Money
You’re not a big fan of rewards programs, but what’s wrong with free goods and services? Hey, I’m like everyone else—I like free, which is why rewards programs are everywhere now. You get rewards for buying coffee and clothing and credit card use…Why does every company have a rewards program? It’s not because they’re being […]
WASHINGTON — In the age of identity theft, we are bound to run into conflicting information about what data we should share with providers, government agencies, and especially strangers. Recently, the National Association of Insurance Commissioners cautioned drivers about providing too much information following an auto accident. In many cases, the association said, drivers put […]
I’ve been noticing quite a lot of advertising for back-to-school sales lately. What advice do you have any tips for finding the best back-to-school deals? — Ken, Chicago, IL The start of a new school year is an exciting (and sometimes terrifying) time for kids, but for parents it means shopping, organizing and all the […]
WASHINGTON — My grandmother Big Mama would never have approved of my philosophy about car buying. Although I've bought several new cars, I'm also a huge advocate of buying used. Big Mama was not. "You are just buying somebody's heartache," she would say. Yes, there are plenty of lemons out there. But increasingly, people don't […]
Is there any way to take a frugal vacation this summer? Travelers are in luck, because there’s a sea-change afoot working in their favor. The digital age has ushered in a new mentality of collaborative consumption which hinges on the idea that you don’t have to own to have access to a lovely home or […]
The makers of the iPad and iPhone have been all over the news this week after a so-called “bad quarter,” and the stock fell about 5% for the week. Did the company lose a lot of money? You might think so, but no. Apple didn’t lose a dime. In fact, it made a ton of […]
Our focus this week is on financial behavior in the office. — People find themselves in difficult situations with co-workers where the proper course of action isn’t always clear. To start, what should you do if your co-worker asks you to grab a sandwich or a coffee and never pays you back? So I think […]
What do you do if your employer doesn’t match contributions in your 401(k) at all? Should you just go with your own retirement plan? As the saying goes, not so fast! Last week I talked about how many employers match your contributions to a 401(k) plan—often dollar for dollar or 50 cents on the dollar. […]
One of my mentors once told me as I asked for advice about how to advance my career, “You don’t know what you don’t know and you think you know.” Ouch. My pride was a little bruised, but I knew he knew what he was talking about so it was in my best interest to […]
What is the best way to start investing—is it a 401(k)? Fantastic question, and, yes, the 401(k) is the best way to start investing more often than any other way. By far the biggest and most important investment goal is retirement—people need to replace nearly 100% of their working income when they retire, which is […]
How can I improve my FICO score? What is a FICO score and what does it really measure? Great topic. We all basically know that a FICO score measures how creditworthy an individual is. The higher the score the better your credit—and the more likely you are to get loans and get better interest rates […]
A lot of people know that Ben Bernanke is the Chairman of the Federal Reserve, but what does that mean? What is his job and why is it so important? Here’s the sneaky truth—probably not all that many people really understand his job, and maybe we’re all afraid to admit it. But we shouldn’t be. […]
