Articles on Personal Finance

The Three Interest Rates

I got a notice from one of my credit cards a bit ago, announcing that they were raising the interest rate. It's only of theoretical interest to me, of course--I use credit cards f

Permanent Home Swap: Solution to a Volatile Real Estate Market

Let’s say the real estate markets are down. You want or need to sell your home, but buyers won’t pay what it is worth (or even enough to leave you with a zero balance). And if you

Recession Journal Part III: How Low Can We Go and When Will We Get There?

In order for the economy to turn around it has to hit what so many investment experts and economic forecasters call the "bottom," but what is it, this bottom, what does it look lik

Optimize Your IRA and 401(k)

Your IRA and 401(k) (or 403(b) if you work for a non-profit) are great tools for deferring taxes, and have other advantages as well. But because they're labeled "retirement" accou

Saving for Opportunity

What happens if an opportunity comes your way that you just can’t pass on, but just can’t find the money for either? If you have an opportunity account, you won’t have this problem

Managing Your Short-Term Money

It's easy to find books and articles on how to manage your money to support your long-term goals. You can read a lot about stocks and bonds, retirement accounts, investing in gold

Best of Personal Finance: Solar Eclipse/Moon Landing Edition

Between the moon landing (fake! It was filmed in Nevada!) anniversary, a recent solar eclipse, and amateur astronomers discovering huge craters on Jupiter, your mind may have been

Using a Card, Not a Vendor Credit Line, for Business Purchases

Getting credit terms (aka trade terms) with vendors is usually a savvy move but, depending on the circumstances, paying with credit or charge cards can be just as smart. Securin

The 7 Rules of Budget Travel

Want to save money and protect the environment while on vacation? Get eco-friendly and genuine travel experiences by following these 7 rules of budget travel.

Wage slave, debt slave

This article has its roots in an article I wrote some time ago that used the terms wage slave and debt peonage—terms that some people objected to. Those making free choices aren't

New Home Loan Rules Will Take Effect on July 30, 2009

If you are in the process of buying a new primary residence or second home, or considering refinancing a loan, a new set of federal consumer protection rules taking effect on July

Life Insurance for Your Business

As a business owner, you probably already own more insurance policies than you ever imagined you would: liability, contents, vehicles, and any number of policies are often stric

8 Ways Great Service Prevents Chargebacks

Sealing the sales deal is the key to opening the door to success. Getting in compliance can be cumbersome but can mean fewer charge-backs and more cash in your pocket now. More

Watch Out for Surge in CPI

Just to be clear, I'm also worried about a surge in inflation, but that's not what I'm talking about here. I don't know the future, so I try to stay away from predictions. But yo

No Limit, No Interest: What’s the Deal with Charge Cards?

Charge cards, like their credit card cousins, allow cardholders to use plastic cards to make purchases and then pay at the end of a settlement period, typically on a monthly basis. [more]

Personal or Business? Parameters for Choosing a Credit Card

If you own a business, and would like to enjoy the benefits of a business card, there are a few considerations you may want to be aware of.

How to Increase the Chance of Someone Returning Your Lost Wallet

It’s not a fun feeling. You’ve reached the checkout at the grocery store, you feel into your pocket, or purse, and realize that your wallet is missing. You heart stops, you walk ou

My best posts that got no attention

A few times I've written a post that I thought was good, but that seemed to vanish into the blogosphere without a trace. On my two-year anniversary of writing for Wise Bread, I

Tips for Avoiding a Foreclosure Prevention or Loan Modification Scam

Rising home foreclosures have made con artists very busy. These scammers use the public records to find homeowners who are in trouble, and then use a variety of schemes to take

When to Use Savings to Pay Off Debt

One of the most common questions over on the Wise Bread forum is some variation on, "I have $X in savings but $Y in credit card debt. Should I use the savings to pay down the debt?