How Much are Your Vices Really Costing You?

Do you drink beer? Smoke cigarettes? Do you love your morning latte on the way to work? Maybe you really enjoy lunch out with your coworkers a few times a week? Of course you do. However, these little habits may be costing you more than you think. More importantly, they could be doing serious damage […]


Avoiding Lifestyle Creep

Have you ever received a pay raise only to look back and wonder where the money went? What did you do with your last income tax refund? Do you even remember? When you look at your credit card statement, do you have trouble remembering what you bought to pile up so much debt? You may […]


Why You Need a Will

Far too many people die without having a will to help dispense their assets after their death. In fact, according to recent studies, almost 70% of Americans die intestate — i.e., without a last will and testament. When you’re assembling an estate plan, a last will and testament should be at the top of your […]


Financial Lessons We Can Learn From Professional Athletes

I’ve always been fascinated to learn how professional athletes handle their finances after their playing days are done. Sadly, many such athletes squander their fortunes and wind up with little more than a huge pile of debt. Whether they survive on a pension, develop new entrepreneurial skills, or find themselves in financial ruin, there are […]


Getting a Raise in a Difficult Economy

With the economy continuing to sputter, complete with a seemingly jittery stock market, lower than expected consumer spending, and continued high unemployment, many employers are reticent to offer raises. But that doesn’t mean that they won’t respond positively to a deserving employee who’s in need of a salary bump. So how can you go about […]


Five Ways to Save Money With Foursquare

I don’t waste my time checking into locations around town on Facebook. To me, it kind of looks like bragging to your friends about the great places you visit and, more importantly, it doesn’t typically save you money. Checking in to locations on Foursquare, on the other hand, helps me save money at my favorite […]


Are You Missing the Financial Forest for the Trees?

I routinely write about financial rules of thumb for building wealth and making your money work for you. Without fail, I’m met with comments that argue, “Those rules only apply in certain cases” or “That’s only the case if certain assumptions hold true.” Certainly, financial rules of thumb don’t work 100% of the time, and […]


I’m Not Covered? Five Ways to Trigger Nasty Insurance Surprises

Saving money on car insurance or home insurance is one of the most gratifying ways to cut expenses. After all, it’s not like dropping cable or eating out less. If all goes well, you save money and it doesn’t even feel like penny-pinching. Shopping around regularly for lower premiums has a high payoff for the […]


Being Too Frugal Can End Up Costing You Money

I recently came across a coworker who was burning the midnight oil. I thought that I was the only one who had to work late that night. When I asked him what he was doing, he told me that he did not have an internet connection at home, so he was using our work internet […]


How to Find the Best Rental Property Manager

If you need to move but don’t want to sell your home, you have other options. The rental market has been heating up, and rents have been keeping up with (if not outpacing) inflation, rising almost 3% annually around the country. Renting your home instead of selling it may be a great way to make […]