Personal Finance Advice

Have you ever thought about how much control over your financial life you give to companies when you sign up for things like cable, cell phone contracts, Internet access, loans, or credit cards? When you engage in most financial transactions, you are letting someone else have a little bit of control over your financial life. [...]

One of the biggest enemies of a debt free life is complacency. Not only is it an enemy, it’s a very sneaky enemy. When you become complacent (apathetic is another good word for this problem) you relax too much. You stop worrying about where your money is going. You start spending more and more, thinking [...]

I think I’m getting old. I’m starting to hit that phase of life where I’m looking at the choices I’ve made and ruminating over the roads less traveled. I find myself wondering about the career I chose, the jobs I’ve taken along the way, even the relationships I’ve had. Along with all the general “What [...]

I’ll let you in on a secret: I’m really about fifty-eight years old. Mentally, at least. In actuality I’m in my upper thirties. But if you look at my lifestyle, my spending choices, and my account balances, I’m much closer to someone who is nearing retirement. Financially I’ve always been about twenty years older than [...]

Yesterday I went to the gym. That, in and of itself, is almost apocalyptic in significance, as I never go to the gym. Nevertheless, I am forcing myself to go, at least for the remainder of my period of unemployment, because I need to feel like I am accomplishing something and because I [...]

This video from the Daily Show with Jon Stewart is funny and great entertainment:

The Daily Show With Jon Stewart
M – Th 11p / 10c

CNBC Financial Advice

thedailyshow.com

Daily Show Full Episodes
Economic Crisis
Political Humor

But it’s also an important lesson in financial management. The lesson to be learned from this video is that you should never trust one source [...]

Lean economic times breed a kind of desperate rush to do something to save money — right now. While it’s always better to take a breath and think out practical steps to reach personal goals, there are basic changes we can all make immediately to begin to live within our means and to take full [...]

When I was in high school I was a “smart kid.” I got great grades and studied hard. I chose to make school a priority rather than going out partying every night. I got called a nerd, dork, or geek, as well as some other less flattering names. I learned to hide my intelligence and [...]

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

Big Three auto CEOs flew private jets to ask for taxpayer money
This is when you know the Economy is Doomed!
Savers caused the financial crisis
Worst Year Ever for Stocks: ‘Irrational Exuberance’ [...]

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

21% of those making over $100k are living paycheck to paycheck
Earn an A? Here’s $50. C? Here’s $20
Woman Auctioning Her Virginity For College Tuition
The Key to Wedded Bliss? Money Matters
[...]

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. [...]

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 [...]

Last year I read an article in Redbook declaring that mothers should hire people to do some of their household work and errands for them. The article made the popular argument that if you can hire someone to do your housework for less than what you make doing something else, you shouldn’t waste your time [...]

A few weeks ago I wrote about books that are valuable for every level of financial knowledge. Almost all of those books were “how-to” books or books about developing and implementing investment strategies. This week I’m going to recommend a different type of financial book. These are the books that don’t teach you how to [...]

I’m a huge fan of reading. I believe that reading, both fiction and non-fiction, is a great way to learn new things and be exposed to more than you typically see in your daily life. If you want to learn something new, like personal finance, you can’t beat a good book. You can go at [...]

I’ve personally never seen this game show, but recently I saw a parody of it that was done at my church when they were talking about finances. It was actually very interesting how they laid it out and made the correlation and it made a lot of sense. They had a “contestant” come [...]

This weekend I was reading “You’re Broke Because You Want to Be: How to Stop Getting By and Start Getting Ahead” by Larry Winget. (A pretty good read, by the way. The advice is nothing groundbreaking, but his straight talk and no excuses approach is entertaining.) Anyway, in the book he states that most people [...]

This past weekend I went to the annual bridal expo with a friend who is getting married soon. As my wedding was many years ago, I was astounded to see how far the bridal industry has come. Or maybe I should say I was astounded to see how far the bridal industry will go (to [...]

The football season is over now, and while that makes my husband very sad, it actually makes me pretty happy since I don’t particularly enjoy football. While I can’t get too interested in watching the game itself, I know there are some things to learn from the game. For instance, it’s better to [...]

Just recently my husband and I have decided to tighten up our spending a little more than we have been doing in the past. We currently have an amount budgeted for extra spending (entertainment, fun things, clothes, etc.) and in the past, this has been more of a guideline than a hard and fast [...]