Online banks are the place to bank these days. Everyone is looking for the bank that is paying the absolute highest interest rate on savings accounts. However, finding the best online bank is not just a matter of determining who is paying the highest interest rate. While a high interest rate is important,...

I have never professed to know everything there is to know about money and finances, and I am reminded of that on a fairly regular basis. Recently, I came across the term “umbrella insurance” and realized that I basically knew nothing about it. I had heard of it before but really had no idea what...

Over the past few weeks, there have been several headlines declaring the death of the McMansion.  Depending on how you define the “McMansion”, there may be some merit to the argument, but other aspects of the American desire to have things that are “big” are alive and well. ...

Eliminating your credit card debt and all of your debt is the single most important thing you can do to help you start winning with money. But, it’s one thing to just pay off your credit card debt and get right back into debt. When you decide to eliminate your debt and achieve the goal, your next...

I have had many conversations with many people in the past who have inquired about how to get out of debt. Most of these people realize that they are in debt and that they do need to do something about it. Realization of the problem and desire for a solution is one of the all-important first steps,...

Let’s talk about dividends. Fixed income and old-school investors all love dividends. Dividends are a share of company’s profits that are paid out to shareholders. Many stocks, bonds, and mutual funds offer dividends to investors. Dividends provide a stable income stream that help to improve investment...

While I always knew tutors existed and my wife even considered doing it for some time since she was a teacher before opting to stay home with the kids, I didn’t realize the extent to which tutoring and costly tutoring at that, occurs in America.  There was a NYTimes article this weekend outlining...

We often think that getting hospitalized due to an illness or injury is something that we cannot predict or prepare for, but that’s not true.  Over half of the people that file for bankruptcy do so because of extremely large medical bills that they cannot pay back.  Now, this may be partly due...

As the saying goes, “No good deed goes unpunished”, with the recent announcement that several billionaires will end up donating much of their wealth to philanthropy before they die rather than passing it on to heirs (along with a substantial portion to US coffers by way of the estate tax),...

Ah yes, it’s back to school time, and if you thought the crap that you’re buying your elementary school kids is expensive, just wait until they’re in college. The money spent on college textbooks has got to be one of the biggest wastes of money while attending college. Many professors...