Money Tips Network

At some point about three years ago, I was browsing a self-improvement book at the library, just leafing through the pages. I truly wish I could recall what book it was; all I can remember is that it was probably a new release about two or three years ago, and it might not have had anything to do with finances or self-improvement at all.

I happened to stop on a page in this book where it laid out an interesting exercise for self-improvement.

It said to make a list of 10 moments in the last year where you really felt good. The book encouraged the reader to try to not think about special events or big moments, but rather try to focus on the little ones, the moments of everyday life where you felt great physically or mentally or socially or in some other area of your life.

When it comes to credit cards, your best bet is always to pay your balance in full every month. Unfortunately, that’s not always possible. Sometimes life happens and people make mistakes when it comes to managing their credit card accounts. Other times people use credit cards in such a way that they simply don’t have enough disposable income to pay them in full.

Either way, if you’ve charged more on your credit card accounts than you can afford to simply pay off, debt consolidation is one option that might help you to eliminate your high-interest debt. While considering whether debt consolidation will save you money, it’s also important to consider how consolidating credit card debt impacts your credit scores.

Your Money or Your Life by Joe Dominguez and Vicki Robin was the book that spurred my financial turnaround. At the very moment when I was realizing I needed to do something drastically different in my life with regards to my finances, this book was the first one that I happened to read from the pile of books that I checked out from the library, and it changed my life. I’ve written about it and referenced it countless times on The Simple Dollar, and several years ago I even wrote a “book club” series covering the book in incredible detail.

Over the last few years, I’ve done a lot of experimentation with meal prepping, with the goal of having lots of home-cooked meals in the freezer that I can pull out at a moment’s notice. I’ve tried all kinds of different things, sometimes successful and sometimes a complete failure and often in between. When something works, I take note of it and try to reuse that strategy going forward.

What follows is the single most efficient and successful meal prepping strategy I’ve yet tried. It makes a bunch of lunches and family meals quite easily and they’re all quite tasty, even right from the freezer.

Your auto insurance does more than safeguard you while you drive. It can also protect some (or all) of your savings, including your retirement.

But only if you have enough coverage. If not, you could lose a big chunk of your retirement in the event of a serious at-fault accident. Up to 25% of your paycheck could also be garnished, maybe for years, should a court judgment exceed your maximum liability.

The Employee Retirement Income Security Act prohibits creditors from accessing some “qualified” plans, such as pensions and employer-sponsored IRAs. However, not all retirement plans have that protection.

Whether your individually established and funded retirement plans are protected depends on where you live. In the following eight states, laws protect a traditional IRA but not a Roth IRA: Alabama, California, Georgia, Hawaii, Idaho, Indiana, West Virginia, and Wyoming.

I've been reading and writing about personal finance for more than thirteen years. In that time, I've consumed a lot of books about money. Lately, I've found that it's fun to revisit old favorites.

Recently, for instance, I've been re-reading Brett Wilder's The Quiet Millionaire [my review]. It's different than most personal finance books. It's targeted at those who are farther along their financial journeys rather than at those just starting out. Still, there are bits and pieces in The Quiet Millionaire that are applicable to everyone.

Ten years ago, I wrote that I particularly like Wilder's list of the seven enemies to financial success (which is my phrase, not his). I still like them. He writes:

Carvana is an online auto dealer that offers an array of used vehicles nationwide along with in-house financing. This means you can shop for a used car and find financing all in one place — online, and from the comfort of your home.

Carvana allows you to get pre-qualified for a car loan without a hard inquiry to your credit report. They also offer a seven-day return policy on their vehicles, which is generous for this industry.

If you’re thinking of getting a used vehicle and like the idea of a one-stop-shop, consider checking our Carvana. This review goes over all the relevant details you should know, including their loan terms, pros and cons, and who Carvana is best for.

The following is a guest post from Bernz JP, the blogger behind Moneylogue.com. 

The impending retirement crisis in the US has most of the population quaking in fear, imagining a bleak future where they clutch shakily to a wooden staff with all their worldly belonging tied in a bunch at the end, trudging the payment on old tired feet, begging for handouts….

Ok. Maybe nothing so dramatic.

But for most people, the fear that their retirement savings might not see them through their golden age is very real. So many workers today are unable to put away enough nest-egg for their retirement.

It is one thing to adapt and cope with the challenges of retirement and retirement…and quite another to add poverty to the mix.

Does this mean that only the wealthy remain unperturbed in the approaching national retirement storm?

Well, not quite.

Once a month (or so), I share a dozen things that have inspired me to greater personal, professional, and financial success in my life. I hope they bring similar success to your life.

1. Yuval Noah Harari on putting off your “real” interests

“How many young college graduates have taken demanding jobs in high-powered firms, vowing that they will work hard to earn money that will enable them to retire and pursue their real interests when they are thirty five? But by the time they reach that age, they have large mortgages, children to school, houses in the suburbs that necessitate at least two cars per family, and a sense that life is not worth living without really good wine and expensive holidays abroad. What are they supposed to do, go back to digging up roots? No, they double their efforts and keep slaving away.” – Yuval Noah Harari