Julie Rains's blog

This Is How You Declutter and Keep Your Stuff, Too

What if you could declutter and still keep all your awesome stuff? You can — here's how!

8 Job-Hunting Tools That Are More Important Than LinkedIn

LinkedIn is a key career development tool, but it's only one tool. If you aren't using these other online job services, you're limiting your job opportunities.

12 Ways to Finally Get That Promotion This Year

Don't just sit there at your desk being competent. Get out there and make management notice that you are the person they need to keep and promote.

How to Get Your Resume Past the Resume Filter

More and more hiring organizations are using computerized systems to track and filter resumes. Here's how to get your resume in front of an actual human.

How to Negotiate Higher Pay at Your Next New Job

For most employees, a new job is the best opportunity for a significant pay raise. Get the salary you want (and deserve!) with these simple negotiating guidelines.

20+ Healthy Habits That Can Hurt You

A fit and healthy lifestyle is the surest way to avoid harm, right? Not always. Find out what good habits may be bad for you.

13 Ways to Make a Good First Impression at Your Next Job Interview

You did something right on your resume, cover letter, and LinkedIn profile and landed the interview. Don't blow it know by making a bad first impression.

9 Cheap and Healthy Filler Foods

Boost the nutritional value (and the flavor) of your favorite dishes by adding these frugal, healthful fillers.

The Private Financial Information You Must Share

Couples often split finance chores across multiple accounts, which makes management difficult, especially in emergencies. Learn what you must share.

The Only 4 Things a Vegetable Garden Needs

Getting seeds to sprout into a bountiful harvest seems like a lot of hard work. The truth is, your garden only needs a few fundamentals to produce well.

9 Ways Americans Are Spending Differently (but Not Less)

After several years of decline, Americans are spending more again, but in different ways. For the frugal-minded, it's a reminder that thrift is an endurance race, not a sprint.

How Much College Can You (and Your Kid) Afford?

Is it worth it to pay steep tuition, or should you compromise and pay a lot less? Use this guide to evaluate costs and career goals to match budget with college.

3 Survival Instincts That Harm Investors

Following the herd was a good survival strategy for our subsistence ancestors. Today it's a good way to get your investment funds trampled.

What Makes a Company an Attractive Investment?

Index fund investing is hard to beat, but if you're eager to test your chops by investing in individual companies, these are key attributes you should evaluate.

6 Financial Mistakes We Don't Make Anymore (and 2 We Still Do)

Once burned twice shy applies to personal finance, too. The Great Recession taught many of us to improve our financial ways, mostly for the better.

3 Steps to Getting Started in the Stock Market With Index Funds

For new investors with limited resources, the stock market can be confusing and intimidating. Index funds are an easy, low risk, and affordable way to get started.

Investment Secrets of the Rich and Famous

Sure, celebrities have a lot more income to work with than most of us, but that doesn't mean we can't learn from their investing techniques.

Self-Made Billionaires: Investment Lessons From Their Success

If you want to get rich on the stock market, follow the example of this group of self-made, billionaire investors.

The Basics of Asset Allocation

Once beginning investors move beyond indexes and mutual funds, they start to hear about asset allocation. Learn the basics and how they apply to your investment decisions.

17 Places to Find Investment Inspiration

Investing ideas are plentiful. Pay attention, and you'll recognize profitable possibilities wherever you are.