Tis the season for Santa, stockings, sugar plums and… scam artists looking to suck your bank account dry. You can kiss your merry Christmas goodbye if that happens. According to money experts, the months of November and December see the greatest number of fraud victims. The idea of spending cash instead of charging up huge totals on your credit cards is a good one. However, you need to be especially vigilant when using a debit card online to purchase holiday gifts. If you become a victim of a fraud, you can potentially lose all of the cash in your bank … Continue reading →

Did you know that men and women tend to make different kinds of mistakes when it comes to managing their money? While people of both genders certainly enjoy financial success, both men and women makes mistakes with their money. Suze Orman has come out with some advice that is tailored specifically towards women and the mistakes that tend to trip them up when it comes to their finances. According to Suze Orman, the root of the problem is that women have been taught, either consciously or subconsciously (including by example) to not manage their money. The result is that they … Continue reading →

There are many things that people tend to become concerned about as their parents get older. Things like the physical and mental health and well being of their elderly parents are often top of mind for many adult children. The finances of elderly parents are also often a cause for great concern, especially if the adult children do not live close to them. How can you help to ensure that your parents stay current with their bills and stay away from scam artists who target the elderly without offending them? It is a delicate path to walk, to be sure, … Continue reading →

We have all seen rent-to-own stores where you can make weekly or monthly payments on things like furniture, appliances, and computers for a period of time until you own them outright. When you see commercials or other advertisements for rent-to-own stores, you may wonder whether the deals that they are advertising are any good or not. The advertising is aimed at people who want or need the items at the store now, but who have no way to pay for them outright all at once. Often, customers can rent items with no credit check and the weekly payments can usually … Continue reading →

I don’t pay our electric bill, so I don’t have to be horrified when I open the envelope. Electricity is deregulated in Texas and we pay some of the highest per kilowatt hour fees in the nation. Electric companies here are constantly advertising and vying for business by claiming they can save you the most money. I wonder how much money the companies could save their customers if they dropped the advertising. We do not have any choices for electricity where we live. Our only option is the co-op that services our area. I do believe we’re paying less for … Continue reading →

Yes, it’s true—some people hold themselves back from attaining wealth because they are afraid of it. I’ve heard people say that they worry about becoming a different person, that they don’t want people making friends with them in hopes of getting favors, that they don’t want to be targeted by gold diggers, and, the most common of all, they fear that being wealthy is somehow unrighteous. It is true that we tend to view others differently when we know how much money they make. That’s kind of natural in our society. Many people choose to keep their actual earnings to … Continue reading →

I love online forums. I’ve made lasting good friendships in the communities built on the message boards. For the most part the people in the forums get along well because they’re there to discuss a common topic and want to help each other. Unfortunaately people come along whose only interest is to disrupt. They like the chaos they can create through anonymity. They may fill out the profile information, but there’s usually nothing genuine in there. Online communities call these people trolls, because they are trolling the forums. It’s a takeoff of a fishing term: trawling. Trawlers drag a wide … Continue reading →

Abuse is a tricky topic that people are often not comfortable discussing. It can come in many forms, only some of which are obvious. Financial abuse is one of the ways that an abuser can harm their victim, and it is often directed at a spouse or domestic partner or an elderly relative. The effects of financial abuse can be devastating and can restrict the victim’s ability to leave the abusive relationship. In marital and domestic relationships, an abuser often uses one or more tactics to restrict the other person’s access to money. They accomplish this by stealing money from … Continue reading →

The arguments that have been taking place in our nation’s capital over whether to raise the debt ceiling have been going on for a while now. While individual consumers have not likely felt much of an impact from all of the debate, there is a date fast approaching where things may begin to happen if the debt ceiling is not raised. August 2, 2011 has been put out there as the date after which the United States will not be able to continue meeting its debt obligations if the debt ceiling is not raised. What does this mean for the … Continue reading →

Today someone forwarded me a list of the ten worst places to retire in the United States according to Kiplinger’s. My first thought when I saw it was “And I am supposed to care about this because….why?” Then I realized that I do care, and not just because my home state, Vermont, has been awarded the dubious honor of being the number one worst place to retire. Now, I am nowhere close to retirement age. My parents are at an age where my father could retire if he wanted to. He loves to work, so he’s still employed and loving … Continue reading →