Car Leases have a poor reputation.  But are vehicle leases always a bad deal?  You may be surprised. Why do leases have a bad reputation?  There are two primary reasons.  Many consumers didn't read the fine print and got stuck with bad terms.  Also mileage limitations have limited the usefulness of the leased vehicle.  My father [...]

Is your car costing you too much money?  Do you see your mechanic more often than you'd like?  When is it time to buy a new car? I'm quite frugal.  I don't purchase new vehicles.  I buy used cars and I pay cash. However, older cars do have drawbacks.  I don't really care about body style or [...]

Have a pile of credit card statements? Find out how long you need to keep your old statements and why. When deciding what financial records to keep and what to throw away, there are several important criteria. Do you use your credit card for business expenses? Do you have any tax deductible purchases? [...]

I used to wonder how the stock market works.  After all if everyone trading stocks is rational how can so much money be made and lost?  However, so many diverse people and organizations own stock that they are always buying and selling and not necessarily for the best reasons. I was having lunch with a friend [...]

With dealer incentive programs and 0% interest deals, car dealers are constantly trying to sell new cars.  That's fine, someone needs to buy new cars.  However, the wealthy know that you should never buy a new car.  Find out why. What Do the Wealthy Know that You Don't The wealthy know that you should never buy a [...]

If you have an Edward Jones account, you now have the option of getting your statements via email.  I hated getting all that paper from Edward Jones and I think it's about time they step into the 21st century. I've called my local office and the main number several times asking for either electronic delivery or [...]

More people are using a debit card to pay for hotel rooms than ever before.  There are many reasons people use debit cards.  However, I recommend using credit cards instead of debit cards. Debit cards have become much more popular.  Many people pay with debit cards instead of credit cards as a way to avoid spending [...]

Expecting your stimulus check but you've moved since you've filed your taxes?  There are a few things you need to do to make sure you get your stimulus payment. According to rumors on the internet, the post office is not supposed to forward mail from the IRS.  However I have yet to find an authoritative source [...]

I hate loose ends, especially financial loose ends.  If you have old accounts that you no longer use like credit cards, home equity lines or other bank accounts, you should close them.  In case you need convincing, I've created a list of the reasons you should close unused accounts. When ING kept sending me statements [...]

Now that most of the payments have been sent, we can analyze the Economic Stimulus Package of 2008.  Was the economy stimulated?  Did the payment really help people?  Was it all worth it? I've answered so many questions about the stimulus payment that I've quite frankly gotten sick of the whole thing.  It's ridiculous how much [...]