Money Tips Network

When you’re facing a giant mountain of debt, it feels almost impossible to overcome it. When your total debt exceeds your household income, it can feel like debt is just going to be a part of your life. It can seem as though, in order to live your life, you’re going to have to constantly hand money to the banks until you’re old and grey.

It doesn’t have to be this way. Sarah and I paid off more than $10,000 in credit card debt, two car loans, several student loans that totaled more than $30,000, and a home mortgage over the course of about five and a half years, taking us to complete debt freedom. We did this with three children and with a car replacement cycle right in the middle of that five year period.

Snowflakes were a big part of that success. What are snowflakes? Well… let’s step back from that a bit first.

There's a bit of science behind birthday wishes and the resolutions we make on New Year's Day.

Research shows that we're more apt to achieve our goals and aspirations if we set out to do so at the start of a new month, the first of the year, or after we celebrate a birthday.

So, you're engaged. Congratulations! (See also: 8 Tips for Planning a Last Minute Wedding)

Amidst all the ceremony decisions, location reservations, and fancy wardrobe choices for the big day, you're probably registering somewhere. Before you do, read this article.

Join our Tweetchat this Thursday at 12:00om PST/ 3pm EST for lively conversation and a chance to win a $200 gift card or one of two $50 gift cards! Use #WBChat and #HaveAPlan to participate.

This week's topic: Life Insurance: Myths vs. Facts!

Welcome to Wise Bread's Best Money Tips Roundup! Today we found some stellar articles on retirement planning mistakes, money rules that nobody will ever teach you, and budgeting on a variable income.
Top 5 Articles

Top 10 Retirement Planning Mistakes — Are You Making Any of Them?

"Being busy does not always mean real work," said Thomas Edison.

Seeming to do a lot but not accomplishing anything is a complete waste of time. For example, only 2% of people can multitask successfully.

In 2003, I purchased a 1997 Ford F-150 pickup. Given the financial disaster that my life was at the tiem, I “paid” for it entirely with a loan, which saddled me with car payments for the next three-plus years.

In 2010, the Ford F-150 needed to be replaced, so we bought a 2004 Honda Pilot. This time around, we paid cash for the whole thing. No loans were involved – we just paid cash.

This was a pretty major transformation. I went from an approximately $10,000 car loan to paying $10,000 in cash for a car. The difference, of course, was a lack of car payments, but it also saved us thousands of dollars. Literally.

Let’s walk through this change and how you can make it happen in your life.

This article is by staff writer Holly Johnson.

I have two second cousins who serve in the military — both brave young men I am proud to call my family. We don’t always talk much, though. The age gap can be a roadblock and those boys are always traveling around, serving overseas and living on bases in order to fulfill their military duties and finish school.

Still, social media makes it easier than it used to be, and emails are a quick and painless way to stay in touch. So I wasn’t surprised to receive an email from my cousin, Michael, asking for advice on his future financial goals.

So, what’s the deal? As part of his military compensation, Michael will soon start receiving $2,124 per month for housing and wanted ideas on how to parlay that money into long-term wealth.

While we've written about wireless mice in the past, a Bluetooth-capable mouse works slightly differently. Most wireless mice operate by having a small receiver constantly plugged into a USB port.