Sometimes, there's more than just a single item that's standing between us and total bliss. It's human nature; if you've felt this way the good news is, you're normal.
Most people think they're properly managing their personal finances by simply logging in and getting their bank balance or checking to see how their spending compared to their budget.
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.
Okay, so we live in a time where the reported unemployment figure is above 9%, and the real figure is much higher, the government spends a whole lot more than it makes, and legislators cannot agree on a solution, and it costs more to feed your car than yourself. But...we really have a lot to be thankful for.
Watching one Black Friday ad after another gets you in the mood to shop since Black Friday traditionally kicks off the Holiday shopping season.
Jumpstart is a national coalition to teach financial literacy to children; according to a 2006 study they conducted, nearly 52% of high school students use credit cards. Let's make sure they use them wisely.
Near Filed Communication (NFC) is a wireless technology allowing data to be exchanged between two devices from a short distance, hence the word "near" in the name.
The recent market has not been kind to the weak-at-heart. Some are afraid to check to see what the market is doing. Here are some survival tips to help you through markets as these.
Can the government really require you to get individual health insurance? Congress says so, and for those of you approaching your 26th birthday this will affect you and your expenses.
The old-fashioned layaway program is coming back. The program, where a store holds specific merchandise for a customer until they pay it off, became popular during the Great Depression.
The Health Care Reform Act enacted in 2010 requires health insurers to allow adult children to remain on their parents' plan until age 26. It's estimated that due to that stipulation, over two million young adults have been added to insurers' plans since the law was enacted.
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!
The other day we talked about college students protecting their identity at school. As a parent, there are things you can do as well to protect your good credit and possibly protecting your identity at the same time.
Establishing good money habits early in life (trust me, at 53, if you're in your twenties, you ARE early in life,) is paramount for building a solid financial foundation for the rest of your life. Since we aren't taught these things, no matter what level we educate ourselves, or to what degree, people ask me how to start their financial life.
The Education Department recently reported an increase in defaults within the first two years of repayment in the fall of 2009 of 7% to almost 9% for the two years ended in the fall of 2010.
As the saying goes, you can never be too careful. It doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out important information about you by putting "two and two" together with information posted online. But, that's not the only thing you need to be mindful of; there are other ways of having your identity stolen at school.
Instead of buying at the moment desire strikes, start putting money away; don't even think about buying it until you have the money for it.