Articles on Personal Finance

Book review: Reinventing Collapse

Do you think the United States is about to collapse? Dmitry Orlov does, but you don't have to agree with him to learn a lot from his new book, which is packed with useful tips on

Seven Tips for the Newly Unemployed

The unemployment rate in California surged to 6.9%, and that is equivalent to the rate in early 2003. Most news reports say that unemployment will probably go up a bit more in the

Will house prices keep dropping?

I don't think much of the "buy low, sell high" model for house purchases. I think a house should be purchased as a place to live, in which case the main questions are whether you

You Can’t Save if You Don’t Try

There has been much discussion about whether certain money-saving strategies are worth your time. In a recent article in Parade Magazine, Tim Harford alerts us to “Bargains That A

Should your standard of living rise?

Studies show that a high standard of living doesn't make people happier. People who live in mansions and penthouses aren't any happier than people who live in suburban houses, sma

The Questionable Aspects of The Housing Bailout Bill - H.R. 3221

In my last article I wrote about the one aspect of the $300 billion dollar housing bailout that I thought made sense, but the full text of the bill known as H.R. 3221 is over 700

Seller Funded Down Payment Assistance Charities - Scammers or Saints?

The United States House of Representatives just passed a massive mortgage bailout bill that includes many changes to the Federal Housing Administration and the Government Sponsored

Track your spending. Or not.

One of the most universal bits of advice from financial planners is to track your spending. It's also one of the most universally rejected bits of financial advice--rejected by pe

The Federal Minimum Wage Increases This Week - Are You Getting a Pay Raise?

On July 24th, 2008, the Federal minimum wage in The United States will increase from $5.85 per hour to $6.55 per hour in accordance to the 2007 amendment to the Fair Labor Standar

Not Rich Enough and Not Poor Enough

Most of my highschool classmates came from middle class families that were not extremely rich. During senior year, I noticed a situation where families were not wealthy enough to

The Pros and Cons of Paying Cash for a House

Just like any financial decision, there are pros and cons to paying cash for a house.

Knowing Your Triggers Can Prevent Emotional Spending

They don't call it "retail therapy" for nothing. Uncontrolled, emotional spending has a lot in common with other addicitons and eating disorders. One of these shared traits is the

I turn down free money

There's a certain class of ways to get free money or free stuff simply by paying attention, keeping track, and being careful. I don't do these things. It's not because they don't

So Your Bank Failed, Now What?

Last week I wrote that ailing banks usually give the highest interest rates and mentioned the troubles of IndyMac. Last Friday, the FDIC has officially named IndyMac a failed bank

Book Review: Full of Bull - Do What Wall Street Does, Not What it Says by Stephen McClellan

Stephen T. McClellan is a seasoned securities analyst who has more than 32 years experience with several different well known investment firms. In his book Full of Bull- Do What W

If It’s Not Sunny In Philadelphia, It’s Free!

A strange but alluring new deal from Priceline.com guarantees you won’t get rained out on your summer vacation. Get the details on this (potentially) shiny, happy refund offer!

What I've been trying to say

You can choose how you want to live. If you choose to live simply, you gain a certain kind of freedom. In particular, you're free to choose to do the work that's the most satisfy

How Wealthy Are You Beyond Your Bank Account?

On my previous article about working to death I found a pretty long comment by a woman named "Jen" who has a husband that works seven days a week to provide for his family. This l

Capital One: What’s In Your Envelope?

Just when I thought credit card companies couldn’t get any more wasteful, I received the mother of all credit card offers in the mail. Excited by what I thought was something wort

The good life on less energy--even in the US

Whenever I write a post about energy, I point out that we know it's possible to have a high standard of living while using less energy--people in European countries do, so it must