Personal Finance Advice

Now that back to school season is upon us, my state and many others are promoting their upcoming tax free weekends. These are the weekends where you can buy items from certain categories and escape the state and/or local sales taxes on those items. The rules vary by state, but typically the items you can [...]

Someone told me the other day that I should want to earn more money so that I could afford the “finer things” in life. I responded by saying that yes, more money would be nice (isn’t it always?), but that the tradeoffs (working longer hours, more stress, more time away from my family) wouldn’t be [...]

It was recently announced in the news that Starbucks (SBUX) will be closing over 600 stores due to a phenomenon nicknamed “The Latte Effect.” This basically describes the actions people often take when economic times are tough and money is tight, which includes cutting back on extra expenses like coffee, manicures and hair treatments. [...]

Last weekend I got a call from my mom. She was cleaning out her house and came across my old Atari 2600. She asked if I wanted it back. I said heck yeah and took off to retrieve it. I’d forgotten all about the thing, but the minute I saw it the memories rushed back. [...]

It seems that many businesses and stores these days are willing to fight hard for your patronage. I’ve noticed a lot more stores lately that now offer price matching on equal items from a different store. You simply show the ad or online printout showing the item that is less expensive at the [...]

As soon as the words were out of my mouth, I saw an ad looking for an tutor for English as a Second Language. School-age boy, in town about a month, rate $50/hr. In less than four hours, I determined it was a scam. Crud. That could have been a good job, had it [...]

Weekend reading is a round-up of personal finance and money related stories that caught the eye of our forum members this week:

Are We a Nation of Financial Illiterates?
411 Calls Reveal How People Are Saving Money
Why does the price increase of gas feel so enormous?
How much you earn (and how you compare [...]

We still pay most of our bills manually, by which I mean we don’t have automatic payments set up. While I recognize the advantages of automatic bill pay (no postage, time saved in writing out checks, etc.), I actually enjoy the task of paying bills the old-fashioned way. I like writing out checks [...]

I recently visited the dentist and learned that I had a cavity and needed a filling. My insurance would only pay a portion of what the filling would cost, so I would need to fork out $70 out of my own pocket. Paying money to sit through getting a filling is not something [...]

The question to get your morning rolling today is, What tricks help you from spending money?
I was talking with a friend who is super frugal except when it comes to traveling. It seems that he spends virtually all his extra money on traveling either to new countries or to visit friends. I asked him how [...]

Like any good financial nerd, I spend a lot of time watching and reading the media’s coverage of the economy. Over the last few months the tone has gone from mildly concerned, through concerned, and on to full blown panic. This amuses me because you can literally watch the rhetoric ratchet up and up, [...]

The question to get your morning rolling today is, Is more a better deal?
This is one of the questions that I truly struggle with on a daily basis. I will give a classic example. I was at a fast food restaurant the other day and made my #3 set order which included a regular sized [...]

By M. Ellis, Special Guest Writer
The other day a friend invited me to her church because she knows that I’m interested in finance and the minister was beginning a series on God and finance. I almost declined because the thought of a minister preaching on God and finance gives me the heebie jeebies. I’ve often [...]

Today’s question to get your morning rolling is, Should the speed limit be reduced to 55 mph again?
I find quite curious is that with all the complaining about gas prices, nobody has been willing to come out and say it’s time to go back to 55 mph speed limit again. I think that shows how [...]

Weekend reading is a round-up of personal finance and money related stories that caught the eye of our forum members this week:

How to stop worrying and learn to love the bear
Inspiration for wannabe entrepreneurs
Top 10 Ways to Trick Yourself into Saving Money
Credit Card Forensics
What Type of Billionaire Would You Be?
[...]

How many subscriptions do you pay for? Be sure to count not just magazines and newspapers but also services (warranties, computer virus protection, cell phone contract, ISP, etc.), memberships (gyms, fan clubs, business associations), and entertainment packages (Netflix, cable or satellite, online game sites, etc.) Count anything for which you are billed on [...]

Today’s question to get your morning rolling is, Should you wait until you have a lot of money before giving to charity or should you give to charity even when you don’t have a lot?
I have two good friends that have opposing view on the best way to give to charity. One never gives to [...]

It’s no secret that changing your habits can lead to monetary savings. But in the rush to reduce the daily splurges like coffee and meals out, and the big ticket items like clothes and vacations, many of us overlook what I call “Every Other” savings. These are things that you do or pay for on [...]

Today’s question to get your morning rolling is, Should you eat food after the expiration date?
This is an argument that my wife and I often get into when the food in the refrigerator goes past the date marked on the package. My wife’s automatic reaction is to look at the date and throw out anything [...]

I’m a big fan of index funds because, quite frankly, I don’t know much about investing and I would rather spend my time doing other things than learning how to invest in individual companies. Warren Buffett agrees with me on this as his response to a question at the Berkshire Hathaway annual shareholder meeting:
“If you [...]