|
Earlier this month our Rhodesian Ridgeback, Major — that’s him there in the picture — celebrated his 8th birthday. Over that time, we’ve spent a little over $6500 on him — not counting the $1500 the Honeybee and I paid for him way back in 2003. We’ve spent roughly $1500 on his food and another $900 on boarding; the rest has paid for Major’s vet bills, grooming, and Continue reading 100 Words On: Why My Dog Is Worth Every Penny I’ve Spent On Him My teenage son, Matthew, turned 14-years-old last month, so I probably shouldn’t have been surprised when he recently broached the topic of getting a driver’s license on his 16th birthday while I was driving us to the golf course to play a round with his Grandpa and Uncle Ben. “Even if I allow you to get your driver’s license when you turn 16, son, you’re still going to need a car.” “But Continue reading My Son’s “Free” Car: What We’ve Got Here Is a Failure to Communicate Kids, with Father’s Day right around the corner, I hope you don’t mind if your dear old dad takes a few minutes to give you a little bit of fatherly financial advice. Despite what your mom says, I don’t profess to know everything — okay, I guess maybe I do — although in this case you’ll have to trust that what I am about to tell you is absolutely true. Remember, Continue reading 9 Important Money Tips Every Dad Should Teach His Kids True, not everybody needs a budget to successfully manage their personal finances. People who have minimal debt, pay off their credit cards in full each month, and have little trouble saving can often get by without one. For most folks, however, a budget helps them track expenses, control spending, set aside cash for retirement and rainy days, and save for vacations and other big-ticket purchases. The bottom line: A Continue reading 100 Words On: Why Budgets Are So Important (for Most People) Nothing is easier in life than to blame the other guy when we encounter problems. That’s because it takes real courage and integrity to look inward and take responsibility for all of the troubles that are a direct result of our own making. When we take ownership for every decision we make in life, we become powerful in the eyes of others. It also earns us trust and breeds opportunities. The Continue reading 100 Words On: Why Personal Responsibility Is the Key to Success I didn’t eat out too often as a kid, but when I did, you can bet I almost always enjoyed it. I remember Dad always used to joke that he didn’t have enough money to pay the restaurant bill. “Well, it looks like they’re going to make us go into the kitchen and wash dishes,” he’d say with a wry smile. Hey, that always made sense to me. Fast forward to last Continue reading True Story: What Happens When You Can’t Pay the Restaurant Bill Before the average American kid gets his high school diploma he or she will supposedly eat 1,500 peanut butter sandwiches. Americans’ passion for peanut butter doesn’t stop after childhood though. Somewhat ironically, adults eat more peanut butter than kids. In fact, almost $800 million is spent each year on the sticky stuff, which makes it one of the most frequently purchased grocery store products. Smooth vs. Chunky Peanut Butter According to Skippy, 60 Continue reading My Peanut Butter Taste Test: What 8 Choosy Mothers Really Chose One of the more difficult jobs any parent faces is teaching their kids the value of a dollar. Sadly, some kids never learn that money doesn’t grow on trees. It may seem cruel, but parents who aren’t afraid to let their kids spend their money on ill-advised purchases — especially those with limited shelf lives — are actually doing them a favor. Experience is a terrific teacher and, with respect to Continue reading 100 Words On: A Surefire Way to Teach Kids the Value of Money I’ve been a big defender of plastic grocery store bags for a long time. In fact, last year I challenged readers to tell me why the humble plastic shopping bag is still maligned by so many people. Now I may be just a wee bit biased, but I think I made a very compelling case when I explained why plastic bags are good. Yes, I mentioned that they are arguably Continue reading 36 Amazing Uses for the Lowly Plastic Grocery Bag |
 Loading ...
|
|
|
Copyright © 2013 Len Penzo dot Com - All Rights Reserved 
|
||
via Email
The 15 vs. 30-Year Mortgage Loan Debate: Why 30 Is Better
According to Freddie Mac’s most recent survey, there is currently a spread of 0.79 percent between the 15- and 30-year fixed rate mortgage benchmarks, which just so happens to be the largest spread since Freddie started tracking the 15-year mortgage 20 years ago; for comparison purposes, the average spread over that same time period has been only 0.47 percent.
I think most people naturally assume that, when it comes
Continue reading The 15 vs. 30 Year Mortgage Loan Debate: Why 30 Is Better