Four Steps For Smart Credit Card Use
There are some personal finance teachers who believe no one should have a credit card. They seem to think that carrying credit cards is like carrying little sticks of dynamite that could blow your finances to smithereens at any time. While there are definitely some people who would be better off not using credit cards, […]
Where to Find Free or Nearly-Free Kids’ Movies This Summer
With the school season coming to an end, a parent’s thoughts quickly turn to, “what are we going to do with the kids all summer?” Fortunately, lots of movie theaters offer discounted tickets to G- and PG-rated movies. There used to be a tradition of offering free kids’ movies in the summer, with theaters trying […]
Will You Ever Be Able to Retire?
It used to be that a lot of people were confident they’d be able to retire comfortably one day. Funny thing was, even in those good old days, far fewer people were actually taking the necessary steps, like saving enough money. Today, things have changed. More people are facing the fact that they’re behind on […]
Money Lessons for New Grads
Congrats to the graduating college class of 2011. Since most of the money management lessons I’ve learned since college have come about by making mistakes, here’s my attempt at sparing you the pain. Find a Mentor. Once you find a job, notice who’s doing what you’d like to be doing in five or ten years. […]
Does Permanent Life Insurance Ever Make Sense?
In recent weeks, I’ve written articles designed to help you figure out whether you need life insurance, and if so, how much. Once you’ve taken those steps, the next decision will be whether to go with term or permanent insurance. What’s the Difference Between Term and Permanent Life Insurance? Term life insurance. Term life insurance […]
The Why Behind Your Goals
The fact that you’re reading a personal finance blog says a lot about your commitment to manage money well. However, I’m curious to know more about your motivations. To use a question frequently asked by our two-year-old: “But why?” Are you trying to get out of debt? Build savings? Figure out the best way to […]
The Nuances of a Mother’s Impact
When my friend, Craig, lost his mom to cancer, it was a defining experience for him. He loved his mom. That was obvious by the moving tribute he gave during her memorial service. But he often thought of her simply as a hard-working, low-income single mom, not as a woman of significant influence. During a […]
This Ride to School Brought To You By…
As cash-hungry states look for new sources of revenue, several are now allowing advertisers to put paid messages on the sides of school buses. Currently, seven states allow advertising on school buses: Arizona, Colorado, Massachusetts, New Jersey, Tennessee, Texas, and Utah. Six others are considering the idea: Florida, Kentucky, Ohio, Oklahoma, Rhode Island, and Washington. […]
Money Lessons From the Royal Wedding
Amid all the royal wedding hoopla, did you notice what Prince William and his fiancée, Kate Middleton, have asked for in terms of wedding gifts? Since this is one couple that truly does have everything, they’ve asked anyone wanting to get them a gift to consider making a donation instead. The royal couple has set […]
How Choosing Priorities Determines Financial Success
If you think about it, there are only a few things you can do with money. You can spend it, make debt payments with it, save it, invest it, and give it away. In countless ways, that’s the order our culture conditions us to choose. So, we start earning our first salary and our first […]