Author Archive

A friend of mine is hit hard by the 40% plus drop in his 401k and the daily gyration haven’t made it any easier.  He was seriously considering cashing out of his 401k and stop contributing altogether.  After a long conversation with him, I was able to explain to him why this was a bad [...]

In face of the current economic crisis, both Obama and McCain are proposing changes to the IRA and 401k rules hoping that it will help restore economic stability.  Although we usually take these retirement plans as certain, we are reminded that rules governing IRA and 401k are malleable and not set in stone.
Obama’s Proposal Versus [...]

This guide is intended to provide readers with ideas, how-to’s, and resources on frugal living and expense reduction. It will explore aspects of frugality and provides practical ideas on how to save money and reduce your expenses. Spending less than you earn is the core component of good money management, and a vital part of [...]

Today is Blog Action Day and participating bloggers unite to discuss poverty. The goal is to raise awareness and initiate action

Poverty is not something that I think about everyday, and I am sure many of you don’t either.  I am not saying that it is good or bad — that’s just how it is.  There [...]

Until recently, Quicken Online costs $2.99 per month after a 60-day free trial period. Beginning October 13th, 2008 there is no longer a fee to use the Quicken Online program — yes, it’s free!  Since I like free stuff, I signed up yesterday to get some first hand experience.  In short, I like it.  It’s [...]

I am in the process of decluttering my house — space is a big issue here and I wish it’s easy to get a bigger house.  Anyway, I have some business and finance books that I’ve accumulated over the years, and I am giving them away for free in the spirit of 10 Day Give [...]

10 Day Give

10 Day Give is a project that anyone can join and all you have to do is give something everyday for 10 days.  This doesn’t mean you should stop when it’s over, but it’s a great way to train yourself to give everyday.  The project started this past Friday and I have been [...]

My 401k dropped over 30% so far this year. It’s heart wrenching to see several years of diligent savings wiped away. There are many bloggers that are in the same boat — e.g., Gather Little By Little, Paid Twice, My Two Dollars, Blueprint, Bible Money Matters, Financial Nut, etc.  And it doesn’t take [...]

With the economic crisis in full bloom, it’s increasingly difficult for small business owners to find capital needed to keep their business going. Cutting costs can only improve cash flow to an extent; eventually borrowing becomes inevitable without top line improvement. Unfortunately, traditional business lenders are tightening up their lending practices, making it very hard [...]

First, let me start off by saying that there are several advantages of investing in mutual funds and I do use mutual funds in my portfolios.  However, there are several disadvantages of investing in mutual funds that may not be obvious to new investors.  In this article, I’ll review some of the problems with mutual [...]