Articles on Personal Finance

Savings Bonds as Interest-Earning Travelers Checks

Remember travelers checks? In the days before ubiquitous automated teller machines, they were a useful product. You could use them almost like cash -- but you could carry more than

Homebuyer Tax Credit Extended and Expanded

A couple months ago I wrote about the pros and cons of extending and expanding the popular first time homebuyer tax credit which was due to expire on November 30th, 2009. I wrote

Cavalcade of Risk - November 4, 2009 - How Much Assurance Does Your Insurance Offer?

Welcome to the November 4, 2009 Cavalcade of Risk — the How Much Assurance Does Your Insurance Offer edition! There were a large number of insurance related topics. Does that mean

Can You Buy Your Way Out of the Rat Race?

If you're tracking your spending, you know how much money it takes to live on. If you're tracking your investments, you know about how much return you're getting from your capital.

Recession Journal VI: It's OVER!!!!!!!!!!!! Any Questions?

The recession is technically over, officially over, numerically over. How do you feel now and what are you gonna do about it?

How to Deal with Recession Anxiety

These methods will help you to avoid participating in the recession and the fear mongering that prevail during such periods.

A Society of Fear

Society has been organized to make the wage slave/debt slave trap the default path for almost everyone.

The game of Haggling: How to Get a Great Deal on a Used Car

Getting a great deal on a used car is easy if you know how. Here are 9 tips from a frugal family on how to get the most out of your car-buying dollars.

What Is a “Value-Added Tax,” Anyway?

Probably due to the fact that my monthly health insurance premiums rose dramatically this year, and also because I am about to take a state-mandated 5% pay cut, my ears really per

3 Ways Paying Off Credit Cards Is Like Playing Beer Pong

Paying off your debt isn't as FUN as playing beer pong, of course, but it's a much better way to think about it than your old wrinkly neighbor would have it.

Real Estate Agents: Do We Really Need Them?

With all the tools and information available to home buyers, are real-estate agents and their commissions really that necessary?

3 Steps to Organize and Track Your Finances Without the Hassle

Do you ever feel like there's just too much to track when it comes to your finances? You can simplify your financial life just like you can simplify any other aspect of your life:

Recession Journal V: Mind, The GAP

Some well known mainstays of Corporate America have decided not to wait for an official recovery but to sell the idea of it to you. Can we collectively as corporate citizens and co

Worried About Debt? Tips On Managing Your Loans

If you've got a lot of loans under your belt, you'll want to make sure that you're able to manage them well, or risk wrecking your credit by making a late payment somewhere. Deali

Saving for Retirement on a Variable Income

How do you save for retirement when you have a variable income? Not only is basic budgeting a different story when you have a variable income, but so is saving for retirement.

Six Tips to Saving on Tax Preparation Fees

Paying taxes is bad enough. Could you be saving money on the preparation fees, too? I asked my C.P.A. to give a few tips.

It's Time to Purchase Like It's 1999

For those who have a job, a healthy savings account and some optimism about the long-term, it doesn’t get any better than this. Opportunity in the form of lower prices doesn’t kno

Is a Prepaid Debit Card Really Cheaper and Better than a Bank Debit Card?

A few month ago, my husband received an unsolicited Visa Debit Card from NetSpend and I wrote about it here on Wise Bread. What I found interesting was that several commenters defe

Barter Explained: Why It's Wise to Barter

"Barter." We hear that word a lot these days. Do a Google-search and you'll be deluged with websites on the subject. But what exactly is barter, why is barter seeing a huge resurg

When Should You Fire Your Real Estate Agent?

Lately several couples I know have been trying to purchase real estate, and it seems that none of them are too happy with their real estate agents. Some of them have been working w