Articles on Personal Finance

Why is Gasoline So Cheap? A Cost Comparison of 40 Common Household Liquids

Do you know which is more expensive: one gallon of gasoline or one gallon of orange juice? How about one gallon of glue? Read on for a comparison of the price gasoline and other f

So You Want to be a Landlord? Part I

With dropping home prices, a long term investment in real estate is looking pretty attractive. Whether you want to buy rental property outright, or renting is your plan B when your

Frequent Flier Programs for Infrequent Fliers

Use these tricks to maximize frequent flier miles and use them in creative ways to get the most benefit with the smallest credit.

Dissecting "Gift Guilt" - When Does Receiving a Gift Make You Feel Bad?

Ever since I was a child, I have been taught that when you receive a gift you should be happy about it and then give something back in return. To this day I still believe that is g

Chinese Money Habits - How My Culture Influences My Attitudes Toward Money

I moved to the United States when I was a child from Yangzhou, China. After sixteen years, I could easily pass as an American because I speak English without an accent, and I am w

6 Ways to Pay Less Money For A College Degree

A four-year college degree can be one of the most expensive purchases in a person’s lifetime. In fact, many hard-working professionals continue to pay for their college education l

Credit Counseling: When you Need it and When you Don't

So you are up to your eyeballs. Drowning in debt, expenses, and struggling to keep your head above water. You have been reduced to the life of a monk and are still making no headwa

A decent standard of living

A certain level of comfort above the minimum for survival has always been considered necessary for a "decent" standard of living. Just how much is a social construction.

Certainties: Death, Taxes, And Change

What's certain about life: death, taxes, and changes in tax laws. So my best tax advice is "keep up with tax laws." Coasting along with financial vehicles and investm

Debt Discovery: The Ties That Binder

It's amazing how many of us are business people -- dealing with budgets, liabilities, profit, revenue and loss -- who make questionable decisions with our own finances. What

Plumas County: Hidden (Cheaper) California

Are you stuck on the coast paying a big mortgage on a tiny property? Do your kids spend more time with their daycare provider than with you? Do you worry that they've never see

Five Reasons Why I Love Public Transportation

When I lived in Berkeley I loved taking public transportation, and since I was such a bus aficionado I did not learn to drive until I was 20. Right now I live in San Mateo where t

5 Sleek Marketing Ploys Aimed at Getting More of Your Grocery Money

The cost of food isn’t going down, and for some, it is making the task of feeding a family more painful than ever. It doesn’t help that ad agencies and PR compani

Finding Money: 11 Ways to Save Money you are Spending Without Sacrificing Anything

There are a number of ways to find money by rearranging your finances, stretching your shopping dollar, and spending wisely. Here is a collection of 11 Tips to help you find some m

Non-financial investments

Talk about investments and most people think stocks, bonds, and mutual funds, plus maybe real estate and commodities like precious metals. Let's call those "financial inve

Making Do With Help From Mom And Dad

Ever wonder how the person with about the same salary as you lives in a fully furnished apartment, enjoys Caribbean vacations, and is setting aside money for retirement while yo

Tips for Increasing Your Financial Literacy

A recent CNN article titled "Americans are 'financially illiterate'"

Why You Don’t Need Mortgage Life Insurance

When you sign for your mortgage, you are offered mortgage life insurance as part of the deal, with liability forms to sign if you decline it. Which is better - mortgage life insura

Join America Saves Week February 24 to March 2nd

This week is officially America Saves Week 2008. This is a campaign started in 2007 by many government agencies and private entities to encourage Americans to save because the per

When Should You Say No to Those Who Want to Borrow Money from You?

I think most of us have been asked to lend money to someone we know. No matter how close you are with the potential borrower, there are certain situations when you just have to sa