The holidays can be wonderful with fun activities and time with family and friends. The holidays also can be a time when you feel tired and overwhelmed from too much to do. Also, when overwhelmed and time is running out, it’s easy to spend more money than planned. This year, take time to...
Do you have door weatherstripping that has been chewed off by a puppy? Do you have windows that don't seal completely? Perhaps you have holes going from the outside to the inside of your house from old pipes or wiring? If so, money is slipping out of your house! According to the U.S. Department of...
Diversification is the first rule of investing. You knew that, right? But have you thought about tax diversification? Yep. Smart investing isn't just what you own, it's where you own it and how it gets taxed when you take it out. From a tax standpoint, you have three different types of accounts:...
Dear 17 Year Old Me, I am writing to you in 2014 and we are now 27 years old. A decade has gone by since I was in your shoes and I have some financial advice just for you. Although you may not understand it now, please believe me – I have your best interest in mind! Save Every Penny You...
People invest a lot of amount of time, energy and money to earn a college degree. The financial cost of attending college is much larger today than it was a generation ago. It's reasonable to ask, "Is it still worth it to get a college degree?" Recent reports from Pew Research Center's Social and...
You retired. Or changed jobs – maybe several times. So did I. And at many of those jobs, we had a 401(k) or some other type of retirement plan. If your account held less than $5000, you may have been forced to make a quick decision about what to do with the money. Otherwise, you probably did what...
It's happened to every one of us. Whether they were calling for you, your spouse or your neighbor down the street, we've all encountered the dreaded call from a debt collector. In a former life, I was a debt collector. Here are a few tips and tricks of the trade on how to deal with one if you ever...
What do young people do? They move: from home to college dorm, from one apartment to the next apartment, to the summer job, home again, to the next rental duplex, and so it goes! And in the process, stuff accumulates and stuff gets lost. One of the best financial tools I ever gave my sons is a...
Recently, I have been receiving requests from many of my friends about what they can do to work on paying down their dastardly debt. Whether it is student loans, that amazing vacation you splurged on or that new 70 inch TV complete with Blu-ray and surround sound you financed via credit card, most...
