What’s inside? Here are the questions answered in today’s reader mailbag, boiled down to five word summaries. Click on the number to jump straight down to the question. 1. Bank errors and credit cards 2. DirecTV contract 3. Pay taxes or shore up? 4. Next steps 5. Rental income as retirement strategy? 6. Iowa weather… Read More Reader Mailbag: Amazon’s Deal of the Day

Having bad credit is a bad feeling. Maybe you pulled your credit report for the first time and got some bad news. Or maybe you had good credit, but made a couple of bad decisions — curse that 15%-off promotion that tempted you to apply for a store credit card you then forgot about! —… Read More Four Steps to Get Your Credit Back on Track Within a Year

My wife and I have been talking a lot about making significant lifestyle changes related to frugality, and so we’ve decided to take a one month test run at it to see how it goes. We decided to make a list of twelve frugal initiatives to try for the month and then at the end… Read More Making May An Ultra-Frugal Month

What’s inside? Here are the questions answered in today’s reader mailbag, boiled down to five word summaries. Click on the number to jump straight down to the question. 1. Refinancing decision 2. Maintaining good credit 3. Toning down our wedding 4. Handling a windfall 5. Handling a changing 401(k) 6. Handling unpayable medical bills 7.… Read More Reader Mailbag: Art Museum

Several years ago, my wife and I were in a bit of a personal bind. We lived together in what was about the tiniest two-bedroom apartment you can imagine, with a small baby and another one on the way. We were already forced into being pretty creative with arrangements with even one baby in the… Read More 12 Things I Should Have Considered More Carefully Before Buying My First Home

This week on The Simple Dollar is Goals Week. Many of the posts you’ll read are about defining personal finance goals (and other goals) that are clear and reachable, defining goals with different timeframes, and handling achieving a goal – or not achieving one. So let’s get started. First of all, what exactly is a… Read More How To Define A Tangible, Reachable Personal Finance Goal

What’s inside? Here are the questions answered in today’s reader mailbag, boiled down to five word summaries. Click on the number to jump straight down to the question. 1. Am I oversaving for retirement? 2. Same-sex marriage and taxes 3. Pricing of e-books 4. Handling a complex debt snowball 5. The very first step 6.… Read More Reader Mailbag: Art Museums

Excerpted from “Creating Money, Creating Meaning” by Orna Ross A core understanding in “Creating Money, Creating Meaning” is that how you do money is how you do life. Your bank statement is the most accurate statement you have of your real, lived values (as opposed to those you talk about). If money is making you… Read More What’s Your Money Mind Type?

I’ve wanted to write this for a long time, but once again a reader of mine comes through. I received this question in an email recently: I have a question about giving to charities. I was always taught by my parents I should be giving 10% of what I earn to the church, charities, the… Read More Charity: Why You Should Give Your Money Away

What’s inside? Here are the questions answered in today’s reader mailbag, boiled down to five word summaries. Click on the number to jump straight down to the question. 1. Student loan struggles 2. Highlights of South Dakota 3. Air conditioning debate 4. Is internet stuff “free”? 5. Loan options 6. Starting online businesses 7. Tithing… Read More Reader Mailbag: Audio and Distractions