May It Be
I love the start of a new year. It’s a chance to begin again, to set fresh goals and make new plans for the months ahead. As we make plans for 2010, whether financial or other types, let’s make sure that our plans are God’s plans. We can do so only by listening for his […]
Resolving to Get the Money Thing Right
Financial goals are usually among the top resolutions people make for the New Year, but this time around even more people have finances on their minds. In a story summarizing the findings of numerous New Year’s resolution surveys, CNBC noted that one-third of people who make resolutions usually have a financial goal on their list. […]
The Credit Card Game is Changing
Sweeping changes are coming to the credit card world, with issuers facing many new rules and regulations starting February 22nd. The Credit CARD Act will restrict issuers’ ability to raise interest rates, prohibit them from charging various fees, and more. As a result, according to an article in The Wall Street Journal, issuers are quick […]
Do You Work Too Much?
Marriages involving a workaholic are twice as likely to end in divorce, according to a study done by Bryan Robinson, a University of North Carolina researcher and author of Chained to the Desk. In an ABCNews.com story, Robinson makes a distinction between workaholics and hard workers. While workaholics, of course, work more hours than others, […]
Becoming a Nation of Savers
After many years of declines in our household savings rate, the recession seems to have sparked a savings revival. The rate even hit a high of 6.4 percent of disposable income in May, the highest since 1993. It was 4.4 percent in the most recently reported month of October, whereas it had been hovering around […]
Extreme Makeover: Budget Edition
Can you think of any financial tool that is more universally disdained than a budget? Just mention the word and people conjure up images of a ball and chain. They talk about it as something one goes on like a diet. “Poor John and Sue; they’re on a budget.” Budgets even seem to be a […]
Disability Insurance Disconnect
Your ability to earn income is among your most valuable assets, and yet very few people have disability insurance. According to a recent survey by Northwestern Mutual, less than half of all adults age 21 or older have disability insurance. The non-profit Life and Health Insurance Foundation for Education provides helpful information about disability insurance, […]
Frugal and Creative Gift Ideas
Mix a tough economy with the biggest gift-buying season of the year and lots of us are looking for inexpensive yet meaningful gift ideas. Which is what makes this list of 50 gift ideas from BibleMoneyMatters.com so timely. The ideas range from the unusual, somewhat complex, and not too frugal (make your own digital picture […]
Reconsidering the Gift Card
Gift cards have been among the most popular gifts in recent years. However, there are signs that they are starting to fall out of favor, and for good reason. As MSN’s Liz Pulliam Weston pointed out, any store-branded card can become worthless if the retailer goes out of business. Other problems include the fact that […]
Gifts for Job Seekers
Chances are good that someone on your gift list this year is unemployed. The holidays can often make matters worse for someone without work. It’s harder to line up interviews, and all the emphasis on spending money on gifts can just compound the pain of a jobless person’s financial problems. That’s why, with the holidays […]