Articles on Personal Finance

Business Succession Planning Part 3: Using Disability Insurance to Protect your Business Interest

So buy now you have a shareholder's agreement in place, and it has been funded properly with Life Insurance. But what happens if an owner becomes disabled? It could mean bad new

Bankruptcy is a good thing

I don't mean that declaring bankruptcy is a good thing--obviously that sucks for everyone involved. But a system of bankruptcy is a good thing. It's good for creditors an

Mommy, Where Do Stocks Come From?

"Mommy, where do stocks come from?" I guess you could say that a stock starts with an idea or a gleam in a business owner's eye...

Is Six Figures Really That Much?

Nowadays, six figures is still above average, but its buying power in terms of lifestyle may have eroded even more than the value of a dollar, as those of us within striking distan

Wisdom from My Favorite Frugal TV Character - Julius Rock

My favorite cheap TV character is Julius Rock from Everybody Hate Chris. Julius is a character based on Chris Rock's father and in almost every episode of the show his fruga

Making Your Own Luck is No "Secret"

It's a much older secret than "The Secret," and much truer: Most lucky people are good planners and good decision makers. To a non-planner, a broken-down car is lousy

Cheap and Romantic Ideas for Valentine's Day (And Any Other Day of the Year)

I have always loathed Valentine's day because everywhere I went I would see gaudy pink and red balloons and roses and men who are literally suckered into buying the useless thi

Are you an "Adult" Investor?

With the use of provocative phrases such as "hard sell," "sharp-rise," "capital injection," inflation," "surge" and "double-digit

Explaining Away the Green M&M

Just in time for Valentine’s Day, the company behind M&M’s has decided to let the urban legend run wild. No longer will the impotent and un

Don't rely on credit for your emergency fund

There's a large group of financial advisors who suggest using credit in place of an emergency fund. That way, you can invest your entire portfolio for maximum return (such as

Frugal Tip: Do Not Spend When You Are Sad

Have you ever paid more than you normally would for something when you are trying to cheer yourself up? A recent study showed that a group of people who were sad offered almost fo

Book review: Supercapitalism

For most of the 20th century, capitalism and democracy seemed to go hand-in-hand. After all, every democratic country was largely capitalist and nearly every capitalist country wa

The Pros and Cons of Dollar-Cost Averaging

Having balanced your budget and analyzed your risk, you're now ready to start tackling that "investing" entry on your list of new year's resolutions. But where do

Budget Busters

Every day I read about 60-70 personal finance/frugal living blogs. Through the help of many of our online friends, I have been fortunate enough to put my personal finance position

Six Ways to Stay Warm and Reduce the Heating Bill

Are you paying through your nose  to heat your home this winter? Is your heater broken? Read on for some practical tips to reduce your energy bill and stay warm at the same time.

Should You be Ashamed to be on Public Assistance?

Government assistance such as the Food Stamp Program and cash welfare payments are sticky topics of discussion. What exactly is frugal about us

Use Safe Driving To Save Gas During The Last 6 Weeks Of Winter

The Groundhog predicted that we will have to endure six more weeks of winter. This means more snow, ice, and cold that can reduce your car's efficiency by up to 50%. Fortunatel

Strategies for households with more than one adult

The strategy for households with a single adult can be disposed of in the first paragraph: Earn enough money to buy everything your household consumes, plus provide through direct

UK banks are blocking customers' credit cards. Will the USA be next?

It was bound to happen. I just thought it would happen over here first. Today

Hostels vs Hotels: Choosing the Perfect Place to Stay Within your Budget

Most people think that the frugal way to travel is to stay in hostels. However there are a number of scenarios where that may not be the case. Read on for some tips on how to