I’ll be the first to admit that browsing the personal finance section at your local Barnes & Noble can be intimidating. There are hundreds of personal finance titles to choose from; it’s possible to spend a small fortune trying to learn to how to make a small fortune. But you don’t need to.

In my opinion, a few personal finance books stand out from the rest. Whether you need some broad financial motivation or a specific action plan on how to get out of debt, automate your finances, or start ingesting, there’s a book here for you. And, by the way, these books also make great gifts! [...]

FHA mortgage loans are mortgages that are guaranteed by the U.S. Government’s Federal Housing Administration. Thanks to this guarantee, FHA mortgage loans are often available to home buyers who do not qualify for “traditional” mortgages.

Authorized FHA lenders may approve borrowers with less-than-perfect credit and with as little as three and a half percent to put down for FHA mortgage loan. Although FHA loans were designed to serve low- and moderate-income home buyers who would otherwise have trouble getting a conventional mortgage; anybody can apply for an FHA loan up to FHA lending limits (by region).

As traditional lenders respond to the recession by making it more difficult to qualify for a mortgage, more borrowers are turning to FHA loans. That’s good news for able buyers, but it may not be good news for the recovering housing market in general. Recent reports indicate the FHA is losing money as current borrowers continue to default. (Anybody surprised?)

That said, you can still get an FHA loan, and with low mortgage rates and the $8,000 first-time home buyer tax credit and $6,500 home buyer tax credit in effect until next Spring; it’s still a very good time to buy a home. [...]

Hey fellow writers: Do you love explaining personal finance topics in clear, easy-to-understand language? Do mortgage rates, investing strategies, credit card terms, and debt repayment methods get you excited? Are you interested in earning a few extra bucks by writing one or two high-quality blog posts a week?

If so, consider applying to be a Money Under 30 staff writer.

Here’s the deal: [...]

We non-millionaires (last I checked, we’re still in the majority), may or may not find the prospect of such wealth alluring. Those of us swayed by the sirens’ song of riches may work hard to increase our income, invest wisely, and set a course to get rich slowly; others may fall for get-rich-quick schemes or play the lottery.

Many of us, however, do not really care if we join some club delineated by an arbitrary number with lots of zeros. Instead, we focus on building true wealth in every moment of our lives.

And true wealth, dare I say, is not number; it’s a state of mind. True wealth is the feeling of having enough—whether that’s money, fulfillment, family, or love—and being grateful for all you have.

There is a myth about millionaires that blogs, books, and the mainstream media perpetuate. The myth is that millionaires have it better. [...]

Thanksgiving is one of my favorite holidays. Yes, I love the food. (Which is why, for the second year in a row, I’ll be running in a 5k at eight o’clock Thanksgiving morning in an effort to justify all the calories I’ll consume). But I really love Thanksgiving because the whole point is to be grateful for what you have. We share a meal and a day with people we love. Not to put down any other approaching holidays, but I like that the sentiments of Thanksgiving, for the most part, have yet to be completely obscured by full-throttle consumerism.

I’ve got a lot to be thankful for this year. When it comes to blogging, I’m thankful for everybody who reads Money Under 30 and leaves great comments and for all the other bloggers pouring their heart and soul into creating absolutely incredible content for the rest of us to read, enjoy, and hopefully learn from. Here are just a few examples: [...]

Credit card companies are raising interest rates on just about everybody these days, fueling many people’s passionate disdain for using any credit card for any reason.

Once upon a time, there was only one alternative to spending with credit cards: cold hard cash. But then came debit cards—accepted everywhere just like credit cards, but without annual fees, finance charges, and the looming risk of lifelong indebtedness.

Today, credit card alternatives are growing steadily and are looking even more attractive. That said, some alternatives to mainstream, unsecured credit cards are total rip offs—like many prepaid debit cards and even many secured credit cards. [...]

The younger we are the more we tend to think that we are invincible and do not need health insurance. Cancer, broken bones, and weird illnesses with names that we can’t pronounce are all things that happen to other people and never to us—right? Wrong! [...]

There’s a new rewards debit card in town!

It’s good news for those who absolutely refuse to use use credit cards: A new company, PerkStreet Financial, offers a free online checking account that pays users one percent cash rewards on all non-PIN debit card purchases. You no longer need to use credit to earn cash rewards on your everyday purchases, and you can even get a $50 bonus just for signing up. [...]

I am going to venture a guess that one of the leading reasons many of us twentysomethings wind up buried in debt is because we spend above our means not because we have to, but to look good, fit in, and feel richer than we are.

Are you an “image spender?”

I’m not saying you have to be a superficial diva or high-rolling meterosexual. But from time to time, do you indulge, splurge, and overspend on clothes, jewelry, watches and other accessories; apartments, furniture and even pets; dinner and drinks and lattes; cars, vacations, and a whole lot else?

And do you do it to look good? [...]

I have been trying to convince my wife to switch her checking account away from Bank of America; I’m not a fan. Recently, on my post on leading financial iPhone apps, two readers asked why. Although there are pros and cons to banking both with large “megabanks” and local banks and credit unions, I’m a firm believer that most of us are better off banking with small, community banks or credit unions. [...]