Money Tips Network

This article is by staff writer William Cowie.

Retirement, that magic day you’ve had in your sights for decades, is finally coming into view. You may be in your 40s or 50s, and the big day may be next month or in a few years. Whatever your age and whenever the day, the time is coming for the big question:

What do you do now?

I faced that question a few years ago, and I remember it well. My first reaction was terror. This is so final — you can’t turn back the clock and you don’t get any do-overs. (How many times I wished for just one!) All my bad decisions had grown up around me (or not grown, to be more accurate). Now, I was faced with two pretty large questions:

• What income will I live from?
• What will I do with my time?

What will you do in retirement?

If you love trying out the latest in fashion and beauty — and getting them at a discount — then Wantable may be just your thing.

About Wantable

The Milwaukie-based company Wantable matches you with a number of boutique accessories, full-size makeup products, or designer intimates at $40 a box (or $36 a box for a monthly subscription). The contents of the box will be a surprise, but the stylists at Wantable will use a quiz to make sure you love the products you get.

I say it every year, but the summer raced by at lightning speed. It's already mid-August, and many of us are diving deep into back-to-school mode. One of the most important parts of getting ready? Dressing the part. But refreshing your fall wardrobe — whether you're heading into the classroom or not — doesn't need to cost a fortune. In fact, it doesn't need to cost anything at all! (Related: 50 Ways to Update Your Wardrobe On the Cheap)

Here are some tips that will get you looking smart without spending foolishly.

Whether you have teenagers, animals, or a dirty job, you've probably had to deal with less desirable smells in your clothing, bed linens, or furniture. Sometimes those smells come out with an easy run through the washing machine — but what about those nasty smells that linger after a good cleaning? (See also: 25 Essential Tricks for Quick and Easy Cleaning)

Read on to find ways to take the stink out of just about everything.

1. Musty Smells

When clothes, bedding, and coats get that no-so-fresh smelling, it is often due to how the item has been stored. This musty smell can sometimes be removed with a cycle in the washing machine, but when that's not enough, try one of these other two options.

What’s inside? Here are the questions answered in today’s reader mailbag, boiled down to five word summaries. Click on the number to jump straight down to the question.
1. Handling old collection
2. Interesting experience with generic aspirin
3. Good books about financial independence
4. Dealing with a pay cut
5. Too tired to enjoy it?
6. Expensive cars
7. Devaluing of the dollar
8. Is it hopeless?
9. Product “downsizing”

This post is by staff writer Honey Smith.

I’ve spent the last 15 years of my life working at three universities, wearing many different hats during that time. As you can imagine, this means that I’ve developed an opinion or two when it comes to higher education! Based on what I’ve experienced (and what I’ve seen other people go through), one of the most difficult things for people is matching a degree program to their budget and overall career path. You want to find the right fit.

What is “fit” anyway?

Here's an interesting article from CNN Money. It has a bit of "down with the rich" tone that I dislike (they say the U.S. has the "top rank in one net worth measure -- wealth inequality") but it lists average and median net worths for Americans, two numbers I don't recall having seen together previously.

The facts:

• Average American Net Worth: $301,000
• Median American Net Worth: $44,900

As they point out, a few very wealthy individuals bring up the average and that's why there's a big difference in the two numbers.

A few other interesting facts:

I recently spent the better part of an hour being tortured by bankers.

Given the contentiousness of the conversation, it is entirely possible that they saw themselves as being tortured by me. However, considering that they had my money and were the ones getting paid to be there, I see it the other way around.

I am not going to name names, of either personnel or the bank, because I do not believe the purpose of this kind of platform is to vent my personal beefs. Also, the point I really want to make is that what went on with my bank could go on with hundreds of other banks. Therefore, the purpose is not to call out one bank, but to caution people about what to watch out for with banks in general.

Life’s too short

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.

In the past on The Simple Dollar, I wrote some “book club” series where I walked through several of my favorite personal finance, career, and personal growth books in great detail over a series of posts. You should check them out; here are links to each of those “book club” series: