Of all the things we can do with money, giving it away seems completely, utterly irrational, doesn’t it? After all, we work hard for what we earn. And after paying all the bills and putting a little aside for the future, there just isn’t anything left to give, right? Well, it turns out that generosity […]
Author Archive | Matt Bell
Profitable Ideas: The Tipping Point, Best Password Protections, and More
Weekly list of curated personal finance articles from around the web. How much should you tip? 5 people share their habits (Time). Tipping has gotten complicated—what to do with the dreaded tip screen. Here’s how to cut your cable and cell phone bills (Fast Company). Make sure you’re talking with the right person, and other […]
You’ll Never Know What You Can Get Unless You Ask
I am constantly amazed at what you can get just by asking. I’ve written before about an experience we had with our van. It needed a costly repair that seemed to be due to a manufacturing defect. Just by asking, I got not just the amount of the repair reimbursed; I got more than the […]
Profitable Ideas: Acceptable Lifestyle Creep, The Case for College, and More
Weekly list of curated personal finance articles from around the web. Acceptable types of lifestyle creep (Mr. Stingy). Regular readers know I don’t love the word “frugal.” As long as you’re living generously and saving/investing adequately, there’s nothing inherently wrong with doing some trading up. Choosing simplicity in a world obsessed with more (Becoming Minimalist). […]
‘We Actually CAN Afford It!’
Sheila has long been an expert at living beneath her means. Even when she was making a relatively low salary and living in an expensive city, she never worried about not having enough. She always had money in the bank. Because she grew up as one of five kids with a stay-at-home mom and schoolteacher […]
Profitable Ideas: Money-Saving Habits, Overcoming Your Fear of Investing, and More
Weekly list of curated personal finance articles from around the web. 10 little shopping habits to help you save money (No Sidebar). I especially like the sixth suggestion. Why you’re scared of investing (and how to overcome it) (Darius Foroux). To be sure, investing can bring fear. Here are some steps to help keep it […]
How Healthy Is Your Financial Environment?
We may have gotten past the global Covid-19 pandemic, but there’s another pandemic that’s been going on a lot longer — a global pandemic of obesity. In the U.S., more than 42% of adults area classified as obese. What’s to blame? In part, it’s our “food environment,” according to Andy Bellatti, cofounder of Dieticians for […]
Profitable Ideas: Money Regrets, The Comparison Game, and More
Weekly list of curated personal finance articles from around the web. 80% of Americans say they have financial regrets—here are the most common ones (Money). Learning from other people’s mistakes can yield priceless lessons. Teen’s financial literacy bus teaches kids about money (Good Morning America). Very cool that he’s not just putting the lessons to […]
Money & Marriage: Knowing Where You’re Going
How in-synch are you and your spouse when it comes to money? On a scale of 1-10, with 1 meaning you’re living on separate financial planets and 10 meaning you complete each other’s financial sentences, where on the scale would you put your marriage? Now do quick reality-check by asking your spouse the same question. […]
Profitable Ideas: Fight Fair About Money, Social Media and the End of Childhood, and More
Weekly list of curated personal finance articles from around the web. Does your child need to file a tax return this year? (Kiplinger). The rules are somewhat complicated (big surprise there, right?). Another reason to file is if they had earned income and contributed to an IRA (preferably a Roth IRA!). A helpful guide to […]