Happy Independence Day!
Despite all the tough economic stuff we’ve been dealing with lately, what say we take a moment to think about what makes America special to us?
I’m a first generation immigrant turned naturalized American who came to this country almost 25 years ago to get an advanced education in the field I wanted to […]
The Carnival of Personal Finance #159 has made it to Greener Pastures: Personal Finance, and the theme was about the construction of “the first zero-emissions city” in the world. My post on expensive children’s toys was selected as an Editor’s Pick! Thank you for the honor, Lisa! Here were a few articles I […]
Why does everyone love Roth IRAs so much? Is it the romantic ideal of a tax-free withdrawal in your old age? Is it a vision of tax-free growth stretching off into the future?
photo credit: The G-tastic 7
Let me paint a darker picture. Social Security has always been a defined benefit (for the most part). […]
You don’t need to break the bank to get into shape!
I just love before and after pictures:
Who wouldn’t want to get healthier, lose the extra pounds and feel better? After all, our health is our most important asset and these days, health care costs are among those things that are rising faster than inflation! Get […]
Back in December, while participating in the Carnival of Financial Goals started by Patrick of CashMoneyLife.com, I gave my 2008 financial resolution. I’m pretty happy about where I’m at with it now.
photo credit: Tigr
Here was my resolution and how I intended to accomplish it:
I will average $1000 per month in alternative income […]
I’m more than a little late on today’s post because I’ve been experiencing some technical difficulties with my blog environment lately. I’ve already relayed the story of how my computer crashed last weekend. So all this time, I’ve been working on getting things in order.
Then most of today, this web […]
A while ago I was reading Location Independent Living, and I came up with three questions that I had about actually implementing it with a family. Most of these questions probably would arise reading the now-famous Four Hour Work Week, too, but I have yet to read it. In my first post, I asked […]
Have an emergency? Find the money from both expected and unexpected places!
Yesterday, I had an emergency: my computer hit the dust a second time in 2 years. The first time it croaked, my hard drive crashed but most of it was recoverable. I ended up spending close to $1,500 to […]
I’d like to highlight a great new tool introduced to us by one of my fellow Money Writers called PopTop Ranks! The folks behind My Dollar Plan, Madison and Scott, have put together this great web tool that allows you to see dynamic rankings for blogs and web sites based on their subscriber numbers. […]
What if you could be a fly in the wall at some company you’re really interested in joining? Know what life is really like at the company where you commit your precious 50 hours a week to.
As employees, we get ourselves ranked, rated and reviewed every time we have a performance evaluation from which […]
How much will your home makeover cost and is it worth it?
With the debate between renting vs owning a home continually raging on, I’d like to chime in with a few advantages to owning a home. Here are some things I particularly like about home ownership:
You have the freedom to do whatever you […]
Time for more lists! Mrs. Micah got pretty creative with her carnival theme this week, when she presented the Carnival of Personal Finance #158. If you want to pick up some financial tips while learning a bit more about Buffy The Vampire Slayer , then do visit her site! Some cool […]
What does a market crash look like?
Forget charts and graphs, if you want to see what investment risk, a market slide or a volatile stock looks like, then here’s a different kind of visual.
All around the world, a market crash looks the same, etched in the faces of many who watch it unfold. […]
Photo by Hannita
What’s hot right now? Other than the uncharacteristically scorching heat waves we’ve been experiencing recently, it’s weddings, of course. But I can also imagine just how hot a poor bride must be feeling under all that fabric she carries and drags around during the sizzling days of summer.
For the most […]
This post first appeared on My Two Dollars as a guest post.?? I owe a big debt to David since he was the first guy to give me a shot at guest posting, and this article hasn’t lost a beat since it first appeared!
photo credit: Derek Farr ( DetroitDerek )
As anyone who has started […]
Winners of The Million Visitors Giveaway
Earlier, I was thinking of giving away $5,000 to the actual millionth visitor on my site, but since I had no way to accurately track down the specific individual, the thought fizzled .
At any rate, I have tried to approximate the event by holding last week’s giveaway where I […]
I’ve got this former co-worker who absolutely refuses to buy into the stock market. He says it’s like playing the lottery or gambling. And no matter what kind of justifications I make, he won’t listen — instead, he’s content with putting his money into real estate property in his native country. His […]
Come celebrate the Carnival of Personal Finance’s third anniversary at the place where it all started. Consumerism Commentary hosts the Carnival of Personal Finance #157: Third Anniversary Edition this week and it’s long, going on strong! Please visit the carnival as it’s brimming with a lot of personal finance tips […]
Between a comment from a reader, hearing the song “Cats in the Cradle” on my way to work, and being a new father, it really got me thinking about what money really means to me.
Here is the comment that was posted a little while back:
When I was growing up, money was very scarce. […]
How much do you spend when it comes to your kids?
There are few things that are more delightful to parents than to see their kids happy: such as the moment right after the kids receive their toy of choice — a doll house, firetruck or new novelty gadget of the season. And few things […]
During the weekend I spoke to a friend of mine from a Middle Eastern country. We spoke over a huge pile of Legos and the Bert-n-Ernie Garage and a full set of Thomas the Tank Engine trains (although, in all fairness, most were gifts).?? He was reminiscing about how he grew up with practically no […]
One thing I learned over the period of time that I was “problogging” was that working at home is a train wreck for me. Part of it is simply that I have no backbone. I don’t have the steel core that allows me to shout at the rest of clan Blap “I’m going downstairs, […]
There’s a lot you can do to get your home into shape so that it can command a niftier price tag once you decide to put it in the market. In the past, I was quite stingy about maintaining my house, not really appreciating my role as a homeowner. I used to think […]
Not a good day today — have been taking twice as long to get anything done. And why? The phone is acting funny, our network is terribly slow, it’s hot as Hades in my office. Plus, the baby is sick and of course, bawling for attention. This is my first summer […]
Should you make a cold-hearted effort to hang out only with rich people? In several of my favorite inspirational/self-help sources (Rich Dad, Poor Dad; Think and Grow Rich; The Secret - and before you get all snooty they are inspirational, not technical advice on money management) the idea is promoted again and again that you […]
