My job is requiring me to move to a new town. So, my wife and I are faced with what seems to recently be the newest typical American family dilemma. What should we do with the home that we bought almost four years ago? While it can be hard to figure out whether to buy […]
Have you ever been asked to co-sign a loan or a credit card for one of your children? Have you ever promised to guarantee a loan for a family member or a close friend? Now that the CARD Act of 2009 prohibits anyone under 21 from getting a credit card without a co-signer, you may […]
With interest rates hovering around historic lows and no relief in sight, more investors are looking elsewhere for extra yield and higher returns on their investments. While it’s tempting to jump from one investment to another chasing the hottest investing craze or highest returns, there are real risks to this behavior. Here are three dangers […]
When was the last time you told your car insurance company how many miles you actually drive every year? It was probably the last time you shopped around for a new car insurance policy. Is that number of miles driven still correct? Have circumstances in your life changed such as a new job that requires […]
I recently learned that my co-worker’s house was broken into, and she did not have renter’s insurance to protect her family’s possessions. The thieves stole cash, electronics, and other valuables from their apartment. When she told me they didn’t have renter’s insurance, my immediate followup question was, “Why in the world not?” Renter’s insurance is […]
For some people, there is an appeal to leasing a car vs. purchasing it outright. Leasing a car is one way for many would-be car owners to be able to finance a more expensive car with a lower monthly payment than they would have otherwise been able to afford. This low monthly payment is not […]
Despite high unemployment and lingering financial turmoil from the recent recession, American workers continue to earn pay raises each year. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the typical worker earned an average pay raise of 1.9% last year, and they are on tap to earn a similar raise in 2012. These annual pay raises […]
Casinos, grocery stores, and shopping malls are no longer the consumer outlets that are trying to use psychology to make consumers stay longer and buy more merchandise. Now restaurants have gotten in on the action, going to great lengths in order to use consumer psychology, menu engineering, and behavioral tricks to help separate us from […]
Gourmet coffee is still one of the favorite villains of every financial expert looking for something to blame for Americans’ overspending or lack of retirement savings. Ever since David Bach introduced the concept of the Latte Factor in his bestselling book, “The Automatic Millionaire“, the public’s love of fancy coffee has become a favorite whipping […]
I am ashamed to say that my wife told me the other day that she doesn’t know what a mutual fund is. This stemmed from a brief discussion about where to invest $1, 000 that we had collected from our 8-year-old son’s birthday and Christmas money. My wife is a big fan of certificates of […]