Money Tips Network

Summer's not over yet! For most, the arrival of this season marks the start of sweltering-hot weather. Not all of us can install expensive cooling systems in our homes, so here are a couple ways to beat the heat on the cheap.

RELATED: Get Crafty This Summer With 26 Simple DIYs

1. Cool Treats

Keep cool in the summer by indulging in icy treats and cold drinks. Indulging in an ice pop or cool beverage will help you feel cooler. FitSugar recommends some delicious ice-cream alternatives that will keep you cool and healthy!

Sometimes, it's a bit of a hassle getting a trip together. Whether it be work, school, or social schedules, a family planning on traveling domestically or abroad may find it impossible to do so. And, worse, once you get to where you thought your dream vacation should be, is virtually shut down because of "low season."

Truth is, any time of year is a great time to travel — you just need to know where to go, when.

Winter

Beaches, of course, both north and south of the equator, will be popular, but you can also escape the crowds and still have a great time.

Europe

The absolute first thing I look at when comparing investments is the fees that are charged on that investment. I look at it before I look at the history of that investment or anything else.

Why am I so interested in the fees? There are two reasons.

First, the fees charged on your investments are real and take a major bite out of how much you earn. Fees are the percentage of money that investment houses take out of your investment each year so that they can earn revenue. Investment firms tend to earn a lot of revenue and the vast majority of it comes from these fees. This is big money.

Second, past performance is not indicative of future returns. You can make some guesses based on past history, but you certainly can’t make a reliable prediction about what will happen in the future. You can’t even really compare funds all that well unless they’re invested in extremely similar things.

This article is by staff writer Kristin Wong.

(This is part I in a series about challenging traditional measures of financial success. Part II is Challenging traditional measures of financial success: Homeownership.)

Not going to college was never really an option for me. “Don’t even joke about that,” my mom once said when I brought up the idea as a teenager.

My parents never went to college and believed they suffered financially because of it. Statistically, they may be right. According to the data, a bachelor’s degree can help you earn significantly more than a high school diploma.

This article from the NY Times is interesting for a few reasons:

1. It equates being "rich" with your annual income (at least in part), a frequent mistake by the mainstream media.

2. It verifies something we've addressed frequently here: the more you have, the more you think it takes to be rich.

3. It shows that even those who likely are rich (higher net worths), don't think they are.

It lists what people at various incomes think is needed (in net worth) to become rich as follows:

What do you think about electric cars? That’s a question which evokes a surprisingly strong reaction. Few people, it seems, are indifferent to the topic of changing what we drive. Some think electric cars will help save the planet; others think they’re a do-gooder’s overpriced and overrated flavor of the month.

History

The automobile, one of the icons of the Industrial Revolution, has been with us for more than a hundred years. During that time, it has evolved to an astounding degree of complexity that surprises many. For instance, many family SUVs today perform better than the exotic Ferraris and Porsches of just a few decades ago, with improved safety, gas mileage and reliability (not to mention the on-board entertainment systems, air conditioning and power steering, brakes, and windows).

Does the price of an item really determine its quality? Well, this depends on who you ask and what you're buying. (See also: How to Have an Above Average Life for Below Average Prices)

As a savvy shopper, I believe that paying more for certain items is a better buy. It's no secret that some higher-priced items last longer than cheaper versions, ultimately reducing how much we spend in the long run. But this isn't always the case. As a matter of fact, there are plenty of cheaper alternatives that are just as good (or better) than their luxury counterparts. Here are several of my favorites.

An estimated 9.1% of the population in the United States have symptoms of depression, according to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.

Depressive illnesses are more than just being sad occasionally. Among people with depression, there is a measurable chemical imbalance in their brands, and this prevents signals from being transmitted from neuron to neuron correctly. So depression changes how people think. And any obstacle to rational decision-making has significant long-term effects on an individual’s quality of life. As a family’s financial situation is one of the primary concerns of this blog and a primary factor in the quality of one’s life, it stands that depression can cause difficulties with money worth a discussion here.

'Tis the season! Families are combing store ads to equip the kids with affordable back-to-school gear — and they're not the only ones! You don't need to be a student (or shopping for one) to take advantage of the great deals on school supplies, electronics, and dorm ware.

Will you shop back-to-school sales? What items are on your to-buy list? Are you shopping for yourself, and student, or both?

Tell us whether you shop back-to-school sales and we'll enter you in a drawing to win a $20 Amazon Gift Card!

Win 1 of 3 $20 Amazon Gift Cards

We're doing three giveaways — here's how you can win!