Picture yourself at 65: (Whoops, I might have overdone the aging a bit.) Are you taking road trips to visit friends and family, volunteering at your church’s VBS, and working P/T because you want to? Or are you still working 40-60 hours a week because you have to? The path to the former is clear: […]
5 Things I’ve Done in the Past 60 Days to Save Hundreds of Dollars
I’ve told you before about how service providers will often punish your loyalty. They’ll push prices up and see who bolts or complains. If you do neither, they figure you are happy. It’s a form of price discrimination – the practice of selling the same product at different prices to different buyers, in order to maximize […]
Hey Gen Z, You Want Guap at 80? Put Aside the Bread Now
There are perks to being a personal finance blogger. I get positive feedback from readers. I was invited to help ring the NYSE bell on Wall Street. And you get sent free things to review occasionally. That’s where Wealth by Virtue by Chad Gordon came from – it showed up on my doorstep one day. Because I […]
Credit Card Benefits, a Car Insurance Hiccup, and Another Bike Rack Disaster
In this life, you rarely get something for nothing. Here’s the list in ranked order: God’s grace Credit card benefits On a recent road trip to Ohio, my buddy Oscar was telling me how he financed most of his family’s flights to Cayman Islands using card mileage. Nice! Related: Read about how Oscar saves big bucks on […]
Spending $42.69 a Month for Cell Service for a Family of Four – Including Two Teens!
Did you see the NYT article (apologies if you’re at your paywall limit) about the true cost of upgrading to the hot new phone? Buying a fancy $1,000 iPhone is the equivalent of giving up $17,000 in retirement savings, they say, because an investment of $1,000 in a retirement account today should balloon to about […]
My Son Saved $1,712 on Insurance When He Took His Car to College
Nora suggested we inform GEICO that Grey took his car to Kent State to see if they’d lower his ridiculous premium. There is no ‘see,’ I said – once the cat was out of the bag, he’d have to live with the new policy wherever it went, up or down. But I couldn’t imagine it […]
Storm Dropped Neighbor’s Tree on Our House, But We Didn’t Take a Bath
Last month, a wild thunderstorm swept into the neighborhood. It delivered fierce, howling winds, which caused me to run to the front door to see if the badminton net would survive. Miraculously, it did, but not the neighbor’s 60′ pine. That came crashing through our back patio and onto the roof. It snapped off – […]
Real Estate Thoughts: A Refinancing Decision & Home as Nest Egg
Mortgage rates are in the cellar so refinancings are popular now. What about us? Should we refinance? We bought our Baltimore townhouse for $168,500 in 2001 with a 30-year mortgage and 6.625% fixed interest rate. Then we refinanced $159,600 in 2003 with a 30-year mortgage and 5.750% fixed rate. The house was appraised at $199,500. […]
My Son Made a College Decision! Here Are 6 Things I’ve Learned
I wrote two years ago about the 8 things I learned when helping my daughter find a college. Today, I’m a bit wiser in the craft of college selection, but this kiddo is different from his sister. And the pandemic has changed some things (some permanently), so there was still some learning to do. 1. Every 18-Year-Old […]
Money Benefits of Turning 50, Vaccine Hunting & Summer Jobs for Teens
I turn 50 this year (!) and with aging comes certain benefits. In July, I’ll be eligible for AARP membership. You laugh, but Denny’s gives a 15% discount for AARP members. Check out this resource for dozens of businesses that give these types of discounts for 50-year-olds. Even more of a benefit to hitting a […]
- 1
- 2
- 3
- …
- 5
- Next Page »