Andy

Articles by

Andy

Budgeting provides a way for people to track their income and expenses. However the hard part, once people are aware of their expenses, is to actually cut back on discretionary items. Budgeting fails for many people because they fail to address this key shortcoming. Budgeting will not reduce your expenses;…
Read More

In an argument with my wife over our holiday spending on gifts, travel and entertainment, I got accused of being a cheapskate because I refused to put aside money/budget worries during the holiday season. “What’s the point of saving if we cannot spend the money on the ones we love?”…
Read More

I received the following email from a reader, Justin, asking me where I would invest in the current market given all the turmoil. Here is part of the discussion that formed the basis for this post, and my thoughts on investing for the year ahead: Original Email from Justin: I'm…
Read More

As I write this it looks like the US automakers bailout (or rescue plan) is a done deal. Bloomberg reports that Congress and President George W. Bush are negotiating the final details of a $15 to $17 billion measure to fund the automakers till the new Obama administration is in…
Read More

With all the bailouts and emergency assistance many of America's corporations are getting from the US government, perhaps it is time we the consumer and tax payer get our fair share of the free money being handed out wily-nily. Here is a list of items I wish could I could…
Read More

The latest Federal Reserve Beige Book was released today and as expected the news was grim, which almost guarantees a substantial interest rate cut next week. The beige book contains the Fed's latest snapshot of business and economic conditions looking at factors such as housing, manufacturing, credit, prices, wages and…
Read More

With tax season around the corner it is time for taxpayers to start taking some year-end actions with their finances to get the best outcome on their taxes. Thanks to the folks over at Turbo Tax, the leading online tax preparation and submission software, and my own experience here are…
Read More

In a continuing revelation of the economic team(s) to support his administration and its policy development, President-Elect Obama announced the formation of a new panel called the Economic Recovery Advisory Board (ERAB). The board's mission will be to give President-Elect Obama and his administration expert "outsider" policy advice on lifting…
Read More

Like most investors still braving this market I keep trying to find a safe place to invest that provides decent returns. With a stock market that seems to have many more down days than up days, it is hard to have confidence in future growth prospects. However with interest rates…
Read More

The WSJ personal finance section had a timely piece on how banks are passing on or increasing transaction fees for its customers to offset mounting losses from other parts of their business ravaged by the credit crisis. According to a Bankrate study, the average costs of checking-account fees, ATM surcharges,…
Read More

Whether you are a blogger or just enjoy reading blogs online, you may have wondered how much bloggers earn from blogging and whether all the effort is worthwhile from a commercial or alternative revenue perspective. If so, then read on. Based on my earnings from this blog over the last…
Read More