Getting a bolstered emergency fund is a great idea now. (It usually is, but now especially.) One way to get to a decent cushion is to spend less so that the extra can go into savings. Many kinds of expenses can be cut, but the easiest ones to eliminate are ones that you probably won’t … Read more
Managing a checking account isn’t rocket science but it’s not basket weaving either. (No offense meant to basket-weavers. I tried to weave a basket in eighth grade art class and it ended up looking more like a Frisbee.) But managing a checking account boils down to one key skill: You have to know that the … Read more
Caught this in a tweet from Wise Bread: Latest bank fee is for paying off credit card on time every month The target of new fees for credit card issuers is people who haven’t paid them yet, among others. I mean, why should people who carry a balance, miss payments, or go over their limit … Read more
Sun’s Financial Diary reported that the 2010 contribution limit for 401(k) accounts will remain at $16,500. The announcement came from the IRS Thursday. There had been speculation that the contribution limit could be reduced in light of a decreasing CPI (and, indeed, the CPI is down from a year ago.) Sun ends the post with … Read more
At lunch yesterday I saw this: Now even God takes credit cards! The article lists a number of new (or relatively new) places that have come to accept plastic for payment, and number 2 on the list was churches. Some churches now have debit- and credit-card kiosks for charging a donation. (Closely related to this … Read more
No Credit Needed is taking his oldest daughter (ten years old) to open her first savings account. He and his family have been free of consumer debt for over three and a half years now and this is a milestone in how he’s educating his children in wise money management. Trips to the bank will … Read more
In my last post announcing an 80% Off Restaurant.com coupon, I decided to highlight some things to bear in mind before buying a dining certificate package. Jeff Conlin from Restaurant.com responded to that post in a message to me: Mighty Bargain Hunter, Thank you for your recent write-up about Restaurant.com. I appreciate your thorough thoughts … Read more
Computer problems can range from being almost unnoticeable, to mildly annoying, to frustrating, to downright costly if it’s a necessary component of your business. Regardless of whether your computer is top of the line or a few years old, it’s always more pleasant when things are working as they should. For a while, my computer … Read more