emergency funds

At least once  a year, if not more, you visit the dentist and doctor to make sure everything’s working properly – why not give your finances the same opportunity? As we approach the busy holiday season, it’s easy to let attention slip from personal finance. If you find yourself barreling toward the end of 2009 [...]

There are less than two months until Christmas — do you have a plan for holiday spending yet? Some people have already finished their holiday shopping. Others have been diligently saving all year long. Still others might be dreading the upcoming holiday season because of the cash outlay it usually involves. If you fall into [...]

It’s Open Enrollment time at most employers, the time when you get to choose your benefits coverage for next year. You will review your chosen options, and make changes to them as needed. It’s important to be familiar with last year’s benefits. You may get a summary, but can use your paystub to see what [...]

One of the great gifts associated with the 2008-2009 events was an opportunity to get some free credits in the school of life. School tuition can be expensive so I am always thankful when life decides to offer me some valuable lesson for free. Personally, I loved the fact that I got to experience the [...]

The follow article (Q&A) was provided to me by State Farm. After a careful review, I felt the information was useful and neutral enough to share. Regardless of what insurance company you decide to use, these tips should be equally applicable. Here’s the article:
Based on some research we did at State Farm, we realized that [...]

Impulse buying can be the end to all financial plans. Accounts are most likely overdrawn by the end of the month or purchase decisions are regretted. This is the reason for a sinking fund for all planned or major purchases. Sinking funds are simply savings put in one particular place for a specific thing. For [...]

One of the quickest ways to improve your finances is to reduce your expenses and find more ways to save money. This article is a compilation of various money saving articles that have been published over the years. A few tips are also highlighted from each article. Make sure you follow these links to see [...]

Dave Ramsey’s Baby Steps is a financial plan designed to help you get your finances in order, get out of debt, and achieve financial freedom. Dave Ramsey has taught these Baby Steps to millions via radio, The Total Money Makeover, Financial Peace University, and on DaveRamsey.com. In this article, I’d like to walk you through [...]

I wrote about Dave Ramsey’s Baby Step 6: Pay Off Home Early about a year ago, and I’d like to revisit the question of “Should you pay off your mortgage early?” in light of today’s economic crisis.
In the Dave Ramsey article, I examined both the advantages and disadvantages of paying off your home loan early, [...]

Looks like another another miscue in the Carnival Land.  Sorry the carnival didn’t go out as planned this morning at the host site, so here’s an emergency edition of the Money Hacks Carnival #39.  Before I begin, just want to say thank you to everyone for your participation.

Photo by Meagen via Flickr
Credit and Debt

Five Ways [...]