Many Americans are doubtful of ever getting their Social Security benefits. They have good reason to be worried. The system is already running a deficit and is on schedule to be depleted in 2034. We ...

Flexible spending accounts give you a tax break in the short term but come with some drawbacks, including the fact that they reduce your social security benefits. We ran the numbers and went in depth ...

The myth is true - the more wealth a person has the easier it is for them to get even more. This post breaks down the reasons why and shows you how to get a ...

The other day a light bulb in my office burned out. Even though LEDs bulbs were more expensive up front I analyzed the available options and ended up saving $192.06 over 5 years!

One on the neatest things you can do for yourself financially is to give yourself a raise courtesy of the IRS. Contributing to a tax deferred retirement account is a special form of saving money ...

A friendly voice offers to sell you an investment that will make you rich, smart and good looking. It doesn’t matter what it is - an annuity, a mutual fund, a stock, some sort of ...

Rents always seem to be going up. Why can’t rents stay the same? This painful phenomenon has a name - the rent spiral. If you are renting you are riding it. Let’s explore the reasons ...

This post explains the investment categories that are commonly found in funds and prospectuses. These asset classes come with complex risk/benefit calculations and can be used to tailor a portfolio to the nth degree.

Ever wonder where all the money goes, live paycheck to paycheck or find yourself running low on cash? Here are some ideas for getting your finances where you want them.

Thinking of moving someplace far away? Here are the differences between rural and urban living in terms of budget, housing, net worth and lifestyle.

Let’s test the theory that waiting for a recession is the best time to pay for that $60k kitchen remodel. Sure the price will be cheaper but what about losing out on gains that come ...

It seems like good financial sense to put at least 20% down when you buy a house… right? That is what many banks require to get a loan. But is that a good thing for ...

When it comes to money, if it seems unusual or too good to be true, it means you are being targeted by a scammer. This post explains a few scams relying on financial ignorance that ...

Net worth isn’t just for rich people to “keep score” in an endless game of getting more. It is a key indicator of everyone’s financial health. Income, job title, and especially what car a person ...

Knowing your asset allocation is essential to being a successful investor. It tells what percentage of your overall portfolio is in stocks, bonds, and other investment vehicles like real estate, precious metals, etc.

Retiring at age 65 sounds nice—but doesn’t retirement at age 30 sound even better? That’s the idea behind FIRE, which stands for Financial Independence Retire Early. The concepts that go into it will help you ...

Net worth, the yard stick for comparing financial success is a loosely defined term (irritatingly so to our brains). See our diagram for the break down of "total" vs "investable" net worth. After you read ...

Identity thieves are out to steal your personal information so they can borrow in your name, access your benefits, or drain your accounts before you notice. There are a few simple steps you can take ...

Utility is the overall usefulness you get from something. Everyone instinctively makes decisions based on utility all the time, but do you consider it when you make a big purchase or setup a budget?

When I was in my early 20’s I was adverse to the idea of putting money into retirement accounts. I knew on a basic level that my money was “safe” at my credit union and ...

In terms of raw take home pay, hourly can be much better compared to a salaried job with long hours. Salaried people should know their equivalent hourly wage especially when working more than 40 hours ...

Net worth is a way of measuring your progress towards financial goals. It is calculated by adding up the net market value of your assets and subtracting all your debts. If you want to build ...

TD Ameritrade has decided to change out its entire commission free ETF lineup. They are dropping almost all the Vanguard and iShares ETFs. The list used to have 100 commission free ETFs and now it ...

If a thief gets into your checking account, they can drain your checking account plus your savings account if overdraft is turned on. Overdraft may not be worth the risk if you have even a ...

The best day in my financial life was the day I started automating my retirement contributions. I recall a lot of stress in past years centered around market conditions, getting the ‘best deal’, and second ...

Have you ever noticed that prices are slowly rising all the time? That effect is called inflation. We’ll discuss where it comes from and how to make it work in your favor, or at least ...