If your household is wallowing in a sea of debt and looking to paddle your way out, you’ll need to get your live-in better/worse half on board with your plans, otherwise you’ll just be rowing in circles. Since you can’t berate loved ones into changing their ways, you’ll have to find a method to convince them that change is necessary, and that rewards will come from taking the right course. [More]
personal finance
Personal Finance Roundup
By 2.21.12
Tax Prep Nightmare: Don’t Get Ripped Off by Your Tax Pro [Daily Finance] “Be smart about selecting who helps with your return and your experience will be better for it.”
Buying a New Car? Let a Website Handle the Haggling [Moneyland] “What if you could eliminate much of the distasteful back-and-forth and just get the car you want, at a price you know is fair?”
Why It’s Important To Do Estate and Inheritance Planning [The Digerati Life] “It’s sad enough when someone goes, but when the deceased’s family and friends end up with difficult issues to work through, then it’s even sadder.”
How to Travel Full-Time for $17,000 a Year (or Less!) [Wise Bread] “Here are a few of my secrets.”
How to Solve 4 Sticky Work Dilemmas [US News] “Some ideas for handling delicate job situations.”
Justifications For Going Into Debt
By 2.16.12
It’s usually wise to avoid spending your way into the red, but sometimes it makes more sense to go wild and take on some debt rather than play things conservatively. [More]
Things To Keep In Mind When Switching Banks
By 2.15.12
If you’re fed up with your financial institution and are convinced it’s time to move on, it’s better to move slowly and precisely rather than rush into the move. The switch will go more smoothly if you take care to properly set yourself up for the change. [More]
Personal Finance Roundup
By 2.14.12
Frequent-Flier Tax Traps [Wall Street Journal] “Put simply, most miles earned by most taxpayers most of the time are probably tax-free.”
8 Questions to Help You Save More [Get Rich Slowly] “The system I’ve been using for the last 15 years to reduce my spending and make sure I don’t get tricked out of my hard-earned cash.”
Car Policy for Less, but Only if You Call [NY Times] “After you hear the tale of Thomas Mitchell you may suddenly have the urge to run to the phone and call your auto insurer. “
Going to the 2012 London Olympics? Better Be Preparing [Moneyland] “Here are some tips to getting to the Olympics and back with your credit rating intact.”
How to Find the Right Accountant for You [Wise Bread] “Finding the right accountant can make a world of difference when it comes to managing your money.”
3 Ways To Save Money On Your Car
By 2.13.12
It can be depressing to calculate the amount of time you spend working to pay for your car. Your ride siphons money from you in an overwhelming amount of ways, including your monthly payment, gas, insurance, registration fees, maintenance and repair. If you want to start living more frugally, you can cast a stink eye at your car to look for ways to start cutting back. [More]
5 Student Loan Terms To Learn
By 2.13.12
The process of applying for student loans, using them and eventually paying them back can be a decades-long class that teaches you a plethora of difficult lessons about personal finance. One of your first quizzes is something of a vocabulary test when you’re trying to wrap your head around what the terms mean. [More]
Ways You May Be Letting Money Slip Away
By 2.7.12
It’s easy to be lulled into regular expenditures that add little to your life. If you’re looking for ways to cut spending, turn first to monthly bills and look for ways to trim or eliminate them. [More]
Personal Finance Roundup
By 2.7.12
Study: The Best Time to Buy Cheap Airline Tickets is 6 Weeks Before a Flight [Moneyland] “The cheapest tickets [can be purchased] six weeks before your trip – not more, not less.”
How to Find the Best Values on 2012’s New Cars [Kiplinger] “You can get fuel economy without sacrificing style.”
Which pays better: Government or private sector? [CNN Money] “Federal workers with a master’s degree or less are better compensated on average than their similarly educated private sector peers.”
How to haggle over medical bills [MSN Money] “If you know how to cut down the original billed amount, you can save a great deal.”
Great Ways to Invest in Yourself [Wise Bread] “Here are some ways you can invest in yourself to boost your skills.”
Sh*& People Say About Money
By 1.31.12
Financial advice delivered in the form of pithy maxims tends to stick in the mind more than long, flowery essays. Short sayings that are funny or well-reasoned deliver sharp advice that can serve as mantras for those seeking guidance with their money, or mock truths everyone takes for granted. [More]
Personal Finance Roundup
By 1.31.12
7 smart moves while rates are low [MSN Money] “There’s not much room for interest rates to go lower, and making the right moves now could potentially save you big money.”
15 Frugal Ways to Battle Boredom [Wise Bread] “There are a lot of great ways to battle boredom and keep your spending under wraps.”
Invest in a Deep Freezer [The Simple Dollar] “One of the most critical appliances in our home when I was growing up was our chest deep freezer.”
You Don’t Have to Start Off Rich to Build Wealth [Wall Street Journal] “Here are three ways to start small. Really small.”
Shopping for a Car? Bring Your Wife [Smart Money] “Men looking for a new car would be well advised to bring their wives, a new study suggests.”
Don't Mistake Credit For An Emergency Fund
By 1.30.12
If you’re struggling to make ends meet, it’s understandable to half-joke that your credit cards act as your emergency fund. But if you can save and choose not to, content that credit will rescue you from any trouble that arises, you’re only tempting fate. [More]
How To Decide Whether To Sock Funds Away Or Pay Off Debt
By 1.27.12
When you get a hold of a large chunk of cash — say, from a bonus, tax refund or item sale — those with the self-control not to blow the funds have to decide whether to save it or pay off debt. While there are other options available, such as investing or donating the money, saving vs. debt reduction is one of the tougher quandaries to decipher. [More]
Cheap Products That Can Improve Your Life
By 1.27.12
Minimalists who get by with as few creature comforts as they can sometimes make everyday activities more difficult than necessary. Some small splurges more than pay for themselves with the way they make things easier. [More]
IRS Warns Against Tax Scams
By 1.27.12
Tax refunds put large amounts of money in peoples’ hands, meaning tax season provides opportunities for con artists to prey on unsuspecting marks. The Internal Revenue Service is attempting to get ahead of the game by sending out warning signs of potential scams in a press release sent through the Better Business Bureau. [More]
How To Create A Budget That You'll Stick To
By 1.26.12
A budget is the basis of any financial plan, but if you’ve never made an efficient one before, it’s tough to determine where to start and how to come up with something workable. Slap some arbitrary numbers down on a paper and you’re sure to end in failure. The key is to adapt the budget to your needs and resources. [More]
