Money Tips Network

Hands down, New Year's Eve is my favorite holiday — and I've thrown some parties, y'all. Some of them have been major blowouts while others have been small gatherings. Personally, I prefer the intimate shindigs — and so does my wallet.

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Congratulations, you made it! Your life is about to change — and your insurance might, too. Photo: Steven Depolo

Retirement is probably the most anticipated and planned-for milestone of our lives. When it finally arrives, it does so silently like an overnight snowfall that, even though it was expected, renders a once-familiar landscape alien.

Retirement planning lends itself to metaphors that reference nest eggs and shedding the chains of responsibility. When it comes to insurance and retirement, the underlying landscape is familiar but different, like your backyard covered with fresh snow.

In the moment where you simply want something, it’s really tempting to find justifications for it, and one of the easiest justifications is to simply say that your “future self” will pay for it.

You can use a credit card, after all, or some kind of payment plan. The actual payment won’t happen today or tomorrow. Instead, it will happen at some point in the future down the road when, theoretically, you’ll be better financially equipped to handle that bill.

I used this “future self” as a big crutch throughout my life. My “future self” would save for retirement, so I didn’t have to save much yet. My “future self” will be able to afford that house. My “future self” will pay for this car. My “future self” will pay off this credit card.

This post brought to you by Humana.

This article is by staff writer Robert Brokamp.

Back in July of 2013, I decided to move on from the turtle-logoed pages of Get Rich Slowly in order to devote more time to other professional and familial responsibilities. However, a few months ago I managed to find time to once again join this merry band of bloggers, which gives me the opportunity to pass along the results of a survey I included in my “farewell” post from 2013.

Link for teaser title: 

http://www.wisebread.com/bestdeals/today

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Surprising the kids with a dream trip to Disney? Don’t let it become a financial nightmare. Photo: Walt Disney World

I’ll admit it – I have a serious Disney addiction. Not as bad as some, it’s true. (I know a woman who logs in to online meetings at work as “Cinderella.”) But for moms like me, there’s nothing like a Disney vacation, especially around the holidays.

Literally the whole family has fun. Decorations, cookies, and carols abound. They even replace the holiday flowers each night while you sleep. In real life, I’ve waited basically forever for anyone to replace the mangy planters on my front walk.

A few weeks ago, I finished up the weekly reader mailbag column with a question about what I carry every day. Here’s the question and the answer, reprinted for you

I love seeing “everyday carry” articles where people show off what they carry around with them every day. It usually reveals items that the person considers to be truly useful. What is your “everyday carry”?
– Andrew

In my pockets, I usually carry a small pocketknife (one with some personal sentiment), a leather wallet containing just a few cards but large enough to protect a pocket notebook, a pocket notebook, a couple of pens, my keys, and my phone.