Having a Baby? Get Ready to Spend Money on Insurance!
February 15, 2007
There are many different life events that require you to spend more money. I was reminded today of one big expense that often comes with change, buying more insurance. Baby Bills Having a baby adds all kinds of expenses you never dreamed of before becoming “responsible”. One of these is the need for more insurance. […]
Money & Love – A “Heated†Debate Over Energy Costs
February 15, 2007
I love my wife. My wife loves to be warm. I hate to pay the heating bill. Read on for the gory details. Welcome to the first article in the new Money & Love series at Money Smart Life. This series was inspired by the following statistics from a recent survey, brought to my attention […]
National Debt – One Issue, Two Perspectives
February 14, 2007
How can we expect the government to be financially responsible if we can’t even stay out of debt ourselves? That’s the question I asked yesterday in a guest post over at Blogging Away Debt. A interesting comment on the article from Kevin Morris discusses how government debt is okay as long as tax revenue continues […]
Vanguard News Feeds & Podcasts – Taxes, Investing, IRAs, Economic News, & More
February 13, 2007
I subscribed to Vanguard’s news feeds and podcasts a few months ago and have gotten some useful information out of them. Below are some of the recent ones I’ve enjoyed: -Podcast: What you need to know about international investing –The global economic outlook for 2007 –Stay tuned: Wise investing means ignoring the “noise” -Podcast: Which […]
How to Save Money and Save Your Spouse from Embarrassment
February 12, 2007
Do you buy in bulk to save money? We’re not members of Costco or Sam’s Club where it’s assumed you’ll buy in bulk but that doesn’t stop me from loading up when an item is on sale. Deal of the Month Last weekend I found a deal I couldn’t resist at the grocery store, 75 […]
Taxes On My Mind
February 11, 2007
As tax season approaches and we can feel the breath of the IRS breathing down our neck the Carnival of Taxes seems more and more relevant. The latest edition lets us know why our Adjusted Gross Income is the most important number on our tax return, includes reviews of tax preparation software and a little […]
Why We Should Save As Much Money As We Can
February 11, 2007
How could you possibly save too much money? There’s been a good deal of discussion in the last few weeks about whether we’re saving too much money. My take is that you can never save enough and I’ll tell you why. The Unknown Future Life is an unpredictable journey. We never know what life will […]
Reader Questions – Taxes, 401k, and Saving Money
February 10, 2007
I like to keep track of the questions that readers are asking when they visit Money Smart Life. The most popular questions from search engines for the last few weeks have been about taxes, 401k, and saving money. Here they are with my answers. Taxes Is it too late to reduce 2006 taxes? You’ve missed […]
Unrealized Capital Gains – An Overlooked Cost of Mutual Funds
February 9, 2007
I received my 1099-DIV today from Oakmark Funds and was unpleasantly surprised when I saw $1,013 of total capital gain distributions. I always look at management fees when considering a fund but haven’t really examined tax implications, probably because most of our investments are in 401k, 403b, or IRAs. I’ll have to start paying more […]
How to Save Money on Diamond Engagement Rings & Keep Your Fiance Happy
February 8, 2007
One thing I’ve observed from watching women oogle over each others engagement rings is that for many ladies size does matter. Unfortunately for us guys, the cost of the ring grows exponentially along with the size. This article talks about the premium we often pay based on which store we purchase jewelry from. The specific […]
