Posts Tagged ‘not msn money’

Your Money Friday: Gambling


12 Oct

What do you think of gambling? Is it sad? Are the people there just throwing away their money? Or is it a form of entertainment? Are casinos a waste of money or job creators- all the way from construction through the dealers and cocktail waitresses?

Having lived in NV for twelve years, I don’t gamble much. I know how addicting the slots and the poker machines can be. I’ve played them. But as long as it is a form of entertainment, I don’t see anything wrong with gambling. It can be a fun way to spend and evening with friends.

Your Money Friday: Company Charity Drives


05 Oct

It’s that time of year again, the time when charities really ramp up their efforts to get people to donate. For some people, it’s not enough just to know which charities they personally support and are willing to give money to- their companies also have charities they partner with. And those companies sometimes push donations, setting high company wide participation goals.

So how do you decide where you charitable dollars go? If you don’t donate to your company’s chosen charity, do you think it might hurt your chances of career advancement? Should companies ever even ask their employees to donate?

Your Money Friday: Help an Inventor Out


21 Sep

Everyone knows how much I love the new crowdfunding craze. In fact, I can’t wait until we actually get to really invest in some of these products and ideas instead of just donating for prizes. Because of that fascination, this week’s Your Money thread gives us a different look at the crowdfunding game, that of the inventor (vs the investor). The poster has an invention up on the indiegogo site and is trying to get funding, but so far, no one’s really bitten. By asking the message board their opinions, he is actually crowdsourcing his crowdfunding pitch. I love it.

Your Money Friday: Coming Home For College


14 Sep

With the college school year having just started or about to start, here’s you question of the week. Is it okay for a kid who went away to college to decide they want to come back home after only one semester or one year? Plenty of people return to their hometowns after college. Is 4 years “away” really that important? And if it is, what about those kids that don’t leave for college- the ones that stay local and do not move until after graduation, or the people who never live outside their hometowns? Do they never actually grow up?

Your Money Friday: Tranfer of Wealth Within Families


07 Sep

Here’s the dilemma- You’re doing pretty well for yourself and have some disposable income. Your parents, who sacrificed quite a bit when you were young, are still struggling, or at least living pretty close to the edge, or so it appears to you. So you, being a good kid, decide to use some of that disposable income to help out your parents- either through taking them out to nice dinners or paying a bill here and there. But then your parents turn around and financially help out a sibling whose not doing as well as you. What do you do?

Your Money Friday: Chores & Kids


31 Aug

Who does the chores at your house? This week the chore discussion didn’t focus on an equitable split between spouses but what kinds of chores we had to do as kids, and if we have kids now, what kinds of chores they have to do. At what age did we start making them do chores? How does that change as they get older? Is the goal for Mom and Dad to no longer have to do any work around the house? Or, for some people who did not give their kids chores at all, why did they make that decision?

Your Money Friday: If I Won the Lottery


17 Aug

The Washington State Lottery is currently running Department of Imagination adds with the tagline “What would you do if you won?” It works because everyone, even those of us who don’t play the lottery, likes to think about what we would do with such large sums of money.

There are smart things to do if you win the lottery- like don’t claim it until you’ve contacted a lawyer and a professional financial manager. Don’t tell the world, invest, don’t blow it all at once, etc.

But those things get in the way of our revenge fantasies and wild, wild dreams.

Your Money Friday: When Did You Get Serious About Money?


10 Aug

Have you always been at least a little smart about money, but not so much concerned with the future? Did you start saving for retirement in your late teens or early twenties, or were you only ten years away from retirement when you realized you had almost nothing set aside?

Today’s YM Thread asks: When did you get serious about money? Members share their personal stories. Don’t feel intimidated when you read about the members who “got it” when they were quite young. There are also plenty of us who took a little longer and even who are still struggling.

Your Money Friday: Who Pays for a Disbabled Child?


03 Aug

This is a tricky situation, one that is more complicated than any of us can really understand from news articles. This week on Your Money, we have been discussing how much a private organization (in this case, the Girl Scouts) should be required to pay to accommodate a disabled child and how much of that accommodation should be the responsibility of the parents of the disabled child.

If the parents are not wealthy, should their child not be allowed to participate in non-publically funded activities? Should families with healthy children be forced to help pay for disabled children to participate?

Your Money Friday: College Costs


27 Jul

Think college is expensive now? Imagine what it will be like in 18 years, if the current trends continue. An MSN article believes state colleges could cost upwards of $40,000/year.

Over an YM, some are hoping it’s a bubble that will burst before their kids reach college age. Others are burying their heads in the sand and hoping “something” happens that will help them help their children afford college without a lifetime of debt. There’s also the theory that the rising cost of college will force enough people off the college path that more non-degree career paths will open up.

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