Posted November 12, 2009 - 07:00 by Silicon Valley Blogger
Credit Cards
We're a nation of borrowers. This reality is quite well illustrated by the personal stories and profiles covered by various media publications on the subject of consumer debt. Recently, The New York Times published a series on debt, which I found to be both highly intriguing and sobering, as it shed light on the plight of debtors and took a peek at our saving and borrowing habits. So how did we get caught in so much debt?
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Posted October 28, 2009 - 05:00 by Philip Brewer
Personal Finance, Career and Income
There are people out there whose livelihoods depend on the fact that most people go every day to some job or another. Business owners, investors, retired folks -- capitalists in general -- pay their expenses with profits that would be threatened if there weren't plenty of workers trading their life for a paycheck.
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Posted October 14, 2009 - 05:00 by Silicon Valley Blogger
Credit Cards
If you've got a lot of loans under your belt, you'll want to make sure that you're able to manage them well, or risk wrecking your credit by making a late payment somewhere. Dealing with debt involves both defense and offense: when your goal is to cut down on the debt you carry, the key is to stop borrowing any more money, to make sure you can afford paying down your loans (spend less and earn more to pay off debt!), and to try to lower your interest rates as much as you can.
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Posted October 1, 2009 - 05:00 by Philip Brewer
Personal Finance, Frugal Living
The most simple-minded measure of your standard of living is how much money you spend: spending more equals living better. Reality is more complex. There are a lot of ways to live better without spending more.
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Posted September 10, 2009 - 05:00 by Adam Baker
Personal Finance
Everyone loves talking about getting out of debt. It's easy to imagine the benefits. The trick is realizing that this lifestyle is actually attainable. It's a very real choice. But it's going to take adjusting your mindset, finding some inspiration, and stepping up to take responsibility. You up for the challenge?
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Posted August 24, 2009 - 06:11 by Silicon Valley Blogger
Credit Cards
The most credit savvy among us have been able to use credit cards to their benefit in order to wisely and optimally save money even while charging on their cards. If you are careful about how you use your credit cards, you may actually come out ahead by using them. So what are some of the things we can do to get the most out of our credit cards?
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Posted August 5, 2009 - 05:00 by Adam Baker
Personal Finance
Debt limits freedom. It's as simple as that. The process of getting out of debt first starts with acknowledging that it really is a problem. This simple act will radically improve your chances for success and provide a great foundation to execute the specific techniques and strategies later. This is the first post in the "Getting Out Of Debt: The Essentials" series!
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Posted July 21, 2009 - 12:00 by Philip Brewer
Personal Finance, Frugal Living
This article has its roots in an article I wrote some time ago that used the terms wage slave and debt peonage--terms that some people objected to. Those making free choices aren't slaves, they said, even if their poor choices result in a hard life. There's some truth to that. But there's also some truth to the notion that our system makes it easy--almost automatic--for people to trap themselves.
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Posted July 10, 2009 - 04:00 by Philip Brewer
Personal Finance
One of the most common questions over on the Wise Bread forum is some variation on, "I have $X in savings but $Y in credit card debt. Should I use the savings to pay down the debt?" The answer, of course, depends on your situation--and there's a reason why the question keeps showing up. Here's how to do the analysis.
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Posted June 10, 2009 - 16:03 by Silicon Valley Blogger
Credit Cards
I try hard not to carry a credit card balance, but I know a few people who ignore the fact that their balance is building up to unmanageable levels. I personally feel that it's harder to drop pounds than it is to drop a spending habit and to cut costs, but in both situations -- whether you aim to lose weight or to retire your debt -- you'd want an action plan to succeed. If you're wanting to wipe out your credit card debt, it can be done! We show you some steps on how to do it.
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