Personal Finance Advice

What scares you? What is holding you back and affecting your financial well-being? If you were not afraid, how different would your life be? I think fear is a major problem when it comes to finances. Do you have any of the following financial fears?
Budgeting. This is one of the [...]

One of the few shows I make sure I watch is Survivorman. For those who are unfamiliar with this show, it is about a man who strands himself in different locales all around the world with just his camera equipment and a few random items for seven days. He then documents his survival, [...]

Budgets are a main foundation for a lot of people trying to get their finances in order, but is a budget always necessary? That is a question from one of the readers:
I keep reading about the importance of having a budget and I’m wondering how important it really is for someone that is spending less [...]

You’ve finally done it — earned that coveted diploma. You’re feeling a bit cocky. Your parents are wondering why they had to pay for your expensive education when you already knew everything.
Now it’s time to enter The Real World, the place that you have talked about for years as if it were a [...]

Sometimes the best ways to save depends on the number of people involved. That is the question that a single reader has about the cost of food:
I’m single male and I keep reading that it’s less expensive to cook your own food. I would love to save money, but I find that it is [...]

Many times it helps to hear how other people do the things and to use their examples to best fit your needs. That is such a question that came by e-mail the other day regarding how to budget:
I know that one of my problems is my lack of organization when it comes to [...]

By Wixx, special contributing writer
This is a fun little game in which the members of a household role play a little to help them save money. In this game, the family or roommates will play the part of the board of directors for the home or apartment business. Right away this will prove [...]

Looking for a way to get your finances organized and under control? Before you spend money on accounting or personal finance software, give a spreadsheet a try. Today’s spreadsheets are pretty powerful, with each file (or ‘workbook’) holding multiple sheets and unimaginably large amounts of data.
With that said, the prospect of building your own [...]

Sometimes finances go beyond your own and involve the finances of good friends or family members. When the finances aren’t yours, but those close to you, how do you help those that are obviously having trouble keeping their finances under control? This was a question that was raised in the forums:
Over the Memorial holiday my [...]

By Teri Newton
Even though I live a relatively frugal lifestyle, I enjoy nice things. The ironic thing is that if we purchased things like the average American, there is no way we could enjoy these nicer things. But by taking a few steps it’s possible to have your cake and eat it too.
The [...]

There is nothing worse than money that you expect to cover some of your expenses not arriving. This is a problem that this reader has with child support:
I am a single mother with two small children and I have a major difficulty with my current budgeting. The problem is that I’m supposed to receive [...]

By S Shugars, special to pfadvice
Conventional wisdom says that paying to have your groceries delivered to your door is a waste of money. I have to disagree with this assessment. I have found that having my groceries delivered has saved me far more time and money than I could have ever done by shopping [...]

When you make financial decisions, there are times when you’d like to have others take a look at the decisions you have made and give their honest opinion on whether or not they think you’re on the right track. That is exactly what the writer of this email was looking for:
I earn approximately $77k and [...]

By Teri Newton
No doubt you have heard of the Two-Income Trap. I think a major issue that is often overlooked with the Two-Income Trap are taxes. I come from a situation where when it came down to having kids and wanting a spouse home, we never saw much of a loss going down to one [...]

One of the most difficult situations that any couple can come across in is money issues if they look at finances in a very different light. Most people don’t realize this until after they have married, but it is certainly something that should be discussed well before that time. In doing so you [...]

According to a recent Charles Schwab Financial Services survey of 1000 teenagers between the ages of 13 and 18, the average teenager believes that they will earn an annual salary of $145,000 a year. Teenage boys believe that they will earn an annual salary of $173,000 while girls believe they will earn an annual salary [...]

Have you ever purchased something only to regret the purchase later on? Many times we think we want or need a product or service only to find out later on that we really didn’t. One of the most effective ways to keep yourself from these impulse purchases is to come up with a list of [...]

A lot of problems with finances are the direct result of being financially lazy. That is, you know what you should be doing, but you’re just too lazy (or have a convenient excuse) not to do it. And while life is certainly not about making sure every detail of your finances is perfect 24 / [...]

For those that have them, pets and babies can have a huge impact on your personal finances. For those that are looking for ways to reduce the costs associated with either or both, there are two good articles over at Grocery Coupon Guide on how to contact manufacturer’s directly and get on their member [...]

I like finding the hidden costs in personal finances. Hidden costs are those costs that are not readily apparent when you are looking at your finances and usually when you leave out the hidden costs, the true cost is nowhere near what you assumed. the problem is that hidden costs are hidden because they are [...]