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...
When I faced a major life decision two years ago, looking at my financial situation was a big factor in the decision. I estimated what my future expenses would be, and compared those against my expected income. I did a ...
Summertime! It's a wonderful time of year to slow down and relax after a busy school year of homework, events, and bustling to be on time. Summer is also a chance for children to practice life skills including money management. Activities and conversations that involve our daily lives can help make...
Last month I wrote about Vacation Getaways and one of the options that I discussed was the concept of a "Staycation." So, what is a "Staycation?" A "Staycation" is a vacation in whi