I recently received a question about budgets that I’m guessing may be applicable to many other people. Here’s the issue in the person’s own words: Yes, we have put together a budget, but making it work for us is a different story. Do you have an easy-to-use system for spending money each month? Our problem […]
Tag Archives | Budgets
The Ugliest Dog in the Personal Finance Pound Finally Gets Some Respect
Budget. The mere mention of the word makes people cringe, gnash their teeth, bang their head against the wall, or slump in their chair. When I ask workshop participants who comes to mind when they think of a budget, I get responses like The Grinch, Scrooge, and Dwight from “The Office.” One person even said, […]
I Will Not Overspend, I Will Not Overspend…
Navigating the many temptations of the holidays can be a challenge. It’s a time when a lot of people overspend, overeat, and miss out on all that makes this time of year so meaningful. When I teamed up with the Market Research firm Synovate a couple of years ago to conduct a Holiday Regrets survey […]
Is Mint.com Safe?
The online budget space is going through something of a shakeout. It wasn’t long ago that new players seemed to emerge every month, most with strange-sounding names like Wesabe, Yodlee, Geezeo (which now seems to be focusing on working with financial institutions rather than individuals), moneyStrands, and Mint. However, Intuit’s purchase of Mint seemed to […]
The Recession That Won’t Go Away
According to news reports, the recession is over. However, new research by the Pew Research Center says that only 3 percent of Americans buy that. A little over half (55 percent) say we’re still in the thick of it; 41 percent say we’re beginning to come out of it. The survey highlighted several ways we’ve […]
Is Bankruptcy Ever Okay for a Christian?
With many people still struggling to find work, bankruptcy filings continue to grow. More than 500,000 people have filed so far this year, according to the National Bankruptcy Research Center. That’s up 17 percent from last year at this time. While bankruptcy’s stigma has weakened in recent years, it is still an especially troubling topic […]
The Good That Credit Cards Can Do
Some say that no one should have a credit card. They argue that charging purchases puts people on the path to financial ruin. To be sure, there are people who would be better off without credit cards. However, just because some people get into car accidents doesn’t mean no one should own a car. Used […]
A Mint.com Update
After putting several free online personal financial management (PFM) tools to the test last year, I became a regular user of Mint.com. I found that it provided the best package of features with the greatest ease of use. Recently I had a chance to talk with Mint founder Aaron Patzer to get an update on […]
Spice Up Your Marriage With a… Budget!
Okay, a budget may not exactly add romance to your marriage, but it may help reduce marital money fights. A new national survey I commissioned from the market research firm Synovate found that married people who use a budget experience fewer financial disagreements with their spouse than those who don’t use a budget (see the […]
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. […]