Imagine a crisp one dollar bill. What does that one dollar mean to you? How would you spend or save it? Now imagine you are homeless and only have $4 to your name. Now what would that dollar mean to you? Finally, imagine you are a billionaire. What would that dollar mean to you then? Your answers can tell you a lot about your chances of becoming rich. Read the rest of this entry »

I’m excited to announce a new project I am involved in that could revolutionize the way we choose our checking accounts and CDs: BankAround.com. Read the rest of this entry »

A fresh year on the calendar or not, resolutions are hard to keep. Whether the target weakness is overeating, undersweating, or overspending, temptation is everywhere and old habits die hard. But if you want to make some positive changes to your bottom line in 2009, here’s some good news: When it comes to your financial fitness, some small changes can yield amazing results. Here are five examples: Read the rest of this entry »

Does your debit card have a daily spending limit? Most likely, yes. A debit card spending maximum is set by the individual bank or credit union that issues the debit card. Some debit cards have spending capped at $1,000, $2,000, or $3,000 daily.

Try to spend more than the maximum allowed, and your debit card will be declined even if you have enough money in your checking account. Very embarrassing. There are, however, some steps you can take to deal with debit card spending limits. Read the rest of this entry »

The reason I ask is how much money you have earned so far in your lifetime is not to focus in on “how much” income each of us has made or hasn’t made.

I ask because most of us don’t know off the top of our heads, and because taking five minutes to add it up gives you an interesting perspective on the value of money–perspective I wish I’d had ten, eight, even just five years ago. And don’t worry, tallying up your lifetime income isn’t impossible because it just needs to be an estimate. Read the rest of this entry »

Check the personal finance section of your local bookstore, and you’ll find it’s brimming with hundreds of titles guaranteeing to help you get out of debt, get rich on your current salary, or beat the stock market. Truth is, most are regurgitating the same financial principles you can find on this and other Web sites for free.

But in case you really want to know what you’re missing, here are the “Cliff notes” versions of five of the bestselling personal finance reads. Read the rest of this entry »

Ever wondered why toll both collectors wear latex gloves? Blogger PJ of Broke in the Suburb explains. She used to work as a bank teller and recently wrote all about why money disgusts her.

Aside from all the nasty stuff she saw on cash itself, I never really thought about some of the sides of life you would see working as a bank teller. In particular, I loved the story about the woman who insisted a ghost was writing bad checks on her account. I’ll have to try that one!

Anybody else out there worked as a bank teller? What’s the weirdest thing you have witnessed?

Last week I offered up 53 free or inexpensive gift ideas, but if you have a little bit more to spend on a few special people in your life, consider giving gifts that encourage saving or financial literacy. Read the rest of this entry »

As far as potential windfalls are concerned, a hundred grand is an interesting amount of money.

It’s a tidy sum for anyone to be sure, but it’s hardly what Powerball jackpots and overnight retirements are made of. So, I want to know, what would you do with $100k? Read the rest of this entry »

Two years ago I wrote several articles about peer-to-peer lender Prosper and the debt consolidation loan I secured through the site.

But this year Prosper and competing lender Lending Club have been forced to temporarily suspend their lending operations as they pursue registration with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

While LendingClub reopened its site last week, Prosper just recently shut down and may remain down for several months. What does this mean for lenders, borrowers like me, and the future of peer-to-peer loans? Read the rest of this entry »