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Len Penzo dot Com

The offbeat personal finance blog for responsible people.

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5 Common Money Mistakes New Graduates Need to Avoid

By Jim Wang

Let me be the first to tell you that it's OK to make mistakes. Financial experts will tell you that the first few years after graduation are the most important. They're right. Compound interest means that the money you save today in your early ...

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June 14, 2017

6 Cheeky Ways Frugal People Save Money

By Sabado Domingo

Hands up if you love budgeting. The odds are, most of you will be shaking your heads, rolling your eyes, or perhaps even thinking about moving on. Seriously, who wants to read any more crap about how to budget? But wait! We know you've heard ...

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April 12, 2017

Is 15% of Your Income an Adequate Savings Rate For Retirement?

By Barry Bensen

From the moment we start working, we're already thinking about retirement. Over the course of several decades, countless people put aside funds to ensure that when they are older and ready to hang their hats for the remainder of their life, they have ...

Continue reading Is 15% of Your Income an Adequate Savings Rate For Retirement?

March 22, 2017

A Few Fun Facts About the Average Coupon User

By Erica Quinn

How often do you use coupons when you are shopping online or in local stores? One of the best ways to save money is by using coupons. It's no secret that more people are looking for smart ways to reduce costs -- and coupons are one of the easiest and ...

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March 15, 2017

100 Words On: Why Frugality Has Its Limits

By Len Penzo

The main benefit of frugality and saving is they're good habits that lay a strong personal finance foundation. That being said, the frugal lifestyle definitely has its limits. Although scrimping and cutting corners can result in significant savings, ...

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March 9, 2017

An Avid Rag Reader Confesses: Magazines Make Me Want to Spend More!

By Paula Pant

I have a confession. Normally I spend a lot of time emphasizing the importance of cultivating habits that reduce your desire to spend. But I have one habit that makes me want to spend more money. It's a practice -- something I do almost daily -- ...

Continue reading An Avid Rag Reader Confesses: Magazines Make Me Want to Spend More!

February 22, 2017

Saving Money Is Easy When You Know This Simple Trick

By George Diaz

If you search Google for "how to save money," you'll get 396 million results. See for yourself; I'll wait. With that many results, how is it possible that people still have trouble saving? I'm sure that one of your New Year's resolutions was to ...

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February 21, 2017

100 Words On: Why a Penny Saved Is More Than a Penny Earned

By Len Penzo

I think it was the Quaker Oats guy who famously declared that a penny saved is a penny earned. However, because of taxes, a penny saved is actually worth more than a penny earned. To illustrate, if you happen to be in the 10% tax bracket, every taxed ...

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December 1, 2016

12 Painless Ways to Save $2000 Before the Holidays (Part 2)

By Mikey Rox

While I always recommend having a second source of income to cover increased holiday spending, you can also cut back your budget. In Part 1 of this article, I showed you six painless ways to do this. Here are six more: Shop For Lower Insurance ...

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October 25, 2016

Coming Soon: The Greatest Wealth Transfer of All Time

By Len Penzo

Precious metals holders buy gold and silver because they understand that the majority of the modern financial world's assets are debt-based instruments and want to reduce their exposure to the resulting counterparty risk. Unfortunately, a large ...

Continue reading Coming Soon: The Greatest Wealth Transfer of All Time

May 31, 2015

An Example of How Saving In Cash Erodes Your Long Term Purchasing Power

By Len Penzo

The trouble with holding long-term savings in cash is that the purchasing power of the U.S. dollar decreases every year because the federal government continually spends more than it earns. Unfortunately, the erosion of the dollar's purchasing ...

Continue reading An Example of How Saving In Cash Erodes Your Long Term Purchasing Power

March 31, 2015

An Urgent Savings Recommendation

By Len Penzo

If I had a nickel for every time somebody has dropped me an email and asked me when our financial system is finally going to go belly up, I'd have about 85 cents right now. The truth is, if you look back, I never make actual predictions in my Black ...

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March 7, 2015

Stop Feeling Guilty! Why Getting a Tax Refund Isn’t Such a Bad Idea

By Len Penzo

I love getting a refund check from the tax man during tax season! Of course, whenever I say that, I almost always get chastised by somebody who tells me I'm crazy for feeling that way. Indeed, most income tax experts advise us to take advantage of ...

Continue reading Stop Feeling Guilty! Why Getting a Tax Refund Isn’t Such a Bad Idea

March 2, 2015

Mailbag: Are US Savings Bonds Worth Buying Anymore?

By Len Penzo

So in light of the Federal deficit, devaluation of the dollar, lack of jobs, etc., what's your view of U.S. Savings Bonds these days? I have some, and can't find anyone talking about whether they're still a good investment. Yes, they earn relatively ...

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November 26, 2014

Taste-Test Experiment: 11 Kids Evaluate Name-Brand vs. Generic Cereals

By Len Penzo

When it comes to breakfast, kids can be real cereal killers. Unfortunately, for those of us trying to lower our grocery bill, name-brand cereals can be a very expensive proposition. That got me thinking: Can kids really tell the difference between ...

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July 30, 2014

My Kids’ Loan Interview with the Bank of Dad

By Len Penzo

When it comes to money matters, my two kids manage their personal finances in completely opposite ways. In fact, it is utterly amazing to me that my children are even related. My nine year-old daughter, Lenina, likes to set goals and save her ...

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April 17, 2014

10 Out-of-the-Box Ideas for Saving Money

By Len Penzo

For many people, sticking to a tight budget often requires moving out of their traditional comfort zone. Studies have shown that thinking "outside the box" can provide many creative ideas for keeping a household budget on track -- usually in ways ...

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April 1, 2014

Cheap Cooking: Fantastic Frugal Meal Ideas from Past and Present

By Len Penzo

I was on an extremely tight budget when I was in college, so I had cheap cooking down to a science. Back then, dinner was number four on my list of priorities; right after tuition, beer, and rent -- in that order. Many people on limited incomes ...

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June 26, 2013

Is Cell Phone Insurance Really Worth It?

By Len Penzo

Last month our previous cell phone contract finally expired. That made the Honeybee happy because it meant we could finally move to a new carrier with better coverage. However, nobody was more excited than the kid with the fastest thumbs in the ...

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June 10, 2013

A Small Victory in My Quest to Raise Financially Literate Kids

By Len Penzo

Teaching kids about personal finance is not an easy job. Even so, as a parent I believe it is my responsibility to ensure that my kids have a thorough understanding of good personal finance practices before they leave the nest. Ultimately it will ...

Continue reading A Small Victory in My Quest to Raise Financially Literate Kids

April 10, 2013

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