By Jennifer Derrick
We all know that depression is a terrible disease that can have an enormous psychological cost, both for the sufferer and their family and friends. But there is also a monetary cost to depression that goes beyond the medical and therapy bills. I’m not a doctor and I’m in no position to offer […]

By Marilyn Brodeur
Within the US and Canada there are over 60 dental schools which provide inexpensive dental treatment. With locations all over the US from Louisville, New York City, Ft Lauderdale, Los Angeles, Omaha, and Chapel Hill it is very likely there is a school nearby. As a dental student, I’d like to reveal […]

By David John Marotta and Beth Anderson Nedelisky
Many seniors look forward to saving on medical insurance costs by enrolling in Medicare at age sixty-five. However, navigating the Medicare system is not for the faint of heart. Medicare is an alphabet soup of plan choices. Currently Medicare is organized as parts A through D.
Medicare Part […]

By David John Marotta
For those working in the arts, financial planning is artistic freedom. You can be an artist and also eat well if you don’t avoid the subject of financial planning all together. After you have your cash flow and career planning in place, you also need to address your insurance and legal concerns. […]

By Teri Newton
I have noticed something really strange when it comes to dentists. I generally find that I am unwilling to pay $30,000 for a car when I can find a perfectly good one for much and I am not as concerned with brand names as I am about just being clothed and warm. […]

By Amy L. Fontinelle
Eyeglasses and/or contacts are a necessity for most of us — a necessity that can be quite expensive. It doesn’t have to be that way. With a bit of research and time, there are plenty of ways to cut the costs associated with eye care. Here are some tips for keeping your […]

Sometimes a situation arises when you must make a decision on whether to use money that you had earmarked for a specific event for something other than its intended purpose. These financial decisions can be some of the hardest to make and is one that I recently received from a reader who wanted to […]

By Amy L. Fontinelle
While there are things you should avoid carrying in your wallet or purse to minimize your financial security risk in the event of theft, here are a few things you’ll want to make sure to leave in. Carrying these items with you will make your life easier, both financially and emotionally, in […]

When it comes to trying to reduce the amount you spend on prescription medication, most people focus exclusively on where to get their prescription for the best price. While this is a good step to take, it ignores a handful of other opportunities at reducing the cost of prescription drugs. From my latest article in […]

One of the problems that we have had to solve at our house is the quality of the air during the winter months when the windows are rarely opened. My wife suffers terribly from poor air quality (not to mention the cost of trying to treat the conditions which result from it) so we needed […]

If you are looking for areas where workers will be in high demand in the coming years, look to the computer and health industries. The Department of Labor estimates that jobs in these occupations will make up the bulk of the 20 fastest growing jobs for the period 2004-2014. More than 50% of these jobs […]

Most people don’t like to think about death and for that reason many more people don’t take the necessary legal steps that they should to ensure their wishes are carried out when they die. Furthermore, not taking the proper legal steps will mean that you pass along a lot more headaches to the ones that […]

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 […]

For anyone that has medical conditions that require prescription drugs, you know that they can take a large amount out of your budget. What a lot of people don’t realize is that there are a number of ways to save that they may not have ever considered when it comes to prescription drugs.
The fact […]

Over half of Americans go to the dentist once every six months according to the American Dental Association and many view the “go to the dentist twice a year” mantra as written in stone. This mantra, however, originates from a comic book written over 150 years ago titled The Toothache - a time when dental […]

I came across this topic of conversation in the forums: Would You Sell Your Eggs To Pay Off Debt? - It seems if you have the brains and the right looks, your eggs may be worth 5 figures and a minimum of 4 figures if you qualify. The question is would you consider selling them […]

A new article in USA today reminded that I wrote about this a couple of months back - being in Asia when the SARS outbreak happened probably makes me a bit more paranoid, but with it spreading widely in Europe now, it seems just a matter of time. This is what the USA Today article […]

Money up in smoke
I’m not a smoker. I was given a fantastic lesson at a very early age. When I wanted to smoke and be like the grown-ups, I was told I could. The catch was that I couldn’t just try one - I had to smoke an entire pack. I was more than happy […]

My philosophy regarding the avian flu virus is not too panic, but to be prepared. Whether it’s a H5N1 virus or some other yet unknown strain, the world is overdue for another pandemic. It’s the same as being prepared for other possible emergencies such as earthquakes. I don’t live in fear of them everyday, but […]

It seems that the President and Congress are finally getting the hint that the Avian Flu Virus might be something to prepare for ahead of time. Living in Japan where I’m living a lot closer to where they predict the outbreak will first occur, I’ve been thinking about how to prepare to lesson the risks […]