Hurricanes Harvey and Irma have caused major destruction, and it’s taking a toll on the wallets of those affected. Roughly 80 percent of the victims of Harvey don’t have flood insurance to cover the damage to their homes and belongings, and the damage from Harvey alone is estimated to cost up to $190 billion. That
Does the idea of taking 20 or more years to pay off $10,000 worth of credit card debt sound appealing? Does the thought of paying more than $15,500 in interest fees on that $10,000 debt seem like a wise financial move? These are silly questions, of course. The answer is clearly no to both of
With traditional pensions all but disappearing, the workplace retirement plan has become the bedrock of many people’s retirement savings strategy. Four out of five Americans work at a company that offers a 401k (or a variant such as a 403b). And while far too many workers still don’t or can’t contribute to their 401k, it’s
Most millionaires aren’t born rich. During his three decades researching the wealthy, Thomas J. Stanley, co-author of “The Millionaire Next Door,” consistently found that between 80% and 85% of all millionaires are self-made. Some earned their fortunes through hard work; others, by saving aggressively. Many amassed wealth by investing wisely. Indeed, a study by Spectrem
This time of the year, our family always feels incredibly overbooked. Our three children are each in a couple of activities all throughout the year that are really easy to manage. Musical practice once a week paired with martial arts practice twice a week in the evenings isn’t a problem. I participate in a couple
The biggest personal finance mistake I make on any sort of a regular basis is to visit a store of any kind where I know I’m going to be personally tempted, and to do so with money in my pocket. A board game store, a bookstore, a stationery/pen/ink store, a brewing supply store – I