We have gotten a few calls since we put my car up for sale. The most interesting was one that kept text messaging us asking questions that were already answered in the ad. The final question was if we would accept $8,000 more than the asking price and send them a check for the difference. [...]
This article is a guest post from G.E. Miller, author of the personal finance blog 20somethingfinance.com. If you like this post, head on over and subscribe to his feed.
A reader’s request:
Recently a reader, whom I shall refer to as ‘Steve’ requested that I take a look at his portfolio and tell him if his wife’s [...]
I ride the New Jersey PATH trains into Manhattan most weekdays. If you aren’t familiar with New York, I can summarize by saying that it’s basically the “New Jersey subway.” It connects three of the big Jersey cities – Hoboken, Newark and Jersey City – to midtown and lower Manhattan. A lot of commuters will [...]
The value of the US dollar is dropping and hitting many of us smack in the pocketbook. What can you do about it?
It’s a discouraging situation; you’re working just as hard as you always have but your money isn’t going as far, thanks in part to the falling dollar. It’s also frustrating that it’s such [...]
If you've ever given money as a gift, how much did you give? This is a tricky question and probably something that not a lot of people talk about. How much money is appropriate as a gift for various occasions?
For weddings, we typically give enough to cover the cost of our meal in addition to [...]
Original post on The Sun’s Financial Diary
Today, April 22nd, is Earth Day and one of the topic being discussed is how to live a green life and save our environment. On this year’s Earth Day, the government also announced a plan to boost fuel efficiency by 25%, increasing per gallon mileage from 27.5 to 35.7, [...]
My wife is active duty military – and with that comes a number of perks. One of those great military benefits is a significant savings on vacations via flights, hotels, and car rentals. Eighteen months ago we went to Hawaii at a cost of half what others would expect to pay. On Saturday, I found out how it would have been even cheaper if I did a little more planning. Today, I’d like to share some of the ways to save money with nearly free vacations – but remember, you may need to be in the [...]
Saving money on your groceries…is a sport.
Can you really cut your grocery bill in half? Actually, yes. In fact, you can cut it by way more than that if you really wanted to.
How would you like paying only $18 for $103 worth of groceries? Or picking up $148.77 worth of groceries for [...]
A couple of weekends ago, I a good friend of mine invited me out on his boat. It was beautiful day, around 80 degrees and not a cloud in the sky. We headed on up to McCovey Cove to sit outside the San Francisco Giants stadium and enjoy the day. There’s also the small chance [...]SHARETHIS.addEntry({ title: “Celebrate Earth Day Everyday”, url: “http://blog.prosper.com/2008/04/22/celebrate-earth-day-everyday/” });
Happy retirement paperwork filing day, mom! My mom is turning in her paperwork today to retire later this summer. I made her a checklist of all the things she needs to do before the big day. I expanded the list here to include planning for those of you nearing retirement (or wishing you were!). Many [...]
I am joining the ranks of authors of blogs such as Lazy Man and Money, Get Rich Slowly, The Digerati Life and The Simple Dollar and becoming a problogger! While my blog may not be on the scale of theirs, I am excited to announce that I will be a problogger soon!
For about [...]
With the positive response from my last frugal chicken recipe, I will post another one of my favorite recipes. Beef Stew is high in protein and flavour, low in fat and cost. In addition, beef stew is usually cooked in bulk so that it will feed a large family and/or multiple meals.
What you'll need:
1-2 [...]
Original post on The Sun’s Financial Diary
In his book, A Random Walk Down Wall Street, author Burton Malkiel declared that
A blindfolded monkey throwing darts at a newspaper’s financial pages could select a portfolio that would do just as well as one carefully selected by the experts.
Do you believe random walk? Or do you follow [...]
CNN is about the most worthless place to get news, but I still check their site a few times a week for comedic value. I’m usually pleasantly surprised when I come across some absurd story, and today was no different. The sensationalistic stories that constantly portray the world ending are far from news, and simply [...]
When there’s smoke, there’s fire.
The latest unemployment numbers are finally pointing to something we’ve been suspecting all along: that we’re now in the midst of a recession. But for those folks out there who aren’t thoroughly convinced, or who would like to become acquainted with the topic of recessions — after all, [...]
It’s the middle of the month, so it’s a time to reflect on my net worth. I’ve been very happy to break even lately as I focus on making my businesses grow – while trying to slow down from the rat race.
April came as a very pleasant surprise – the stock market rebound had boosted my net worth $10,000 – to $218,825. This is despite the value of my Boston property reaching an all-time low. If that returns to the norm, it would add another $20,000 to my net worth.
Last month, I had mentioned taking a part [...]
Welcome to your guide to turning economic lemons into profitable lemonade. We all know the economy is struggling and we’re all worried about it. The sub-prime mortgage mess, the credit bubble bursting, the weak and falling US dollar, high gas prices, and a recession are more than enough to keep us up at night.
The good [...]
“Don’t put all your eggs in one basket” is a common phrase for investing, but it also applies to your income. Diversifying your income streams is a great way to position yourself against the unknowns: job loss, downturn in the market, business failure, etc.
We made a goal to work on diversifying our income. Here’s [...]
The road to hell is paved with good intentions. I try to bring my lunch to work with me, both for health and wealth reasons, but it just doesn’t happen all the time. I’ll say:
“I forgot to pack it and now I’ll miss the bus”
“There’s nothing good I want to eat”
“I like eating fresh veggies [...]
Preet, a high net worth financial planner (and former race car driver), is back again! This time, instead of explaining the basics of call options, he shows us a risk reducing options strategy called The Equity Collar. If you are interested in reading more about Preet, you can visit him on his blog WhereDoesAllMyMoneyGo.
I had [...]
Original post on The Sun’s Financial Diary
Ten Ways You Can Teach Your Kids About Money Money Smart Life discussed how to prepare your kids the financial life they will live later on with some practical ways that you can use to teach them about money today.
Play the Annual Invest Lazy Man’s Money Game If [...]
How many stories have you heard about big business ruining the environment? Of course the ones that stand out most in our minds are those that effect humans, like A Civil Action or Erin Brockovich, but there are countless other documented examples of corporations making a buck at the expense of nature.
The good news for [...]
I don’t know what it is about this weekend, but Amy Adams is invading my wife and my lives this weekend. Friday night, we went to the local DVD Play in an attempt to rent Juno. Since it’s so new we had to settle for a back-up. The only movie my wife and I could agree on was Enchanted – starring Amy Adams. We watched that Friday night. Saturday morning, I woke up early and put in the next movie in the Netflix queue, Talladega Nights – of which she has a sizable minor role. [...]
Personal Finance Reads
Lazy Man and Money: How often have you attended gatherings which turned into an excuse for a multi-level marketing presentation? In my case, once too often. Can I get back those 2 hours of my life please?
Money Smart Life: By the time your kids turn 5, it can be time to [...]
Since we may be faced with the end of the world this summer ( photo credit: Ethan Hein), we might as well enjoy the spring weather. A few thoughts:
The Knicks fired Isaiah (finally) at the same time the Pope arrived in New York. Coincidence? Hmm.
I got nostalgic for one of the greatest [...]
