Liquid Blog — Liquid

Yep, let's go one step further in financial planning: financial planning with your marriage in mind. You know clear communication is crucial to any relationship. And when communication breaks down, so does the relationship. Lack of communication is the reason more than 50% of marriages end in divorce. And, lack of communicating about finances holds the majority of those cases.

PostedMay 19, 2011

AuthorMax

CategoriesCredit & Debt

TagsFinancial Planning

As they say, "It's better to give than to receive." Many of you out there have a huge heart, but you're living paycheck to paycheck. It's hard to come up with the money to give.

PostedMay 17, 2011

AuthorMax

CategoriesCareer & Economy

Figuring Out How Much You Really Spend

The only way to really find out where you spend your money is to write down everything you spend for three weeks. I say three weeks because it really is true, it takes 21 days to make a habit.

PostedMay 14, 2011

AuthorMax

CategoriesSaving Money

TagsFinancial Planning, Frugality

It's sometimes hard to find the cash we need, especially these days. Many people have been borrowing against their home. Only on rare occasions is this the wise thing to do.

PostedMay 12, 2011

AuthorMax

CategoriesCredit & Debt

TagsBanking, Credit Cards, Loans, Mortgages, Real Estate

Yes, I am all about being frugal. "Waste not, want not." I'm full of quotes today. However, there is a time to be frugal, and a time not to be. Sometimes we just don't have the resources to do all the things we've obligated ourselves to do and buy the things we want.

PostedMay 10, 2011

AuthorMax

CategoriesSaving Money

TagsCareers, Frugality, Income

It's not just at the pump where we're going to fork over more money. Expect to pay more EVERYWHERE!

Besides The Gas Pump, Where Else Can I Expect To Pay More?

PostedMay 7, 2011

AuthorMax

CategoriesCareer & Economy

TagsConsumer Products, Energy, Shopping

Between the recession and unemployment, there's plenty of stress for everyone. Most of this stress is financial stress. Here are some ways to cope with stress.

Where Does Financial Stress Come From?

First we need to understand the origin of stress if we're going to tackle it. The root of most stress is uncertainty. Therefore, the root of financial stress is not knowing the true state of your finances.

PostedMay 5, 2011

AuthorMax

CategoriesCareer & Economy

TagsExcercise, Relaxing, Stress

Last week we talked about being too frugal. Yes, it can happen. Most people, however, have the opposite problem: overspending. There's only two things you can do with your money after you pay your taxes: you either spend it or save it. In 2005 our savings rate was actually negative, which means we spent more than we took home after taxes. That means we went into debt.

PostedMay 3, 2011

AuthorMax

CategoriesSaving Money

TagsDebt, Shopping, Spending

My father used to say, "Everything in moderation." Well spoken. Yes, me, Mr. Thrifty, believes you can be too frugal. As a matter of fact, financial therapists refer to this disorder as "underspending." That's so clever, I never would have thought of it.

PostedApril 30, 2011

AuthorMax

CategoriesSaving Money

TagsFinancial Literacy, Frugality

More and more students are going into debt for college, and it's killing them. An education is one of the greatest things you can have, for it is something that can never be taken away from you.

PostedApril 28, 2011

AuthorMax

CategoriesCredit & Debt

TagsCollege, Grants, Scholarships, Student Loans

Here's an interesting way to look at gas prices: if you drive 1,000 miles a month and your car gets 25 miles to the gallon, you will spend almost $2,000 a year on gasoline, just for that vehicle. If your household has more than one car, then multiply $2,000 by the number of vehicles. Yikes!

PostedApril 26, 2011

AuthorMax

CategoriesSaving Money

TagsFrugality, Saving

When many people plan to buy a house, they know part of the plan will be to get a mortgage. After all, not many people have the money to pay cash for a house. They think that a mortgage is good debt, because the value of the house will be increasing while the amount they owe on it will be decreasing as they pay the principal.

PostedApril 23, 2011

AuthorMax

CategoriesCredit & Debt

TagsCredit, Mortgages

Financial disorders are a subset of the broader psychological disorders, and they ARE recognized by health professionals.

PostedApril 21, 2011

AuthorMax

CategoriesCredit & Debt

TagsFinancial Literacy

Debit cards have been giving rewards, just like credit cards; however, that's about to change.

PostedApril 19, 2011

AuthorMax

TagsBanking, Spending

Well... and you thought the IRS was mean and threatening. It appears they have a human side.

PostedApril 16, 2011

AuthorMax

TagsTax Navigator

From the comments at workshops I conduct, and based on my clients' situations, $70,000 in debt, excluding a mortgage, is not that unusual for someone with student loans and car loans.

PostedApril 14, 2011

AuthorMax

CategoriesCredit & Debt

TagsFrugality, Saving

The last two vehicles I've owned (which includes my current vehicle) have provided excellent service. I did not buy them new; I bought my current car with 32,000 miles on it and it now has almost 105,000 miles.

PostedApril 12, 2011

AuthorMax

TagsCar Insurance, Car Maintenance, Spending

Sometimes life brings you embarrassing moments; these are the times you wish you could evaporate. Here are suitable reactions for those less-than-ideal moments when you find out in public that your credit is not exactly stellar.

PostedApril 9, 2011

AuthorMax

There's lots of anxiety today about saiving; the fact that the price of food (an essential ingredient to our existance on this planet,) is increasing doesn't help the situation. Here are three things you can do, and you'll never miss the money.

PostedApril 7, 2011

AuthorMax

Parents are finding new ways to get their kids started off as a young adult without the burden of debt on their shoulders.

PostedApril 5, 2011

AuthorMax

CategoriesCredit & Debt

TagsCollege, Gift Cards, Spending, Student Loans