If you have money in the stock market, you probably feel like you’ve been riding the wildest, scariest of roller coasters. Down 512 points. Down another 635. Up 430. Down 520. Up 423. Up 126. Where will it go next? When will this crazy ride end? When things seem out of control, I look for […]
Author Archive | Matt Bell
How Does Mint.com Keep User Information Safe? A Conversation With Mint’s Security Architect
If you’re thinking about using an online budget tool, you may be concerned about security. That’s because in order to do what they do best – automatically track your spending – you have to provide them with the passwords to your bank accounts, credit cards, and other accounts you want them to track. Recently I […]
Money Round-Up: Good Career Management E-Mail Practices, Keeping Your Kids Busy on the Cheap, and More
There are tons of great personal finance articles on the web. Every week, I wade through many of them in search of the best of the best. Here’s my latest highly subjective top 10 list, with 5 from traditional sites and 5 from blogs. Recall! E-Mail Habits That Could Cost You At Work (via MSNBC.com). […]
The 4-Hour Workweek: A Review
Tim Ferriss has become a sensation. His book, “The 4-Hour Workweek,” popularized the term “lifestyle design” and crowned him the leading practitioner. Apparently, he makes a great living working very few hours while traveling the world. What’s the secret to such a life? Can it be taught to the masses? And is it a life […]
Money Round-Up: Scoring the Lowest Prices, DIY Frappuccinos, and More
There are tons of great personal finance articles on the web. Here’s my highly subjective list of 10 of the best from recent weeks – 5 from traditional sites, 5 from blogs. How Die-Hard Couponers Do It (via CNNMoney). Feel like you’re missing out because you’ve read about the coupon pros who by $1,000 of […]
How a Budget Leads to Financial Freedom
People who’ve never used a budget – or cash flow plan, as I prefer – usually assume it’ll be restrictive. They think of a budget as something you go on like a diet. They see budgets as being about cutting back, tightening the belt, reining themselves in. For them, budgets are about less. But a […]
Recession Lessons: What Have You Learned?
Economists say the recession ended in June of 2009. But that doesn’t seem to be the word on the street. Many people I meet in workshops and through this blog are clearly still feeling the effects of the recession. A Shared Experience Some are still out of work. Some who are employed are fearful about […]
How to Get the Right Mortgage at the Right Price
A home is typically a person’s largest expense, which is why it’s so important to choose well when buying a house. And there’s a lot more to it than choosing what type of countertops to get. From a financial standpoint, it means buying a home you can truly afford and getting the right mortgage at […]
I Want The Red One
On a nice summer evening after dinner recently, our two-year-old was in our backyard working a blue Hula-Hoop with a level of skill far beyond her years. Her face was the very definition of joy. But then it all took a very sudden turn for the worse. Her five-year-old brother had gone into the garage […]
Investing While Keeping Uncle Sam Out of Your Pocket
In some recent posts on investing, I’ve covered the importance of getting in the game as soon as possible so you get the financial wind (compound interest) blowing in the right direction. And I’ve emphasized the importance of asset allocation, noting that one of the easiest ways to get the proper allocation is to invest […]