Articles on Personal Finance

All about stagflation

Those of you who are old enough may have noticed some worrisome similarities between the economy of the 1970s and the economy today. If so, you're not alone--more than a few p

Six Horrible Financial Products You Should Avoid

Dealing with financial products can be very confusing and stressful, but there are some products that you should absolutely stay away from for the sake of your financial health. [more]

Bar Stool Economics

Enjoy this lighthearted anecdotal story illustrating the North American tax system.

What is keeping you from a life of financial independence?

My goal has always been to work for ten years and then have enough financial freedom to do whatever I want to do. Whenever I tell people this they seem to be rather incredulous an

Make Homemade Dog Food with your Slow-Cooker

Awhile back, I told you how we had gone the way of homemade dog food. It isn’t jus

Foreign exchange class action settlement

Did you travel overseas between 1996 and 2006? Or, did you charge anything on a credit or debit card in a foreign currency? If so, be sure to claim your share of a class action s

Spiritual Insights From A Rich Idiot

The last person I thought would impart valuable spiritual wisdom is self-proclaimed rich idiot and wealth guru Robert Shemin, author of “How Come That Idiot’s Rich and I’m Not?&quo

Ten Tenets for "Arranging Your Rich" - Part 1: Rich is Relative

There are some guiding principles to arranging your own wealth. Ten, in fact. Ten important "tenets" to keep you grounded and on track as you begin the "arranging your rich" proces

Do not buy something just because you can afford it

Since I got married people have been constantly asking me two questions. One is, "are you pregnant yet?", and the other is "are you going to buy a house?" One

Longtime Mac Users Punished for Loyalty

I've watched other Mac lovers fall away from the True Faith, one-by-one, but I never thought it would happen to me. However, yesterday when we brought home the newest addition

Manage your fixed expenses

When you think of people ruining their lives with foolish spending, it's easy to focus on the little things that add up--the meals out, the hefty bar tab, the daily Starbucks habit

What Can You Do With Unwanted Gift Cards?

In my house we try to spend gift cards as soon as possible because the longer they are held the less purchasing power they have. Sometimes there are just cards you are not interest

Business Succession Planning Part 3: Using Disability Insurance to Protect your Business Interest

So buy now you have a shareholder's agreement in place, and it has been funded properly with Life Insurance. But what happens if an owner becomes disabled? It could mean bad new

Bankruptcy is a good thing

I don't mean that declaring bankruptcy is a good thing--obviously that sucks for everyone involved. But a system of bankruptcy is a good thing. It's good for creditors an

Mommy, Where Do Stocks Come From?

"Mommy, where do stocks come from?" I guess you could say that a stock starts with an idea or a gleam in a business owner's eye...

Is Six Figures Really That Much?

Nowadays, six figures is still above average, but its buying power in terms of lifestyle may have eroded even more than the value of a dollar, as those of us within striking distan

Wisdom from My Favorite Frugal TV Character - Julius Rock

My favorite cheap TV character is Julius Rock from Everybody Hate Chris. Julius is a character based on Chris Rock's father and in almost every episode of the show his fruga

Making Your Own Luck is No "Secret"

It's a much older secret than "The Secret," and much truer: Most lucky people are good planners and good decision makers. To a non-planner, a broken-down car is lousy

Cheap and Romantic Ideas for Valentine's Day (And Any Other Day of the Year)

I have always loathed Valentine's day because everywhere I went I would see gaudy pink and red balloons and roses and men who are literally suckered into buying the useless thi

Are you an "Adult" Investor?

With the use of provocative phrases such as "hard sell," "sharp-rise," "capital injection," inflation," "surge" and "double-digit