Personal Finance Advice

Lately I’ve been trying to decide whether or not to get a Target Red debit card. As much as I shop at Target, the five percent discount would be nice, but there are some drawbacks. I’m still looking into it and will probably make a post about what I’ve learned once I make my decision. [...]

Many people dream of retiring while they’re still young enough to have some fun. Then they look at their bank balance, sigh, and decide that they will have to work until they’re eighty. This might not be true, however. Lots of people retire early without a fortune in the bank or a large inheritance on [...]

With summer just around the corner, one of the top priorities for a lot of people will be to take off to the beach for a day, or for an extended vacation, when the opportunity permits. One of great things about going to the beach is that it can be a relatively low-cost, day-log activity. [...]

The other day I was perusing another personal finance message board when I came upon, of all things, a debate about the merits of Blu-ray versus standard DVD. It came about because someone was mad that they were being “forced” to buy a combo pack that included both formats because the movie studio refused to [...]

There are many people in this economy who have legitimate reasons for not saving money. But there are also a lot of other people who claim that they’re incapable of saving money when saving money would only require them to make some small changes to their finances or spending habits. Some of the common excuses [...]

I have a friend who has lusted after a certain board game for years, now. It’s out of print and if you can find it on the secondary market in good to mint condition, it usually sells for north of three hundred dollars. While this seems crazy to me, it’s not to him. To him, [...]

If you’ve watched much TV lately or listened to the radio, you’ve probably heard some of Fidelity’s new ads that say, “Let us help you take control over your personal economy.” Their website explains, “Your Personal Economy includes the things you care about — your kids, your family, your retirement, your career. We can help [...]

We all feel the need to reward ourselves sometimes. Maybe we reach a tough goal such as losing fifty pounds, or we accomplish a significant milestone on the way to a larger goal, such as finishing the novel that must now be sent out to agents and publishers. Whatever the reason, rewards can give us [...]

Like most holidays, preparing for Easter can put a dent into your budget if you aren’t careful. If you have children, you probably know that buying new clothes, gifts, or other Easter accessories adds up very quickly, and can cause unexpected stress to your monthly budget. Here are a few ways to celebrate the holiday [...]

If you’re a frugal person, the concept of planned obsolescence stinks. There’s no polite way to put it. Manufacturers create things to last a short period of time, forcing you to upgrade or buy a new one at regular intervals. It’s become common practice in everything from appliances to power tools to electronics. Nothing is [...]

Many people have financial troubles, and while financial difficulty happens due to legitimate reasons such as job loss or medical expenses, many times the poor financial state is due to nothing more than bad habits. Here are a number of things that people do that keeps them poor: Inability to Save Money There are a [...]

When you’re ready to improve your financial life, how should you go about it? Do you immediately cease all unnecessary spending, slash expenses to the bone, and use all of your extra money to pay down debt? Or do you go about it gradually, making a couple of small changes at first and then adding [...]

One of the financial phrases that always irks me is “disposable income.” Disposable income is money that has no designated purpose and thus can be blown on anything you want. It’s money that is not “needed” to meet your obligations and thus can be spent on frivolous stuff. The word disposable brings to mind images [...]

Last week I had the misfortune of witnessing a messy exchange in the return line at a local department store. The woman ahead of me was trying to return some items that she bought and had apparently decided that she didn’t like or want. The clerk told her that they could not take them back. [...]

February 25 through March 2 is America Saves Week which was created to promote better savings behavior so that individuals can put them in better financial shape. Getting all your different financial accounts in order is an important step in putting all of your savings onto the right track. Part of that effort is having [...]

Are you expecting to receive an IRS refund this year? Do you have big plans for that money? Maybe you want to spend it on something nice for yourself. Maybe you are planning to use it for a great vacation to get away from it all. Many people who receive a tax refund each spring [...]

Financial experts often talk about the necessity of having an emergency fund. An emergency fund can help cover any expenses that arise when unexpected problems or emergencies crop up in your life. Unfortunately, the unexpected does happen, and it’s important to have made preparations when this happens. Here are a few reasons that it’s worthwhile [...]

I have several acquaintances that do all of their banking with one institution. (Typically it’s the bank that holds their mortgage or where they have a large investment account like an IRA or 401K.) They use that one bank for everything from paying the bills to loans to retirement savings. In some cases, they don’t [...]

I wrote a few weeks ago about how many people are upset about the end of the Social Security tax holiday. Now that tax rates have returned to 6.2%, many people are struggling to readjust their budgets because they’d come to count on that money, rather than viewing it as a temporary windfall. There’s another [...]

My current house sitting job ends tomorrow, so a good part of the day was spent cleaning the place to make it look better on their return. Washing, vacuuming, cleaning and all that fun stuff. While doing all that, I began to reflect what I was able to do the first month. The only major [...]