Articles on Personal Finance

Your Interest Rates Are About to Go Up

Have good credit? A low APR on your credit cards? Always pay your bills on time? That's not going to stop your credit card company from jacking up your rate whenever they feel like

Book Review: The Post American World

Is there a link between having a modern society and having a western society? The vast economic and military power of the United States (and before that, the United Kingdom) has m

Why Would Anyone Pay Mortgages With Credit Cards?

Today I received an email that advertised a program where you can earn rewards by paying your mortgage with a credit card. There are many reasons why this is a bad idea.

Recalled Dog Food Companies May Pay for Damages

It has only been a year or so since the dog food scare that left pet owners frustrated, scared, and in some cases, heartbroken. The contaminated wheat gluten and rice protein foun

Can AirNinja Find Airfare Deals?

AirNinja is a niche tool for finding airfares. It specializes in returning the smaller budget and regional airlines large sites like Kayak.com ignore. It is a tool that could, pote

Does your culture support saving?

My brother told me once that, when he was in college, he handled money this way: "When I got paid, I set aside enough money for cigarettes, then spent the rest buying pizza and bee

Go Golf Cart Go: The Battery-Powered Solution?

Spotted moving along on the roads in my city just last week was a golf cart. Is this solution to high gas prices (a bare-bones battery-powered vehicle) wise or even legal? I’ll tel

Money to start your business--without banks or saving

Suppose you and your friends all want to start small businesses. You've all got money coming in, you're all in a position to save up some capital, but it would take you a year

Tips For Eating Out Cheaply

My husband and I eat out quite often because we just do not have the time and energy to cook on most weekdays. Even though we go out three times a week or more, we do not really s

Making direct deposit safe for the garnished

The US Treasury pays more money to more people than just about anybody in the world. Last year it disbursed more than $1.6 trillion in 982 million individual payments. As you can

How Much Should Your Kids Know About Your Finances?

I know of parents who don’t ever discuss money with their kids. “They should be carefree at this age,” they claim. Money isn’t an appropriate topic for family conversation at the

Investment Gains Taxes Increase - The Worst Tax Policy Ever?

Yesterday Paul Michael wrote an article comparing the income tax policies of McCain and Obama and suggested that he would vote for Obama because Obama's tax policy would benefit ev

How to get rich by being evil

There are a lot of ways to become rich. Some people work hard and save their money. Some people win the lottery. Some people invent something wonderfully useful. An awful lot o

McCain or Obama? Who’ll be better for your wallet?

I want to keep this factual. This is not an article on who should be the next President, or as these campaigns usually go, who shouldn’t be President. This is a simple presentation

Chinese Proverbs About Money and Personal Finance

A commenter on Wise Bread wrote a Chinese proverb about marketing that reminded me that there are many Chinese proverbs about money and personal finance. Here are a few of the one

3 Ways to Travel Free (Or At Least Really Darned Cheap!)

How would you like to get out and "see the world"? Visit the Carthage Ruins or spend a week just hiking across Europe. Paris, Italy or maybe the Bahamas... there's really just no e

Imagine Whirled Peas… In Your Face!

A recent study has found a link between bumper stickers and road rage.

Welcome to the Real World - My Best Advice for New Graduates

I graduated from college just three years ago, so the confusion and anxiety I felt after graduating college is still quite fresh in my mind. I moved out of my parents' house a wee

Spot shortages of gasoline?

As long as prices are free to rise, I wouldn't expect much in the way of gasoline shortages--at least not widespread, long-lasting ones. But it's actually pretty easy to produce a

How To Protect Yourself From Gasoline Thieves

Gasoline thieves are branching out from gas stations and targeting everyday consumers. Here are a few things to keep in mind to protect yourself.