Personal Finance ABCs

A wise man wrote “There is a huge gap between the skills and knowledge each and every one of us needs to manage our financial lives, and the formal training that we’ve received.”  That was me.  It’s on the about page.

I have lots of posts to help with this.  The latest posts are on the home page, but there are many more.  Click on the category links in the header to explore!

I started with some ideas on how to save more money and create a budget, herehere and here.  Once we’ve managed to save some, we need to start investing.  Check out the posts on  compoundingasset allocationmutual funds and ETFsstocks and bonds. I’ve also got posts to help understand financial products and how they work, and how to use them to your advantage.

  • My company has a 401k. What is it, how does it work, and how can I participate?
  • My credit card gives me points. What am I giving up in exchange?
  • I’d like to invest in stocks but I don’t understand them.

I’ve also got tips on car buying from a former car salesman and a comparison of hearing aids.  

And you can always get back to the home page by clicking the dancing dollar sign guy at the top left of every page.

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Loans
While I don’t know anyone who has kind words to say about their loan or their monthly payment,...
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401k
Today's Rant - Misleading Headlines
This morning I saw the headline 2 Reasons to Save in a Roth 401(k) in 2024, and 2 Reasons Not To. Before...
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Supplementing Income With Covered Call Options
Covered calls add some risk to your portfolio but can be a good way to supplement income. Let’s...
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Today's Thought - What's so Bad About Insider Trading?
It is bad. Bad for every investor. It’s really bad. Let’s look at what insider trading...
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How to Build an Investment Thesis for a Company
In this post, we’ll break down the steps involved in building an investment thesis for a company...
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Dividend Stocks
Dividend Stocks are a compelling investment option. They have the potential for capital appreciation,...
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Measuring Stock Performance
You’ve decided to invest in companies and you’re buying stocks. Congratulations. How do...
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Phone Scams
Phone scams are quite common these days. We’ll talk about prevention, but let’s start with...
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Is Debt A Problem?
Duh. Or if you’re a Simpsons fan, Doh. Either way, I’m sure you get it. But how big of...
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How to Spot email Scams
We all remember the Nigerian prince email scams. These were popular years ago, but they’re still...
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Health Savings Account
A Health Savings Account (HSA) is becoming a popular but frequently misunderstood employee benefit....
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Credit Score - Today's Example
I read an article this morning about a woman who was irate because she paid off a loan and her credit...
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Trading is Hard - Today's Example
In an earlier post on Stocks, I talked about trading v. investing. To me, investing is researching different...
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Wow. Today was a Rough Day in the Market
Today was a rough day in the market. They are more common than you might think. I typically dislike...
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Credit Score
Your credit score is much more important than you may realize. Let’s dig in. Many people refer...
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The Secret to Building Wealth
Time is the secret weapon in building wealth. For those who only read the 1st paragraph of an article,...
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Budgets
Unless you end each month with more money than you know what to do with, you need a budget.  If...
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Bonds
Bonds are a key part of a diversified investment portfolio. In this post we’ll talk about what...
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Do I Need Pet Insurance?
I read an article about pets this morning. The highlight was that the typical pet owner spends $4,800...
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Compounding
If you read only 1 article on this site, please choose this one. Compounding is the magic that will...
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Stocks - when to sell
Today, I grudgingly sold 6 companies that I’ve owned for several years. All 6 companies had lost...
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