How would you like to save some money, electricity, and the environment all at the same time? Here’s a cool way to do this and have some cooked food to show for it! Instead of using a microwave or toaster oven to cook simple foods, build a solar-powered oven and utilize a natural resource available to all of us – sunlight.
Read more…
Filed under Frugality by on Jul 25th, 2010. 2 Comments. 
I love to read quality books. So recently, I signed up for Booksneeze, a site that sends you books for free! Well. . . not completely free. For the company to benefit, I must provide an honest review of the book I receive.
So I chose this particular book because the author, John Maxwell, is known as the leadership guru. As such, I’m interested to hear what he has to say about connecting with others. Here’s what I’ve learned.
Read more…
Filed under Books, Career, Life by on Jul 22nd, 2010. 4 Comments.
In the previous post, we briefly mentioned two different types of investors – the defensive investor, and the enterprising investor. Then we defined who a defensive investor was, and looked at how to analyze stocks as a defensive investor.
Now we’ll look at the other perspective – analyzing stocks as an enterprising investor. What makes an enterprising investor different?
Read more…
Filed under Investing, Stocks by on Jul 18th, 2010. 2 Comments.
Although I’m not an advocate of picking individual stocks to make up the major part of an investing program, I do have a small amount of money invested in single stocks. With that said, the framework that I used – and continue to use today – to analyze the stocks was primarily influenced by Benjamin Graham’s bestseller, The Intelligent Investor.
Read more…
Filed under Investing, Stocks by on Jul 15th, 2010. Comment.
I’ve thought a lot about why I want to become a millionaire, but I can’t seem to define a concrete reason.
I don’t think it’s so that I can flaunt the wealth, and laugh at everyone who hasn’t reached this goal. I don’t think I’ll live a more posh lifestyle. And I don’t think it’ll make me stuck up or high-maintenance – at least I sure hope not!
However, for some reason, it IS something I’d like to accomplish in my lifetime.
Read more…
Filed under Uncategorized by on Jul 10th, 2010. 11 Comments.
The Social Security Administration offers six categories of benefits: retirement benefits, disability benefits, family benefits, survivors’ benefits, medicare, and supplemental security income benefits. Here’s a brief overview of each benefit and its qualifications.
Read more…
Filed under Retirement, Social Security by on Jul 8th, 2010. 4 Comments.
Remember that WaMu commercial a few years ago, where the guy walks late into a meeting and says “Sorry I’m late, I had a job interview – nailed it!”? Hilarious!
But how many of us are actually that confident?
Having applied and interviewed for numerous jobs in my career, I know there’s a lot for me to learn to become a good interviewer. Why? Because I didn’t get most of those jobs!
If you’re anything like me, the interview can be a nerve-wracking experience. Nonetheless, if you want the job, you need to go through it.
Read more…
Filed under Career by on Jul 4th, 2010. 1 Comment.
In the previous post, we talked about using Coverdell ESA’s as a method of saving for college. While this is a useful tool, there’s another tool that may be better – the 529 Plan. What are some of the similarities and differences between the two?
Read more…
Filed under College, Estate Planning, Saving by on Jul 1st, 2010. Comment.
Most parents hope to send their kids to college one day. But with rising costs, they look for different ways of saving to afford it. One method is through the Coverdell Education Savings Account. What is it? How does it work? What are some of its benefits and drawbacks?
Read more…
Filed under College, Saving by on Jun 26th, 2010. 2 Comments.
Talk to any financial planner, and they’ll suggest that one of the most important assets you can have is an emergency fund. “What if you lose your job? What if your car needs major repairs?” they’ll ask. The emergency fund is supposed to act as a safety net, helping you stay out of debt.
Media personalities also tout the importance of an emergency fund. Dave Ramsey recommends that you cover 3-6 months of expenses. Suze Orman recommends eight.
The Problem
I believe there is a problem with an “emergency” fund. But before we get into that, let me first say that saving for the future is definitely important. In fact, financial planning is about saving for a future we hope to create.
Read more…
Filed under Saving by on Jun 20th, 2010. 2 Comments.
