Thoughtful Gift Ideas That Won’t Leave You Broke

The season of giving doesn’t have to mean the season of spending—much as retailers will hate to hear that. This year, I will be reverting to my practice from my younger, bare bones budget days, when the gifts were inexpensive, but full of heart. It was a lot of fun then; it should be a [...]

Getting Honest About Your Money

There is power in financial planning—you make a budget, you’ve got a map to anywhere you want to go. But, for all the plan making and budget creating that I encourage, the real power is in the honesty you bring to the table.
The truth is sneaky sometimes. We think we’re speaking it. Playing our cards. [...]

7 Ways to Save on Style This Summer

To give your wallet an even bigger boost, we’ve rounded up some must-read tips for staying stylish on a budget this summer. Happy saving!

The Grass May Be Greener a Thousand Miles Away

Recessions bring change. At times, that can be a good thing.
For single women, change can come in many forms. For the financial and banking sectors it has come in the form of new regulations on the way business is done. For the American auto industry it has revolutionized the possible future of manufacturing and perhaps [...]

Curb Appeal: Quick Fixes Before Selling Your Home

It’s still a crazy time in the United States real estate market. There are neighborhoods where two or three houses on the block have been abandoned, and other neighborhoods where anxious buyers are bidding up home sale prices.
What does that mean for the single woman who needs to sell her home?
As I have said frequently [...]

How To Prepare for Lean Financial Times

Don’t worry, this isn’t another albeit generally amusing ad for Capital One credit cards.
But the bank’s signature slogan, “What’s in your wallet?” does, at this difficult time, raise an interesting question.
Typically in times of plenty, we think little about contingency and reserve funds. When times are lean, having some extra resources is just about all [...]

Why First Home Buyers Should Purchase Now

If you’re waiting for church bells to ring and blue birds to land on your shoulder and twerp “Now is the time to jump into the real estate market,” you’re probably going to remain on the sidelines holding on for a very long time.
There never has been– nor is it likely that there ever will [...]

Don’t Know Much About Economy: Teens Have Low Financial IQs

In 1958 Sam Cooke wrote a hit song, Wonderful World, which bemoaned how high school students knew about love and lust, but little about history, biology, science and French. Now you can add “economics” to that long list of subjects that so many of us know so little about.
As recently reported in an article entitled, [...]

Bargains Galore

In recent months I have become known as Mr. Optimist when it comes to the economy, and I suppose with good reason. What can I say? I’m a “glass is half full kind of guy.” After all, recessions are not that unusual. On average they come around every five to seven years. No bull market [...]

Holiday Gifts for Staff and Boss

Q. Help! I have to buy holiday gifts for the five people who work for me, plus my boss. My budget is extremely tight this year and I can’t afford much, but I don’t want to look cheap. Any ideas?
A. The expression “it’s the thought that counts” seems to have new meaning in the current [...]

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