Is There Common Sense in Personal Finance?

April 4, 2012

I don’t like the phrase “common sense” when it is paired with anything related to personal finance. In my opinion, there is nothing common about finances when you are uneducated. By watching what I was being exposed to growing up, it was common to be in debt. If you needed a new car, then common sense said to get a car loan. If you were short one month and needed groceries, common sense said to use a credit card to purchase them. Those actions were common, every day occurrences and that made them common sense. The topic for this...

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Guest Post: Stay the Course

April 3, 2012

This is a guest post from Karen @ MoneySavingEnthusiast.com. Enjoy! When asked in a Forbes article about advice she would give to the next generation of influencers, NBC Anchor, Ann Curry replied “Know this: Everything you dream of that you care enough not to give up on, the deepest passion in you, the thing you really want will come true. . . .” Last summer, I fulfilled a long-held dream of mine: I met her. A friend of mine and I journeyed to New York and visited the outdoor set of NBC’s Today Show. As Ann and the other...

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Review: Money Rules by Jean Chatzky

April 2, 2012

I was lucky enough to receive a copy of a new book by Jean Chatzky. I was really excited to get this email. Jean is one of the first financial experts that resonated with me when I was seeking out information. Her down-to-earth, no nonsense approach to explaining things has always worked for me. Maybe it’s because she is a journalist and doesn’t have a background in finances. Maybe it’s that she talks like she could be my girlfriend. I don’t know what it is but it works! I received a copy of her new book Money Rules: The...

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Where’s the Debt – April 2012

April 1, 2012

Well it is April 1, 2012 and that means it is time for another installment of “Where’s the Debt?” My very first, Where’s the Debt? post was published on 3/22/2010. I have been writing about my debt situation for two years now. (Yep, my 2 year blog anniversary has come and gone with no big fan fare or cool giveaway, bummer dude.). In March of 2010, my debt was over $37,000. Sadly, it’s more now due to further fees being tacked on and my decision to return to school. However, I feel better about my situation now than I...

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Weekly Roundup – I’m a Loser Baby!

April 1, 2012

The theme for this week (and most of this month) is losing! This is a good thing but also a not so good as well. First up in the not so good category is my beloved Buckeyes. Sadly The Ohio State University (my alma mater current university) lost in the NCAA Final Four. What started out as a great first half, looking very much like we would prevail, became a nail biter ending and a disappointing finale. Like millions of Americans, I did not win the lottery this past week. I’m still missing my 10 bucks but I’ll get...

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If I had 600 Million Dollars…

March 30, 2012

Well if you’ve been living under a rock then you aren’t yet aware that the Mega Millions Lottery has a world record Jackpot. At the time of publishing this post, it was up to $640 Million!! On Tuesday, when it was around $400 Million, I got a phone call from my mom. She asked me to go buy a few tickets. She typically plays but couldn’t get out to buy tickets before the drawing. So I wasted bought $10 worth of tickets for her. And guess what…I LOST. And so today, when the second chance comes to win a...

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I (finally) DID IT!

March 29, 2012

I paid off a credit card in full! Good-bye Dell Preferred Account! Today I sent in my final payment to my Dell Account. A payment of $200 should be crediting my account on Friday morning. And I will be one small step closer to becoming debt free!  On top of this, I have another credit card that is very close to being paid off. I expect it to be done in the next month or so. This depends on my income in the coming weeks. I could pay it off right now but I have yet to form a...

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The Roth IRA Movement

March 28, 2012

A few weeks ago Jeff Rose (@jjeffrose on Twitter) sent out a tweet asking bloggers to join in a new project he had in the works. He wanted to get the word out about investing in Roth IRAs and was hoping to get a few bloggers to join him. It has ballooned into more than 140 bloggers and a number of large organizations like The Wall Street Journal. I love when the Personal Finance community comes together to do something awesome! I sent Jeff a tweet and accepted the challenge, even though I know VERY Little about Roth IRAs...

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