Archive for the ‘Finances’ Category

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Blog Feature: Brave New Life


02 Feb

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Posted in blogging, Finances, Writing | Comments Off

Brave New Life was one of the first financial blogs I started reading. He’s on a pretty intense journey to early retirement in order to have more time to spend with his wife and kids. They’ve downsized their home and their lives in order to make this happen. But he’s also started looking for ways to earn money without going to work.

One of those is investing. I’m trying to learn about investing myself, so I’m a huge fan of his Investing Q&A post where he answers questions from his readers about investing. Maybe I should have sent one in.

Your Money Friday: What Can’t Your Money Do For You


01 Feb

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Posted in Budgeting, Debt Reduction, Finances, Marriage, Relationships | Comments Off

Let’s talk about what online money message boards can do for you and what they cannot.

Your Money is really great at helping you figure out a budget or understanding the differences between a traditional IRA and a Roth. As a group, we have a lot of random knowledge.

What we cannot help with is legal situations. Yes, some posters are lawyers, but state laws vary and every case is different. We can give you emotional support during a divorce, and ideas you can follow up on with your lawyer, but we can never be a substitute for that lawyer.

Your Money Friday: No Kids = More Money?


25 Jan

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Posted in Finances | Comments Off

The question this week is why is it assumed that people without kids have more disposable income than people with kids? Everyone knows that kids cost money. No one is arguing that. What is being argued is that people with no kids have bills, too, and you really have no way of knowing what their disposable income is. I agree.

The problem comes down to my soap box issue- we do not talk about money with the real people in our lives. People make assumptions about how much money others make because they don’t know, because no one tells them.

Blog Feature: Careful Cents & The Debt Movement


19 Jan

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Posted in blogging, Debt Reduction, Finances, Writing | Comments Off

I’m about three weeks late to this, but better late than never, right? I’m featuring Careful Cents and The Debt Movement. Carrie at Careful Cents is a great storyteller, and her blog is full of useful information. In What’s Your Debt Story, she gives a quick overview of her own story and information you need to join The Debt Movement.

What is The Debt Movement? It’s a project with the purpose of paying off 10 million in debt over 90 days. It’s ambitious, but paying off all your debt is ambitious, and it’s easier when you’re in it with others.

Your Money Friday: Mortgage Talk


18 Jan

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Posted in Finances, Home Ownership | Comments Off

Talk this week at Your Money about mortgages and putting stricter limits on who can qualify for one and whether or not the standard should remain a 20% down payment. I agree that the housing market became a mess. But I don’t know when we decided that it was the fault of the homeowners instead of the predatory lenders.

I should admit, we bought our first two homes with 0 and 2.5% down respectively. We’ve never been behind on our payments, and we certainly don’t treat our property as if it were disposable. And I don’t think we’re the exception.

Your Money Friday: Parents, Adult Children, and Money


11 Jan

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Posted in Finances, Relationships | Comments Off

Today we look at the question of how parents help their children financially, both as adult children, how have our parents helped us, and as parents of adult children, how are we helping our kids.

Every family is different. Some parents pay for school; some help you pack your bags. Some parents gift down payments on first houses. Others make you get a job and pay rent at 16.

As parents, we want to be able to do more for our kids than our parents did for us (or at least as much), even if it is not always possible.

Blog Feature: Add Vodka


05 Jan

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Posted in blogging, Finances, Writing | Comments Off

You know the old saying- When life gives you lemons…Add Vodka. I absolutely love the title of this blog, and it really is a reason in and of itself to read, but it’s not the only reason. Daisy has a great sense of humor and just a fun take on life and finances. But she also loves having a plan, and today lays out 2013: The Plan. She had an amazing 2012, and if she can stick with this plan, I think 2013 might be even better. Her plans are ambitious, but all the good ones are. Best of luck!

Your Money Friday: FMLA


04 Jan

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Posted in Finances, Healthcare, Work | Comments Off

The Family Medical Leave Act (FMLA) passed by the government many years ago is still confusing workers on a daily basis. This legislation protects a person’s job for up to 12 weeks out of a rolling calendar year if they have to be out for their own or an immediate family member’s medical care. But the exact nuances of the legislation can be confusing. If you need to go out on medical leave and are applying for FMLA protection, make sure you sit down with and FMLA expert at your company and ask questions. It is for your own protection.

Your Money Friday: Are You Financially OK?


21 Dec

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The question today is At What Point Do You Feel You are OK Financially? As outsiders, we look at some people and think they really have it together or OMG how do they live like that, and yet, that person can feel the exact opposite about their money situation.

As people who hang out on money message boards, there’s a definite bias, but it’s something people have to figure out for themselves. I am never going to have 6-9 months of living expenses in liquid savings, so I have to ignore that criteria, though some see it as a requirement.

Blog Feature: Frugal Rules


15 Dec

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Posted in blogging, Finances, Writing | Comments Off

I’m bad about sharing the blogs I read and follow on social media. Yes, I’m on twitter, but I almost never retweet. I only share 4 blog posts per genre a week (and not always every week). There are people who do so much more. But I do have this blog feature, and today  I want to use it to feature Frugal Rules. John retweets every post I make at Dog Ate My Wallet. He is a fairly new blogger, but he’s written some great posts. This week, you might want to check out his thoughts on frugal holiday tipping.

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