Should You Pay Kids to Go Green?
A new web site, Green Allowance, encourages parents to use allowances to motivate their kids to develop environmentally friendly habits. The site fosters a deal between parents and their kids: the kids take on various energy saving projects, the parents split some of the estimated savings with their kids. Green Allowance sends report cards, showing […]
From Community College to Med School
If you’re wondering how to help your kids make it through college without a mortgage-size loan, consider the experience of Brittany Blackburn. Her route to a full scholarship at Yale Medical School included stops at two community colleges. According to a WalletPop article, spending the first two years at a community college can make a […]
The Great Cyberspace Marketplace
Looking to buy or sell something online? There are more sites to consider than just eBay or Craigslist. Mainstreet.com recently highlighted 14 niche marketplace sites. Bonanzle is for buyers and sellers of “Everything but the ordinary,” including vintage toys, artwork, and more. To buy or sell homemade jewelry, handbags, or other crafts, try Etsy. Glyde […]
Are You a Two-List Shopper?
You’ve heard it for years: Never go grocery shopping without a list. But did you know that even list users typically have two lists? There’s the list in their hand and the list in their head. As reported on MSN.com, a new study found that 75 percent of shoppers entered the store knowing they were […]
Managing Money by the Book: Financial Love and Respect
With 20 years of ministry experience, a PhD in family studies, a Master’s of Divinity degree, and a Master’s degree in communication, Emerson Eggerichs was a knowledgeable, experienced, and effective pastor. But one day, while rereading a passage of scripture he had preached on many times, he discovered what he calls “the key to any […]
More Amazing Tales From Super Couponers
If couponing were a sport, Jill Cataldo and Nathan Engels would be Olympic champions. As reported by ABCNews.com, Cataldo’s weekly grocery bill runs between $40 and $60, and that’s to feed a family of five. Engels spends almost no money on groceries; he hasn’t had to buy toilet paper since 2007 thanks to the three-year […]
A Reverse Bailout
While Uncle Sam gets all the press for its various bailouts, every year millions of taxpayers give the U.S. governmenet something of a bailout in the form of income tax overpayments. Over 70 percent of taxpayers get refunds each year, and according to USA TODAY, this year’s refunds are averaging over $3,000. That’s up over […]
How Gender Impacts Investor Behavior
Who do you think tends to be better investors: men or women? The latest in a fairly large body of research on the topic sides with women. As reported by The New York Times, a Vanguard analysis of 2.7 million IRA investors found that women were less likely to sell their equity investments at last […]
Youth is Entrusted to the Young
There’s an old joke that youth is wasted on the young. Financially, it’s easy to back that up. According to tax information service CCH, for example, just 28 percent of workers younger than 25 are contributing to an employer-sponsored retirement plan. Of course, the best way to take advantage of the power of compound interest […]
Should You Cancel An Unused Credit Card?
A common question I get in workshops is, “Will it hurt my credit score if I close one of my credit card accounts?” The answer is “maybe.” But the reasons why or why not may surprise you. It is commonly thought that, especially when it comes to a card you’ve had for a long time, […]