Michael on April 28th, 2010
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Though my wife and I continue to look for a home, it’s been a while since I blogged about our  housing search. Last year, I shared with you our experiences, including:

Beginning the process of buying a house
Our debate in looking for a home: Location vs. house
How and why to choose a buyer’s [...]

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I’m in Chicago today preparing to deliver a presentation tonight to graduating seniors of Northwestern University. The crowd gets bigger every year (I’ve been told that attendance will once again exceed 100).  While I’d love to believe the crowd growth is due to a combination of my exemplary speaking skills and the brilliant marketing of [...]

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Michael on April 19th, 2010
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I just saw the article “Earn Tax-Free Income” over at Forbes.  It’s a clever topic and the piece actually delivers.  While some of the suggestions are not for those without resources (e.g., buy an apartment building), you may find that you already doing others (e.g., using a cash-back credit card).  Yet it’s a comprehensive list [...]

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Michael on April 13th, 2010
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My brother sent me a link to On a tight budget? Odds are you’ll spend more. Since the article’s title suggests that trying to micro-manage expenses was a failing strategy, I was intrigued. After all, and as long-time readers know, I like the rule “Major on the major, minor on the minor” Therefore, I [...]

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Michael on April 9th, 2010
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Apparently, somewhere in the middle of the thousands of pages of health care reform is a new tax on using tanning salons.
You: Do you use tanning salons?
Me?
You: Yes.
You: We clearly haven’t met in person.  Imagine something rather white, like a blank sheet of printer paper or an albino.
You: Got it.
I’m slightly whiter.
You: Wow. Really?
Almost, it’s [...]

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With all the crazy amounts of analysis about the recently passed health care plan, I thought you might find this interesting. It does a decent job showing the multitude of phases the plan will begin to affect your life.
Infographic by HealthInsuranceProviders.com: Compare health insurance options from many different providers!

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Michael on April 1st, 2010
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Credit cards can change your life.
You: Excellent!
Not necessarily for the better.
You: Oh. I mean . . . right.
There are some upsides to credit cards for those who use them responsibly.
You: Such as?
Benefits include building a credit history, the convenience of not carrying around a lot of cash, the ability to pay for things many [...]

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