) is sponsoring something new called The 140 Scholarship. The entry requirements (from the site): Currently attending full-time in post-secondary education; and If you win, you must be willing to allow us to list your name, your picture, and your twitter username, and your winning Tweet on this page. To enter, you’ll need to tweet your…

  • More from National Protect Your Identity Week

    Stephanie
    23 Oct 2009 | 1:51 pm
    Are you doing all you can to keep your identity safe and snug with you, instead of out gallivanting with someone else? This week, I’ve encouraged you to use a locked mailbox, shred your documents, cut off junk mail at the source and clean out your wallet – but what else can you do? First, have you really checked out ProtectYourIDNow.org yet? The site is full of quizzes, tips and even games to help you keep a lid on your identity. Learning how to protect yourself couldn’t be easier! A few articles from the PoorerThanYou archives might help, as well. This isn’t the first time we’ve…
 
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    The Wisdom Journal

  • Do You Qualify for the New EXPANDED Homebuyer Tax Credit?

    Ron
    6 Nov 2009 | 7:45 am
    President Obama is expected to sign a bill today that will encourage people to spend/borrow more money to spur the economy. First time homebuyers have been eligible to receive up to $8,000 as a tax credit since January as part of the economic stimulus package. So that previous homeowners won’t feel left out and have to subsidize their neighbors home purchase, this new legislation allows previous homeowners to participate as well. This isn’t a deduction, but a credit. Remember that a “tax credit” means that the IRS credits your tax liability account. A deduction just lessens the amount…

  • Insurance Potholes – Where Are the Gaps In Your Coverage?

    Ron
    5 Nov 2009 | 11:15 pm
    An Insurance Pothole? Potholes. The nemesis of drivers everywhere. They appear when you least expect them and they can do some real damage to your tires, your wheels, and even the frame of your vehicle. Potholes need to be filled quickly, before they get larger and damage more vehicles. Insurance potholes act in the same way. They pop up when you least expect them and certainly when you don’t need them. When they rear their ugly heads they can do some real damage to your assets – especially your cash assets. Insurance potholes need to be filled too. One of the biggest insurance potholes…

  • The Top 10 Consumer Credit Events Of 2009

    Ron
    5 Nov 2009 | 4:00 am
    According to Credit Karma’s CEO, Ken Lin, 2009 has been a momentous year for credit issues – and I have to agree with him. Suddenly, frugality became cool, overspending was out, and consumers put more emphasis on savings and paying down their outstanding debt. Creditors hiked interest rates on credit cards, slashed credit limits, and raised minimum payments. As a result, legislators stepped in with the CARD Act and enacted new rules to govern credit card companies and supposedly protect consumers. Consumers became more diligent in shopping around for the best credit card deals, rather…

  • Everyone is an Expert at Something (How to Make Your Expertise Start Earning You $$$)

    Ron
    4 Nov 2009 | 5:30 am
    This is a guest post from Joel Ohman, a Certified Financial Planner and President of 360 Quote LLC.  He is a serial web entrepreneur and is currently spearheading several successful consumer comparison websites including Credit Card Chaser and Real Time Health Quotes Joey Chestnut Do you ever wish that you had some kind of special talent or skill that you could use to make a lot of money and get out of debt, buy a first home, etc? Maybe you see people like Mark Zuckerberg who co-founded Facebook and is already a billionaire at the age of 25 thanks to his smarts and special skill set and…

  • Not Just Oil – 7 Common Sense Ways To Reduce Your Dependency On MONEY

    Ron
    3 Nov 2009 | 6:35 am
    We’ve had it “drilled” into our heads for decades – reduce dependency on oil for the good of our planet, for the good of our air, for the good of our water. We’ve learned to drive less, drive smarter, recycle where possible, use natural or organic materials, and use less energy. No one would love to give the heave-ho to oil producing nations more than me, but what would happen if I followed that logic and reduced my dependency on money? Isn’t that the definition of frugality? What would my life and my future retirement look like if I didn’t NEED so much money? What would it be…
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    Everybody Loves Your Money

  • Cost of Living in 1972

    Hazzard
    23 Oct 2009 | 5:35 am
    David over at My Two Dollars has a great post talking about the value of items in 1972. It’s always shocking to me to see the prices from only 37 years ago. Here are a couple examples: Avg house: $27600 Tuition to Harvard: $2800 One of the commenters noted that housing was only 2.3 times the avg salary back then and today it’s about 3.7 times. Very interesting…… Anyway, go check out My Two Dollars and see the rest of the figures. David is a good writer and definitely worthy of your RSS reader.

  • 62% of Students Getting Free or Reduced Lunch!

    Hazzard
    21 Oct 2009 | 5:29 am
    I find this absolutely alarming. Over 60% of students getting free or reduced lunch across the country? WOW! http://www.mynorthwest.com/?nid=11&sid=227970

  • People Turning to Psychic’s for Money Advice

    Hazzard
    9 Oct 2009 | 3:10 pm
    In a sign that people are getting even more desperate, more and more people are visiting psychics with financial questions: More putting economic worries in hands of psychics, astrologers In the article the psychic talks about some of the questions she has been getting. They include: “Am I going to be fired?”, “Do I need to do a short sale on my house?”, “When am I going to find a job?”. I’m not sure if I find this article humorous, or disheartening. Obviously some people are finding themselves in more desperate circumstances and are running out of…

  • Our Frugal Friends use a Mac

    Hazzard
    1 Oct 2009 | 5:36 am
    I was talking to a frugal friend of ours a couple days ago and the subject turned to computers. I was shocked to learn that they had a Mac in their house as opposed to a PC. The reason I was shocked was because this family is VERY frugal. They live in a very modest house, carry no debt and minimize their spending more than just about anyone I know. While I try to be frugal, they are far more frugal than I. A little background about them: -They are married with 3 kids, a dog and a cat -They live in a 1300 square foot house -They drive older cars with no payments -They only shop at discount…

  • They Don’t Call it “Personal” Finance for Nothing

    Hazzard
    24 Sep 2009 | 6:52 pm
    I had a fascinating conversation with a friend of mine today. Okay, maybe not fascinating but I always enjoy talking to others about personal finances and this friend of mine, who we’ll call “Bill”, is never shy when it comes to sharing his financial situation. Between he and his wife I’d estimate that they make about $175,000 a year. You’d think that would mean they were living on easy street with no bills and the financial freedom to do whatever they’d like. That’s not the case. As we were talking today the subject turned to conflict and he said, “Did you hear Betty and I…
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    CreditCards.com

  • Emily's list: Albert Camus edition

    Emily Starbuck Gerson
    6 Nov 2009 | 5:30 am
    On this date in 1913, French writer and philosopher Albert Camus was born in Algeria. Camus won the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1957. His philosophies increased the prevalence of absurdism, the belief that trying to find meaning in human existence is impossible. Albert Camus in 1957, the year he was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature.. In "Le Mythe de Sisyphe" ("The Myth of Sisyphus"), a literary essay on the absurd, Camus wrote, "The struggle to reach the top is itself enough to fulfill the heart of man. One must believe that Sisyphus is happy." Many of us feel like Sisyphus as we try…

  • My credit card life in 4 squiggly lines

    Tyler Metzger
    5 Nov 2009 | 6:35 am
    Musical equipment, plane and concert tickets, Mexican food, furniture, magazine subscriptions, coffee, shoes, clothes, beer, car insurance, painting supplies, barbecue, video rentals and lots of gas. I've had a credit card in my name for more than year, and judging by the list above, I've put some pretty stupid things on it. I've charged more than $50 in '80s horror rentals, more than $100 in shoes (they clean though) and countless amounts of breakfast tacos and Mexican beer. I don't have a lot of regrets, though. I stand by the $550 in recording gear I put on my card, as I am now a…

  • The Nothing Card lets you buy nothing, pay nothing

    Jeremy Simon
    3 Nov 2009 | 1:38 pm
    If you've tried everything to get your debt under control, it may be time to consider Nothing.The "nothing" in question is the Nothing Card. It's a rectangular piece of plastic with the cardholder's name and a unique 12-digit number embossed on front -- so it certainly looks like a credit card. But upon closer inspection, there are clues that something makes Nothing quite different from your usual plastic. It's a credit card the Mad Hatter -- or a nihilist or Jerry Seinfeld -- would love. Instead of an expiration date, the Nothing Card says it's valid forever. Instead of a booklet full of…

  • Clothesline debate makes PF carnival

    Connie Prater
    2 Nov 2009 | 9:23 am
    A blog I wrote last week about the pros and cons of hanging laundry out to dry rather than using electric or gas powered dryers made the Carnival of Personal Finance's weekly roundup of blog posts about money. The blog was featured in the frugality section compiled by this week's host, The Centsible Life. Each week, a different blogger hosts the carnival, which features the best of the blogsphere in personal finance topics. Who knew?When I wrote about laundry, I had no idea it was such a hot-button topic, but people are squaring off on both sides of the issue. The pros: saving…

  • Emily's list: Halloween edition

    Emily Starbuck Gerson
    30 Oct 2009 | 4:02 am
    It's finally time to bust out those crazy costumes and candy bowls. Halloween is here, and whether you're planning to dress up and party, take the kids door to door or sit at home and pass out Kit Kit bars, it should be a night of spooky surprises. Just please, I beg you, don't be one of those people who hands out raisins or pennies to trick-or-treaters! While monsters, zombies and goblins are oh-so-frightening, it can be equally frightening to check your bank statement or credit card bill. And let's not even think about interest rate hikes and overdraft fees -- the terror!! While it can be…
 
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    Four Pillars

  • Some Canadian Linkstuff, ING Referral Code And Book Links

    Mike
    6 Nov 2009 | 7:58 pm
    This week I did a book review on Mike Piper’s excellent intro to investing book – Investing Made Simple – I had suggested this would be a good stocking stuffer idea since most of the 4P readership seem to already have pretty good investment knowledge.  The links that were on that post were for Amazon.com – I didn’t realize until later that the book is also available on Amazon.ca which of course is better for Canadians.  So if you had clicked on the links and then gave up in disgust after realizing you were on Amazon.com then you can go back and try again if you…

  • Mr. Cheap Answers – Should I Buy Some Stock on Margin?

    Mr. Cheap
    5 Nov 2009 | 2:58 am
    We recently received the following question by e-mail: Hi Mr. Cheap, I just wanted to get your opinion on this theory and if you think its wortwhile in the long run. The theory goes like this; for every dollar you have in a trading in account, you can borrown a dollar on top of that. In some accounts, even more than that. Now, I’m a young guy(21) and plan on investing in dividend stock that offer me a decent yield(over 5%). I have an account with scottrade and the most they will charge you on inteest in a given year is 7.5%. My question is, if I started off with $2,000 in account and…

  • Should I Get H1N1 Vaccine For My Kids?

    Mike
    4 Nov 2009 | 2:00 am
    Please note that Mr. Cheap wrote a very good post yesterday about H1N1 so check it out if you haven’t already – a lot of great comments. H1N1 (Swine flu) vaccine hysteria has hit my city in a big way – last week there were people lining up for 6 hours to get shots for their kids and presumably themselves as well.  Since the initial clinics the vaccine has only been allowed for high risk groups: Pregnant women. Children aged 6 months to 5 years. People under 65  with chronic conditions. People who live with infants under 6 months and/or with immunocompromised people.

  • H1N1 and Irrationality

    Mr. Cheap
    3 Nov 2009 | 2:18 am
    I’ve been amazed at people’s reaction to H1N1 for a number of reasons.  I was *SHOCKED* that they were able to get the name changed from “Swine Flu” to H1N1 (people involved with the pork industry started oinking immediately after the pandemic started and amazingly managed to get it renamed).  I still like to call it “the pig flu”. I’ve also been amazed at the crazy reaction people have been having, trying to avoid contact with other people and lining up for hours to try to get vaccinated (and coming close to rioting when they’ve run out of…

  • Stocking Stuffer Ideas For Christmas – Investing Made Simple Book

    Mike
    2 Nov 2009 | 1:00 am
    This is my review of Investing Made Simple written by Mike Piper who is the author of the investing blog Oblivous Investor. I’ve highlighted both Mike’s blog and book before and I was quite happy to review the book for him.  I think it’s a great resource for a non-investor or someone who is just getting started and needs a good introduction in one quick book.  It’s reasonably short at 100 pages and contains a lot of good basic investing information to help someone get started with investing. This is a fantastic book to give as a stocking stuffer for that friend or…
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    Single Guy Money

  • Involving your Family in Financial Planning and Saving for the Future

    SingleGuyMoney
    5 Nov 2009 | 6:00 am
    The following guest post was contributed by Christine Howell who frequently writes about Accredited Online Degrees and college related topics for Online College Guru, an online college directory and comparison website. Even before you get married and start a family, it’s not too early to start a savings plan and stick to it. For those who already have a family, it’s essential to get them involved in your savings plan and invested, so to speak, in the financial process. Financial literacy is a hot topic of late, and for good reason; a clear understanding of how finances work is an…

  • 10 Tips For Controlling Your Credit Debt

    SingleGuyMoney
    3 Nov 2009 | 3:40 am
    There are several ways that you can control your credit debt. Having a huge debt hanging over your head is never a good thing. Debt creates stress and anxiety for everyone. The ultimate goal should be to get rid of the debt so you can move forward with your life. Given below are the 10 best tips for controlling credit debt: 1. Create a budget - If you are going to continue using your credit cards, then it is best to minimize spending, or at least stop purchasing things you do not need altogether. Forget about the fancy clothes and other big purchases. 2. Start Paying Off Existing Debts - Come…

  • Should You Consider Last Minute Holiday Traveling?

    SingleGuyMoney
    28 Oct 2009 | 4:30 am
     Image Courtesy: ToastyKen This is a guest post from Kathryn Katz with some great tips to help you save money on your holiday travel. See more about Kathryn at the end of this post. Last year travelers cashed in big when travel industry panicked and lowered prices right before the holiday travel rush. The airlines weren’t prepared for Q4 2008 travel backlash, and lowered prices to entice consumers to make last minute travel plans. However, this year many airlines are grounding more planes and the tide has turned for consumers. Less seats and greater demand are causing airfare rates to…

  • Don't Throw Your Money Away On Bank Fees

    SingleGuyMoney
    26 Oct 2009 | 3:30 am
    Image Courtesy: CarbonNYC   Banks around the country are continuing to bleed red ink due to the foreclosure crisis and the weak economy. As such, they are looking for any possible way to make up for the lost revenue. I don’t know about you but I don’t have any extra money to give away to the banks. In this economy, it is important to watch and hold on to every penny. Here are some fees you can avoid: Bank Fees. There are way too many free accounts out there. If you don't know if you are being charged for your account, be sure to check your bank statement. If you like the bank you are…

  • RIP Grandpa - Thanks For Teaching Me About Life and Money

    SingleGuyMoney
    22 Oct 2009 | 5:30 am
    Image Courtesy: BL1961 Today is the 5th anniversary of my grandfather's death. I still miss him a lot but I know he is in a better place. My grandfather was like a father to me growing up since my father was not around. We lived across the street from my grandparents growing up so I got to see him everyday. He was my hero and my role model. My grandfather was a hard worker. He worked in construction up into his late 60's; only stopping due to health issues. He was never in a management position and worked for the same company for over 30 years. He was only making about $10 an hour when he…
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    Smart Money Daily

  • No Job? Create your Own!

    JS
    12 Oct 2009 | 8:51 am
    Turn a negative into a positive How many of you have been fired or laid off and are currently looking for another job? Maybe the answer isn’t looking for a job. Maybe the answer is creating a job.  It sounds crazy but more and more people are starting their own businesses in these tough economic times. The idea is that looking for a job that isn’t there won’t make you any money. In fact, it will probably only make you lose money. However, creating a job that there’s a need for will have a much better chance of surviving the times. In the 1920’s, Madame Alexander did just that. It…

  • Suze Orman on How to Survive the Financial Crisis

    JS
    4 Sep 2009 | 8:26 am
    I read an article about Suze Orman’s personal finacial journey and I have to admit that I had no idea that she worked three jobs to put herself through college, and more shocking is that she lost $50,000.00 when she turned it over to a financial advisor who lost her money in bad investments. Most people would give up after losing $50,000.00 these days. Suze want's you to know how she overcame adversity Not Orman. Losing her money only gave her the drive she needed to become such a successful advisor herself. See, the money that her advisor lost, was given to her by restaurant…

  • What To Do If You’re Fired

    JS
    30 Jul 2009 | 9:23 pm
    Turn getting the axe into a positive When you are terminated from a job, your first thought is probably “what do I do now?” and the answer to that question is to get out there and start looking for a better job.  Once you realize that there’s a better job out there for you and that everything happens for a reason, you need to get moving on finding that great job. Career counselor Marty Nemko says that you should start job searching immediately because every “nanosecond of wallowing” only makes your feelings of self-pity worse. Not only will worrying about what…

  • The Biggest Losers – Financial Edition

    JS
    19 Jun 2009 | 8:39 pm
    Even Billionaires Are Going Bust in this Recession With today’s economy, it’s easy to think that you’re the only one that’s being directly affected by the losses on the stock market or by the rise in prices on food at your local supermarket. It’s also easy to feel like the only people being affected by the recession or the middle and lower class people, blue collar workers. Unfortunately, this is not the case. Even the world’s most wealthy people are bleeding money. Now, don’t get me wrong, I do not feel sorry for these people. In my opinion, if you…

  • My First Credit Card – The Root of All Evil?

    JS
    1 May 2009 | 6:08 am
    I was wondering about how it all got started. How did we as a nation get started in the belief in debt. What happened to the concept of saving up for something when you wanted to buy it, rather than buying it right away on credit and paying for it later. In this article, to investigate my idea, I asked a friend to recall how she first started using credit… The day I turned 18, I began receiving two to three credit card offers by mail, daily. As a teenager, I thought this was awesome! If I was receiving these “You’ve been pre – approved!” offers, then that means I…
 
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    Smart Money Daily

  • No Job? Create your Own!

    JS
    12 Oct 2009 | 8:51 am
    Turn a negative into a positive How many of you have been fired or laid off and are currently looking for another job? Maybe the answer isn’t looking for a job. Maybe the answer is creating a job.  It sounds crazy but more and more people are starting their own businesses in these tough economic times. The idea is that looking for a job that isn’t there won’t make you any money. In fact, it will probably only make you lose money. However, creating a job that there’s a need for will have a much better chance of surviving the times. In the 1920’s, Madame Alexander did just that. It…

  • Suze Orman on How to Survive the Financial Crisis

    JS
    4 Sep 2009 | 8:26 am
    I read an article about Suze Orman’s personal finacial journey and I have to admit that I had no idea that she worked three jobs to put herself through college, and more shocking is that she lost $50,000.00 when she turned it over to a financial advisor who lost her money in bad investments. Most people would give up after losing $50,000.00 these days. Suze want's you to know how she overcame adversity Not Orman. Losing her money only gave her the drive she needed to become such a successful advisor herself. See, the money that her advisor lost, was given to her by restaurant…

  • What To Do If You’re Fired

    JS
    30 Jul 2009 | 9:23 pm
    Turn getting the axe into a positive When you are terminated from a job, your first thought is probably “what do I do now?” and the answer to that question is to get out there and start looking for a better job.  Once you realize that there’s a better job out there for you and that everything happens for a reason, you need to get moving on finding that great job. Career counselor Marty Nemko says that you should start job searching immediately because every “nanosecond of wallowing” only makes your feelings of self-pity worse. Not only will worrying about what…

  • The Biggest Losers – Financial Edition

    JS
    19 Jun 2009 | 8:39 pm
    Even Billionaires Are Going Bust in this Recession With today’s economy, it’s easy to think that you’re the only one that’s being directly affected by the losses on the stock market or by the rise in prices on food at your local supermarket. It’s also easy to feel like the only people being affected by the recession or the middle and lower class people, blue collar workers. Unfortunately, this is not the case. Even the world’s most wealthy people are bleeding money. Now, don’t get me wrong, I do not feel sorry for these people. In my opinion, if you…

  • My First Credit Card – The Root of All Evil?

    JS
    1 May 2009 | 6:08 am
    I was wondering about how it all got started. How did we as a nation get started in the belief in debt. What happened to the concept of saving up for something when you wanted to buy it, rather than buying it right away on credit and paying for it later. In this article, to investigate my idea, I asked a friend to recall how she first started using credit… The day I turned 18, I began receiving two to three credit card offers by mail, daily. As a teenager, I thought this was awesome! If I was receiving these “You’ve been pre – approved!” offers, then that means I…
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    One Frugal Girl

  • Two Refis in the Works

    One Frugal Girl
    5 Nov 2009 | 8:30 pm
    After much debate it looks like my husband and I will refinance both of our properties. For the time being cash flow is the most important factor in our decision. I plan to call our lender tomorrow to refinance both of our homes to 15 year mortgages. This means extending our current mortgage by an additional six years, but interest rates are so ridiculously low that we think it makes more sense to stash the cash or invest it. Our decision isn't set in stone just yet, but I'm pretty certain we'll pull the trigger on this one.

  • Should We Refinance Our Mortgage?

    One Frugal Girl
    1 Nov 2009 | 8:30 pm
    My husband and I are considering refinancing our 15 year mortgage and I'm unbelievably torn over the decision. The change in interest rates, (from 5 to 4.5%), will decrease our monthly payment by roughly $375 a month. While the boost in monthly cash flow will certainly help us meet our savings goals, I'm not fond of shelling out money for closing costs or extending the life of our loan.Up until now we've been paying our mortgage bi-weekly, which means we are a few months ahead of our initial payoff schedule. In fact, if we continued to pay bi-weekly our mortgage would be paid in full in 13.7…

  • Friday Night Link Love

    One Frugal Girl
    30 Oct 2009 | 2:30 pm
    I spent quite a few hours this week calculating and recalculating terms, rates and loan amounts in an attempt to determine whether or not my husband and I should refinance one or both of our mortgages. So far it looks like a wash. In fact, by the time we pay closing costs and deal with the hassle of the loan process we're probably better off not refinancing. On the other hand I do like the idea of shrinking our monthly mortgage payments by a few hundred dollars each month.In general I'd like to see more money piling into savings. I investigated our recent expenses and tried to figure out…

  • Expanding My Cookware Collection

    One Frugal Girl
    28 Oct 2009 | 3:45 pm
    Every so often companies contact me requesting product reviews on One Frugal Girl. In all due honesty I tend to turn down the majority of requests. I just wouldn't feel right blasting my readers with reviews and advertisements. My goal is to document my own frugality and fiscal awareness, not to convince my readers to make unnecessary purchases.So yesterday, when I was contacted to review a product I initially hesitated. Then I paused, considered the possibilities, and decided it wouldn't hurt to poke around the website for just a few minutes. I figured I'd spend five or ten minutes browsing…

  • Have You Heard of Groupon?

    One Frugal Girl
    27 Oct 2009 | 8:15 pm
    One of my most fabulous friends introduced me to Groupon tonight. She mentioned the site before, but I completely forgot about it, until an email arrived in my inbox offering $25 tickets to the Metropolitan Cooking and Entertaining Show in Washington, DC. I thought about booking tickets for this event this summer, but now I'm unbelievably happy that I waited. I saved $30 off the price of both tickets and $60 in savings is a heck of a lot of money.According to their website, "Groupon features an unbeatable deal on the best stuff to do, see, eat and buy in your city. By promising businesses a…
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    My Dollar Plan

  • $6,500 Home Buyer Tax Credit for Existing Homeowners

    Madison
    6 Nov 2009 | 8:57 pm
    Good news for existing homeowners! You’ll finally be eligible to take advantage of the home buyer tax credit. When the President signed a bill today to Extend the $8,000 First Time Home Buyer Tax Credit, it also included a provision for existing homeowners, referred to as long-time residents. To qualify as a long-time resident, you must have owned and lived in your current residence for at least five years of the previous eight years. $6,500 Home Buyer Tax Credit Here are the requirements for the $6,500 home buyer tax credit: Your new home must have a signed contract by April 30, 2010…

  • $8,000 First Time Home Buyer Tax Credit Extended

    Madison
    6 Nov 2009 | 8:39 pm
    The $8,000 First Time Home Buyer Tax Credit that was set to expire on November 30 was extended today. The new deadline to take advantage of the first time home buyer credit is to have a signed contract by April 30, 2010 and close on the house by June 30, 2010. First Time Home Buyer Tax Credit As a reminder, here are some of the rules for the first time home buyer tax credit: The credit is for $8,000 or 10% of the home’s value, whichever is less. The credit is refundable. The credit is for primary homes that cost $800,000 or less. The income limits also went up with the extension. Original…

  • ING $50 Sign Up Bonus

    Kate
    6 Nov 2009 | 5:29 am
    This week offers a great $50 bonus to one of our favorite banks, ING Direct. ING always offers the awesome $25 sign up offer for savings accounts. They’re back with another great opportunity to open an Electric Orange checking account. It’s our Free Money Friday offer this week! How to Get Your Sign Up Bonus Visit ING Direct to sign up for an Electric Orange Checking Account. Activate your Electric Orange Debit Card. Use your debit card to make at least 3 signature-based purchases in the first 45 days after your account has been opened. Get your $50 bonus credited to your account…

  • Pay with Miles, Investing, and Credit Cards

    Madison
    5 Nov 2009 | 5:29 am
    We’re planning a big family vacation for next summer. Scott, me, the kids, and my parents are all headed to Seattle for a friend’s wedding. We decided to make a week out of it and make it a vacation. Gone are the days when Scott and I could book 2 tickets on Northwest with our miles in under 10 minutes. Have you ever tried to coordinate booking 7 plane tickets using frequent flier miles from 2 different accounts for 4 tickets, getting reasonable prices for the remaining tickets, getting good flight times for traveling with 3 kids ages 3 and under, and getting decent seating for…

  • What is a Dividend Reinvestment Plan?

    Brian
    4 Nov 2009 | 5:29 am
    Companies offer Dividend Reinvestment Plans (DRP) to allow shareholders to purchase stock on a regular basis directly from the company. In addition to share purchases, dividend reinvestment plans reinvest any dividends paid into more company stock. A dividend reinvestment plan is a convenient way to build a large stock holding in a company over time. Dividend Reinvestment Plan Advantages Inexpensive to start. Often you can enroll in a dividend reinvestment plan by owning one share of stock. Some companies even offer dividend reinvestment plans that allow you to buy the initial share directly…
 
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    My Financial Journey

  • Retirement Nestegg Report October 2009

    MFJ
    5 Nov 2009 | 7:39 am
    Short and sweet this month. Pretty flat – although down about 4% from my interum nestegg report where I broke $100,000 for the first time. Traditional Rollover IRA – $10,334.01 (-3.37%) My Roth IRA – $30,592.09 (+1.54%) Wife Roth IRA – $16,801.79 (+4.59%) Current Traditional 401k – $39,156.17 (+0.06%) Roth/Traditional % = 48.92 % (tax free) Total Retirement Nest Egg $96,884.06 (+0.09%) Copyright © 2009 My Financial Journey. This Feed is for personal non-commercial use only. If you are not reading this material in your news aggregator, the site you are…

  • Interum Retirement Nestegg Report – I broke $100,000 !!

    MFJ
    15 Oct 2009 | 7:26 am
    Traditional Rollover IRA – $10,782.36 My Roth IRA – $31,604.25 Wife Roth IRA – $17,183.87 Current Traditional 401k – $40,916.17 Total Retirement Nest Egg $100,486.65 Well as you can see from above nestegg report I broke through the 6 figure mark for the first time in my life. What does this mean in the grand scheme of things – pretty much nothing, but it is a fun milestone to know that the value of my retirement nestegg reached $100,000 shortly after I turned 30. On the flip side another milestone that I reached a little late is I now have contributed over $100,000 to my…

  • Retirement Nestegg Report – September 2009

    MFJ
    1 Oct 2009 | 1:49 pm
    My retirement nestegg report for this month. Slowly but surely approaching a six figure retirement nestegg account. Traditional Rollover IRA – $10,694.27 (+3.89%) My Roth IRA – $30,126.74 (+4.66%) Wife Roth IRA – $16,065.05 (+4.41%) Current Traditional 401k – $39,132.26 (+9.73%) Roth/Traditional % = 48.10 % (tax free) Total Retirement Nest Egg $96,018.29 (+6.53%) Copyright © 2009 My Financial Journey. This Feed is for personal non-commercial use only. If you are not reading this material in your news aggregator, the site you are looking at is guilty of copyright…

  • Holy crap I’m 30 – my 20s financial review

    MFJ
    4 Sep 2009 | 5:00 am
    Well it seems like just yesterday I was in high school math class learning about exponentiation when a light bulb went off on my head about the power of saving money with compound interest on your side and now I’m 30 – holy crap time flies. Since this is a pretty historic milestone in my personal finance journey as well as my life in general I thought it would be a good time to sit back and look at the good and bad from the last decade. Some of the items I list may or may not be entirely financial at first glance, but I’m certain they have all affected where I stand…

  • Retirement NestEgg Report – August 2009

    MFJ
    3 Sep 2009 | 7:28 pm
    My retirement nestegg report for this month. Traditional Rollover IRA – $10,294.48 (+2.81%) My Roth IRA – $28,785.64 (+1.79%) Wife Roth IRA – $15,386.78 (-2.53%) Current Traditional 401k – $35,662.31 (+2.65%) Roth/Traditional % = 49.01% (tax free) Total Retirement Nest Egg $90,129.21 (+1.47%) Copyright © 2009 My Financial Journey. This Feed is for personal non-commercial use only. If you are not reading this material in your news aggregator, the site you are looking at is guilty of copyright infringement.(MFJ Digital Fingerprint)
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    moneycrush

  • It’s A Wonderful Weekend

    Jackie
    7 Nov 2009 | 4:00 am
    It’s a wonderful weekend! (Because aren’t they all?) On a completely unrelated note, should I continue doing my net worth updates? I didn’t do it this month because I kind of feel like they’re all pretty similar — up or down, mostly due to the stock market. I’m not sure they’re beneficial to anyone but me. (I’ll continue doing them for myself on my handy dandy spreadsheet regardless.) I might be better off just doing spending updates instead, if I can bring myself to admit just how much money I’ve been spending lately. (Mostly from…

  • Ready, Fire, Aim!

    Jackie
    6 Nov 2009 | 4:00 am
    You’ve probably heard the expression, “Ready, fire, aim!” before. It makes us laugh a little, because of course we know that’s wrong. Sadly, the reality is that it’s often “Ready, fire!” — which is at least better than never getting to “fire!” at all. Of course we all know that “Ready, aim, fire!” gets the best results, but the other scenarios are much more common. So how do you make sure you’re on the right track? First, set a reasonable goal for yourself. Get an idea of where you would like to go, and then see…

  • I Know You’re Speaking English, But…

    Jackie
    5 Nov 2009 | 4:00 am
    Have you ever sat and listened to someone explain something, and just had it make zero sense whatsoever? I’ve had that experience many a time, and given a blank look in return. Sometimes I respond with, “I know you’re speaking English, but I have no idea what you just said.” It can be frustrating on both ends. As an example, I’ve tried to explain blogging to people that have never even used a computer. My explanation is usually met with a blank look, until I realize that they don’t even really get the concept of the internet and that I may as well be…

  • What Kind of Financial Legacy Do You Want to Leave?

    Jackie
    4 Nov 2009 | 4:00 am
    Have you thought about the kind of financial legacy you would like to leave? Financial legacies can be legacies in the old-fashioned sense of an inheritance, but they can also be a legacy in the sense that the way you handle money gets passed down to the next generation. As anyone who has ever been around a young child knows, kids don’t learn what you tell them to learn. Instead, they learn what they see — and they’re acute observers. (So acute that they see things much easier than we do, especially if there are things we would rather not see about ourselves.) So what kind…

  • You Have to Be Sufficiently Motivated to Change

    Jackie
    3 Nov 2009 | 4:00 am
    It’s one thing to know you ought to do something, or even to feel unhappy with the way things are and wish things were different. But it’s another thing to actually do something about it. You have to be sufficiently motivated to change before anything of lasting importance is going to happen. Sometimes this motivation takes the form of getting fed up. Maybe you’re tired of fights about money or bill collectors calling. Or it may take the form of fear. Maybe you’re terrified that you’ll lose your house if you don’t get things under control soon. Things…
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    Million Dollar Journey

  • Best of Million Dollar Journey Oct 2009

    FrugalTrader
    7 Nov 2009 | 2:30 am
    Book Winners Seems that there was quite a bit of interest in the book “Super Trader” as there were numerous entries.  Out of all the entries, 3 were randomly chosen as winners of a free copy.  Here are the winners: Linda Jeff W. Desmond C. Top 5 Posts of October 2009 How Alternative Minimum Tax (AMT) Works - With the big hype about the tax efficiency of dividend income, the AMT makes sure that the government gets their share. Prepaid Credit Card Comparison - After receiving a generous prepaid credit card as a gift, I wrote a review discussing the merits and pitfalls. Tips for…

  • Why Canadians Don’t Redeem Coupons

    Guest Blogger
    5 Nov 2009 | 2:30 am
    According to the Coupon Industry Association of Canada*, in 2006, Canadians redeemed 100 million of 3.6 billion coupons available. Canadian consumers that did redeem coupons saved over $134 million dollars. This sounds like a lot of coupons redeemed, but when you calculate the amount of unredeemed coupons it is astounding. With an average face value of $2.02, the amount of unredeemed coupons is approximately $7 billion dollars. Some reasons why Canadians do not redeem coupons? Coupons are not for all consumers. There are several reasons why consumers do not use them. Cutting them from…

  • Funding Your Childs Post Secondary Education

    FrugalTrader
    4 Nov 2009 | 2:30 am
    A recent article by the Globe and Mail regarding the increasing cost of Post Secondary tuition hit close to home.  In the article, it is projected that a child born today going to University 18 years from now would face a cost of over $100,000 for a typical 4 year program.  To add salt to the wound, the $100,000 is for a child who lives at home – it could cost over $130,000 for the students who move away. As Baby FT was born in 2008, I assume the projections for the cost of University will be fairly close to what the article states.  As we started an RESP in 2008, will it be enough…

  • When Money Doesn’t Matter

    Kathryn
    3 Nov 2009 | 2:30 am
    When my son was a year and a half, we did a 3 month work term in the Philippines. We were working on a community development project on one of the remote islands for one week of our time there. It was an 18 hour ferry ride from the nearest port. While we were there my son got very sick. We took him to the local clinic where they admitted him and tried for hours to insert an IV into his veins without success. It was one of the most difficult things I’ve had to watch. How could I put my son through this? What kind of parent was I to put my child’s life at risk because of my work? He…

  • Adding (non borrowed) Cash to a Leveraged Portfolio

    FrugalTrader
    2 Nov 2009 | 2:30 am
    As the installment portion of my mortgage is soon coming to an end, lately I’ve been thinking about my leveraged portfolio and how I’m going to utilize it going forward.  I’ve written about the various options available to leveraged investors once their mortgage is paid off, but I didn’t get into the investment plan going forward. For me,  I will most likely keep the existing HELOC balance (and portfolio) but use the freed up cash flow to invest with instead of increasing the investment loan.  Perhaps it’s my conservative side coming out, but why leverage…
 
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    Bible Money Matters

  • $6500 Homebuyer Tax Credit For Current Homeowners Signed Into Law Today. Is It Retroactive?

    Peter Anderson
    6 Nov 2009 | 6:30 am
    Last week I wrote about how congress was attempting once again to pass an extension of the $8000 first time homebuyer tax credit.  There had been several false starts to get an extension passed as the senate and congress weren’t able to agree on amounts of credits, whether to extend the credits at all, and whether it should be expanded to include current homeowners. Earlier this week congress was finally able to come to an agreement on an extension of the $8000 first time homebuyer tax credit, and in addition, they added on a new $6500 tax credit for people who already own a home. This…

  • The Great Big List Of 75 Budgeting Tools, Finance Softwares And Iphone Money Apps

    Peter Anderson
    5 Nov 2009 | 4:30 am
    One of the most important things when it comes to personal finance is taking control of your money, instead of allowing it to control you. You need to track your monthly income and expenses, and give every dollar a name and a job. All income should be assigned to an expense category, or to a saving category. Every penny. If you allow your excess income to remain unassigned, it will disappear, I guarantee it. (I know from personal experience.) Budgeting Programs To Help Track Your Money Tracking your family budget is becoming easier all the time as new software options appear on the market…

  • How Do You Plan To Manage Your Million Dollars?

    Jason Price
    4 Nov 2009 | 4:17 am
    This post is about gaining perspective on money management and financial stewardship.  I enjoy finding new ways to gain a wise financial steward’s perspective on money.  I hope this particular one will encourage the new financial steward, perhaps be a wake up call for some and a reminder for the more seasoned stewards among us. I’ve always been a believer it’s not how much money you make, but how you handle or manage the money that you make.  I think it’s easy to get caught up in the race of working more to earn more in order to have what many might think is a better way of life. …

  • Wealth And Contentment: Two Peas In A Pod

    Craig Ford
    3 Nov 2009 | 4:30 am
    The pursuit of wealth is one of the greatest illusions of our time.  We think we will be wealthy when we come to a place in our lives when we can do whatever we want with money.  One might imagine this to be the freedom illustrated by the phrase “financial peace”.  Wealth, however, will never be attained if it is defined as getting everything you want, because when you get what you want, you will just want more.  While money can fulfill needs (and thus provide fulfillment) money can never buy happiness.  I believe a person will only be able to consider themselves wealthy when they…

  • HSBC Direct Bank Review: Online High Yield Savings Account

    Peter Anderson
    2 Nov 2009 | 6:50 am
    As I continue my search to find the best high yield savings accounts for our family, one that keeps showing up on my radar and that seems to have an extremely strong reputation is the online savings accounts from HSBC Direct. HSBC Direct doesn’t have branches, the accounts are online only – but it is a part of HSBC Bank USA, N.A., which has close to 470 branches in the U.S., and HSBC Group, with more than 9,500 offices worldwide.   With more than 395,000 no fee ATM machines in the US alone, you should never be too far from a place to access your money easily.  This alone is a…
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    Canadian Personal Finance Blog

  • Random Thoughts: Flip, Flop and Flu

    bigcajunman
    5 Nov 2009 | 11:27 pm
    The Flu Pandemic and the associated hysteria continues on, with folks who are not high risk “queue barging” and then acting holier than thou when others say they have not been vaccinated yet. Interesting exercise in Anthropology this whole thing, makes you scratch your head and wonder what might happen if things get worse? In da Financial Blogosphere No real single theme this week in the world of financial blogging but still some interesting posts, none the less: The Canadian Capitalist writes about the 2009 Globe and Mail Discount Broker Rankings, which is interesting, given it…

  • Garbage in Ottawa Stinks

    bigcajunman
    5 Nov 2009 | 12:56 am
    A preliminary report from the City of Ottawa garbage folks has floated the idea of removing the Garbage Collection portion of the City Taxes and turn it into a user fee. With this move City Taxes will drop by $86 which sounds like a nice idea, however, the User Fee for Garbage is slated to be $195 per household which is about a 115% increase in the cost of paying for Garbage in Ottawa. How is this possible? Let’s look a little closer: $86 is our original garbage fee, so we’ll keep that $41 fee for the black and blue box program in place (say that 5 times fast) $68 for the new…

  • Registered Disability Savings Plan

    bigcajunman
    3 Nov 2009 | 11:16 pm
    TD Waterhouse Finally Does One This relatively new savings vehicle introduced by the Government a while ago, has been taking a while to appear as a Savings Vehicle in many of the banks. I have been checking with TD for a while, but they have finally come out with their version of the RDSP . This whole delay is a bit frustrating given the alacrity shown to get the TFSA vehicles in place for TD, yet for the RDSP an almost sloth-like speed in getting this savings vehicle in place, but I guess, better late than never will be the point of view I should take. I would like to point out the BMO has…

  • Money Games

    bigcajunman
    2 Nov 2009 | 11:56 pm
    I remember as a kid I loved to play games, especially with friends and family and I enjoyed hours of fun playing those games. Some of these games actually were useful in teaching me about Money and it’s use, not just about the joy of competition (and winning). The money games I played when I was a kid were: Monopoly, which is an obviously good money game, in the sense that it teaches kids about ownership, money management and about some monetary concepts like Mortgages, Taxes and Going bankrupt (not too sure what Free Parking taught you, but you did learn that it was good to stay out of…

  • H1N1 The Economic Impact

    bigcajunman
    1 Nov 2009 | 11:23 pm
    Now I am talking about the micro-economics view of the upcoming pandemic. I have already noticed some very interesting things that is occuring in the name of the Pandemic of ‘09: The Upper Canada School board has closed their school’s gyms off hours (for non school events) to slow the Flu’s progress. This is an interesting one, are they then going to lock students up next? This means community groups’ meetings and events are being cancelled or postponed. More folks are taking sick leave than before. Are that many folks sick right now, or is it that folks who normally…
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    My Investing Blog

  • Another Way To Turn A Few Extra Bucks In ANY Economic Situation

    hank
    29 Oct 2009 | 12:13 pm
    We’ve had a post (or 2 or 3) go across here preaching several ways to make money online with today’s tricky economic woes.  Well, we’ve stumbled across another (Thanks Pete). Pete has cashed in a few hundred dollars with the site and has sold me on it.  Once you get the ball rolling, it REALLY can roll fast. It can most certainly turn into a passive income (where you’re doing nothing) if you give it a little ink to move along.  Sign me up CashCrate, I’ll take your survey’s and such for some sultry sly secondary salary… So the setup is pretty easy…

  • I’m Sick of Wells Fargo and GreenTree – My Loan ReMod Story

    hank
    14 Oct 2009 | 7:44 pm
    So since January 2008 I’ve been on the phone bi-weekly with both Wells Fargo and GreenTree Servicing (My loan was sold from National City Bank in June) and have to toss some dirt in the face of both companies.  It’s ridiculous how much time and effort they’re putting into keeping RESPONSIBLE buyers out of the opportunity to refinance or modify their existing loans. When the whole market took a dive at the end of 2007 I figured it was ripe time for me to get into the market for finding myself a refi or modification.  I jumped into the pit in 2006 when I sold my condo (for…

  • How Much Should I Save Per Paycheck To Reach My Retirement Goals?

    hank
    12 Oct 2009 | 3:03 pm
    This question is another tricky one because it depends on who is asking it. If you’re 18 and asking this question, well, I’d say you’re starting off right by asking, and if you are putting away 10% – even if you’re only making $20,000 per year, you’re saving $2,000/year and in 50 years you’d be sitting on about $2,500,000 at 10% (yes, that is 2 MILLION off someone that makes $20,000 per year). You’d have put in $100,000 and interest would have accounted for the other $2,400,000 of it. Ridiculous how compoud interest works, eh? If you bump it to…

  • GOOD Decisions I’ve Made On My Investing Journey

    hank
    4 Oct 2009 | 11:00 am
    I’ve had 2 posts worth of BAD investing decisions so far (1, 2). I didn’t want people to think I’ve not made any GOOD decisions, because I have, just not as many yet. I’m still young, had no financial education, and had some bad financial advice early in my career. But I’m riding the wave and learning from my mistakes to be able to make good financial decisions as my journey continues… 1. I started a ROTH IRA when I got my first job. Although I went through 9 different reps at Edward Jones, I ultimately didn’t have much to do in the summer of 1998…

  • $5 a Gallon For Gas; End Of The World, Or Ripe For The Picking?

    hank
    20 Jun 2008 | 1:01 am
    Well, it really can be a coin flip as to who is hurt worst by the big rise and oil pushing $150 a barrel today. It’s a shame on one hand, but being a “glass half-full” guy, I can see the silver lining that I’m actually enjoying… It Is Not Cheap Well, “enjoying” might be overkill, but there ARE some things that will be better off with gas needing to be purchased with a bank loan. Combine that with J.D. Power & Associates stating that overall auto sales are down about 8 percent so far this year and large cars/trucks sales dipping an outrageous 23…
 
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    Early Retirement Extreme

  • Who is extreme?

    Jacob
    7 Nov 2009 | 12:21 am
    As someone who is getting to be “famous on the internets” (or at least notorious), I have to deal with my share of popular dissent (or at least misunderstandings). The greatest misunderstanding obtains from the “extreme” part of my financial meanderings; but also the rest of my lifestyle parts of which can be considered extreme. In statistical terms, extreme typically means at least one sigma removed from normal but often it is 2 or 3 sigmas removed. However, it is perhaps better explained in other terms. Nobody reads or writes personal finance (pf) blog very long…

  • Ad experiment

    Jacob
    6 Nov 2009 | 9:58 pm
    As you may have noticed, the upper left sidebar is now full of ads. Many people have said I should monetize or presumed I would. I have said no because I did not want to deal with the hassle of setting up a business. However, since I already have a “writing”-business, I had the option of writing on ERE and getting paid. How clever is that! (Anyone please let me know if that is too clever.). Hence, I switched on google ads. This is about the level of hassle I’m willing to deal with unless some individual advertiser wants to buy the space (As I have already noted, the greater…

  • Waking up from Big House Dreams: our crooked path towards early retirement

    Jacob
    6 Nov 2009 | 4:41 am
    Yesterday, I asked if anyone was interested in sharing their plans for early retirement. TL Black, whom you may know from the comments on this blog and who blogs on The Simple Life in France, was quick to respond, and so here is her story. In 2006, we made $100,000 a year and spent $30,000 or about $2,500 a month. Our goal: to buy house in the French countryside in three years, cash. I wondered if I could survive three years. The pressure of my career compounded by the increasing philosophical dissonance I felt at work made me sick—literally. When you spend 60-70 hours a week working and…

  • Buying out DW in 2013.5

    Jacob
    5 Nov 2009 | 11:50 am
    Since I started saving, I have had a program—first it was a fortran program, now it is a spreadsheet—calculating how much money I would have each year given projected savings and projected spending amounts. Hopefully this works out in the long term, because 2007-2009 has seen a pretty much stagnant net worth(*) whereas the program projected steady exponential progress. (*) With the V-bounce, I am 10% richer now than I was in 2007, despite saving furiously in 2007 and 2008. I use 3% inflation and 8% capital appreciation (about 5% real interest). I think 8% is reasonable as I run a…

  • Soliciting guest posts from others with early retirement plans

    Jacob
    5 Nov 2009 | 1:31 am
    Just a reminder that the possibility of writing a guest post about your plans or experiences with early retirement (anything earlier than 50 y/o) and have it read, at least in part, by an estimated 2000 people with similar aspirations. Here are are some earlier guest posts: The Early Retirement Path Interview with Modern Gal A plan to financial independence at 35 Guest post: DW on how it is to live with me & the follow up I am looking for 600 words or more. Specific plans and timelines get extra credit!
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    The Happy Rock

  • A Tale of Two Athletes - Phil Coke and Antoine Walker

    Debt Destroyer
    3 Nov 2009 | 8:04 pm
    Late October is an exciting time for sports fans.  Football is in full swing, we get the World Series and the NBA season tips off as well.  A little something for everybody. With that in mind a couple of stores in today’s news caught my eye. The first is nothing new.  It is one of seemingly limitless talent being greatly rewarded with riches beyond most of our dreams. Antoine Walker was an NBA superstar.  In his 13 year playing career he made $110 Million dollars.  The Boston Globe is now reporting that he is trouble for writing $1 million in bad checks to Vegas casinos. Not only…

  • Rethinking Credit Card Rewards - Are They Worth It?

    Debt Destroyer
    25 Oct 2009 | 8:36 pm
    5% cashback sounds good right? Or does it? Baker at Man vs Debt, recently posted on why he doesn’t use credit cards. His personal morals don’t allow him to support an industry that he doesn’t agree with.  I thought he made a great case and I applaud his ideals (I can relate since I’m an occasional idealist as well).  But will it change my mind on credit cards rewards? Hmmm…that’s a tough one. I primarily use a Discover card. As many are aware, Discover card offers cashback on all purchases. In addition to that, they run quarterly specials that offer 5%…

  • Need a job? Head to North Dakota

    Debt Destroyer
    17 Oct 2009 | 9:02 pm
    A while back The Happy Rock wrote a post called “40 acres and a mule: free land still available in the US.” It describes how in Kansas and North Dakota there are some programs that still give land away, much like the old homestead days. Normally you won’t hear me say too many good things about North Dakota. As a resident of South Dakota, I’m hard pressed to name anything good coming out of North Dakota besides Hwy 281(I stole that line from Tom Brokaw (former South Dakotan)). But I feel I must tread carefully.  After all I don’t want to upset any of the North…

  • Frugal Family Traditions

    Debt Destroyer
    12 Oct 2009 | 8:31 pm
    This past weekend my family said “Goodbye to Summer” and “Hello to Fall” (Not just because we turned on the heat for the first time either). In what is becoming a yearly family tradition we took a hiking trip in a state park which allowed us to enjoy some beautiful fall foilage.   I understand that in some parts of the country it is no big deal to look at trees, but here in the northern plains it is.  Such a big deal in fact, that we are willing to drive 90 min (one way) to get there. As a kid, my family also did this.  We would join up with my uncle’s family…

  • 4 Real Estate Lessons For Sellers

    The Happy Rock
    8 Oct 2009 | 1:27 am
    I think we finally have a buyer lined up for our condo which went on the market about 11 months ago.   We originally listed our 2 bedroom 1 bath 950 sqft condo at $169,000 but settled  $20,000 less than that at $149,000 almost a year later.   15% under our or original asking price isn’t all that terrible considering $170,000 - $175,000 was height of the market prices.  A 15% drop in real estate values isn’t terrible compared to some markets around the US. It was a rollercoaster year with probably close to 50 showings and even month stretches without any showings.   We are…
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    2million's Personal Finance Blog

  • October 2009 Net Worth Update (-$591)

    2million
    3 Nov 2009 | 6:13 am
    October ended a strong run of monthly net worth gains as extra expenses and losses in the market outpaced our income for the month. Given the size of our portfolio and the reduction in our family income (single income) I think our monthly swings will be largely dependant on the market. Assets Sep-09 Oct-09 Change % Cash & Savings $20,328.62 $9,487.98 $(10,840.64) -53.33% Taxable Brokerage Accts $ 93,930.10 $ 97,755.00 $ 3,824.90 4.07% Roth IRAs $ 42,181.54 $ 43,705.85 $ 1,524.31 3.61% Pre-tax Retirement Accts $ 186,764.04 $ 188,972.59 $ 2,208.55 1.18% Stock Options $22,920.00 $ 21,808.00…

  • Health Insurance For High Risk Individuals

    2million
    22 Oct 2009 | 6:26 pm
    Being a diabetic I have long been in favor of health insurance reform. Right now the biggest unknown in my path to financial freedom is my ability to afford health insurance if I was no longer working for a large employer. I recently heard on the local news about a new high risk insurance pool for those with pre-existing conditions without group health insurance. It turns out that North Carolina has started a state funded high risk insurance pool to help those that don't qualify for Medicare or Medicaid. The goal of this high risk insurance pool is to offer those who qaulify individual heal…

  • Investment Performance September 2009 (+3.15%)

    2million
    20 Oct 2009 | 7:02 pm
    This is an ongoing monthly update on how our equity investments are performing. Please see this background on the investment tool I developed and how I am using it to track our performance against a benchmark to measure our progress or lack thereof. Its still a work in progress, any feedback is appreciated and may be incorporated into future monthly reports. The only equity investments not covered are: 1) my 401k which is invested in institutional index funds through my employer that I haven't found a tracking symbol for. 2) investments roughly worth less than $500, simply because I don't…

  • $25 Bonus for New ING Direct Account

    2million
    10 Oct 2009 | 2:59 pm
    I received a promotion in the mail from ING Direct for a $25 bonus when you open an ING Direct Savings Account, but can't take advantage of this because I already opened an ING Direct account. If you have never opened an ING Direct account - this is a no brainer. You can deposit just $1 when you open your account and get the $25 bonus. There aren't any catches or suprises as long as you have never opened an account with ING Direct previously. To earn your $25 bonus the promotion instructs you to go to ingdirect.com/save and enter Reference Code D295X. I'm assuming this will work for anyone…

  • September 2009 Net Worth Update (+$25,475)

    2million
    5 Oct 2009 | 7:06 am
    Another suprisingly strong month for us due largely to gains in the stock market. Assets Aug-09 Sep-09 Change % Cash & Savings $8,117.17 $20,328.62 $12,211.45 150.44% Taxable Brokerage Accts $88,230.54 $93,930.10 $5,699.56 6.46% Roth IRAs $41,901.97 $42,181.54 $279.57 0.67% Pre-tax Retirement Accts $171,718.48 $186,764.04 $15,045.56 8.76% Stock Options $19,760.00 $22,920.00 $3,160.00 15.99% ESPP $31,874.67 $20,651.30 $(11,223.37) -35.21% House #1 - Rental $160,000.00 $160,000.00 $- 0.00% House #2 - Rental $128,225.00 $128,225.00 $- 0.00% House #3 - ??? $104,710.00 $104,110.00 $(600.00)…
 
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    FIRE Finance

  • Weekend Review #44 - From Saving Yourself from Id Theft to Surprising Stuff that You can Turn into Cash

    5 Nov 2009 | 9:06 pm
    [This post is written and copyrighted by FIRE Finance (http://firefinance.blogspot.com).]Nov 6, 2009: This Sunday was real exciting! We enjoyed presenting our Halloween Giveaway and finding its winners by generating random numbers. It was really fun to read through the comments, some of them filled with humorous expectations about winning the contest. Thanks from our heart to all our readers for making it such an enjoyable event. We plan to conduct more giveaways in future.Now for our weekend review. Its really cold today, so its nice to have a warm house coat and a glass of hot chocolate.

  • Free Money - Online Bank Account Signup Bonuses upto $1000 in all

    5 Nov 2009 | 6:09 pm
    [This post is written and copyrighted by FIRE Finance (http://firefinance.blogspot.com).]Updated Nov 05, 2009: Today we present some of the best online bank account sign up bonuses mostly at the national level. This list includes checking account bonuses as well as savings account ones.There is a lot of free money available via these bank account sign up bonuses. However it needs some sincere work. It helps to keep a log of the various conditions that need to be met for each offer. Also, kindly note the expiration dates of the offers and make it a point to read the associated fine…

  • Top Traffic Generators for FIRE Finance - Oct 2009

    3 Nov 2009 | 9:04 pm
    [This post is written and copyrighted by FIRE Finance (http://firefinance.blogspot.com).]Nov 4, 2009: October heralded the start of another winter. We saw fall colors and how they've faded away to make way for fresh snow and a new facet of nature. For us, it's time to get serious about our finances, tax filings, create several alternate sources of income (active or passive) and appreciate the value of a frugal life.Amidst all these events, we are grateful to our loyal audience and pf community for their support. In that light, this month's top ten traffic referrers are:Entrecard.comJonathan…

  • $100 Bank Account Signup Bonus - Chase's FREE Checking Account

    3 Nov 2009 | 6:09 pm
    [This post is written and copyrighted by FIRE Finance (http://firefinance.blogspot.com).]Nov 3, 2009: Chase is offering a $100 sign-up bonus when we open a FREE Chase Checking Account with $100 and set up direct deposit or make five debit card purchases.Sign Up Link: Deal & DetailsExpires: 31st Dec, 2009No Monthly Service Fee — Chase CheckingSM has no monthly service fee when you have a direct deposit or five or more debit card purchases post to your account each statement period.Bonus/Account Information — To qualify for the reward you must open a new Chase CheckingSM account with a…

  • Three Winners of "Your Money & Your Brain" are .......

    1 Nov 2009 | 8:59 pm
    [This post is written and copyrighted by FIRE Finance (http://firefinance.blogspot.com).]We had twenty four enthusiastic entries to our giveaway of three copies of Jason Zweig's superb book "Your Money & Your Brain." Now here is the exciting part of generating three random numbers (at http://random.org). The winners are ........Who are the lucky souls with entries 9, 3 and 2?They are Free From Broke (Entry #9), rubynreba (Entry #3) and Gale (Entry #2). Congrats :)! The books shall be on their way via USPS as soon as we receive the winners' mailing addresses.Heartfelt thanks to all who…
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    Ranjan Varma

  • Lights Camera Action: The Three Components of Managing Money

    Ranjan
    31 Oct 2009 | 2:31 am
    The tag line of this blog is admittedly a bit over ambitious. It says “Changing the way we learn and manage our money”. I admit that it seems too difficult thing to do. You cannot change the status quo just like that. And it’s not that the financial services industry is immature or fragmented. It’s a mix of seasoned, professional people as well as snake-oil sellers. There are very good financial advisors as well as the agents mis-selling for their own self interests. Somehow I get a feeling that we get the financial service we deserve. Part of the blame of getting…

  • Simplicity v/s Too Many Choices

    Ranjan
    30 Oct 2009 | 1:23 am
    Two articles prompted this post. 1. Selling Simplicity- Not Just Marketing It (Hat tip: Asmita, a Business Communications Consultant) 2. Fear of Apples by Seth Godin Godin says that people are afraid of anything with too many choices and the first article says that, “The reality is that simplicity is highly appealing in a world that is getting more and more complex — where consumers have too many choices, where technology is constantly evolving….” My attempts at building a personal finance business is focused on the principles of simplicity. For example, take a look at my…

  • Hot Stock Recommendations From the Papers

    Ranjan
    29 Oct 2009 | 3:56 am
    Normally, I do not scout for stock recommendations from the MSM dailies or the TV. A bit curious (and having a bit extra time to kill!), I took a look around. I found one here today! (29th Oct, 2009). Just take a look! Screenshot, dated 29.10.2009 Infosys trades @ Rs 2207/ today! Most Commented October 1, 2009 — RupeeManager in Private Beta Now (22) April 15, 2009 — How to Maximize your Income (16) April 12, 2009 — Financial Planning Workshop (14) August 12, 2009 — How I Made Rs 1,27,535 in One Day! (14) September 4, 2009 — Thank You, You Are Invited! (13)

  • Weekly Digest of Money Management Updates & Links

    Ranjan
    27 Oct 2009 | 7:32 pm
    Every week, I will post a few updates and links that would be of interest to you for your money management decisions. Behavioural Aspects of Investing in Stocks: All of us have behavioural biases while we manage our money. More than deciding what’s right or wrong, it’s important to be aware of the biases. Second Quarter Review of Monetary Policy 2009-10: RBI has kept most rates unchanged other than the SLR, indicating a tightening in view of the inflationary pressure in the future. Higher provisioning for lending to the Real Estate sector also dampened the spirits of this sector.

  • SubraMoney: Commoditising “Ideal Portfolio” is Wrong

    Ranjan
    25 Oct 2009 | 8:36 am
    P V Subramanyam is a Chartered Accountant by qualification and a financial trainer by profession. He also is a popular blogger and writes regularly for financial websites and magazines. He responded immediately to my questions that I have asked fellow finance bloggers. I found the answers full of insights and am sure you’ll do too. 1. Why is it that generally people avoid or have a fear of financial planning? Just like having a health check up – you do not know what you will find! And the doctor may say “No drinks, no smoking, do exercise….” Who wants to? What is the fundamental…
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    How I Save Money.net

  • Looking For Hosts For Carnival Of Twenty Something Finances!!!

    LuLuGal
    6 Nov 2009 | 7:52 pm
    I am looking for hosts for the Carnival Of Twenty Something Finances. The Carnival of Twenty Something Finances runs every Monday at a different blog and highlights things that everyone should know but that Twenty Something Year olds usually need to focus on. Please sign up to host an edition of the carnival. We need everyone to participate for the carnival to be successful. It is easy to host a carnival as you go through the process listed below: * Pick a date to host and email me or leave a comment here * You start to receive submissions via email two weeks before the carnival needs to…

  • Tracking My Finances In 2009: 5 November

    LuLuGal
    6 Nov 2009 | 3:23 am
    Welcome to tracking of income and expenses for the month. Please note that I get paid on the last day of the month so my cash flow net effect will usually be negative until the last day of the month. This does not mean that I am adding to my debt, it just means that the money coming in is less than the money going out because bills are due starting on the first but I don’t get paid until the last day. So again to clarify (since I get so many questions), this shows the cash FLOW for the month. On Day 2 of every month I will have a negative FLOW because I have paid rent etc so money has…

  • Free Diabetes Kit And My Good Deed For The Day

    LuLuGal
    4 Nov 2009 | 3:00 am
    I recently scored a FREE diabetes kit at CVS through a combination of using coupons and CVS sales. The diabetes kit contains one monitor 10 testing strips testing solution and normally sells for about $60. I had a coupon for $30 off the price and the kit was on sale for $15 so I managed to get it for FREE by using my CVS card. I still have one of the kits that I got earlier from another CVS deal and I decided to give away my kit. Our secretary is diabetic and that kit is one of the ones she uses so I gave my find to her. She was very thankful because those diabetic supplies can get expensive…

  • How I Save Money At CVS: 2 November 2009

    LuLuGal
    3 Nov 2009 | 6:04 am
    Today I paid $0.00 out of pocket for $14.98 worth of items. Yes I got some more shower stuff since you know how much I love them. I was going to get lotion because I am close to running out of what I have right now but the lotions were way too expensive at $9.99 apiece and I did not have a coupon for them. Transaction 1 Item: Two Olay Body Washes Price: $7.49 each (get $5 ECB when you spend $14) CVS Extra Care Bucks earned: $5.00 Total coupons used: $9.99 ECB plus $1 MFR +$1 off any body wash Total out of pocket today: $0.00 Total CVS Extra Care Bucks earned today: $5.00 Total out of pocket…

  • Carnival Of Twenty Something Finances Lost edition

    LuLuGal
    2 Nov 2009 | 7:49 pm
    Welcome to the October 26, 2009 edition of twenty something finances. Super Saver presents End of Year Tax Planning – Deductions posted at My Wealth Builder, saying, “For me, October is a good time to review my 2009 financial status for tax return filing purposes. It gives me a few months to make any changes that can lower my taxes.” Hank presents The Top Fifteen Personal Finance Statistics That Will Blow Your Mindposted at Own The Dollar, saying, “A few of the most important personal finance statistics that impact you!” Tom Drake presents Insurance You Can…
 
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    Funny about Money

  • So this is retirement?

    funny
    6 Nov 2009 | 9:20 pm
    With retirement like this, who needs work? I read student papers till 11:30 last night (the result of having loafed half the day before, if reading page proofs can be called loafing); leapt up at 6:00 a.m.; shot across the city with La Maya to an estate sale (nice stuff: too expensive); shot home, delivering edited page proofs to a publisher on the way; worked till class met; collected another mound of papers to add to the mound from the other class (yet to be read); shot back out to Scottsdale to a business reception; flew back; fed the dog; took the dog for a walk, wherein we witnessed the…

  • Job interview?!?

    funny
    6 Nov 2009 | 5:01 am
    This afternoon a phone call came in: one of the westside community colleges. Was I the person at this number who had applied for a full-time teaching job in the English department there? Why, yes… Was I still interested in the job? Absolutely! Seconds later, she had me signed up for an interview next Tuesday afternoon. Well. That was a surprise. It’s been three months since I sent in that application. I figured never to hear from them. By now, I imagined, they must have hired whomever they had in mind when they started the search. Because the community college district’s…

  • Six steps to a frugal little Christmas

    funny
    5 Nov 2009 | 5:03 am
    Dwelling in the backyard til Christmas Ah, yes. Costco has had its Christmas merchandise out since Labor Day, a sure sign that a white-plastic Christmas is y-cumin’ in. Some of us suffer from chronic skepticism about the annual merchandising frenzy. But you don’t have to be totally cheap to come up with a pretty Christmas celebration that won’t leave you feeling like Ebenezer Scrooge. Here are a few strategies that have saved me some bucks: 1. Stop sending out Christmas cards. Just because someone sent you a card last Christmas doesn’t really mean you have to…

  • Ads: Credit report monitoring scam

    funny
    4 Nov 2009 | 6:27 am
    A reader e-mailed to say he had come across an ad on Funnyfor one of those outfits that proposes to provide free credit reports from all three reporting agencies, but which hooks you in to a subscription whereby you end up paying a monthly fee for “credit rating monitoring.” Please be careful. Do not order “free” credit reports from any such lash-up: it’s a scam. While you do get the free credit reports—which you can get for yourself online very easily—paying someone to monitor your credit reports is unnecessary. Here’s why: By law, each of the three…

  • Tempus fidgets

    funny
    3 Nov 2009 | 5:05 am
    Time does fly, and with it our little concerns and mores. When I entered a link to one of this site’s “pages” in yesterday’s post and then had some trouble persuading the software not to link to the old Wordpress.com URL, I happened to read over the contents of “The Poison Poppy.” Time adds a great deal of perspective: getting your bowels in an uproar over a $220-a-month pay cut seems pretty silly, compared to a 100 percent cut in pay! These days I feel a lot calmer about the money situation (among other things). As a matter of fact, where next year’s…
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    Rule #1 Blog: Phil Town on Investing

  • BNI at $100 So SELL

    Phil Town
    5 Nov 2009 | 12:17 pm
    Wow.  That was fast.  Back in March, I urged you to get into BNI at anything in the $60’s and below and I hope you did because Warren Buffett just bought the whole thing for $100 (assuming the deal goes through.)  The stock shot up 20% two days ago to $97.  If you bought it when I said to buy it, you should sell it now.  Your return on investment from March to November (7 months) is anywhere from 50% to 80%.  Time to take the money. I hardly ever urge people to invest in a particular stock at a particular price but Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railroad (BNI) was a special case of a…

  • Phil Town on Bank of America

    Phil Town
    28 Oct 2009 | 3:59 am
    Bank of America sucksMelissa has had an account at Bank of America since 2002.She deposits a check every month and for every month since she opened the account 8 years ago, she could write checks immediately against the check she deposited and the bank would cash them.For 8 years.Then last month the bank told her they would no longer do that.They were going to hold the check for about aweek until it ‘cleared’.What happened?Bank of America has ordered its branch managers to gather in the ‘float’ at the cost of losing some accounts to more customer friendly banks.(‘Float’ is cash…

  • Phil Town Gives MSNBC Studio Tour

    Phil Town
    23 Oct 2009 | 10:47 am

  • Where is This Market Going?

    Phil Town
    9 Oct 2009 | 10:45 am
    WHERE IS THIS MARKET GOING? When I was on The Millionaire Inside show with Erin Burnette, I was totally impressed with her.  Obviously, so was CNBC.  They have her fast-tracked and doing the cool stuff.  She’s been traveling lately – Dubai, London.  Checking out where its all going. Are we in a recession headed for a depression or did the stimulus package work magic without ever getting any money into the economy?  She interviewed a money manager who thinks we’re off to the races.  There is an old saying in India – “Your world is as you are.” And isn’t that just the way…

  • Phil Town's Inflation Strategy Part Dos

    Phil Town
    28 Sep 2009 | 4:29 pm
    INFLATION STRATEGY PART DOS In 1929 we had less than $1 Billion in circulation in the US because we were tied to the gold standard.   This meant we could not print dollar bills and pretend it was money.  Each $20 of US paper money was backed by an ounce of gold from 1833 when the standard was set and that relationship was unchanged until 1930.   From 1930 until 1970 our government gradually weaned us from the gold standard by increasing the exchange rate to $35 an ounce and thereby artificially increased the number of dollars in the economy to about $10 billion.  In 1971, after years of…
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    TIM - Timothy Sykes

  • You Have 8 Hours Left Before This Deal Vanishes

    Timothy Sykes
    6 Nov 2009 | 1:02 pm
    JUST HAD TO GIVE YOU ONE LAST CHANCE TO GET IN ON THE DEAL BELOW, YOU HAVE UNTIL MIDNIGHT TONIGHT EST: One update to the post below is the description of what could be my best DVD package ever: TIMfundamentals Part Deux. Did you read my recent post celebrating my 2 year anniversary as a blogger? If... .

  • $8,000 In Trading Profits On These 10 Stocks Under $10

    Timothy Sykes
    6 Nov 2009 | 8:20 am
    This was sent to TIMalert subscribers at 10PM EST last night while you were watching CNBC trying to follow the breaking news like an ugly bald man: LiveStock is tomorrow, live 1-2PM EST from the LiveStream studio so please tune in…you don’t have to put with my crappy webcam any... .

  • 12 Things You Need To Know About Me…

    Timothy Sykes
    6 Nov 2009 | 4:30 am
    REMEMBER: You have until Friday November 6th to pre-order any/all of my 4 new instructional DVDs to get access to special FREE followup webinars on each topic…these instructional DVD packages will help you get smarter faster, saving you from thousands of dollars in ignorant trading losses... .

  • What Is TIMfundamentals Part Deux? Hint: 3 Guest Speakers Up $250,000+

    Timothy Sykes
    5 Nov 2009 | 3:39 pm
    This is the followup to the hugely popular original 6-hour TIMfundamentals DVD package, this mammoth 12 hour DVD package and 160 page instruction manual not only outlines my research process, but also includes how to dig through SEC filings (I nailed NXT Nutritional Holdings, INC. (NXTH) a week... .

  • LiveStock Live Tomorrow 1-2PM EST, Watch Last Week’s On Demand, Gotta Love People Who Think You’re Coked Out!

    Timothy Sykes
    5 Nov 2009 | 12:40 pm
    REMEMBER: You have until Friday November 6th to pre-order any/all of my 4 new instructional DVDs to get access to special FREE followup webinars on each topic…you might think these packages are expensive, but if you think about how much dumb trading losses and financial ignorance has cost... .
 
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    PeakStocks.com

  • Authentidate: Ripe for the Taking

    Chris Fernandez
    27 Oct 2009 | 7:30 pm
    Authentidate: Ripe for the Taking By Guest Columnist: Ankit Gupta http://www.selectedfinancials.com Authentidate (Nasdaq: ADAT): Significant Opportunities for Revenue Growth Every now and then I like to give guest authors a chance to share their views either on the stocks that I already cover, or names that I don’t, but that I feel would benefit my readers. Some of these author’s viewpoints agree with mine, and some don’t. I feel that the more information you have about a particular company, stock or the market in general, the better decisions you can make regarding your…

  • It’s time for me to say goodbye…but I want YOUR help in running PeakStocks.com

    Chris Fernandez
    22 Sep 2009 | 5:23 pm
    Well, as you’ve probably noticed, I haven’t written in quite some time. There’s good news and bad news as far as that goes… First the bad, at least as far as you are concerned as a reader of PeakStocks.com: I won’t be posting anything for the foreseeable future. Now for the good: The reason that I won’t be posting anything for the foreseeable future is because I am working on my life’s work and one of my biggest passions in life (other than stocks of course!), and it has taken all my energy, focus and dedication to make that business work. I Want to…

  • It’s Time To Short Tresuries With Inverse ETF’s

    Chris Fernandez
    27 May 2009 | 6:10 pm
    Today is a day to give thanks. I know it’s a little early for Thanksgiving, but I’m talking about being thankful to Uncle Sam and the U.S. government for the bountiful opportunity they have given us to make huge loads of money in a relatively short amount of time. I’m talking about shorting U.S. debt via 2 specific, but very risky vehicles: Ultrashort Lehman 20+Year Treasury Proshares (NYSE: TBT) Direxion Daily 30 Year Treasury Bear 3X Shares (NYSE: TMV)   –> Get updates and real-time stock trades you WON’T find on PeakStocks.com by following me on…

  • SELL ALERT: GeoEye (NASDAQ: GEOY) Sell Full Position @ $21.00

    Chris Fernandez
    21 May 2009 | 8:21 pm
    What: Today I sold my full position in GeoEye, Inc. (NASDAQ: GEOY), a provider of space-based and aerial imagery and geospatial information, at $20.75 per share. The total amount in my portfolio was was for a 3/4 position out of a full position, accounting for about 25% of my portfolio. Those that follow me on Twitter received this update today as I made the transaction. By the time some of you read this post, I will have already exited the position because my price target that I outlined was breached, so I advise you to subscribe to my Twitter feed that can be sent to your phone via text…

  • COVER ALERT: Netflix (NASDAQ: NFLX) Cover Full Position @ $40.00

    Chris Fernandez
    19 May 2009 | 7:36 pm
    What: Today I covered my short position in Netflix (NASDAQ: NFLX) at $39.90 per share. The total amount shorted was for a 1/2 position out of a full position, accounting for about 15% of my portfolio. Those that follow me on Twitter received this update today as I made the transaction. By the time some of you read this post, I will have already exited the position because my stop limit order was triggered, so I advise you to subscribe to my Twitter feed that can be sent to your phone via text message or email for any actionable alerts that I will first post there before writing about in these…
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    Lending Club

  • Lending Club Twitter Contest: 2 Weeks of Blissful Giveaways!

    Rob Garcia
    30 Oct 2009 | 6:21 pm
    In celebration of our recent release of Lending Club’s new investor tools, we are hosting our second twitter contest! …and this time, it is Lending Club t-shirt galore:  1 of every 10 entries will win a nifty Lending Club t-shirt + $50 new investor account bonus.  It’s that easy. From Monday, November 2 through Sunday, November 15, 2009, we will give away 1 Lending Club t-shirt for every 10 entries each day.  Each winner also gets a $50 new investor account bonus while all participants get a $25 new investor account bonus. What's an entry? Well, very simple: Just Follow…

  • RECAP: Higher Returns Through Diversification

    Sam Kasle
    30 Oct 2009 | 5:45 pm
    Yesterday, over 150 participants took part in our “Higher Returns Through Diversification” webcast. Scott Langmack, the featured speaker, discussed his personal investment strategy in Lending Club Notes that, according to Scott, has allowed him to average an annualized return of 12.5% on his aggregate portfolio since 2008. During the presentation and Q&A session, Scott shared his research, investment insights, and his “4 Keys to Maximizing Returns.” If you missed the webinar, check out the replay here >>. Enjoy! Lending Club Notes are offered by a prospectus filed with the…

  • Welcome to Lending Club’s New Investor Experience

    Rob Garcia
    29 Oct 2009 | 2:14 pm
    Lending Club continues to be a leading financial innovator. This time, we are pleased to present a completely new investor experience, giving you the tools that make it fast and easy for you to create diversified portfolios of Notes.   You can now create an investment order in seconds without sacrificing control, in 3 different ways: 1) Follow a predefined investment strategy 2) Target a specific interest rate 3) Filter, review and select notes individually You now have the ability to use more than 25 filters to help you refine your investment strategy.  You can also save these filters,…
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    Mint.com: Personal Finance Blog

  • 10 Things That You Can Do To Lower your Auto Insurance Premium

    GE Miller
    5 Nov 2009 | 2:01 pm
    PhotoDu.de When it comes to auto insurance premiums, there are a number of factors that you have absolutely zero control over. Most of us like to think that we’re the best drivers to ever hit the road, but we’ve all felt the pain of being 18 years old and having to pay considerably more for the same vehicle than the crazy guy who lives down the street. The injustice! The good news is that there are a number of factors that you have considerable control over when it comes to your auto insurance premium. In the first of a two part series, we’ll cover the 10 prime factors that…

  • Piggy Trouble

    Raj Kamal
    4 Nov 2009 | 5:24 pm

  • Follow the Money: The Best and Worst Places to Work by Average Salary

    WallStats.com
    3 Nov 2009 | 2:33 pm
    Not happy with your present salary? Wondering what city holds the gold at the end of the rainbow? We’ve done the research for you. Above you will find the lowest, average, and highest incomes by profession in the USA. So before you move to Scranton for that writing job, take a look above. Next: Computers and Mathematics

  • Think Debt Can’t Bury You? Think Again

    Kerri Fivecoat-Campbell
    2 Nov 2009 | 10:03 pm
    Photo: danaspencer Just a few years ago when Melody Brooke applied for credit in anticipation of co-signing a loan for one of her adult children, she was told she had such good credit that she could buy a jet. Today, she couldn’t buy a toy truck. The combination of a weak economy, which forced her to close her private counseling practice and caused her husband to lose a lucrative contract, has taken her family from a six-figure income to barely any income at all. To add to the constant barrage of debt collectors calling them, her husband hasn’t been able to obtain a job. “He’s only…

  • Music Retail: The Rise of Digital

    Ross Crooks
    2 Nov 2009 | 1:38 pm
    As more consumers have opted to purchase their music online over the last few years, the market share of digital music retailers has increased rapidly. With iTunes leading the charge, digital retailers now account for over 35% of all music sales. The introduction of variable pricing by iTunes in April of this year brought on a dramatic increase in the number of monthly transactions per user, helping them to pass Wal-Mart as the leading music retailer. It is also important to note the other digital retailers implementing different sales models that are increasing total user spending and…
 
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    Personal Finance Buzz - Published news

  • Investing in Economic Recovery

    MMarquit
    5 Nov 2009 | 2:04 pm
    Some factors to take into consideration as you make an investing plan for the economic recovery.

  • 4 Home Improvements that Can Boost the Value of Your Home

    MMarquit
    5 Nov 2009 | 10:37 am
    While you can't really expect to get 100% ROI on home improvements, here are four that can give a respectable return when you go to sell your home.

  • 10 Tips For Controlling Your Credit Debt.html

    AndrewLinus
    5 Nov 2009 | 9:51 am
    There are several ways that you can control your credit debt. Having a huge debt hanging over your head is never a good thing. Debt creates stress and anxiety for everyone. The ultimate goal should be to get rid of the debt so you can move forward with your life.

  • Stop the Insanity of Christmas Debt This Year

    AndrewLinus
    4 Nov 2009 | 9:07 am
    If the following sentence sets off high anxiety in your life, this post is for you. It is November and Christmas is next month. Do you want to join the spirit of the season but the debt from last Christmas still plagues you? Does the memory of last January’s credit card statement set off heart palpitations? Do you think your only choice is to slump your shoulders, grab your plastic and trudge off to do your duty? Is Christmas no longer fun for you?

  • How Do You Plan To Manage Your Million Dollars?

    biblemoneymatters
    4 Nov 2009 | 6:36 am
    I’ve always been a believer it’s not how much money you make, but how you handle or manage the money that you make.
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    Free Money Finance

  • Eight Steps to Lower Your College Costs

    NA
    7 Nov 2009 | 3:08 am
    The following is an excerpt from America, Welcome to the Poorhouse: What You Must Do to Protect Your Financial Future and the Reform We Need, courtesy of FT Press, imprint of Pearson. Originally published in "America, Welcome to the Poorhouse." I don't agree with everything that's written in this book (you'll be able to see pretty clearly where we differ), but it often offers an interesting perspective that I thought would start some discussion here. In Collinge’s book, The Student Loan Scam, he provides heart-breaking, horrific testimonials of borrowers who were hounded to pay their debt.

  • Ten Ways to Make Your Boss Love You (Or Two If You Prefer)

    NA
    6 Nov 2009 | 9:15 am
    Smart Money lists ten ways to make your boss love you as follows: 1. Put in the Hours -- When It Counts2. Empathize3. Defuse a Bad Situation4. Be a Conduit5. Ask for Help6. Connect the Boss's Way7. Show Initiative8. Be Positive9. Make Like Mini-Me10. Get Your Face Time This is a decent list IMO and if you really want to do all 10 steps, have at it. But my list is much shorter and will also ensure your boss will love you. Here it is: 1. Deliver results. 2. Have a good attitude. Yep, it's that simple. And for those of you who need a bit more information: 1. Results. Results. Results. 2. Good…

  • What I Have to Deal With

    NA
    6 Nov 2009 | 2:29 am
    I don't write much about the ins and outs of having a blog because I assume most of you don't really care. As long as the site is up and continues to offer updates regularly, that's all that matters. And that's as it should be. After all, if the blog talks too much about blogging, it's not a personal finance blog now is it? (Unless it's about how blogging can earn you some money.) But after about a ga-zillion messages like the one that follows, I've lost it. I HAVE to say something. What's setting me off is an email that I received recently. It reads as follows: I found your site while…

  • Carnivals for the Week of Nov 2

    NA
    6 Nov 2009 | 2:19 am
    For weekday updates of what I find to be some of the most interesting personal finance articles on the web, follow me on Twitter. For now, here are the carnivals Free Money Finance was in this week (and last -- I was traveling last week and missed this post) and my posts that were included: EDITOR'S CHOICE! Carnival of Personal Finance - How Much is a Good Commute Worth?  Tax Carnival - Who Doesn't Pay Taxes  Carnival of Money Stories (last week) - When Family Members Steal  Carnival of Money Stories - Money Lessons from Jim Nance  Festival of Frugality (last week) - Help a Reader: Asking…

  • How to Get the Best Deal on Cable or Satellite TV

    NA
    5 Nov 2009 | 12:45 pm
    Bible Money Matters has a great piece on how to get the best deal when signing up for cable or satellite TV. He details the process he went through to get a cable package that retails for $84.99/month for only $36.99/month and offers several tips along the way. But here's the one that really stands out to me: After some more research on FatWallet I found that most people weren’t able to get the great deals on their cable bill just by ordering service through the website, or by phone.  The trick was to go on the company’s online chat and to work with the sales agents on there.  From what…
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    Ultimate Money Blog

  • The Craziest Job I Ever Had

    Mrs Money
    5 Nov 2009 | 2:37 pm
    Five years ago Mr. Money and I lived in Colorado. We were both working for a RadioShack store and Mr. Money was also teaching snowboarding. While we worked at RadioShack, we met this very nice woman who bred miniature horses. She was so sweet and kind, and the pictures of her horses she brought in were beautiful. She knew that I had grown up riding and training horses, and one day she asked me if I’d be interested in working with the horses. I couldn’t say yes any faster than I did. So I quit my job (with health insurance) and we moved out of our condo into a house on her…

  • No Health Insurance on Purpose?

    Mrs Money
    3 Nov 2009 | 3:22 pm
    I have a friend that has a husband and two kids. They live what others may call a pretty radical lifestyle. They eat all raw organic foods, she has dreads, and they don’t take any conventional medicine.  She works from home, and her husband has a business.  When someone questioned her on her blog about health insurance, she stated that she doesn’t have it and doesn’t plan on getting it. Throughout her last pregnancy, she was seen by a midwife.  The baby’s delivery was a successful homebirth.  They are making payments to the midwife for care.  The baby…

  • Going Rate for Babysitting?

    Mrs Money
    1 Nov 2009 | 4:55 pm
    So today I spent the day babysitting two boys, ages six and seven. Their mom is also an office manager at the bank I work at. It was a fun day, and we spent a lot of time outdoors, playing inside, and playing Wii. I really enjoyed the time I spent with them. The only downfall? It is the day after Halloween and when their parents said NOT TOO MUCH CANDY, one of the kids didn’t listen. Needless to say, I had a few thoughts running through my head. One- only have one child so they can’t fight, and two- never ever Ever EVER allow my kids to eat any form of white sugar. I’ve done…

  • The Economy is so bad…

    Mrs Money
    30 Oct 2009 | 4:37 pm
    The economy is so bad that I got a pre-declined credit card offer in the mail. The economy is so bad, I ordered a burger at McDonald’s and the kid behind the counter asked, “Can you afford fries with that?” The economy is so bad that CEO’s are now playing miniature golf. The economy is so bad if the bank returns your check marked “Insufficient Funds,” you call them and ask if they meant you or them. The economy is so bad Hot Wheels and Matchbox stocks are trading higher than GM. The economy is so bad McDonalds is selling the 1/4 ouncer. The economy is so…

  • Frugal Halloween Costumes for the Whole Family!

    Mrs Money
    29 Oct 2009 | 3:14 pm
    I decided at work today that I needed to find a Halloween costume to wear to work tomorrow. Nothing like a little procrastination, right? After work today I swung by Goodwill to look for something. I spotted the ugliest housecoat within a minute of walking in the door. I knew it would be mine, and I ended up finding a pair of new slippers to go with it. I’ll buy some new hair rollers and call it a day. While I was there, I decided to browse the kids’ section. I wanted to buy something for my dogs to wear. We had previously purchased them dog costumes from the store, but they were…
 
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    ITA Wealth Management

  • Investor’s Manifesto

    Physlab
    6 Nov 2009 | 9:30 am
    William Bernstein’s latest book, “The Investor’s Manifesto: Preparing for Prosperity, Armageddon, and Everything In Between” is another best-seller for the intelligent investor. Early in the book, Bernstein lays out four reasons why only a tiny minority of investors will ever success in managing their money even tolerably well. 1.  They must have an interest in the process of investing.  I would hazard a guess that this cuts out well over half the population if not more.  As Bernstein puts it, “…most people enjoy finance about as much as they do root…

  • Bonds: Changing Viewpoint

    Physlab
    5 Nov 2009 | 6:30 am
    Over a year ago I wrote the following (in blue) about bonds.  “John Spears wrote a paper, “The Road To Wealth: Long Term Investment In Stocks” where he found, using data from 1871 through 1992, stocks beat bonds in 80% of the rolling 10-year periods.  In rolling 30-year periods, the time most investors save in a lifetime, stocks won out over bonds 100% of the time. I’ve written previously about a spreadsheet I have that runs from the late 1920s through 2006 and using 5-year rolling periods, bonds only added to the portfolio five times.  The odds are quite strong that over time,…

  • The Catlin Gabel School Final Rummage Sale – #65

    Physlab
    4 Nov 2009 | 1:00 pm
    Tomorrow is the first day of the last Rummage Sale run by The Catlin Gabel School in Portland, Oregon.  Yes, this is number 65, and what a great run.  The sale, a Portland tradition, served to bring together the Catlin community, provided low cost clothing and thousands of other items for those struggling to eke out a living. Photographs:  The last box removed from the last truck for the last Rummage Sale by The Catlin Gabel School. Below is a replay of the last box removed from the last trailer.  This shot features David Cannard and Ted Kaye, both outstanding former students of mine. The…

  • Portfolio Performance Update

    Physlab
    4 Nov 2009 | 12:03 pm
    In the data table below, readers will see a few portfolios tracked using the TLH spreadsheet are updated.  Each portfolio is reviewed on a regular basis.  The larger portfolios are examined every four weeks, mid-sized portfolios every five weeks, and the smaller portfolios go under review every six weeks.  Each month, after the broker statements are available, all transactions are undated, including dividends.  Every quarter the benchmark distributions are added so we have accurate records of index performances. This week we already reviewed the Kepler Portfolio.  The Madison and Newton…

  • Investor Behavior “Misbehaves”

    Physlab
    3 Nov 2009 | 10:15 am
    Several weeks ago a good friend loaned me Niall Ferguson’s book, “The Ascent of Money: A Financial History of The World.”  I did not get around to reading this book until I saw it recommended elsewhere and the high praise for this book got me started.  In the Afterword, Ferguson lists cognitive traps humans fall into and this leads to volatility in the financial markets.  I thought readers would be interested in this list.  Several tricky examples demonstrate our inability to provide correct answers, so we are not quite the clear thinkers we think we are.  Too…
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    Money Crashers

  • Is Your Car Payment Destroying Your Life?

    Erik Folgate
    3 Nov 2009 | 8:34 pm
    You’ve heard me get on my soap box in the past about car payments and how they can soak up a lot of your monthly income. I really don’t like car payments, and I don’t think you need one to have a reliable car that serves your transportation purposes. As Americans, we’re obsessed with having nice, new cars. We have been taught from a young age that car payments are inevitable. You buy a car on credit, you pay the payment for five years, then you sell it. Follow that cycle, and you’ll actually never own a car outright. Here is an email that I received from a reader…

  • 7 Home Improvements To Increase Its Value

    Erik Folgate
    2 Nov 2009 | 8:39 pm
    For the most part, the real estate markets around the country have flattened out, and homeowners are breathing a tentative sigh of relief. So, where do homeowners go from here? It will be a while before we start to see home values appreciate on their own, because demand will need to drastically increase before that happens. So, if you want to increase the value of your home, you’ll need to do it the old-fashioned way. Here are seven ways to improve home’s value. Remodel the Kitchen. Take into account the value of your home. If you have a $750,000 house, you should probably put…

  • Leadership Lessons From Truett Cathy, Founder of Chick-fil-A

    Erik Folgate
    29 Oct 2009 | 8:36 pm
    Tonight I went with my wife to an event called “Live, Love, Lead” put on by Chick-fil-A and the entire Cathy family was there. It was a great event, and it was done very well. Like anything done by Chick-fil-A, it was done with class. I’m a big fan of the company, because I love their commitment to serving others and their out-of-ordinary business practices like closing on Sunday and choosing high-quality and high-character franchise owners and employees. The event focused on three main concepts: Your physical health, your marriage health, and your leadership skills. Here…

  • 3 Reasons Why You Shoud Avoid Bankruptcy

    Erik Folgate
    28 Oct 2009 | 6:36 pm
    I listen to the Dave Ramsey Radio Show every once in a while on my way home from work, and one of the most common topics I hear from callers is the question about bankruptcy. So many people call in for advice about whether or not they should file for bankruptcy. Ramsey, having gone through a very messy bankruptcy himself 20 years ago, almost always talks people out of filing for bankruptcy. There are some cases where bankruptcy is the only option, but after listening to his show for a while now, I’ve realized that bankruptcy doesn’t need to be the first option for someone in…

  • 10 High Paying Jobs That Don’t Require An Undergraduate Degree

    Erik Folgate
    27 Oct 2009 | 7:59 pm
    We’re going through one of the tougher recessions in the past few decades, and jobs are very hard to find. Going to school for four years and paying for four years of undergraduate schooling is not on the minds of very many people right now. Survival mode is more on your minds, and one of the biggest misconceptions about finding a career that pays a lot of money is that you MUST have at least a bachelor’s degree. This is simply not true. There are thousands of careers that pay very well and do require schooling or an apprenticeship, but this is more like one to two years, rather…
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    Mighty Bargain Hunter

  • Friday Fiscals: Wii Fit Plus edition

    mbhunter
    6 Nov 2009 | 7:58 pm
    My wife got Wii Fit Plus earlier this week and it makes you think on some of the games.  Nice build-on to Wii Fit.  Besides, what other game can I flap my arms and fly around in a giant bird suit? Here are some links of interest from my feed reader: Bible Money Matters comes through with a huge list of budgeting tools, finance software, and iPhone money applications. Tough Money Love wonders if Las Vegas deserves a recovery. Frugal For Life discusses the secondhand shopping be-attitudes. Being Frugal shares her inexpensive photo Christmas card trick. All Financial Matters shows how to use…

  • Convenience credit card users are not perfect customers

    mbhunter
    5 Nov 2009 | 7:58 pm
    This article on MSN Money misses a bit in the title: Banks punish perfect customers The article is another one on how credit card companies are hitting otherwise conscientious users with annual fees.  The users that are being targeted now are those who pay their bills on time and don’t carry a balance. These are not perfect customers as far as the bank is concerned.  They are close to the worst, actually: just one step above those customers that declare bankruptcy and discharge their debts.  Convenience users are not very profitable for the credit card companies, and could well cost…

  • Carnival of Debt Reduction time!

    mbhunter
    1 Nov 2009 | 10:46 pm
    Welcome to this week’s Carnival of Debt Reduction! I’m very pleased that more of the submissions are on-topic. This is a very good thing, and I know it will benefit everyone concerned, from readers to submitters to hosts, to have a more on-target carnival each week. Here are this week’s debt reduction posts, with the personal debt reduction stories up top: The Good Life on a Budget has paid off a car loan eight months early! Congrats! Man vs. Debt has a post from a reader on how they paid off their $15,000 debt by selling their stuff on eBay. Digerati Life has a post from a…

  • Friday Fiscals: Oof-tah!

    mbhunter
    30 Oct 2009 | 8:27 pm
    Here are some posts of interest from my feed reader: Generation X Finance shows how to get your cheap books and movies. Free Money Finance tells us what not to aspire to:  being at the bottom of the financial barrel. Wise Bread hones the fine art of haggling for a great deal on a used car. The Simple Dollar discusses stress and overspending. Get Rich Slowly alerts us to the pitfalls of buying in bulk. And a special thank you to”Dr. Dean” The Millionaire Nurse for participating over at Cash Commons! Hot hot hot money questions at Cash Commons Related Posts:Friday Fiscals: Tearing…

  • Review of Phil Villarreal’s Secrets of a Stingy Scoundrel

    mbhunter
    29 Oct 2009 | 10:49 pm
    I requested a review copy of Secrets of a Stingy Scoundrel, and the first time the book was sent out, somehow it got lost in the mail.  The publicist contacted me to ask if I was going to review it, and I said that I never remembered seeing it. They sent me another copy, and looking back, I really wish that I hadn’t responded to that e-mail. Many of the tips in this book will quickly and efficiently alienate you from your family, your friends, your colleagues, and the businesses you patronize.  Try these tips once, or at most twice, and they will tell you about it, or they may just…
 
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    Stock Market Analysis, Trading, And Financial Commentary - Rebel Traders

  • Unemployment Data – Not So Good

    Chuck
    6 Nov 2009 | 9:33 pm
    One week ago I said to mark your calendar for on November 6th, 2009 would be the day when your local news reports that the nations unemployment rate reached 10%. Unfortunately I was correct with this economic analysis. I say unfortunately because the statistics reveal that many Americans are facing extremely hard times and today’s report shows that those facing hardship rose yet again. The top line number says that unemployment now stands at 10.2% (U-3 measurement), but the even worse bit of news was the data under the hood. The more accurate measurement of unemployment (U-6) reveals…

  • Market Wrap for November 5 2009

    Chuck
    5 Nov 2009 | 9:37 pm

  • Market Wrap for November 4

    Chuck
    4 Nov 2009 | 10:37 pm

  • Barney Franks Tells Regulators to Be “Deaf, Dumb, and Blind”

    Chuck
    4 Nov 2009 | 7:33 pm
    Tomorrow’s Wall Street Journal paper will be running the story that House Financial Services Committee Chairman Barney Deaf, Dumb, and Blind Frank has sent a letter to top banking regulators to “go easy on small banks”. You did read that correctly. Barney Frank essentially says that enforcing bank regulations is hurting the small banks so he wants the bank police to go deaf, dumb, and blind. [...] House Financial Services Committee Chairman Barney Frank (D., Mass.) sent a letter to the country’s top bank regulators, including Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke and…

  • Bank of Japan and the Federal Reserve

    Chuck
    4 Nov 2009 | 6:03 pm
    When the Bank of Japan releases their meeting minutes it is often refreshing to read some straight forward language instead of word play that the U.S. Federal Reserve so much likes to do. Bank of Japan minutes: (JP) Bank of Japan Oct 13-14 Policy Meeting Minutes: Govt officials have urged BOJ to support economy with monetary policy; Need to keep accommodating conditions - Many saw the need to inform markets there would be no change in easy stance - Continue to see severe conditions for funding to smaller firms - Should examine further year-end funding conditions - Some saw corp funding…
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    Rich Credit Debt Loan

  • About Credit

    Rich Leverage
    6 Nov 2009 | 3:25 am
    Where can I find out what my credit score is? Most lenders are going to get their credit information from one or several of the three major credit reporting agencies, which are Experian, Trans Union and Equifax. You can receive your information from these credit agencies by contacting each agency at the following addresses: Equifax can be reached at (800) 685-1111, or you can contact them by mailing P.O. Box 740241, Atlanta, GA 30374. Trans Union can be reached at (800) 916-8800, or you can contact them by mailing P.O. Box 1000, Chester, PA 19022. Experian can be reached at (888) 397-3742, or…

  • Seemingly Harmless Activities May Harm your Credit

    Rich Leverage
    6 Nov 2009 | 3:17 am
    Your credit score is a vital number that determines how businesses and financial institutions treat you. Everything we do financially has an effect on our score, for good or bad. What surprises many people is how seemingly minor or harmless activities can have a big, negative impact. Described here are how a few can drop your score. Firstly, the one action that people underestimate the impact of is asking around. Asking for a loan rate gets reported; too many of these will hurt your score. The thing that masks this is the fact that it is so very easy to get quotes online. A simple little form…

  • Learning About Hidden Credit Card Charges

    Rich Leverage
    5 Nov 2009 | 3:35 am
    It is very tempting to get an offer for a new credit card with a low interest rate, but make sure to read the fine print on the application or you could find they are charging you fees that were hidden in the small print and that you are subject to rate increases that you weren't expecting. Whenever you are looking to apply for a new card make sure to keep an eye out for these few things, and it doesn't hurt to take a look over the small print on cards you already have to avoid unpleasant surprises in the future. The Teaser Rate The teaser rate has to be one of the largest causes of…

  • Book Review: You Don’t Have to Be Rich By Jean Chatzky

    Rich Leverage
    5 Nov 2009 | 3:02 am
    Can a book about lowering your financial expectations be any good? We were intrigued by the premise of this book and decided to give it a try. It was a bit surprising in some places, and a little disappointing in others, but overall it was a very interesting read that we found to be thought provoking. While it is certainly not for everyone, if you're struggling to make ends meet, some of the advice contained herein may be very useful to you. Chatzky's main premise is that seeking to be rich may be counterproductive, when you could instead be seeking to be "comfortable." For most of us, that…

  • Managing Stocks in an Economic Crisis

    Rich Leverage
    3 Nov 2009 | 2:25 am
    2008 is showing all of the hallmarks of being a difficult year financially, and for this reason, having control over your cash flow is absolutely vital. Managing stocks in an economic crisis is one of the best possible defenses that you can take during the credit crunch. By monitoring the liquidity of your cash flow at the earliest stages, you will have better luck in managing stock levels and inventory control. The first sign of problems is a reduction in your net profits. The last possible sign of problems is when you hit a severe deficiency in cash flow. Managing your stock levels should…
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    Spilling Buckets

  • Build a Casino or Raise Taxes? Which Do You Prefer?

    Ry@SpillingBuckets
    5 Nov 2009 | 5:00 pm
    When will we ever learn? Read this headline:Voters reject spending limits, OK Ohio casinosCHICAGO (Reuters) - Voters in the states of Maine and Washington on Tuesday rejected measures to limit spending, while Ohio's ailing economy swayed residents to approve casino gambling.Since you are smarter than me, you may have only needed to reread that once.Here is a little more about the measures:Ohio voters, after turning down casinos in previous elections, changed their minds as the state struggles with sinking revenue due to the economic recession. The measure, which passed with nearly 53 percent…

  • Net Worth Update: October 2009 +$60 Yikes!

    Ry@SpillingBuckets
    2 Nov 2009 | 3:49 am
    Yikes, we just finished our net worth calculation for October and well, it looks like it spent 30 days watching the Colbert Report instead of marching towards the land of $0. We were very fortunate to post an increase of $60 or 3%. Our total net worth stands at -$1,861.Three important things took place this month: First, we are happy to report that our DBA earned its owners (us) a net income of just over $2,000 this month which is really exciting. This is the second month in business after spending the first month's income to pay off all of the equipment, tools, and supplies we needed. Keep…

  • Jay Walking

    Les@SpillingBuckets
    27 Oct 2009 | 12:14 pm
    I know we are "smarter than the average bear" being Personal Finance bloggers, but there is still some stuff that should be basic American knowledge. If you want a laugh check out the video below:Thanks to Budgets are Sexy who got it from Fabulously Broke.*Side note related to Presidents and Dollars: There's a new dollar coin series showcasing all the US Presidents. I'm trying to collect them all since they look really cool and I have an affinity for dollar coins . More details can be found at the US Mint website. Published at SpillingBuckets.com

  • Things To Do Before We Die - Our Bucket List

    Ry@SpillingBuckets
    26 Oct 2009 | 4:42 am
    "Either you run the day, or the day runs you" - RohnAt the time of this writing, the days seem to be running me.One of the hardest things for me to do is to slow down and reflect on where I am in life and where I am going. I have an extreme tendency to let each day bleed into the next and often loosen my grip on life direction.This blog is one of the tools we are trying to create to keep us on the path we design. We still wander off course, sometimes go backwards, and sometimes stand still, but we have found that writing down where we want to be, and where we want to go, is a large part of…

  • New Personal Finance Personality: The Financial Physician

    Les@SpillingBuckets
    22 Oct 2009 | 11:09 am
    A few weeks ago Ryan and I were listening to the radio at the beach when a new talk show came on: The Financial Physician with Lou Scatigna. The show intrigued us so we listened for a while.Today I remembered this guy and googled his show to find out more information. It turns out he is based in New Jersey and has a local radio show there, but is now branching out to XM radio (Sunday's at 6:00 on 165) and has a pilot TV program in the works.The radio show is similar to many others: he takes calls and answers questions. We listened to his whole first episode on XM Radio. He went almost half…
 
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    Saving to Inve$t

  • Approved! Extra Unemployment Benefits and Home Buyer Tax Credit Extension into 2010

    4 Nov 2009 | 6:55 pm
    Congress and now the President have approved a $45 billion plan to expand a tax credit for first-time home buyers, extend jobless benefits and provide tax refunds to money-losing companies. The bill (H.R.3548) will be funded from the $787 billion stimulus originally approved in Feb 2009.Unemployment Benefits ExtensionThe government is proposing to spend $2.4 billion to extend unemployment benefits for between 14 to 20 weeks, enough to cover the upcoming holiday season. States with the highest unemployment would get the highest unemployment benefits. The extension will benefit nearly 1 million…

  • A Statistical Economic Recovery - Is America's Recession Really Over?

    2 Nov 2009 | 7:16 pm
    As Mark Twain once said, "There are three kinds of lies: lies, damned lies, and statistics." To me, this nicely sums up recent economic figures that suggest America has escaped the clutches of another great depression and is on the way to a sustained recovery. Government reports say that GDP rose at an annualized rate of 3.5% in the third quarter compared with the second. This was the first increase since the second quarter of 2008. However, as GDP grew consumers grew more skeptical as indicated by a fall in the consumer confidence index. A poll in The Economist found that 35% of respondents…

  • Five Things To Look For in Gettting Low-Cost Auto Insurance Rates

    29 Oct 2009 | 9:23 pm
    Low cost auto insurance rates are available everywhere, as companies cater to people trying to cut costs wherever they can. Unfortunately, not all insurance companies are the same, and low insurance rates can turn into a future mess if you do not know what to look for or what to avoid. It is a good practice to perform extensive research on the particular policy you desire and research the consumer protection laws of the state in which you live. Also, consider these 5 steps when researching low insurance rates: 1. Privacy is number one – Identity theft is becoming one of the fastest growing…

  • No Increase, but Congress to Extend $8000 First-time Home Buyer Tax Credit into 2010 and Make Available to More Home Buyers and Owners

    28 Oct 2009 | 5:49 pm
    A number of would-be home buyers and the real estate industry are anxiously wondering if Congress will extend the $8000 new home buyer credit expiring on Nov. 30. I have been covering this credit in a few other posts, and today news reports say that Senate leaders have tentatively agreed to a plan (bill) to extend, but gradually reduce the $8,000 first home buyer tax credit through 2010. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid of Nevada and Senate Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus of Montana, both Democrats, may seek to add the home buyers extension to legislation extending unemployment…

  • Retirement 401k and IRA Accounts - Have You Rebalanced and Reallocated based on Changing Market Conditions and Contribution Limits?

    26 Oct 2009 | 9:04 pm
    I recently checked my Vanguard 401K account and was very pleased to see that it was up 20% in the last quarter! Still well down from high, before the great credit crisis of Autumn 2008, but at least it's moving in the right direction now. However, my return could have been even greater had I re-balanced a bit earlier on because In response to the financial downturn, I had shifted my portfolio to a Stocks/Bond mix of 60%/40%, a conservative mix based on my age and not very diversified. Unfortunately as the market rebounded in summer I didn't update my asset allocation in time due to the fact…
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    MYM Updates

  • Droid vs iPhone vs Palm Pree vs MyTouch: Total Cost of Ownership

    milkyourmoney@gmail.com (milkyourmoney@gmail.com)
    3 Nov 2009 | 6:08 am
    Wow, that was a long title, but this is exactly what it says, a comparison of all these phones and what it might end up costing you in the long run. Its hard to really condone some of these phones simply because, not only are they wicked expensive, but in order to fully realize their potential, you have to buy into data plans that (per MB) are way more expensive than the data connection going to your house. Remember this?] Billshrink.com has put together a nice little huge image that captures a lot of the finer details of what these devices shake out at. (Click to enlarge)

  • Deep Savings at Swoopo.com

    milkyourmoney@gmail.com (milkyourmoney@gmail.com)
    31 Oct 2009 | 10:19 pm
    I received a link from a buddy of mine the other day to a site that kind of blew my mind.  Swoopo.com is a discount shopping site with lightening fast auctions that seems to work really well. My first thought in seeing a site like this is to try and figure out the sites angle in how they make money.  Usually if thats not apparent, then there is usually something amiss, but Swoopo makes it clear how it operates: Register with the site, supply your contact info and purchasing information.  (Site uses https, but you may get a flag that not all content is secure.  Check your browser)…

  • Free Boston Market Coupon!

    milkyourmoney@gmail.com (milkyourmoney@gmail.com)
    27 Oct 2009 | 2:36 pm
    Print the image below and present at any participating Boston Market for a $1 Chicken Meal! Expires on November 1, 2009.

  • Hulu Will No Longer Be Free in 2010

    milkyourmoney@gmail.com (milkyourmoney@gmail.com)
    26 Oct 2009 | 11:18 am
    It was too good to last let alone be true…Hulu will be a paid subscription service as of 2010.  While we all are enjoying this free service kicking the shorts of cable, it seems that the rumors are true and Hulu isn’t able to survive on ads alone.   I am going to make a forecast that this will be the end of Hulu as we know it, not only in its format but in its usage.  People like Hulu for two primary reasons: its completely free and it works well.  Now its just going to work well.  That’s great but after having unadulterated access for so long, how can we go back?

  • Five Reasons to be Skeptical About Your Finances

    milkyourmoney@gmail.com (milkyourmoney@gmail.com)
    22 Oct 2009 | 8:03 am
    This is a guest post by Al Jacobs, the author of OnThe MoneyTrail.com. A running debate continues over the use of credit cards. Much of the controversy involves matters like annual fees, interest rates on the unpaid balance, and the use of an account to establish credit. Articles abound on charge strategies to secure tax deductions for otherwise nondeductible interest payments. There are even dissertations explaining how balances due on one card can be financed for prolonged periods through borrowings on another. Much of the information is of marginal value, and some is preposterous. Here’s…
 
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    PennyJobs.com

  • In the Attempt to Take Control of the Healthcare Industry, Politicians Try to Blur the Lines Between a ‘Human Right’ and a ‘Good or Service’

    5 Nov 2009 | 12:41 pm
    Personal health is made up of two things; personal responsibility and healthcare treatment. Healthcare is not a human right and cannot be allowed to be mislabeled.  Healthcare is no more of a human right than a haircut.Just because healthcare is very personal does not make it a human right that the government can or should supply. Wealthy nations can afford to invest more money into new healthcare technologies that result is improved healthcare treatments.  Investments come from a surplus of savings, which come from an increase in productivity.  Healthcare is a…

  • Obamacare: The Right To Wait in a Long Line

    4 Nov 2009 | 5:37 am
    The healthcare reform that is being debated in congress is wrong solution to a big problem. The healthcare system is in desperate need of less government and more free market to bring prices down, not up. The reform bill is clearly not intended to reduce healthcare costs, but to add more government controls to the industry. The sales pitch that Obama is using to try and passed the bill is 'healthcare should be a right for all Americans'. But this is the same victim mentality trick that has been used to…

  • The Laws of Economics Are Like Gravity, They Cannot Be Avoided

    3 Nov 2009 | 6:11 am
    The basics laws of economics are part of the fabric of every form a money throughout the world. Every nation has to respect the laws of economics or they will end up paying the price for their ignorance. The laws of economics are as simple to understand as 'what goes up must come down', yet our government leaders continue to think that they can defy gravity. Here are the basics Laws of Economics;The borrower is slave to the lenderWages can only increase with an increase in productivityPrivate property is the most effective way to motivate an increase in productivityWealth is…

  • How I Plan to Double My Money Twice Next Year

    2 Nov 2009 | 6:00 am
    Timing the market is always a challenge, but this time I think I have the bull by the horns.Lets review some of the major events of the market meltdown;-The DOW reached 14k in Oct 2007 at the peak of the housing market boom-Six months later, the DOW crashed to 6.6k in Mar 2008 -GDP was negative for 4 quarters, until Q3 of 2009-Congress and the Fed have pumped trillions into the financial, auto and housing industry-The Fed continues to hold interest rates at zero-Hundreds of banks have collapsed and many more will follow-Unemployment is nearly 10%, millions have lost their jobs and…

  • Extending the $8000 First Time Home Buyers Tax Credit into 2010 is a Terrible Idea

    29 Oct 2009 | 6:07 am
    The $8000 Tax Credit is the primary reason that the housing market has begun to recover so quickly – too quickly.This is perhaps the worst bill that congress has passed this year, next to cap-and-trade.The Tax Credit gives away money to would be home buyers, but congress doesn’t have any money to give.  They do have the authority to allocate money and it’s up to the Treasury to find the money to pay for what they allocate it to. For now, the money is borrowed from China by selling more U.S. Bonds and increasing the national deficit.  But the money will need to be…
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    Girls Just Wanna Have Funds

  • The Ten Financial Commandments For Women

    Ginger
    20 Oct 2009 | 9:05 pm
    I’m in the process of putting together The Commandments Of Finance for every woman and Ive come up with the following so far, please free to add your own in the comments. We’ll discuss these in detail in the coming weeks/days. 1. Thou Shalt Not Make A Man A Financial Plan 2. Thou Shalt Make a Date With Fico Before A Date For Sex 3. Thou Shalt Ask For What You Are Worth In Every Arena Of Life: Got a shiny new MBA and boss won’t budge on a raise? WALK! (but not before you find a new job!) 4. Thou Shalt Not Get Credit With A Man Who Has No Financial Obligation To You i.e…

  • I am back!

    Ginger
    20 Oct 2009 | 6:18 pm
    Yes I know that I haven’t updated the blog in a few weeks, but I have good reason!  I’ve been studying for my licensing exam and the GRE at the same time along with balancing my J-O-B.  So last Saturday I took the licensing exam  which meant taking some time off from writing the blog to buckle down and get-er-done!  I plan to take the GRE on the 8th of November but I can ease up a bit since Im not doing double duty anymore.  Next year I hope to secure entrance into a doctoral program thus my need for a new GRE score since my old scores aged out *sigh* it’s been 5 years…

  • Find Your Passion: Love Your Work: Tips Galore!

    Ginger
    21 Sep 2009 | 6:45 am
    So I know you’re saying, find my passion? Ginger, I can hardly find a job I like much less talk about my passion! Those of you that do have jobs, I know these days may find it hard to tolerate let alone fathom adding the word passionate as a descriptor to your day job. Been there, done that, let me show you how! Five years ago I had a job that I absolutely hated.  I dreaded going in every day and I had panic attacks just thinking about the amount of paper work attached to each client I serviced.  I enjoyed my coworkers immensely as we all had a great bond with frequent happy hours and…

  • Discussion: “If you smoke or are overweight, then you cost me money and I cannot hire you.”-Fair Or Not?

    Ginger
    31 Aug 2009 | 6:57 am
    With Obama’s recent visit to the Cleveland clinic, who will cease hiring smokers as of September 1, the Today Show is speculating that this may become a corporate health care trend Here’s the message from Dr Delos Cosgrove, CEO and President at the Cleveland Clinic: While we are on the topic of smoking, I understand that there are differences of opinion about our recently announced policy to stop hiring smokers as of September 1st. Many people have told me that they totally agree with the idea. I have also seen and heard comments that what we are doing is…