Home › Five Cent Nickel

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 4)

What some call retirement planning is a joke

Published Wednesday, April 10, 2013 - 06:00 by Five Cent Nickel

This post is from staff writer Jeffrey Steele. The Employee Benefit Research Institute’s 2013 Retirement Confidence Survey was released in mid-March, and reinforced the notion that within many sober reports on serious personal finance subjects, we can find a few good laughs. In short, one will come away from perusing this survey with more than just a bonanza of solid information. […]

If you were rich, how frugal would you be?

Published Monday, April 8, 2013 - 06:00 by Five Cent Nickel

This post is from staff writer Suba Iyer. “What is now proved was once only imagined.” – William Blake Most of us embrace frugality to save money. Typically though, there are a few areas where we wish we could spend more. If you come into a windfall, depending on the amount, you might not be as frugal as you are now. However, will you completely give up being frugal? […]

Why hiring a career coach was the best thing I ever did

Published Friday, April 5, 2013 - 06:00 by Five Cent Nickel

This post is by Anne Greenwood, as told to Colleen Oakley and comes from our partner site LearnVest, a site that helps people take control of their finances. As the head of client development — and one of the very few women in a managing role — at Morgan Stanley Smith Barney, I had a lucrative career in finance, and 25 years of experience under my belt. […]

Working remotely: It’s good, right?

Published Wednesday, April 3, 2013 - 06:00 by Five Cent Nickel

This post is from staff writer Sarah Gilbert. I’ve done it all; worked remotely, worked in an office with a serious in-traffic commute, worked in an office with a short commute, worked for myself, and worked for Fortune 100 corporations. I’ve worked 80 hours weeks and I’ve worked 10 hours a week part-time. I’ve been overpaid and underpaid. I’ve worked at $2.13 an hour with tips. […]

Bluebird card adds enhancements

Published Tuesday, April 2, 2013 - 06:00 by Five Cent Nickel

Last fall, an odd couple – American Express and Walmart – introduced the Bluebird card, a debit card with almost no fees and with the member benefits of an American Express card. Cardholders can add money to the card via direct deposit, transfers, cash at Walmart or check. […]

Tips from a recovering procrastinator

Published Monday, April 1, 2013 - 06:00 by Five Cent Nickel

This post is from staff writer Richard Barrington. Co-workers tend to look at me as someone who dives head-first into projects and generally meets deadlines ahead of schedule, so they don’t realize my hidden secret. I’m a recovering procrastinator. When I was a student, I did everything at the last minute. […]

The End of an Era

Published Friday, March 29, 2013 - 06:00 by Five Cent Nickel

Nearly eight years ago – on May 1, 2005 – this site went live. In the time since then, we’ve published nearly 3,300 articles. I say “we” because, though I ran this site solo for nearly four years, it eventually became a group effort. In the spring of 2009, I took on my first two staff writers (Matt Jabs and Laura Martinez). […]

An Affinity for Fraud

Published Thursday, March 28, 2013 - 06:00 by Five Cent Nickel

There are some who wear their religiosity on their sleeves. They never tire of telling people how devoted they are to their church or synagogue, how faithfully they attend services, and how God-fearing, spiritual and pious they are. Some go so far as to suggest others who don’t share their faith are headed hell-ward. […]

Lending Club Update – March 2013

Published Wednesday, March 27, 2013 - 13:00 by Five Cent Nickel

Time for another Lending Club update… Our balance is now down below $500 and we should be completely cashed out within the next few months. […]

How to Request an IRS Income Tax Extension

Published Wednesday, March 27, 2013 - 06:00 by Five Cent Nickel

It’s that time of year again… Taxes are due in less than three weeks. If you haven’t finished your returns (like we have!) it’s time to get cracking. But what if you’re not going to make it? Well, I have good news and bad news for you. The good news is that you can request a six month extension — which is automatically granted — but you still have to pay whatever is due by April 15th. […]