Ways I Don’t Follow Common Financial Advice and Still Save Money
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I’ve never been much of a follower. Even as a youngster, I had to find my own way to do things, even if they didn’t measure up to what everyone else was doing. As a single parent for many years, I learned a few things the hard way. I learned not to follow common financial […]
What Will You Learn This Year?
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A few weeks ago, I had a conversation with an old friend of mine that I respect quite a lot. He’s one of those people that seems to know how to do everything - he can fix computers (and write code), handle almost any home repair, play the guitar, beat almost everyone I know […]
EverBank FREE $40 CD Deal
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EverBank is running a deal on their 1-year CD account. You need a minimum deposit of $25,000. Yields range from 2.08% to 3.09% APY. Accounts are FDIC insured up to $250,000.
Ten Predictions for 2009
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I thought it would be fun to start off 2009 by making a handful of predictions as to what the coming year will hold in terms of your money and your lives. We’ll check back at the end of the year to see how I did.
The Dow will not go below 8,000 this year. […]
11 Ways To Avoid Turning On The Furnace
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Whether your furnace is broken or you’re just looking to save a buck, you might be surprised at how well you can get along without heat. Here are some simple and inexpensive ways to make cold days and nights more comfortable without touching the thermostat.
Wear layers. I’m not just talking about wearing a long-sleeved […]
The Simple Dollar: Best of 2008
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2008 was the second full year of existence for The Simple Dollar. Over the course of the year, I posted some 700 articles - some good, some bad, and some ugly. Below, I tried to pick out most of the good ones to create something of an anthology for 2008. Hope you […]
The Simple Dollar Weekly Roundup: New Years Notes Edition
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One of my favorite things to do as the new year approaches is hit many of my favorite blogs and find some of their writings about the resolutions they made for the year past - or the resolutions they intend to make for the coming year. I almost always find something insightful in such […]
Financial Regrets From This Past Year and What I’ll Do Differently In ‘09
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Although we are financially secure and tend to make wise decisions regarding our finances, we still screw up sometimes and do things that we later regret. We’re human. However, while we may have regrets I choose to look at them as learning opportunities. Whatever we regret from this past year is something that can be […]
Make the best of lower card limits
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Credit card issuers seem to be cutting card limits arbitrarily. Here’s what to do if this happens to you.
Seeking a share of an ex-spouse’s 401(k)
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The QDRO process for obtaining a share of an ex-spouse’s 401(k) doesn’t have to be frustrating and costly.
Selling your gold jewelry
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If you’ve got gold jewelry you might consider selling it while gold prices are still high. Here’s how to do it.
The Best Funds for 2009
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In the markets, excess is the rule, not the exception. Thus, tech stocks soared to absurd levels in the late 1990s, then plummeted further than made sense. Ditto for the housing bubble — and for the current stock-market collapse.
You Get What You Pay For
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By Don Phillips The battle for survival among airlines is being played out between two major companies, each with a totally different plan. Southwest and American airlines each has a different purpose: Southwest to attract business fliers and hold on to budget travelers, and American to hold on to…
New Year’s Resolution Workshop #5: Launch My Dream Career
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Between Christmas and New Year’s, we’re taking a look at five common New Year’s resolutions that people often adopt for their finances, evaluate some of the traps that people fall into with regards to that resolution, and come up with some real actions that can turn a challenging New Year’s resolution into a success.
I can’t […]
How We’re Frugally Celebrating the New Year
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Tomorrow evening, like billions of people around the world, my wife and I will be celebrating the coming new year. Some people celebrate this by having a big New Year’s Eve bash at their home. Others go out to various parties, enjoying the celebrations put on by others. Still others spend the […]
Frequent Flyer Miles 2008 Update
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I haven’t checked up on how many miles I’ve accumulated in awhile so the result was a bit surprising for me. At the end of 2007 I had 27,397 miles sitting in my AAdvantage account.
Today I checked to discover that my year end total is 71,086 miles which means I earned 43,689 miles this year. […]
The Year In Review: What I Have Learned
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As the old year draws to a close and a new year is about to dawn, I like to take a few moments to look back on the past year and to reflect on what went right and what went wrong, how things have changed and whether those changes were for the good. I […]
Choosing to form an S corp
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It makes no sense to form an LLC if you really want your business to be taxed as an S corp, says CPA George Saenz.
Video: Go green by cutting paperwork
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Here are some quick, easy tips to save money and the Earth by going paperless.
How can I avoid a refinancing rip-off?
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Dr. Don Taylor says getting your ducks in a row can help protect you from a refinancing rip-off.
Smart moves for CDs, checking and savings
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Investors are hoping 2009 will provide respite from 2008’s economic spiral. Three experts weigh in.
Check annuities for retirement rescue
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The frequently maligned annuity may be the best bet to rescue your retirement in today’s volatile investment climate.
5 digital ways to store money documents
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There are five key options for safely storing important financial records digitally.
New Year’s Resolution Workshop #4: Protect My Family’s Future
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Between Christmas and New Year’s, we’re taking a look at five common New Year’s resolutions that people often adopt for their finances, evaluate some of the traps that people fall into with regards to that resolution, and come up with some real actions that can turn a challenging New Year’s resolution into a success.
We grow […]
$100 from Google Adsense
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I logged into my bank account today to see $10x.xx from Google Adsense direct deposited into my account. I totally forgot that my blog generates revenue from Google Adsense as it’s been a long time since I received any money.
Anyhow the $100 was generated over a period of four months so that averages out […]
Reader Mailbag #43
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Each Monday, The Simple Dollar opens up the reader mailbags and answers ten to twenty simple questions offered up by the readers on personal finance topics and many other things. Got a question? Ask it in the comments. You might also enjoy the archive of earlier reader mailbags.
As usual, we’ll start things off with a […]
The Frugal Garage
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In my neighborhood, all of the houses have two car garages. What amazes me is how few people use their garages for their intended purpose. When I go out for a run, I see so many garage doors open and the garages are full of stuff, not cars. There is barely room to walk in […]
DollarSavingsDirect still 4% APY
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I got a notice today from FNBO Direct that they were cutting their rate to 2.80% so I decided to see what other options were available out there.
DollarSavingsDirect (DSD) is another offshoot of Emigrant Bank. For anyone with an Emigrant Direct account you’ll notice that DSD’s website is extremely similar to Emigrant Direct’s.
They’re still paying […]
Bear market can still be bullish on capital gains
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If you own mutual funds, you could reap some capital gains distributions even in this down market. Those payouts could leave you with an unexpected tax bill.
Does a company T-shirt count as income?
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A company may want the shirts off employees’ backs, but certain corporate gifts aren’t counted as income, says CPA George Saenz.