automatic payment

When someone is first enter the world of finances, they will need to learn some new basic finance skills.  Unfortunately, many teenagers and young adults get to college without having a clue about some basic personal finance tasks.  You might make a lot of bad money choices, but if you have some basic financial knowledge, [...]

While traditional brick and mortar banks can be very convenient, they can rarely compete with the high interest rates offered by online high yield savings accounts. Personally, I think these online high interest accounts are the best place to stash your emergency fund and save up money for your short-term goals, such as, saving money [...]

There’s no shame in admitting it: It’s possible to make it through college and into the real world without having the first idea about investing, money management, or anything that deals even remotely with finances. But thanks to the growing number of Web sites and online tools devoted to fiscal responsibility, it’s easier than ever [...]

A mutual fund represents money contributed by multiple investors.  That money is managed by an individual, or more likely, a whole slew of individuals.  Not surprisingly, those folks who help manage and oversee your money do not do it on a volunteer basis.  They get paid.  Do you want to guess who pays them?  You [...]

iPhones are often criticized as expensive and ostentatious. Why buy a smart phone when you can make calls from a $10 pay as you go phone? It may seem like a waste of money, but used properly an iPhone can be a powerful tool in your personal finance arsenal. Here is just a small sampling of [...]

If you pay estimated taxes, you may find yourself facing a tax debt when you come to fill in your tax return. As estimated tax payments are predominantly based on your income for the previous tax year, you can easily be crippled with a tax bill that is more than you anticipated if your income [...]

I’m still trying to figure out why people think I’m foolish for using a credit card instead of a debit card.  I’m a Dave Ramsey listener and fan so I’ve heard him rant and rave over the credit card — burn it, torch it, drown it, just be sure to kill it (if you’re not [...]

In the past few weeks, I’ve been reading some articles, along with their comments, about people cutting up their credit cards. There are multiple rationales behind this decision. One such rationale is that the credit card companies act immorally by preying on the “weak” who fall into the trap of credit. Another rationale is that [...]

I have heard it is said that people spend more with credit cards than with cash. I believe those statistics based on my personal experience. However, there is something to be said for the convenience of the credit card because there are advantages of credit cards over cash. One way to minimize the cost of [...]

Do you love to “stick it to the Man” as much as I do? Especially when “the Man” is your credit card company? Would you take fiendish delight in telling them to take a well-deserved “time out”? I love it. Maybe I shouldn’t take such pleasure in this…but I do. Recently, I had occasion to [...]