How to make an accumulation a collection

FMF recently asked about collecting and it reminded me of an article I read in one my coin magazines. Like FMF and many of the other commenters on his post, I have some coins.  Having coins — even a lot of coins — doesn’t by itself make someone a coin collector, though. It’s relatively easy … Read more

Frugality trumps return on investment

I was chatting with one of the members of my credit union’s supervisory committee after our meeting today.  We had just talked with the CEO about the ongoing banking bailouts, buyouts, and other assorted taxpayer deficit bonanzas, and we all recounted stories of investments becoming worthless amidst company bankruptcy. Then my friend’s tone shifted, and … Read more

Five reasons to keep some cash

As part of our preparation for Tropical Storm Hanna we kept some cash on hand in our emergency kit.  Hanna turned out to be more beneficial for us for the rainfall but it could have been much worse. Stashing cash in the mattress as a primary means of saving for retirement is a poor idea … Read more

Any debt reduction method is good

Say you’re up to your eyeballs in consumer debt.  You realize this, and head to to your local library to check out the personal finance section, looking for a way out.  Upon reaching the personal finance section, you are faced not with a maze of twisty little passages, all alike, but with perhaps a dozen … Read more