Heard an interesting phrase at a conference I was attending. It came from Tom Evans, President and CEO of Bankrate. He said that "money is no longer a spectator sport" and I think that he's right.

When we bought our first home the choices in mortgages were pretty simple. Unless you were self-employed you took out a 30 year mortgage. There was a little difference in closing costs and points, but nothing too dramatic.

Credit cards were also pretty simple. You had gas, store and bank cards. But no 'cash back' or points cards. Everyone had the same payment due date. And, interest rates on most cards for most customers were the same.

Back then you could put your finances on autopilot. Sure you needed to know how much you owed on your credit card. But there weren't too many decisions to make.

Sure is a different world today. Much, much more complicated. Not only do you need to know how each different credit card is handling your balance, but also how they're handling new purchases. And, your mortgage, well that's another whole topic.

Tom was right. Money is no longer a spectator sport. Whether you like it or not, you're a part of the game. And, that means reading more and learning more. No doubt, that's a challenge for many people. Fortunately, there are a lot of good resources available to you. We hope that you consider The Dollar Stretcher.com and our newsletters to be one of those good resources.

Keep on Stretchin' those Dollars!

Gary