Articles on Personal Finance

20 Tips for Getting Your Security Deposit Back

Here are the tips I've garnered for how to rent well and get your money back.

Intimidated by Retirement Investing? Get Professional Help!

It might seem like something of a no-brainer to ask for professional investment advice, particularly about retirement. That said, there's still an astonishing number of people I know who don't. [more]

Link Me, Baby! Sending Out Thankful Vibes

Wise Bread is always grateful for the links we get from friends and even rivals. [more]

Money Metaphors (You wouldn't punch a kitten, would you?)

Equating my money, emotionally, with something that I find dear and worthy of protection, may force me to treat my money with the respect it deserves.

Ask the Readers

Usually, I have a lot to write about. But today? Today there's only one thing I can write about, because this thing is driving me crazy. [more]

20 amazing, outrageous and just plain weird tax deductions

Well, it's that time again. The tax deadline is just around the corner. If you still haven't done your return, take a look at the top 20 funky, strange and outrageous deductions

Why you can't trust a real estate agent.

Surely a real estate agent would want to get you the very best price for your home. After all, they earn commission. The more they sell it for, the more they make, right? [more]

Can't Afford to Pay the IRS?

Even though I have a couple of extra days to file my tax returns this year, I won't be able to come up with enough to pay the IRS what I owe. The age old question about paying now or later came to a head for me this year, when I chose the "pay late [more]

Tiny Nestegg? Retire abroad!

Can't afford to live on your pension or Social Security in the U.S.? Why not find a cheaper place to live? No, not Canada - the other communist mecca... that's right, China! Ha ha! I know I'll get all kinds of flack for that one. [more]

Being asthmatic just got more expensive

Feeling wheezy? Asthma attack coming on? Reaching for that inhaler? Let's stop and think about the CPP (cost per puff). Oh, it may not seem like much now, but that will all change soon. [more]

Europe has the Euro. Are you ready for The Amero?

Hold onto your hats. (Or should that be dollars?) The Amero is coming. I’ve heard a lot of talk over the last few years about a new currency called the Amero that will replace dollars and pesos. [more]

Some of the Best Personal Finance Videos I've Found

While I can't post the actual videos because of copywrite issues, CNNs free money videos are positively inspiring. That is, they inspire to to understand more about money, how to save it, and how not to lose it. [more]

Is This Job Worth It?

This post technically isn't about me. It's about a friend, a lousy job situation, and soliciting feedback from our readers for a friend of mine. Tiffany is an engineer who works for a small start-up. [more]

Fight Your Speeding Ticket, Save Yourself Some Dough

I've never fought a speeding ticket before. I usually just pay it and forget it. By "usually", I mean, for the two tickets I got before when I was 16 and 19 years old. My recent ticket was an anomaly for a couple of reasons. [more]

How to live on $12,000 a year

In my first job out of college, I was on 12,000 English pounds per year. That was back in London in 1996, i was single, lived with two friends and only had rent and travel to pay for. And I still remember how tough that was. [more]

Who's Linking to Wise Bread?

Wise Bread relies on links to help us gain readership and reach a broader audience of friends and contributors. We really appreciate how our readers and fellow bloggers promote and sustain us, so we'd just like to take a minute to say, "Yay! [more]

Drive across America for FREE.

  How would you like to see everything that America has to offer, with all your friends, and not pay one cent for it? Well, it's not as far-fetched as you may think. [more]

Ring. Ring. Ka-ching! Lying About Your Telephone Tax

I haven't had a landline in years. I'm dead serious. Years. So, I was bummed to hear that this year, the "sorry you were cheated initially when we taxed you too much" refund that we get back is for long distance telephone service. [more]

How to Avoid Foreclosure

What would you do if you were about to lose your home? What would you be willing to do to keep it? Is it even possible to keep it once you've missed a few payments? [more]