Paying bills by mailing out checks was common when I was growing up (1970s and 1980s), but no longer. Now, most companies have the option to accept payment by credit card or ACH debit (and if they don’t, you wonder what’s wrong with them). Not only that, but you can make arrangements with the companies … Read more
It’s not too often that I read an article and nod my head up and down throughout the whole thing because it makes that much sense. Wise Bread writer Craig Ford has six tips for organizing finances that are completely spot-on: Reduce your total number of financial accounts. Just a few days ago my wife … Read more
Although it’s not quite dinner conversation yet, talking about family finances with other people is getting to be less taboo. This is a good thing, because the forces at work that aim to part us from our money are more devious, stronger, and more numerous than they were fifty years ago. A big part of … Read more
MSN MoneyCentral has produced a list of ten things that people waste money on every day. I agree that, most of the time, the items on this list are money-wasters. There are always exceptions though. Here are my comments on the list: Lottery tickets. The odds of winning the big prize are astronomical. What’s more, … Read more
I have no doubt that my daughter understands negotiation. I don’t have to go any farther than the dinner table. JP (my daughter): “Daddy, can I be excused?” Me: “You need to finish your dinner first.” Three minutes later, pointing to her plate: JP: “How’s this, Daddy?” Me: “You’re not done yet.” Two minutes later, … Read more
Valentine’s Day is one of those holidays that brings out the procrastinator in guys. And boy — any place that sells flowers knows this. The prices double at our local grocery store for flowers on Valentine’s Day. But I’ll admit I don’t get soaked for flowers on Valentine’s Day for a couple of reasons, and … Read more
As much as I follow football, I thought the Pittsbay Stackers and the Greenburgh Peelers were playing. (But seriously, congratulations to the Packers. Something needed to knock my rabid Steelers fan colleagues down a few notches.) I caught this tweet from @blondeonabudget regarding the outcome of Super Bowl XLV: “My only regret was that I … Read more
A couple of weeks ago I had the pleasure of being interviewed by Chris Gaddis, host of the finance talk show “Money Train” on WIOX 91.3 FM in upstate New York. We discussed how this blog got started in 2005 — man, it’s been a while! — as well as the following posts: Time to … Read more