Articles on Personal Finance

When to drop collision coverage on your car

A few years back, I got a tidy little lesson in exactly what collision coverage is. We'd had a car damaged in an accident, damaged pretty badly. So, it wasn't a surprise

When you stretch and stretch and the ends don't meet

Sometimes wanting something and trying for it aren't enough. The honest truth is that, no matter how frugal you are, no matter how extensive your emergency fund, no matter how

These Choos were made for walkin': an interview with a modern urban nomad

Ever feel stuck? In a rut? Running in place, but not getting much exercise? There's another way to live, you know; a way that bypasses, or at least delays, the mortgage, the co

When NOT to put money in your 401(k)

The twin advantages of tax deferral and a corporate match make the 401(k) the foundation of most people's savings plan. Putting in enough to get the maximum corporate match is

The Quiet Millionaire: Part 2 – Major Obstacles to Financial Success

Want to have the wealth you need to follow your dreams? Brett Wilder, Certified Financial Planner and author of The Quiet Millionaire suggests that there are 7 major obsta

Getting Rich Slowly: Interview with JD Roth

Get Rich Slowly is one of the most popular personal finance web sites on the internet. JD Roth, the man behind the site, agreed to share some of his fiscal background and financial

Charitable Giving: Give in Order to Receive

The idea of giving away what you have especially if you don't have much is a tough one to wrap your head around. But if you truly want to be rich (both literally and figu

Local Currencies

Because the advantages of trade (lower prices) fall into the hands of the person making the decision (the buyer), there's a constant tendency to move toward freer trade, unless

Credit Card Insurance? No Thanks.

So your credit card company just called offering you balance protection insurance against job loss, disability, life, or critical illness. The cost will be just pennies, calculated

Separate Bank Accounts: 'Till Death (or Banking) Do We Part?

Many couples today boast separate bank accounts and successful relationships. But is it possible? Or are separate bank accounts a recipe for disaster?

Trade versus localization

Localization--eating locally grown foods and buying locally produced goods--has become trendy just lately. For the past twenty years, though, globalization has been the dominate f

The Quiet Millionaire: Part 1 – What is Important about Money to You?

You’ve heard of The Millionaire Next Door, now there’s

Borrowing to Invest: Helpful or Hurtful?

Can debt possibly be a good thing? Sometimes yes, sometimes no. But carrying debt that enables you to earn money is a concept called Leveraging, and can be v

The core rate is not an evil conspiracy

The Consumer Price Index was released today, showing prices were up 0.3% last month and up 2.8% from a year ago. The same report also includes the so-called core rate, which exclu

Long Term Care Insurance for Wise Bloggers

You, your parents, or your siblings may at some point, at any age, need help with the daily tasks of living. Who will provide this help, and at what cost? Long Term Care (LTC) ins

Chicago Wants to Keep the Change

Instead of using technology to make life easier for drivers, Chicago wants to digitally keep the change.

Better cars are not the answer

Wise Bread is an optimistic place. There are some people who can't see the congruence between optimism and frugality. I'm talking about the people who point to our progre

Don’t Cash That Insurance Check; It May Not Be Yours

Did you get an unexpected payment from your insurance company? Health insurance overpayments and mispaym

Good Debt, Bad Debt

Whether debt is good or bad depends on how you spend the money. From best to worst, here are the four categories of debt that one writer uses.

Link-Love in an Elevator

It’s time once again for another round of link love! We want to let everyone know how excited we are to see such a great response to our articl