From the category archives:

Budget

Great Money Saving Ideas

June 29, 2010

Here is an article on Yahoo Finance that lists 21 items never to buy new. I pretty much agree with all of them, except I would add underwear to the list.
I especially agree with timeshares. My folks bought some timeshares on the secondary markets years ago for next to nothing. They got tired [...]

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Is the Target Credit Card Right for You?

June 23, 2010

My wife loves Target (she and her friends use the French pronunciation). It appears the chain store is going to provide a flat 5% discount to customers using the Target Credit Card starting this fall.
Target tried the discount at some locations in Kansas City and found it increased sales. So the company will launch the [...]

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Building Wealth By Being a Cheapskate

April 18, 2010

Many folks look to build wealth by trying to “beat the market” substantially or working endless hours. These methods may help, but they may actually hurt. Most folks end up taking too much risk with investments while pursuing high returns, which usually ends up in subpar returns. Over-exertion at work often leads to stress, which [...]

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Demonizing People in Debt

February 22, 2010

Here is a brief clip from Elizabeth Warren, who has been tasked to overlook the TARP bailout by the government, is talking about how those individuals who file bankruptcy are just like us. They work hard and spend rationally. It is just the debt piles up too fast.
Certainly, there are folks who end up in [...]

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CBO too Optimistic?

January 31, 2010

The Congressional Budget Office does a decent job of making projections on the budget…usually. What usually throws this organization off is the government ends up spending more than projected. This time I think CBO is too optimistic in its projections, and it isn’t just based on the inevitable spending overruns by our elected “leaders.”

Above is [...]

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Is America’s Debt Manageable?

January 27, 2010

An interesting article by James Kostohryz over at Minyanville.com about a McKinsey report that shows America’s debt problem is very manageable. This view coincides with the author’s personal view. Kistohryz points to a few factors to base his belief. My comments follow his:
1. US public debt levels are quite moderate compared to other developed nations. [...]

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Unemployed Wall Street Hot Shots

June 3, 2009

Interesting article about some Wall Street employees who have hit hard times due to this downturn. I feel really bad for anyone who loses a job. I lost a job once when my wife was six months pregnant with our first child. It was a scary time. But, in hindsight, it forced me to move [...]

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Government Credit Card Reform Will Hurt Responsible Customers

May 19, 2009

I am all for the credit card companies having to disclose their fees in an easy to read manner. I think full transparency is essential, and I believe they don’t do that now. Their contracts are harder to read than Beowulf.
But, the government is overstepping its bounds by mandating capped rates and disallowing card companies [...]

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