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Five Cent Nickel

Written by a man who has been meticulously recording his finances since 1997 (stored in Quicken), Five Cent Nickel is one of the oldest and most respected blogs around. This blog often provides great commentary on—and summaries of—useful financial tips featured by other publications. If you’re too lazy to read every little money article out there, just stop by Five Cent Nickel and get the cream of the crop.

Latest Posts from Five Cent Nickel (page 3)

How to prepare for a home appraisal

Published Friday, May 3, 2013 - 06:00 by Five Cent Nickel

This post is written by John Allasio and comes to us from our partner site QuickenLoans.com. Right now is the most popular time for people to buy a home, and if you’re looking to sell or refinance your home, one of the things you’ll have to deal with is the appraisal. If your appraisal doesn’t go well, it’ll considerably drop the perceived (because perception is reality) value of your home. […]

Home prices are up: good news or bad?

Published Wednesday, May 1, 2013 - 08:00 by Five Cent Nickel

This guest post is from William Cowie, who has contributed to Get Rich Slowly and other personal finance blogs. He also blogs about investing and offers a free Investing Basics course on Bite the Bullet Investing. Everywhere you look, the story’s the same: the value of your house is going up. […]

A bit of foolishness

Published Monday, April 29, 2013 - 06:00 by Five Cent Nickel

This post is from staff writer Richard Barrington. I almost sprained my neck last week from shaking my head while reading stories about wild fluctuations in the value of the Bitcoin, an electronic currency. Bitcoins began 2013 with an exchange value of less than $20. Their value started to climb, and that climb accelerated until they reached a peak of $266 on April 10. […]

Passive solar homes: the basics

Published Friday, April 26, 2013 - 06:00 by Five Cent Nickel

This post is written by Krissy Schwab and comes from our partner site QuickenLoans.com. At one point you’ve probably driven through a neighborhood and seen a house covered with solar panels on the roof. This type of home, known as an active solar home, simply has the addition of solar panels to the already existing structure. […]

Key steps to a richer life

Published Wednesday, April 24, 2013 - 06:00 by Five Cent Nickel

This post is from staff writer Jeffrey Steele. At a recent neighborhood function, I ran into a woman I’ve known for years, but hadn’t seen in a few months. She’d be the first to admit to suffering a weight problem. A shorter woman, she’d packed on enough pounds over the years to audition for the role of a beach ball. But here she was far more svelte, and looking good. “Edna! […]

The biggest mistake I made at my first job — and what I learned from it

Published Monday, April 22, 2013 - 06:00 by Five Cent Nickel

This post is from staff writer Suba Iyer. At my first job, fresh out of college, I was determined to prove myself, prove that hiring me was one of the best decisions the company made, prove that I could take any challenge and make it work well before the deadline and prove that I could handle multiple tasks well. […]

The unemployment diet: How we cut our spending by $1,000 a month

Published Friday, April 19, 2013 - 06:00 by Five Cent Nickel

This post is by Deborah Dunham and comes from our partner site LearnVest, a site that helps people take control of their finances. One Tuesday morning last November my husband called from work and told me to sit down—and not get mad. Whenever a phone call starts that way, you just know it’s not going to end well. […]

Bitcoin virtual currency taking off, gaining popularity

Published Wednesday, April 17, 2013 - 06:00 by Five Cent Nickel

This post is from Miranda Marquit at our partner site Quizzle.com. One of the more interesting currencies gaining ground right now is Bitcoin. This is a digital currency that provides users with a way to pay each other directly, without transaction fees. But, as Gizmodo explains, it’s not quite so straightforward. […]

The battle between accountants and investment managers

Published Monday, April 15, 2013 - 06:00 by Five Cent Nickel

This post is from staff writer Richard Barrington. I was recently invited to review an investment technique called “automated tax-loss harvesting.” It reminded me of the never-ending struggle for primacy between investment managers and accountants when it comes to portfolio management. […]

Meet Jim, my millionaire next door

Published Friday, April 12, 2013 - 06:00 by Five Cent Nickel

This guest post is from William Cowie, who has contributed to Get Rich Slowly and other personal finance blogs. He also blogs about investing and offers a free Investing Basics course on Bite the Bullet Investing. Like little ants, we moved and hustled all day, nine years ago, settling into our new house. […]