Right now MSN is giving an overview of problems Americans are facing.  According to NPR, the news is talking about the mortgage crisis, the stock market, and the war.  However, what is the biggest challenge facing the average american?  The answer is the rapidly rising cost of health insurance. 
This article looks at many different challenges [...]

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I think this is a great article in the NY Times discussing different type of IRA retirement accounts.  So what are the different types of IRA?
There is a Roth IRA. It allows people under a certin income to contribute taxed dollars to a retirement account.  Currently the amount is $5k/annually, and will grow tax free [...]

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A woman asked the question, if she and her husband had agreed to be in a friend’s wedding party, how late is too late to back out? 

We’re supposed to attend an out of state wedding for friends in a few months.  These are very very close friends of my DH and I’ve known them for [...]

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Could you retire on $12k/year?  This article explains how to do it.  Apparently the average SS payout is $1,082/month which is around $12k/year income to live on.  But do most people survive on it?  I think so.  More than you could imagine.  My grandmother lives on a bit less than $12k/year more like $10k ($900/month [...]

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Ugh, I gotta admit something.  That my DH is not perfect and neither am I.  I get a lot of “I work hard and I want this now,” “I deserve it for working hard,” and “why are we broke when we earn good money?”. 
Here’s the deal, we’re not perfect and wanting something more is natural.  [...]

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 I got a mention from Karen Datko on Donna Freedman’s “Smart Spending” about my Secret Food Increase.  Thanks a lot!
 So is it cheap or frugal to take food/drinks into a movie theater?  I’m putting in a poll. Right now I’m going to say I’m pretty torn but my answer is yes.  However, I happen to [...]

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Obama is proposing that Uncle Sam fund retirement.  The plan is that for families earning less than $75k, 3% of their salaries would be deposited into retirement accounts.  These accounts would have matching funds from the federal government up to $1000.  It’s supposed to be like a tax credit. 
I hate to say this, but why?  [...]

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My first participation the 10th Carnival of Libertarians @ White Sepulchre, very interesting.  I’m not much of a libertarian, more a socialist if I’m honest. However, I thought it’d be fun to submit most post on “Same Sex Marriages” because it’s more political than financial.  Anyway apparently Same Sex marriages doesn’t affect anyone but gays [...]

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A reader asked Walter Updegrave, “are my finances on track?”  He says there are two ways to determine how you are doing.  Go to Money’s Net Worth Calculator, use Census Bureau statistics, or use NetWorth IQ.  This will compare your standings to others or determine if you are “keeping up with the Joneses.” 
Updegrave says that [...]

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George Carlin was a funny guy, and I’m sorry to see him go.  But as an interesting side note he believed in paying his debts.  He owed the IRS $3m, and worked to pay it off. Amazing.  Here’s an article with his quote about it.  It took him 18-20 years to pay it off and [...]

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