A personal finance blog where we share insights on carefully saving money, investing, early retirement, mortgages, and stocks.
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Follow us on twitter at
http://Twitter.com/MoneyNi
Are you in debt but have never thought about paying it off faster by reducing your debt obligations? You should…
I am still on the edge about whether or not to do balance transfers. I have three credit card that have a total balance of $2037.84. I am wanting to it off completely
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While reviewing Sallie Mae Bank’s online savings account, I realized how little the actual company behind the web interface mattered to me. I know, I know, the importance of choosing the place to store the majority of my liquid savings is critical. But when every company’s offeri
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There’s a traditional approach to getting rid of student loans: you pay them off. Depending on the type of degree you got, that can mean a sizable chunk of your income going to student loans for years to come. Repayment isn’t the only way to eliminate student loans, however. Ther
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Sometimes, as personal finance writers, we get carried away with the idea that everything needs to be saved, saved, saved. All the time. But personal finance isn’t just about building up emergency funds and maxing out retirement plan contributions. It should also be about learnin
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I knew baby Sara was smart, but when she started teaching me personal finance concepts…
Many of the kids and money articles discuss how we can teach our children money matters, but let’s turn the table this time. Since baby Sara’s birth a week ago, she already reminded me of many
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Sorry for such a quick note the other day, but it’s been pretty busy times lately. Many wondered, and many more asked about them, so here are baby Sara’s pictures! Say Cheese!
Baby Sara can’t wait to write to you. (Hmm, maybe a little early, but it never hurts to plan ahea
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They turn up in the mailbox every month, demanding your attention and your money. If you want to save money on bills you need to approach the problem in two ways. The first thing is to cut services you don’t need and the second is to find ways to get the things you need, cheapl
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A few weeks ago, I started asking readers to submit their money questions in case they wanted a second opinion on their dilemma. If you have a question you would like answered, you can just contact me.
My name is Ken and I am turning 23, single. This year, I felt that I had to di
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Vacations provide an escape from reality. They give us the opportunity to step outside our daily routine and relax in a new environment. One week a year we book the fanciest hotel, go to the big name restaurants, and splurge on the ultimate activities. Then, in 2009, came the sta
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It used to be that saving for college was a relatively simple process: if you wanted to save for your child’s college education, you put money away wherever it was convenient. Now, though, there are several types of specific savings plans that offer you benefits that your old cof
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In these financial times, many people are looking for ways to get a little more cash — usually in lump sum form. The thinking is that a lump sum could pay off debt, or cover medical bills. For those receiving some sort of settlement payment, or receiving annuity payments, it is t
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“The measure of success isn’t if you have a tough problem, but whether it’s the same one you had last year.”– John Foster Dulles
Sometimes, a simple statement contains so much wisdom.
It’s okay to fail. In fact, fail fast.
It’s okay to have problems, but make sure you address th
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Sara was born on March 7th at 7 lb, 7 oz! It’s been a long but wonderful experience and I’d love to talk to you more but I need to get to know the most wonderful girl in the whole wide world.
(We are still at the hospital, so more pictures will come later!)
---Related Articles at
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Sallie Mae Bank is yet another option for our savings, and initially, I thought the yield wasn’t high enough to justify talking about it. However, with the competition all recently dropping rates, it’s time to take a look.
The Standards Offering of Sallie Mae Bank
I don’t want to
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Some people have a love hate relationship with Laundry. On the one hand there is something very satisfying about looking at a pile of sweet smelling clothing all folded up and put away; on the other hand, it never seems to end. Doing laundry is a regular endeavor for most peopl
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Are you sick of the low yields of CDs? I am. Many of you have CDs that are coming to maturity soon, and Doug is one of those people with this very dilemma. Where should he put his money? Where would you?
I have placed funds in a 10 month CD (21,500) @ 2.030% that is [...]
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Depending solely on other people for your investment decisions can mean dying a slow death.
Over the last few decades, the switch from employer-managed pension plans to self-managed retirement accounts (i.e., IRAs and 401k’s) has turned each person into his or her own pension fun
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According to the Internet Crime Complaint Center Report for 2008, the vast majority of cases reported to the agency that were fraudulent in nature involved a total dollar loss of $264.6 million with a median dollar loss of $931.00 per complaint. This was up from $239.1 million in
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One of the hottest investment topics right now is that of gold, and everyone is taking notice. You’ve probably seen commercials encouraging you to purchase gold bars and coins in preparation of what’s to come. Indeed, gold is often touted as a hedge against inflation, as the phys
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38 weeks, 4 days.
A duration that means little to you, a great deal to me, and even more so for my wife because Sara started growing inside Emma that many moons ago. She still shows no signs of wanting to come to this world, but rest assured, our doctor says that it’s basically “
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Winter is when utility bills head up for most people. For those using electric heat, saving on electricity will be critical, as the weather gets colder. There are several easy ways to trim that sky-high electric bills of course, and this article will lay them out for you.
Use L
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Jane has a question that all of us have asked one time or another. How much car should we buy? Below is a brief introduction to her situation, and she needs your help!
My car [is] a Hyundai Elantra. I have had it for 11 years in August. I would like to buy a new car [...]
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The honest advice is difficult to hear, but it’s almost always the most useful.
For years, I was always a little too blunt. My mom told me that my brutal honesty affected my personal and professional relationships. It is a character flaw, and one that I’m still working on. It’s n
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Habits and actions greatly affect one’s wealth, but why listen to me talk about it when you can just see for yourself. Are we frugal or not? You be the judge.
Our Afternoon
1:30ish pm, at our apartment.
David: Let’s go look at houses today, honey.
Emma: Okay!
…
2:00 pm, while to
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As you know, the provisions from the Credit CARD Act are taking effect. Some of these changes definitely offer better protection, but it doesn’t mean that you can just ignore the letters that come through the mail. When it comes to credit cards, you will always need to read the f
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Is personal finance a subject parents should “teach” their children?
With Sara’s imminent arrival, her upbringing is naturally a very hot topic these days. I’m getting way ahead of myself, but I’m already thinking about how we are going to share our values and money habits with h
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The price of a college education is going up so fast it is hard to keep track of the expenses. Between tuition, room, board, supplies, texts, and other activities, the final price tag can overwhelm most families. If you have more than one child, the burden is even higher. You r
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A reader needs your help today. Her question touches on so many subjects we talk about here: Marriage and finances, credit, and paying off debt. Show her some support by letting her know how she can handle this delicate matter.
Currently I have $18,564.55 in total of consumer de
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Things would be different if I knew 10 years ago what I know now.
Whether it’s related to issues concerning our finances, career or even relationships, we tend to look back and wish we could do things differently. Opening a Roth IRA as soon as we got a job? Check. Not ever going
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Things would be different if I knew 10 years ago what I know now.
Whether it’s related to issues concerning our finances, career or even relationships, we tend to look back and wish we could do things differently. Opening a Roth IRA as soon as we got a job? Check. Not ever going
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Many people have a plan to deal with accidents, but where they fail is in actually testing them to see how well they work.
If you built up an emergency fund, that’s great. But, do you actually go through the process of simulating an emergency so you know what to expect when you a
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