I was watching a King of Queens marathon late last night and my viewing enjoyment was continually being disrupted by those ubiquitous Cash4Gold ads that urge viewers to collect their unwanted jewelry so it can be turned into "cold, hard, ...
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Be Fiscally Irresponsible — Get $5000!
I love stupid-humor movies; I blame that on my folks. When I was just a kid they always let me stay up past my bedtime so I could watch Jerry Lewis movies that were on the television.
I watched a lot of Jerry Lewis movies when I was a ...
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Don’t Feel Guilty Tipping Your Server 15%
I guess my first foray into the mail bag last week actually inspired a few more of you to write in. Most of the letters received were from President Obama fans who wanted to opine on my recent take on the $75B mortgage rescue bailout. Judging ...
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No, I Won’t Get Over It: The New Mortgage Bailout Plan Stinks
Hello all. It's me again. Your mean, uncaring, personal finance blogger with the heart of a lump of coal and a soul from the depths of Hades.
Yes, I am still steaming at this Obama rescue plan. No, I won't get over it.
And the more I read ...
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I’m Just Askin’: Why Bother Being Fiscally Responsible Anymore?
"All of us must learn to live within our means again." - President Barack Obama
Taken at face value, who can argue with a statement like that? As a sound bite, President Obama's statement is an encouraging affirmation of good common fiscal ...
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An Easy Way to Compare Credit Card Reward Programs
I always assumed the cash-back card to be a better value than the one passing out airline miles, but I never did a detailed analysis to confirm my suspicions. For me it just made better sense to get a dividend check a couple times per year that I ...
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If Arnold Schwarzenegger Was My Household CEO
"To those critics who are so pessimistic about our economy, I say: Don't be economic girlie men!" - Arnold Schwarzenegger
While writing my 2008 State of the Household financial report I got this germ of an idea that kept popping into my head: What ...
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My 2008 State of the Household Financial Report (Part 4)
Today at work I was a bit distracted. This was entirely due to my anticipation regarding my earlier promise to finish this four-part series with a quick summary of my net worth. I hope most of you can forgive me; it's just that I feel like the ...
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My 2008 State of the Household Financial Report (Part 3)
Welcome to Part 3 of my State of the Household financial report for 2008. I've been very serious about running my household like a business for close to 20 years now. As a result, I have managed to compile detailed data across a long time period. ...
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My 2008 State of the Household Financial Report (Part 2)
Welcome to Part 2 of my four-part State of the Household Financial Report. If you missed it, be sure to check out Part 1 first!
Once again, here is the illustrative breakdown of my "outflow", or expenses, for the year in the form of a pie chart. ...
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My 2008 State of the Household Financial Report
As required by our household constitution, the household CFO is required to deliver the family financial report to the household CEO each January. ;-)
As such, the ever-dependable Honeybee has painstakingly tracked and recorded our finances for ...
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Using a HELOC as an Alternative to Refinancing
Recently I was talking with a buddy of mine, who happens to be a higher-echelon employee for a major bank, about my desire to refinance into a longer-term home loan in order to provide me with additional financial flexibility in the event I ever lost ...
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Top 12 Songs That Teach A Lesson About Money (Part 2)
We'll now continue with Part 2 of my list on the Top 12 Songs That Teach A Lesson About Money. For those of you that missed it, the list's first 6 songs, along with the complete explanation of criteria and qualifications that enabled a song to ...
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Top 12 Songs That Teach A Lesson About Money
Since this blog is focused on helping others achieve financial freedom, I figured if I was going to put together my personal list of the greatest money songs of all time, I at least owed it to my five loyal readers to ensure that the list was more ...
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Paying Off Your Mortgage Is a No-Brainer
As promised, with our home currently in the process of being refinanced for the fourth time since 1997, I have finished doing an analysis on whether or not to continue prepaying the mortgage early. After running the numbers, I have come to the ...
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Got a Fixed Rate Mortgage? Root for High Inflation.
With all the liquidity that the governments of the world have been releasing into the economy, I believe it will only be a matter of time before we begin to experience a nasty bout of inflation that will force interest rates into territory not seen ...
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Living Within Your Means Has Its Rewards
First off, I know I sound like a broken record, but I will repeat myself yet again because it is a key tenet of this blog -- financial freedom can be attained by anyone, regardless of income level! "Financial freedom", folks, is not a two-word ...
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Condition Yourself to Hate Paying Interest
God, do I hate to pay interest! To anyone. For anything.
I abhor paying interest, and I avoid it like the plague! You should too.
I think that most people who currently enjoy a life of financial freedom have this distaste of interest payments ...
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Budgeting to Meet the Household Strategic Plan
A household budget should be based upon a well-thought strategic plan for the future. I've already discussed how to establish your household strategic plan so you can begin to build a household budget that meets your long-term strategic plan. ...
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Why You’re Broke: You Don’t Audit Your Spending Habits
Now that I've outlined a top-level job description for the household CEO it is time to begin breaking down each of those six top-level tasks in a little more detail.
The biggest reason most people always find themselves broke and continually in ...
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