Whenever I hear about the deaths of celebrities like Heath Ledger and Brad Renfro, my first thought goes to the children they left behind. I pray that the surviving parents have the strength to help their children through this. I also hope that the celebrities listened to their financial advisors and arranged for trusts and …
Lessons from Celebrities: The Importance of Life Insurance Read More »
This week we’re finally adding our auto policy to our home policy. We waited for our original auto policy to expire to avoid dealing with refunds, overlap, etc. Now it’s finally time to merge. I knew we’d receive a discount, but I didn’t realize just how much until I called our insurance agent. Multi-Line Insurance …
When Joe the Plumber confronted Obama about small business taxes, my first thought was that this guy doesn’t know enough about business income and expenses to run a small business properly. If this business makes more than $250,000 a year in profits and has employees, then it shouldn’t be set up as a sole proprietorship. …
This is mostly about time management, but it also applies to personal finance. Every week, I create a To Do list in my notebook. It includes my usual weekly tasks (because I like crossing things off lists, not because I worry I’ll forget to buy groceries), the TV shows I plan to watch, events I …
Setting Priorities for Everything You Want to Do or Buy Read More »
If you’ll ask me “why is buying a house so stressful?” Well, before I answer that, recently my doctor advised me to avoid stress. I think that’s a standard line from doctors, even for people like me with no health issues. Nevertheless, I laughed and told her that would be difficult because I’m in escrow. …
It’s time once again for the blog carnival round-up! This week we’ll start with Festival of Frugality #115. In addition to my post on creating a frugal exercise club, you also might enjoy Cheap Healthy Good’s links to spice recipes (make your own mixes to save big.) Next up, the Carnival of Personal Finance #142. In addition to my …
With the economy in a slump, more and more people are trying to take the home office deduction. Unfortunately, most of them don’t actually qualify and are setting themselves up for an audit. If you’ve taken the deduction already or wonder if you’re eligible, here’s what you need to know so you can have all …
Next in my series of posts about the documents you need is the advance directive. This basic document ensures that your wishes will be carried out if you become unable to make your own healthcare decisions. Although the documents have been available for years, they entered the mainstream during the Terry Schiavo case. If you don’t have …
This week I was only in one carnival, with a friendly link from another. BlogCarnival.com was down on Friday, and I forgot to submit the rest of the weekend! I was planning to submit to four, so boy am I mad at myself. What does that all mean? We have a briefer carnival round-up this …
With Obama in office, the movement toward a greener economy will continue. With the recession continuing, we’re going to need to save money. Fortunately, you can do both. This weekend’s LA Times reported that the recession is slowing the contributions to our nation’s landfills because we’re buying less stuff. Let’s hope these 100 ways will …
