Personal Finance Advice

This past year has been all about changes, some good and a lot not so good. We’ve ridden the gas price roller coaster and held our breath to see the first African American President get elected. Some have cried over the bouncing stock market and some have jumped on board and bought cheap, hoping to [...]

Generally, I don’t do New Year’s resolutions. I tend to decide to do things throughout the year and then just get on with them. New Year’s resolutions come with to much pressure and they’ve always seemed forced to me. So I tend to avoid them. But this year is different. I have one New Year’s [...]

You’ve already heard that owning a home can be a great way to build wealth and financial security and that there’s this mysterious thing called “pride of ownership” that makes it enjoyable to mow your lawn even when it’s 100 degrees outside. But the seemingly small benefits of living in a house that’s all yours [...]

Weekend reading is a round-up of personal finance and money related stories that caught the eye of our forum members this week: How we went from $42,000 to $6,500 and lived to tell about it The difference between a recession and a depression The Worst Financial Predictions About 2008 The Credit Card & College Link [...]

This is one of the hardest times of the year for me to continue setting money aside. For one, the money we earmarked for gifts has been spent, which makes the total in our account look smaller than usual. I’ve learned some techniques to stay on the savings course from my dear mother. She went [...]

I’ve never been much of a follower. Even as a youngster, I had to find my own way to do things, even if they didn’t measure up to what everyone else was doing. As a single parent for many years, I learned a few things the hard way. I learned not to follow common financial [...]

Whether your furnace is broken or you’re just looking to save a buck, you might be surprised at how well you can get along without heat. Here are some simple and inexpensive ways to make cold days and nights more comfortable without touching the thermostat. Wear layers: I’m not just talking about wearing a long-sleeved [...]