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Latest Posts from Consumerism Commentary (page 9)

8 Rules for Borrowing Money From Friends and Family

Published Tuesday, January 22, 2013 - 13:09 by Consumerism Commentary

I’ve written about lending money to friends and family. I addressed this topic a few years ago because as my personal financial situation improved, I was in a position to help. Not so long before that time in my life, however, I was in the opposite situation. I didn’t have my financial situation stabilized, and I was more likely to be in a position of need rather than a position of giving. […]

JW December 2012 Net Worth

Published Tuesday, January 22, 2013 - 10:51 by Consumerism Commentary

Naked With Cash is the year-long series on Consumerism Commentary where seven readers’ households share their financial progress on a monthly basis. I’ve partnered with financial planners who will offer some guidance along the way. Read this introduction to learn more about the series. JW is thirty-one years old and a father of one with another one on the way within a month. […]

Some Taxpayers Can’t File Income Taxes Until March

Published Friday, January 18, 2013 - 19:06 by Consumerism Commentary

Thanks to tax code changes like the American Taxpayer Relief Act of 2012, the law that put an end to the fiscal cliff bickering and uncertainty around this year’s tax rates, the IRS is behind with their normal process of updating forms and testing computer programming. […]

Calvin December 2012 Net Worth

Published Thursday, January 17, 2013 - 11:45 by Consumerism Commentary

Naked With Cash is the year-long series on Consumerism Commentary where seven readers’ households share their financial progress on a monthly basis. I’ve partnered with financial planners who will offer some guidance along the way. Read this introduction to learn more about the series. Calvin is in his early 40s, earning a salary of $120,000 plus bonus as an IT project manager in New Jersey. […]

Subcontract the Work You Don’t Want to Do

Published Wednesday, January 16, 2013 - 23:18 by Consumerism Commentary

Until he was caught by a security firm hired to investigate a suspected hacking, an employee of an unnamed company took advantage of an extreme inefficiency in the job market. He was reportedly earning a six-figure salary as a computer programmer — I suppose programmers are called developers in the parlance of our times — but not doing much of his work. That by itself isn’t very shocking. […]

A New #Cut4Bieber: Justin Bieber’s Prepaid Debit Card

Published Monday, January 14, 2013 - 13:32 by Consumerism Commentary

There’s apparently a celebrity of some sort called Justin Bieber. I don’t know much about him, but I might have heard a song of his one time. He might have been a baby only a few years ago, but today he’s following in the footsteps of some of my favorite gurus, in a love-to-hate sense, financial and pseudo-financial. […]

Anonymous S December 2012 Net Worth

Published Monday, January 14, 2013 - 12:17 by Consumerism Commentary

Naked With Cash is the year-long series on Consumerism Commentary where seven readers’ households share their financial progress on a monthly basis. I’ve partnered with financial planners who will offer some guidance along the way. Read this introduction to learn more about the series. Anonymous S is a 24-year-old engineer earning $67,000 a year plus bonus. […]

Podcast 169: Helaine Olen, Pound Foolish: Exposing the Dark Side of the Personal Finance Industry

Published Sunday, January 13, 2013 - 15:00 by Consumerism Commentary

The Consumerism Commentary Podcast is no longer on a regular schedule, but I plan to produce new episodes throughout the year as the opportunities arise. Today’s guest on the podcast is Helaine Olen, author of Pound Foolish: Exposing the Dark Side of the Personal Finance Industry. […]

Anne and Matt December 2012 Net Worth

Published Friday, January 11, 2013 - 11:18 by Consumerism Commentary

Naked With Cash is the year-long series on Consumerism Commentary where seven readers’ households share their financial progress on a monthly basis. I’ve partnered with financial planners who will offer some guidance along the way. Read this introduction to learn more about the series. The first readers to share their December 2012 net worth are Anne and Matt. […]

$1 Trillion Platinum Coin: The Next Episode of Reality TV

Published Wednesday, January 9, 2013 - 12:06 by Consumerism Commentary

Political theatrics doesn’t stop. I’ve been ignoring the latest issue for as long as possible, but this is so ridiculous I couldn’t go on ignoring it. Now that pundits have stopped talking about the fiscal cliff, the discussion has turned to the debt ceiling, the artificial limit Congress has put on spending that they have already approved. […]