With the death of defined pension plans, 401(k) retirement plans have become a staple for many employees, but the recent financial turmoil has put these once infallible savings vehicles under the microscope. There have been numerous news articles detailing the stunning losses of the stock market since October of last year. Such stories usually offer [...]

Children don’t usually learn money management skills in schools, but don’t think that means they don’t learn about money. Children are like sponges. They soak up everything they can at an early age, and learn much more than we’d like from example. This is why positive role modeling is so important. It’s also why you’re [...]

Christmas is a wonderful time of year, but it can be stressful as well. Sometimes, people have expectations so high that they could never be met. Other times, it’s the little things that can pile up and just wear a person down. Here are some of those little things you probably want to avoid [...]

Conventional wisdom has long held that the best deals come close to the holidays. Another bit of conventional wisdom is that the best time to buy is when the economy is in recession and retailers need the money. These age old rules of shopping may not be as rigid as they once were. They still [...]

This year marked the 5 year anniversary of my Grandfather’s passing. When he died, it was like losing my father. In fact, he was the only father figure in my life for my first 8 years until my mother remarried. So it’s no surprise his death affected me as deeply as it did.
This past [...]

I’m sure you’ve heard that if you want to be successful in getting or staying out of debt, you should craft a budget and stick to it. Does this really work? I suppose for some people it does, but it’s really never worked for me. That is until I stopped caring so much.
The problem for [...]

AC/DC released their first album in 8 years on October 20th, 2008 and within a week, Black Ice hit number one on the Billboard Hard Rock chart. They have sold over 200 million albums worldwide. They were ranked number 4 in the “100 Greatest Artists of Hard Rock” list from VH1 and 7th on MTV’s [...]

I know a lot of people who were asking if it’s possible to live on a single income before the proverbial excrement hit the rotary device, economically speaking. I imagine there are a great many people who are worried about losing their job and are now asking themselves if their household can live on one [...]

Consider that, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, in the 20 years from 1985 to 2005 energy costs have risen 108%, Medical costs 251%, and college costs increased 439% — but a college degree is worth it, right?
Not necessarily. While having a college degree does open doors, and increase the odds of earning a [...]

It seems like every personal finance magazine I read reinforces the idea that our children are entitled to a college education. Beyond that – it’s the parent’s sole financial responsibility to provide a college education free and clear for their children. Don’t get me wrong, every parent would like their child to have a college [...]