“You must follow the simple instructions exactly, and in less than three months, you will receive $800,000. GUARANTEED,” promise the two identical, unsigned letters I received in the past month. That statement alone should make anyone skeptical – not only the promise of a return far beyond what even Warren Buffet can generate, but also [...]
At some point, we’ve all done it: during the middle of a move or the week of finals. Somehow, everything gets shuffled. Some of us make it a way of life. But something not very many people consider is how fiscally irresponsible it is to live surrounded by clutter. The obvious sums spent when living [...]
What is jargon? It is a social term technically defined as the lexicon (set of words) used in an esoteric (specialized) field. It is what we’re talking about when we say “I don’t get all that medical mumbo-jumbo” or “The mechanic said something about the air injection and radio compressor having electrical issues.” For those [...]
We all have those little pet peeves about people and money. These are some of the things that put the flame to the fire when I see them happen: Left receipts at the grocery store. This is a blatant indication that someone could easily be overcharged, that they don’t care where their pennies go, and [...]
Romantics will tell you that fresh flowers are perfect objects of condolence because they symbolize the beauty and brevity of life; allergics will tell you that they would prefer their sniffles and tears at a funeral to be from grief. Whichever position you hold, I hope you’ll agree with me that fresh flowers can cost [...]
I’m cheap and proud of it, even when my friends tease me about it. Though, there are some things that even I have learned are not worth scrimping on. Here are four of them: Therapy: I have several friends who know they need therapy and even say the want it, but they claim they can’t [...]
“You’re causing me social stress!” was a common complaint of my college roommate, who liked solitude. I, on the other hand, loved the social life of the dorms and the wide activities college offered. I knew what she meant by “social stress,” though, and I still occasionally experience it today, often due to what I [...]
As a former insurance salesperson, I have attended countless classes on the subject of how to motivate clients to buy life and disability insurance. However, I remain sympathetic to the fact that many of you refuse to buy this coverage for several heartfelt reasons. (Warning: Overly dramatic scare tactic ahead!) Unfortunately, once you are dead [...]
The burning question I have is why do so many women neglect their financial lives? Is it fear? Is it lack of interest? Do you assume that someone else will handle this? If so, why do you believe that your financial life is someone else’s responsibility? I believe that one of the reasons more of [...]
One definition of frugality is making the best use of the resources available. I have an abundance of junk mail, so I thought, How can I make junk mail useful? Here are some ideas from my brainstorming session: 1. Sign up for opt-out lists. (warning: if you do this, then you can’t do any of [...]
