One of my relatives recently was charged a substantial fee for rolling his 401(k) plan out to an IRA. In my opinion, that’s total nonsense, even if it’s disclosed. It’s the equivalent of an “account closing fee.” Can you imagine?
You: I’d like to close my account.
Bank: I see you have $100 in your account so [...]
I’m not a fan of traditional budgeting.
You: What do you mean when you say “traditional budgeting?”
I’m talking about where you make a list of all of your expenses and try to ensure that you don’t spend more than, say $35 on entertainment or $50 on groceries for a week.
You: Sounds like classic budgeting to me. [...]
Father’s Day Financial Lessons
Earlier this month, I wrote a detailed article Three Financial Reminders For New Dads over at FiLife (a joint venture between The Wall Street Journal and IAC. I’m sharing it with you in honor of Father’s Day. How are you (or the Dad in your life) celebrating? I’m going to the Red [...]
Continue reading about Financial Tips for New Dads and an Interview With a Real Live One (Dad)!
In conjunction with what has turned into what could be the world’s largest Q & A session on the first time home buyer tax credit (a fact I have not attempted to verify), I recently wrote about the 7 Things You Need to Know About the Home Buyer Tax Credit at Mint.com.
You may already realize [...]
Continue reading about 7 Things You Need to Know About the Home Buyer Tax Credit
Earlier this month, I wrote a detailed article about the Tax Breaks for Higher Education Expenses over at FiLife (a joint venture between The Wall Street Journal and IAC).
Did you know that the Hope credit, once limited to the first two years of college expenses, is now significantly more widely available? Less important, but still [...]
Continue reading about Are you (still) paying for college education? Share the pain with your uncle
I recently wrote More Than the 10% Penalty – The Dangers of Early Retirement Account Withdrawals for FiLife, a joint venture between The Wall Street Journal and IAC. The dangers are real, starting with taxes, ending with lost growth and a bunch of other financial pain in between. Before you ask for that distribution check [...]
Continue reading about Five dangers of tapping your retirement money early
One of the best parts of the weekly personal finance carnivals, including this week’s carnival hosted by WiseBread, it the wide variety of personal finance topics covered. In addition, I always take the time to enjoy an article or two that I’ve been meaning to write myself but just haven’t gotten to. This week was [...]
Continue reading about What do extra loan payments, toilet paper, and Monopoly have in common?
A few random tibits today:
First, Jeremy Simon – a reporter for Credit Cards.com – is looking for consumers who have used extreme ways to pay off credit card debt (earning money from medical experiments, selling family heirlooms, etc.). The wilder the better. If any of you might be interested in sharing their stories on this [...]
I recently recorded a second series of podcasts with the Quicken team. Topics included:
Emergency Funds and Large Purchases
How to pay off and manage debt
Investment Advice
You can also listen to them on itunes by searching for Quicken. Or download them and listen to them later, like when you’re not supposed to be working.
Always welcome your feedback [...]
Continue reading about Quicken podcasts are available, Carnival too
I had a great trip to Chicago last Friday and Saturday, keynoting a financial literacy event to a large group of students ranging in age from 16 to over 50. The best part: a most enthusiastic crowd, many of which had traveled two hours of more for the education. Talk about self-selection for success!
I’m not [...]
Continue reading about Financial literacy, recovery rebate credits, and living in balance
Loading ...
Recent Comments