Author Archive | Randal Birkey

Whoever came up with the phrase, “Our home is our castle,” probably didn’t have the typical split-level in mind. However, even if our dwelling lacks a protective moat, there’s a lot we can do to make our homes more fortress-like, at least on paper. According to a story posted on _CNNMoney.com_ on 7/14, it’s a […]

Amid growing interest in removing the lowly penny from circulation, there’s a much bigger trend taking shape in the world of money—the move toward a completely cashless society. While plastic (credit cards and debit cards) is now a more frequent form of retail payment than cash, the latest type of credit cards are aiming to […]

Speaking of saving on utility bills, one simple way to do that while helping the environment at the same time is to switch to compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFLs). According to the July issue of _Real Simple_, while CFLs cost more than regular bulbs, they use 70% less energy and last more than 10 times […]

Are you a smart shopper or stingy? Do people think of you as frugal or tight? And where is the line drawn? According to a story posted on MSN.com, it’s frugal to use a 2 for 1 coupon at a restaurant, but it’s stingy to base the server’s tip on the discounted price of the […]

The conventional wisdom tells us to stretch to buy as much house as possible. A lot of people who followed that advice in recent years through the help of adjustable rate mortgages (ARMs) are now feeling some pain from all that stretching. With interest rates now rising, it’s not uncommon for people to see their […]

Why is our savings rate so low? Lack of motivation? Denial about the need? A penchant for big screen TVs? In its 6/21 issue, the Wall Street Journal fixed the blame on our housing and transportation spending. It cited government figures showing that while the portion of our spending devoted to many categories has fallen […]

Much has been made of the average American’s less than stellar track record of building savings. In the 6/17-18 issue of the Wall Street Journal, reporter Ron Lieber shared what “shocked” him into saving early in life. He saw a chart comparing how much a person would accumulate by age 65 if they invested $250 […]

In the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina and with the growing problem of identity theft, much advice has been given about securing our financial records. Most of it goes something like this: Back up all of your most important computer-based financial files on DVDs and send them to a trusted out-of-state relative, make a video recording […]

Think that tearing up your credit card offers and tossing them in the trash is enough to keep identity thieves at bay? Think again. A 6/16 _ABC News 20/20_ story reported on a man who tore a credit card offer into tiny pieces and then, as an experiment, taped it back together, completed the application […]

Used car buyers often struggle to balance the benefits of saving money with the risk of buying a lemon. To lessen the risk, a growing number of dealers are certifying their used cars. According to an article in the 6/11 _Chicago Tribune_, half of all used cars sold today carry the certification stamp—up from one […]