I just returned from a six-week vacation to Bolivia and Peru. Since the beginning of October, I’ve been climbing mountains, exploring ancient ruins, and sipping pisco sours. Many folks dream of taking trips like this, but few …
Budgeting
8 Money Habits That Separate Doers From Dreamers
When it comes to securing financial security, are you a doer or a dreamer? By definition, financial doers have a better shot at reaching their retirement goals. No real surprise, they also have a much better shot at raising …
What Separates A Pro Athlete From His Money?
When Michael Vick declared bankruptcy, it raised our eyebrows. Sure, we knew his legal defense against dogfighting charges would have cost a lot of money, but not THAT much money. He, like a host of other visible athletes, made …
Smart Cookies: Girl Scouts Learn Financial Literacy
Think the Girl Scouts are all about making s’mores and campground sit-upons? Think again. A new overhaul of the organization’s merit badge program includes learning some decidedly 21st-century survival skills: budgeting, …
6 Percent of Us Are Still Paying Off Last Year’s Holiday Bills
Shoppers are more cautious and more pessimistic going into the holiday shopping season this year as compared with 2010, according to new research. Maybe that’s a good thing, given that the survey also found 6% of us — 14 …
Why We Can’t Buy Happiness — But Try to Anyway
In 1972, the percentage of Americans who said they were “pretty happy” was about 50%. In the years since, the U.S.’s standard of living has risen dramatically, and our gross domestic product per capita has increased by 96%. That …
Why You’re Probably Financially Better Off Than You Feel
There’s no question that for many (if not most) Americans, today’s economy is challenging for numerous reasons we need not list. For a lot of people, though, their sense of economic vulnerability is greater than their actual …
We Pay More to Drive Than We Spend on Taxes
By the time the costs of gas, insurance, tolls, parking, and car payments are added up, the average American family spends more on driving than on health insurance or taxes. And for the bulk of society—those who use cars every …
Shocker! The Rich Expected to Go on Big Shopping Sprees This Holiday Season
The average consumer is expected to spend less on the winter holidays this year. Yet it’s anticipated that overall holiday spending will rise slightly compared to 2010. How could this be? While middle-class shoppers scale back, …
Are Mandatory Tips at Restaurants Legal?
Last week, news outlets went crazy after a small Bay Area paper reported that servers in San Francisco were demanding a mandatory 25% gratuity on every check. Far from being an organized movement, the sources turned out to be a …
Suze Orman Offers 4 Tips on How to Save (and Spend) Your Money
“Are you afraid?” asked Suze Orman. “Are you afraid when it comes to your money? Well, you should be.” The lively personal finance expert and host of CNBC’s The Suze Orman Show appeared at Chicago Ideas Week (CIW) last night, …
Forget Prince Charming: Why Economic Education Is A Worldwide Imperative
As the severity of this recession sinks in, the call grows louder for a serious plan to help people help themselves when it comes to their finances. After all, things won’t get much better anytime soon.