Discover, You’re An Idiot

I received a letter in the mail the other day that was equal parts shocking and appalling… and sadly, genius. Discover, a credit card I’ve held for a couple years and last used nearly that long ago, sent a letter offering me $500 and encouraging me to rack up massive amounts of debt in the process. The hook was obvious.  Who doesn’t want five crisp bills?  But the catch was brazen and laughable...

Debt Sucks!

  This article was written by Steven, author of Hundred Goals, a blog about achieving your goals while managing your finances. Steven writes about his journey of traveling the world and working towards completing a life list of 100+ goals, including skydiving and becoming debt free. Sign up for email updates and be sure to join him and hundreds of other readers on the Hundred Goals Facebook Page! …and...

Financial Infidelity

  So, when was the last time you cheated on your spouse?  What?  It’s a fair question, no need to get all bent out of shape.  We all cheat on our spouses from time to time.  Heck, I know I’ve done it twice, at least that I can recall.  Some folks consider it sport or simply a normal way of life.  That’s just how some households roll. Now to be sure, I am not talking about marital infidelity. ...

Help, I’ve Fallen Off My Snowball

I hear that the road paved with good intentions leads to nowhere good, and having missed a turn along the way, that’s where my budget snowball was heading. Long story short – I’ve written plenty about the details already and don’t want to bore the regulars – I’ve fallen off my snowball.  The good thing is that I do know how to get back up, and now firmly (or nearly so) on my feet, muscle...

7 Steps To Destroying Your Credit, With Style

  Today we have a guest post from Certified Financial Planner Joel Ohman who runs the site Credit Card Chaser.  Joel has been a frequent commenter on this site and I find that he always brings an interesting point of view to the  discussion. I know the material below is no exception as Joel, tongue firmly planted in check, shares how we can destroy our credit ratings.  Hey, sometimes you learn...

Seven Financial New Year’s Resolutions for 2010

Hello everyone.  I am away travelling on some very important business for a couple days and thought this would be a perfect opportunity to share a guest post from the National Endowment for Financial Education (NEFE). While I tend to spend less time with basic financial concepts, (which is a real sweet spot for NEFE), I am a firm believer in Financial Education and want to share their message with...

Social Experiments

The idea of social experiments is something I find interesting.  That we can engineer a setting and personal interactions to drive a particular result from others or even ourselves is compelling and a tool we should consider leveraging in our daily experiences. I once read about a grad student studying psychology who decided to conduct her own social experiment on a tenant in an apartment unit she...