Hot Today

Wise Bread articles that are hot today.

Ask the Readers: Do You Meal Plan?

Tell us whether you meal plan and we'll enter you in a drawing to win a $20 Amazon Gift Card!

10 Investing Concepts to Ignore and 10 to Follow

New investors have a lot of advice to sift through — and it's not all good. Learn what to ignore and what to pay attention to.

Ask the Readers: What Do You Do to Recharge?

Tell us what you do to recharge and we'll enter you in a drawing to win a $20 Amazon Gift Card!

Deciding when to follow instructions

Anytime someone announces that they're looking to hire, there'll be instructions on how to apply--even if nothing more than a sign that says, "Inquire within." Often, they'll want

Free and cheap things to do in Champaign-Urbana

Here's a sampling of free and cheap things to do where I live--Champaign-Urbana, Illinois--offered up for my neighbors (who may not know all these places), for visitors (who may no

Ask the Readers: Do You Play the Lottery?

Tell us whether you play the lottery and we'll enter you in a drawing to win a $20 Amazon Gift Card!

Would you sell your vote?

Being a humble Green Card holder, I don’t have a vote here in the US (makes me wonder about that old “no taxation without representation” line, but that’s another story). Anyway, a

Ask the Readers: What Was Your Best Investment in 2017?

Tell us about your best investment in 2017 and we'll enter you in a drawing to win a $20 Amazon Gift Card!

Ask the Readers: What Is Your Favorite Form of Entertainment?

Tell us about your favorite form of entertainment and we'll enter you in a drawing to win a $20 Amazon Gift Card!

Do plastic baby bottles cause diabetes and heart disease?

What? Poisonous infant formula wasn't enough? Plastic baby bottles and the linings of canned food may be linked to diabetes, heart disease, and altered development in infants' brai

Get More Money for Your Stuff With These Retail Secrets

If the big-box retailers can move boatloads of inventory with these pricing secrets, then you can, too.

The Smart Way to Budget on a Freelance Income

Managing your money as a freelancer isn't easy, but with this easy five-step plan, you can level out the highs and lows.

First-Time Home Buyer? Consider These 5 Cities

Some U.S. cities still offer a prime buyers' market for first-timers. Have you considered putting down roots in one of these spots?

Is your country corrupt?

When I first traveled overseas, I was surprised to learn that many foreigners thought of the United States as a corrupt place--surprised enough that I undertook some careful questi

What Is Private Mortgage Insurance, Anyway?

That little acronym — PMI — pops up quite a bit for new homeowners. Here's what it is, and how much it may cost you.

7 Tech Tools to Supercharge Your Productivity in the New Year

We all want to work better, faster, and smarter. Thanks to the ever-changing tech landscape – we can! We’ve highlighted some of the best tools available to help you make a good imp

Book review: Towers of Gold

It will not, I think, surprise my regular readers to hear that I like to read books about money. All kinds of books about money--not just books on personal finance and frugality,

7 Cool Things Bonds Tell You About the Economy

Bonds may not be the snazziest investment, but they sure can tell us a lot about how the economy is doing. Here's why it's smart to start paying attention to bonds.

When Downsizing Makes You Happy

I have often thought of a professional career as something built brick by brick, climbed ladder rung by ladder rung until one reached the pinnacle, enjoyed the view, and, then, ret

4 Ways Your Brain Tricks You Into Spending

The human brain is a beautiful, complex thing. It's also a total shopaholic.