I used to think that getting ready for college would be easy, and that actually taking classes and learning would be the more challenging part...
Many people ask me if insurance is "worth" it and how much they should spend for it. Insurance is simply transferring risk from yourself to someone else.
The funniest thing I ever heard coming from an airplane intercom was NOT on a Southwest flight; it was on an American Airlines flight.
As the holidays are upon us, a common greeting is "Have a happy and healthy New Year." The problem is, the cost of maintaining good health is soaring.
As if we need more things on which to spend our money during the six week period between Thanksgiving and Christmas, research by The Center On Philanthropy indicates the average person makes 24% of their annual donations during that time.
The doorbell rings and we wonder who's on the other side, so we ask, "Who's there?" This situation could be met with anxious anticipation, yet it could also be met with fear.
"What is Cyber Monday?" is a frequently asked question at holiday get-togethers, especially Thanksgiving. Hint: it involves getting a good deal on holiday shopping.
Watching one Black Friday ad after another gets you in the mood to shop since Black Friday traditionally kicks off the Holiday shopping season.
Congress passed a cut on the Social Security tax in 2010, effective January 1st of 2011. Most people didn't even recognize the increase in their take-home pay.
With the economy still on the sliding, we seem to be regaling ourselves more and more with sweets, purses, chocolate and wine. Actually there's an arguement that purses and shoes can be cost cutting!
When my father lost his once-lucrative business, I had to start working in order to earn the dollars to buy the things I wanted.
Knowing where your money goes is the first step to being liquid. Recently we had a post about creating a savings plan. In order to do that, you need to start with a spending plan; today we'll delve more deeply into the necessary steps of creating a spending plan so you can live the life of financial freedom.
Cleaning the house is a chore; it falls in the category of yard work. It HAS to be done, the question remains: who will do it: you, or will you pay someone to do it for you?
Perhaps your parents took you to work when you were a child; if they did, hopefully you learned from that experience that money doesn't grow on trees nor does it come from the ATM. You have to trade your time and talent for dollars.
When stores moved from downtown to the suburbs it became easier to make purchases, as the retailers were just around the corner. Now, with the internet, they're next door...literally...in the next room. In a previous post we talked about saving money online. Now we'll give you some tips to keep from spending online altogether.
Starting in the 80's, the American consumer has been caught up in, well, consuming. As a matter of fact, the consumer makes up over 67% of our economy. What has really taken hold is the increase in our standards; more than ever, starting a couple of decades ago, we all want high-end items, and with the rise of credit, that has been possible for most to attain.
My late father was in the Oil Business; he was known as a "Wildcatter." He drilled oil wells on speculation, in areas not known to be oil fields. Gambling was in his blood; it served him well. At the time I was born, my father was a wealthy man. We lived in an 8,000 square foot home on five acres of land in Dallas, Texas. Life was great.
Our parents are our role models; we develop our sense of ethics, our dispositions, and even our eating patterns based on their behaviors. Did you ever consider that you developed your financial habits from your parents as well?
With any partnership, whether it be in business, a friendly relaionship, or marriage, it's imperative to communicate. No one can read minds, and when we think we can, often we're wrong. We need to know what the other person is thinking.
Money is there to be spent. Sometimes we spend because we have to (food, gasoline and utilities.) Sometimes we spend because we want to (vacations, Starbucks and iPads.) Regardless, the only use for money is to spend it.