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The Simple Dollar

Simple, applicable personal finance advice for the modern world.

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Latest Posts from The Simple Dollar (page 50)

When and How to Stop Paying Your Kids’ Bills

Published Thursday, October 4, 2018 - 07:00 by The Simple Dollar

We all want to help our children succeed in life, and for many parents, that includes paying some, or all, of their child’s bills well into adulthood. Supporting your children financially for too long, however, can be a bad idea for everyone involved. Not only does it drain you of resources, often near or during retirement, it also prevents children from learning how to master their own finances. […]

How Getting Involved in the Community Can Help Your Finances

Published Wednesday, October 3, 2018 - 10:00 by The Simple Dollar

One of my most frequent pieces of advice, which comes up for numerous reasons, is to get involved in your local community. I regularly recommend getting involved in local civic groups (like the Lions Club), local Meetups, local churches and other religious organizations, local charities, local parks and recreation activities, and even local politics. […]

Costco vs. Dollar Tree: When Does Bulk Beat the Buck?

Published Wednesday, October 3, 2018 - 07:00 by The Simple Dollar

The dollar store is only a great deal if what you’re buying is worth a dollar. In our neck of the woods in Washington County, Ore., the nearest dollar store sits in a darkened corner of a strip-mall parking lot, sparsely populated on all but the highest-traffic holiday weekends. […]

The Meaning of Financial Success

Published Tuesday, October 2, 2018 - 10:00 by The Simple Dollar

A few days ago, I posted an article entitled Financial Success Isn’t “Impossible”. The piece argued against the common prevailing notion in our society that financial success is completely out of the reach of most people, particularly those under 40. […]

Rookie Real Estate Investing Mistakes to Avoid

Published Tuesday, October 2, 2018 - 07:00 by The Simple Dollar

Real estate shows like Flip or Flop, Million Dollar Listing, and Flip This House can make it seem like there’s no way to lose the game. You invest a certain amount of cash in a property, update and renovate with care, then list for an almost-immediate sale. […]

Questions About Potluck Dinners, Roth 401(k)s, Toothbrushes, Having Three Kids, and More!

Published Monday, October 1, 2018 - 10:00 by The Simple Dollar

What’s inside? Here are the questions answered in today’s reader mailbag, boiled down to summaries of five or fewer words. Click on the number to jump straight down to the question. 1. Roth 401(k)? 2. Wedding ring help 3. From two to three kids 4. Electric toothbrush recommendation 5. Bad habits 6. Potluck ideas 7. Knowing when to retire 8. Vegetarianism and The Simple Dollar 9. […]

How to Invest for Medium-Term Goals

Published Monday, October 1, 2018 - 07:00 by The Simple Dollar

There’s plenty of advice when it comes to investing for retirement. And there are plenty of resources to help you find the best savings account for your near-term needs. But what about your medium-term goals? What if you want to buy a house in five years? […]

Don’t Get Blindsided by These Retirement Risks

Published Sunday, September 30, 2018 - 08:00 by The Simple Dollar

Retirement planning doesn’t let you just run out the clock; any number of threats can turn a winning plan into a loss. Unforeseen circumstances are the downfall of any great retirement plan, and they don’t all have to be tragedies. Unexpected deaths can wreak havoc on retirement and estate planning, but so can an unexpectedly long life. […]

Books with Impact: Triggers

Published Saturday, September 29, 2018 - 10:00 by The Simple Dollar

The “Books with Impact” series takes a deeper look at specific books that have had a profound impact on my financial, professional, and personal growth by extracting specific points of advice from those books and looking at how I’ve applied them in my life with successful results. […]

Our ‘Low-Hanging Fruit’ Coupon Strategy

Published Friday, September 28, 2018 - 10:00 by The Simple Dollar

My recent article on how to find and get the most value out of your local discount grocer led to a lot of great follow-up questions and comments from readers. One reader, Laurie, wrote in: What about coupons? I still clip coupons from the Sunday paper and use the Redplum and Target apps to nab coupons. […]