Whether it’s home repair, auto repair, or some other service, it’s important to validate the estimates that repair folks provide. We’re all busy (even me, and I’m retired) and it’s often tough enough to get one professional to provide an estimate, never mind 2 or 3. So today we’ll talk about the importance of verification, […]
Always Get a Second Estimate Read More »
Many finance experts view extended warranties as a virus. Stay away! I’m not convinced and I’ll tell you why. Full disclosure. I worked for 6 months as a part-time used car salesman. I know. Pretty glamorous, huh? Most of us car sales folks get paid when you purchase an extended warranty. Which is unfortunate, because
Why You May Want To Consider An Extended Vehicle Warranty Read More »
It’s almost 2026. Can you believe it??? At around this time every year, most investors start reading articles about how it’s time for a year-end check-up. It seems like a lot of work so many investors just move on and stick with the program. And honestly, this isn’t the worst reaction. With investing, often laziness
Your Year-End Planning Checklist Read More »
I read an article this morning about a guy who had a family, $46k in credit card debt and he was considering raiding his IRA to pay down the debt. While I applaud the initiative to address this, I think there are some things that need to happen first. There is little sense in bailing
How To Get Our Financial House In Order – Advanced Edition Read More »
I’ve talked quite a bit about how much I’ve saved by shopping regularly for lower priced insurance. To me, insurance seems to be a commodity. That means they’re all mostly the same, we’re shopping for the best price. I know folks who rave about companies like Amica. While I’ve never been insured with them, I’ve
Watch Out For This Insurance Quote Practice Read More »
This morning I read More car buyers stretching out their auto loans—but longer terms come with trade-offs on CNBC. Let’s take a look at why I believe we’ll be unhappy. Vehicles New vehicle prices are insane. Per the CNBC article, new vehicle prices are above $50,000. And since Americans love big trucks and SUVs, the
Long Car Loan = Huge Disappointment Read More »
In my personal finance classes, and even in my posts, I can feel people’s eyes starting to glaze over when I start to talk about budgets. They’re no fun. Most of us don’t want to be an accountant. And accountants are paid for what they do, why would we want to do accounting-stuff in our
Hate Budgets, Try This. Read More »
But not a good one. The US national debt has now surpassed $38 trillion. I know. That’s too big a number to fathom. Today, let’s try and put that in perspective. Look to the right of the big number. If you’re a tax payer, your share is $327,507. That’s a lot. My grandson is 4
We’ve Hit A Huge Milestone! Read More »
My wife has been shopping Ocean State Job Lot for years. It’s a cool store, but it doesn’t have the same stuff all the time – at least in the hardware section, so I tend to skip it. The draw for many is the treasure-hunt aspect – you never know what they’ll have. Reminiscent of
Who Wants Free Stuff? Read More »
Bet you thought this was about me retiring and forcing my spouse to bring home the bacon. Nice idea, but no. This is even better. This morning I was reading clark.com. Clark is one of my favorite cheapskates. I subscribe to his daily email which has saving ideas and deals. Here’s one: But anyway, back
I’m No Longer The Breadwinner in My House Read More »