Your Financial Decisions – Tax Credit vs. Tax Deduction
December 14, 2006
Who likes paying taxes? Did you know that most people pay more in taxes than for all their other expenses combined? Tax credits and tax deductions are tools we can use to reduce this expense. Summary Credits are better than deductions. Comparing a $1,000 tax credit to a $1,000 tax deduction, assuming a person earns […]
The Little (Broke) Old Lady that Lived in a Shoe
December 13, 2006
My wife was watching an episode of “Sex in the City” last night where the main character, Carrie Bradshaw, needed to come up with thousands of dollars to buy an apartment. As she bemoaned her financial woes, her friend made a good point. If she hadn’t been buying $400 shoes she might have the money […]
A Simple Approach to Saving Money on Christmas Pictures for Baby
December 13, 2006
How much money does the average parent spend to feature their kids on their Christmas card every year? I don’t know the answer but I do know I want to be below the average. As my wife and I prepare our first Christmas card with our new little guy, we tried a simple approach that […]
How Persistence Will Make You Rich, Someday
December 12, 2006
“Patience and perseverance have a magical effect before which difficulties disappear and obstacles vanish.” – John Quincy Adams In an effort to tighten up our budget in December, I called Comcast yesterday determined to reduce our monthly cable and TV bills. After speaking with many different people, being transferred, and hung up on I finally […]
Your Money Or Your Life? Money Isn’t Everything!
December 11, 2006
This site is dedicated to helping us find a good balance between managing money and living our lives. To help us figure it out, I’ll highlight articles every week that portray the ongoing struggle between handling money and living the life we want. Hopefully we can learn from the wisdom or mistakes of others! One […]
The Dangers of Automated Online Bill Pay
December 10, 2006
My credit card bill was three weeks late! Due to an online bill pay snafu, I didn’t receive a bill and wasn’t aware of it until the following month’s bill! Cost of Convenience I’ve been a big fan of online bill pay over the last few years but it has it’s downsides as well. I […]
Patching the Crack in Our Monthly Budget
December 10, 2006
Two things cracked on the way home from the store last night, our windshield, and with it, our monthly budget. The Costly Crack I sighed after my wife pointed out the crack. “That’s going to cost a few hundred to fix, just don’t buy me anything for Christmas”, I said. “What?!”, she exclaimed. “I’ve already […]
What is Your 401k Provider Not Telling You?
December 9, 2006
The largest percentage of my family’s portfolio by far is in my 401k plan. So when I ran across “10 Things your 401k Provider Won’t Tell You” in this month’s edition of Smart Money magazine I took notice. Below are the things I took from the article and after each, questions we can ask our […]
SmartMoney Small Business Challenge
December 8, 2006
Smart Money magazine is accepting applications for their Smart Start Small Business Challenge now through January 31, 2007. What a better way to start off the new year than by winning a prize package “consisting of $5,000, a laptop computer and $200,000 worth of SmartMoney and SmartMoney.com advertising for your new business”! Resolving to Make […]
Batting 1000 in Personal Finance
December 8, 2006
One small step for me, one giant leap for personal finance! Okay, I won’t get ahead of myself. 1000 Served I passed my 1000th visit yesterday, whoopee! I know 1000 is not very many but everyone has to start somewhere. Getting started is the hardest part but also the most crucial to success 🙂 Providing […]
