Reverse Mortgage Disadvantages

Reverse mortgages were the topic of a post several weeks ago in which we promised to take a look at the downsides of seniors using a reverse mortgage in retirement. Here are some of the disadvantages of using a reverse mortgage to borrow against the equity in a home. Builds up Debt Traditional mortgages allow […]

PocketSmith User Review

PocketSmith is an online personal finance software tool that uses a calendar based approach to planning your finances.  One of the PocketSmith co-founders, Francois Bondiguel, asked me if I’d like to try out the software and write up a PocketSmith review.  Since I have too much on my plate already I declined. However, since I think […]

Thanksgiving – 24 Daily Thankful Moments

Thanksgiving seemed the perfect time for me to look at things that I complain about in my daily life and to instead look for reasons to be thankful for them. What I did was break down a day into 1 hour chunks, look at something I typically complain about in each of those time slots, […]

TradeKing New Account Overview

The Tradeking promotion that runs through the end of the month reminded me of a conversation I had with a co-worker last Spring about online brokerage accounts. She’s from a different generation and doesn’t feel comfortable opening a stock trading account on the Internet. Her son suggested she open her own account but she had […]

Black Friday & Christmas Shopping Tips

I was looking back through the posts on the site from last November and saw a bunch of posts on Christmas shopping, Black Friday, etc.  The shopping season is here again so here are some tips on budgeting, shopping, and holiday deals: Black Friday Deals or Cyber Monday Savings? Christmas Budgeting – Building A Christmas […]

Cleaning Out the Garage

Our garage hasn’t been this clean and organized since we moved into our house! Since we’re debating selling our house my wife is on a de-cluttering mission so we spent the whole weekend cleaning out our garage. Organization Saves Money One thing I was reminded of as we worked is how you can save money by […]

My Two Dollars

This week I recommend you check out My Two Dollars, written by David. Like many personal finance bloggers he doesn’t consider himself a financial expert, but rather blogs about his own experiences with money; such as being in-over-his head in debt, getting married and then changing career paths. I’m actually a little jealous of David […]

Real Estate Short Sales Explained

Real estate short sales have become more common in the tough housing market of the last few years. A short sale is an attempt to sell a home instead of the bank taking it back by foreclosure. This sale can partially salvage the homeowner’s credit rating and lift the stress of large mortgage payments. If […]

Five Tips on Buying Foreclosures

Buying a foreclosed home can be a great way to get a deal on real estate but it can be daunting if you’ve never done it before. Here are a few tips to consider when you’re thinking about buying a foreclosure. Know Thy Neighbor – Remember, when you buy a home, it’s like getting married. […]

House Hunting Tips for Busy Parents

After several nights of weighing the pros and cons of buying a house one thing we realized is that we simply didn’t have enough information to make a good decision. We haven’t been in the real estate market for years now so we don’t really know what our house will sell for or what we […]

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