Until the Nation is Broke, Viva la Credit Card

It was recently reported, by the Federal Reserve, that consumer borrowing surged again in March. Consumers increased their borrowing at an annual rate of 7.2%, compared with a 3.1% rate of increase in February. Here is a summary of the worrying borrowing and debt figures: The increase in consumer debt …

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How people are (mis)spending their Coronavirus stimulus checks

With the government hoping people will spend a majority of the $350 billion dollars allocated towards stimulus checks, they may be concerned with the way a number of folks are just going to save the stimulus payment.  What I found interesting was how the various folks responded in line with …

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I Bought into the Market Hype for Visa and Got Burnt!

[2021 update] – I came across this old article I wrote in 2009 around buying Visa and thinking I overpaid. Fast forward 12 years and Visa’s stock price sits near $240. Or almost 6 times what I paid for it. Goes to show if the company is solid, in the …

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Frugal Ways to Keep Your Home Safe

Recently there has been a spate of minor burglaries in my apartment complex, which prompted my wife and I to consider getting an alarm system for our apartment. We looked into this via various on-line sites and calls to security companies in our local area and found that the costs …

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Start Budgeting for $8 Gas Now!

[Update] I wrote this article a few years ago as average national gas prices were approaching $5 per gallon. That seemed preposterous then. Fast forward a few years and $5 seems mild now as we may see $8 gas in some states as inflation spikes and supply constraints worsen due …

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Tech Stocks Booming – Buying them through XLK options

Looks like Technology stocks are back in vogue, after rallying nicely over the last two days. I think the “long commodities/short dollar” trade, which has been the primary trade for the past three months is clearly reaching the end of its profit potential. This trade relied on the falling dollar …

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Who Does the Finances and Money Management in Your Household?

I do in my household. Doing the household finances is something I don’t mind, apart from seeing all the bills which means money going out the door. I also do the budgeting, taxes and investments. I have a natural affinity for all things finance, a reason I write this blog, and …

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Taxes and my Paycheck Withholdings

When I moved here a long time ago one of the financial mysteries for me was the taxes on my paycheck. This included what would be deducted from my pay check and more importantly how much should I withhold to meet my tax obligations. I learned the importance of understanding …

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Financial Spring Cleaning – Organize your Clutter

Is your financial documentation clutter getting too much to deal with? Signs of this include bills piling up, statements in random piles and your desk barely visible under all the stacks of paper. Most of us have, at some point, experienced this and need to get organized. Start now by …

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Insuring Pregnancy – Is this Going too Far?

Expectant mothers will now be able to insure their unborn babies against pregnancy complications, birth defects and even death. This type of insurance, possibly the first of its kind, is being offered by ING Australia. It is aimed at the growing number of older mothers (who have a greater risk …

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Save $29 in Minutes

I came across an article recently about how to save money and shop on-line more effectively by taking advantage of freely available merchant discount codes. These codes can be entered at the checkout page of most on-line retailer web sites and can result in some real savings ($29 on average) …

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