Last weekend I was reminded of something that we all know, but seem to forget if we're not reminded every so often. A friend of mine had a big oak tree that needed to have a couple of limbs removed. Big limbs. Real big limbs! The cost to call in a tree surgeon would have been significant. Instead...

I bet that you like low interest rates. I do, too! They make it much easier for people to borrow and repay loans. That's something that both borrowers and lenders like. Making it easier to repay loans! Not only are low interest rates good for borrowers and lenders, they can also spur the economy...

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...

Just finished an interesting week. I drove across the state for a conference. The conference was about online financial news. Many of the discussions included comments about how higher gas prices were causing big problems for consumers. (BTW, I agree that higher gas prices are causing problems for consumers...

One part of my job that I really like is talking to people about money. About two weeks ago I had the pleasure of being a guest on the Dr. Howard Gluss Show. Dr. Gluss is a clinical psychologist. I've done quite a few interviews, but this was the first one that focused on the mental aspects of finances...

This weekend while being snowed in, I watched an interesting infomercial and immediately thought of The Dollar Stretcher. It was for a car loan place called "Open Check". The website is opencheck.com . Apparently according to the infomercial and website, in just 15 minutes you can get an open...

I think that those of us who are into frugal living are blessed with a lot of fine resources. Among them is a magazine and website called "Real Simple." Their main focus is on simple living (with a modern interpretation). They had contacted me about an article they were working on awhile back...

I was invited to a friend's surprise birthday party this weekend. Had a great time. Good friends and good food. Can't ask for much more than that! But I noticed something during the afternoon/evening. This friend often hosts an 'open house'. They'll throw on a big batch of food, people...

Just the other day I was reading an article about politics. Part of the article talked about how some people more easily accept victim status. I don't know how true it is in the political world. But, I do know that it's true in the financial world. Some people look at themselves as financial...