Liquid Blog — Liquid

Many times when people begin to cook at home they begin to look at it as an adventure, as opposed to a chore. When this happens, they become creative. I know people who started cooking with a crock pot and before long they moved from culinary terror to culinary delight. Many people have had the same experience when they get a grill.

PostedJune 14, 2011

AuthorMax

CategoriesSaving Money

TagsDeals, Dining Out, Frugality, Generic Brand

It happens all the time. Either we see something someone else has or we see something advertised and we gotta have it. We think, they have it, why can't I? It may not even be impulsive; we could be thinking about it for days, and we decide we want it.

PostedJune 13, 2011

AuthorMax

CategoriesSaving Money

TagsCar Insurance, Frugality, Home, Saving Up, Technology

While some may find it easy to ask for money, it's not so easy to get the lender to say yes. It's really all about who you ask and how you present yourself.

PostedJune 12, 2011

AuthorMax

CategoriesCredit & Debt

TagsBanking, Interest Rates, Loans

If you've declared bankrupcty, you now have a second chance to have a clean life... credit-wise, that is; don't blow it! You have to strategize so you can make the most of this "second chance." Here are five important steps to take:

PostedJune 11, 2011

AuthorMax

CategoriesCredit & Debt

TagsBankruptcy, Credit Cards, Credit Score, Health, Loans, Recession

It's Not Just For Married People

Just because you don't have a will won't keep you from dying. Just because you're young, won't keep you from dying, either. We all think we're invincible. If you die suddenly without a will, then some judge who you've never met, will decide where your stuff goes. If you become sick, it makes it that much more difficult to create your will. So, it's best to have one in place; that way all your desires are cared for.

PostedJune 10, 2011

AuthorMax

CategoriesSaving Money

TagsFinancial Planning

Were you surprised to find that your bank was charging a fee for something you either thought was free, or used to be free? Guess what? Banks are now unbundling services and charging for them. You may not know about it until you're charged. The key is to call the bank immediately; you may be able to get the fee reversed.

PostedJune 9, 2011

AuthorMax

CategoriesCredit & Debt

The 2009 Credit Card Act was passed to help consumers. But as it has turned out, there are terrible unintended consequences of the act.

PostedJune 8, 2011

AuthorMax

CategoriesCredit & Debt

TagsBankruptcy, Credit Cards, Interest Rates

It's a fact of life: we need to go to the grocery store. Navigating one can be difficult, especially if you're not familiar with it. Here are some things to look for during your quest to find the things you need and end up buying the things you don't need.

PostedJune 7, 2011

AuthorMax

CategoriesSaving Money

TagsFinancial Literacy, Frugality

The gas tax is a federal tax currently at 18.4 cents a gallon -- and you thought gasoline was expensive enough as it is! What might you wonder is this for? It is for the construction and maintenance of our nation's highways.

PostedJune 6, 2011

AuthorMax

CategoriesCareer & Economy

TagsEnergy, Taxes

Ever wonder what happens after you send your resume? I'm not talking about the time in the postal system or how it travels through the electronic labyrinth of the internet, but what happens after it gets to the company you sent it to?

PostedJune 5, 2011

AuthorMax

CategoriesCareer & Economy

TagsEmployment, Job, Job Search

We live our lives around what we're taught growing up. Sometimes we will start to believe differently when we experience the real world and realize some of what we've been taught really doesn't make sense. Many beliefs around money are learned early in life and sometimes we just can't shake them.

PostedJune 4, 2011

AuthorMax

CategoriesCredit & Debt

TagsCredit Cards, Credit Score, Financial Planning, Mortgages

There's going to come a time in all our lives when we can no longer work, whether that be physically or mentally, or both. That's the time when our investments should be generating enough income to live on. That's why we need to get out of debt so we can start saving for retirement.

PostedJune 3, 2011

AuthorMax

CategoriesSaving Money

Tags401 (k), 401k, Baby Boomer, Financial Planning, Retirement, Taxes

I know, I know. You've been meaning to start an emergency fund, but emergencies keep getting in the way. Life gets in the way. Here's how to get that emergency fund stated and fill it up quicker than you think.

PostedJune 2, 2011

AuthorMax

CategoriesSaving Money

TagsFinancial Planning, Frugality

I was on the Texas Jump$tart Coalition, an organization to teach financial literacy, for several years. What we found was that not only in Texas, but the other 49 states as well, financial literacy is not taught in the public schools.

PostedJune 1, 2011

AuthorMax

CategoriesSaving Money

TagsCharity, Financial Literacy

Many people ask if it helps to pay off old debt. It will help if you want to fulfill your moral obligations.

What Will Happen To My Credit Report?

Nothing.

PostedMay 31, 2011

AuthorMax

CategoriesCredit & Debt

TagsBankruptcy, Credit Score

As most of you can imagine, my favorite game to play as a child was Monopoly. Cash was not just king; cash won the game.

Yes, if you had no cash you could borrow money, but the only way to do that (within the rules of the game,) was to mortgage your property.

PostedMay 30, 2011

AuthorMax

CategoriesSaving Money

TagsBanking, Credit Cards

My father graduated from Harvard Law School in two years; he was a smart man. However, he always said, "I don't need brains, just 'Lady Luck.'"

PostedMay 28, 2011

AuthorMax

CategoriesSaving Money

TagsFinancial Planning, Loans, Mortgages

Many ask the difference between the deficit and the national debt. The deficit is the yearly amount the government spends greater than it's revenues. (If the government spends less, then there is a urplus.) The national debt, on the other hand, is the accumulation of all the deficits.

PostedMay 26, 2011

AuthorMax

CategoriesCareer & Economy

TagsFinancial Literacy, Taxes, The Fed

In a recent workshop someone asked me what I thought the most important financial lesson a kid could learn besides saving money. I told them to teach them about the value of interest and how interest compounds on itself, so the recipient ends up with a lot more money than they started with.

PostedMay 24, 2011

AuthorMax

CategoriesCredit & Debt

TagsCharity, Financial Literacy, Frugality, Interest Rates

Yes I know college is a lot more expensive today than it was back in the days of covered wagons, when I was attending The University of Virginia. However, in order to better understand the situation, let's first talk about how students get into debt in the first place; there is a fundamental phenomenon for the cause.

PostedMay 21, 2011

AuthorMax

CategoriesCredit & Debt

TagsCollege, Credit Cards, Student, Student Loans