A home is typically a person’s largest expense, which is why it’s so important to choose well when buying a house.  And there’s a lot more to it than choosing what type of countertops to get.  From a financial standpoint, it means buying a home you can truly afford and getting the right mortgage at [...]

One of the most misquoted money verses in the entire Bible is 1 Timothy 6:10.  A lot of people think it says that money is the root of all evil.  But it doesn’t say that.  It says, “The love of money is a root of all kinds of evil.” Like many of us who teach [...]

Here’s one of the most important things to know about how credit card debt works.  Let’s say you have a $1,000 balance on your credit card and that you stop going any further into debt.  And let’s say you pay the minimum amount that the credit card company requires each month. If you do that, [...]

Your credit score plays an important role in determining whether you will qualify for a mortgage and, if so, at what interest rate. On a $200,000 mortgage, for example, someone with a good score (760 or higher) will pay nearly $200 less per month than a person with a bad score (639 or lower).  You [...]

I thought I knew a thing or two about making financial mistakes.  After all, I’m the guy who once received a $60,000 inheritance and turned it into $20,000 of credit card debt.  And it only took me two years! I messed up with money the old fashioned way.  I didn’t pay attention to my income [...]

Homes and cars are typically two of the biggest expenses for most people. With a house, just think of the mortgage, the property taxes, and the insurance.  With a vehicle, even if you don’t have a loan, just think of today’s mortgage-like fuel expenses and the insurance. But wait.  I missed something.  Did you notice? [...]

Not long ago, a friend went through his closet and gave away literally half of his clothes. Rather than missing the items, he said life felt less complicated. Instead of feeling deprived, he felt freed up. Jane Hammerslough, author of Dematerializing: Taming the Power of Possessions, describes how a roof repair gone wrong forced her [...]

Anyone enjoy filing papers?  I didn’t think so.  But you’ll be glad to have done the job with some sense of order should Uncle Sam ever come calling with a question about what you put on line 43 of your 1040 from ‘08. I recommend keeping financial paperwork in three different places: an easily accessible [...]

I didn’t want to run the other day.  I was dead tired.  Just couldn’t sleep the night before.  But I went anyway. I didn’t set any speed records; that’s for sure.  In fact, I was running so slowly, it wouldn’t have surprised me if a walker passed me by.  But I went.  And I ran [...]

There are some personal finance teachers who believe no one should have a credit card.  They seem to think that carrying credit cards is like carrying little sticks of dynamite that could blow your finances to smithereens at any time. While there are definitely some people who would be better off not using credit cards, [...]