Andy | Saving to Invest

Cash for Appliances Stimulus Rebate Program – Covering Air Conditioners to Refrigerators to Washers; And How to Claim the Rebate

The Federal energy-efficient appliance rebate program or Cash for Appliances program as it is more commonly known is now live in a number of states. The program will provide $300 rebates for Energy Star electric heat-pump water heaters, $100 for super-efficient clothes washers and $50 for super-efficient refrigerators. The program…

Protecting Your Mortgage and Other Assets with Term Life Insurance

One of the largest purchases in your lifetime will most likely be your home. If you have bought one or are planning to, chances are that you have looked into a mortgage in order to afford one. As time passes, and you pay your monthly mortgage payments, have you ever…

How Do I Go About Investing in Mutual Funds Cheaply

The title of this post was based on a question I recently received from a reader - Ben - who was new to equity investing and wanted to get some basic advice on investing in the stock market. He has about $5,000 to kick start his portfolio and wanted a…

The Health Benefits of Living Frugally

People who opt to live a frugal lifestyle don’t usually cite their health as a reason that motivates them to save money. However, there are actually a lot of health benefits to choosing to live a frugal lifestyle. Those health benefits are related to stress reduction, food choices, frequency of…

Five Factors to Consider Before Buying into a Franchise Opportunity

A slumping economy and the prospect of prolonged unemployment has led many workers to consider going to business themselves and because of the perceived safety, brand name and established support structures, franchising is often a popular option. In fact rather than use their redundancy payouts to pay off a chunk…

Questionable Home Appraisals Worsening Real Estate Market Sales

New rules for home appraisers implemented a few months ago following the housing market meltdown are causing buyers/sellers, realtors, home builders and mortgage companies further pain in the already depressed housing market. Not only are appraisal costs going up for home buyers, but nearly 60% of home builders are running…

Trading Stocks and Options with Robinhood – A Better and Cheaper Online Brokerage Option than E*Trade, TD Ameritrade or Fidelity

Robinhood app I have been a big fan of discount brokers, primarily because of their low to zero trading costs and easy to use online brokerage platforms. However it looks the low cost broker wars have intensified with a strong new player in the stock trading scene, who is winning…

The Beginning of the Recession’s End and Why the Unemployment Rate is Key

Recent economic figures released confirmed what most had expected: America’s economy is still contracting. The world’s largest economy shrank at an annual rate of 1% in the latest quarter (compared to 6.4% in the previous one) meaning that while the country's deepest post-war recession was not over, the rate of…

No Cash for Clunkers (CARS) Program Proposed to Support Auto Industry

2021 Update - Given the chip shortage and surge in new and used car prices, no government programs were put in place as part of the various stimulus packages to support the Automotive industry. There are however Electric Vehicle (EV) credits and tax breaks in the bi-partisan infrastructure bill. [2020…

Ten ways to Avoid Getting Ripped Off at the Ball Park

I recently went to a ball game in my hometown and had a great time watching the local team win. However one thing I have noticed for the longest time is the rising price of things sold at the ball games and I am sure at many other sporting events.…

Hacking Social Security Numbers and How to Protect Your Identity

According to a recent journal article published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, it is possible to use publicly available data on state and date of birth to predict someone's Social Security number, particularly if they were born after 1988 and in smaller states. The ability to…

Are IOUs Coming to My State Replacing Real Money and Benefits?

I remember as a kid, my brother and I used to exchange IOUs (I owe you) for favors owed. In most cases this was for some form of candy or an exchange to do assigned chores around the home. Because we had no money, the IOU's provided the exchange platform…

Understanding Obama’s Health Care Reform Plan – What’s in it for You and How You Will Be Impacted

The supreme courts 5-4 ruling in favor of President Obama's health care plan means that most of the act's provisions will now go into action. You can find details of these here, but to summarize: Starting in 2013 The legislation for the first time would place a $2,500 limit on…

Food Stamp Program Now Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). Helping to Feed Millions of Poorer Americans

See this updated article for the latest program information on Food Stamp (SNAP) benefits and eligibility levels [Updated August 2011] The Federal Food Stamp Program is now known as the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). With the stimulus aspects of this program set to expire at the end of this year following the debt…