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.

sale-8550101_1280
Think Twice Before You Buy That Car
Buying a car is a big expense. The average new car price is $50,000, and used car prices aren’t...
Read More
money-2082383_1280
Easy Ways to Save
We all need to save some of our income. It’s not as hard as you may think. We’ll talk about...
Read More
fast
Fastenal - What I Learned From Their Annual Report
I wanted to share some learnings from a brief review of the Fastenal Annual Shareholder Report. This...
Read More
bh
The Greatest 15 Pages You'll Ever Read
I’d like to share some excerpts from an exceptional annual report. As an investor, you’ll...
Read More
relaxing-1979674_1280
Can I Retire Comfortably?
Can I retire comfortably? That’s the big question. Let’s dig in and talk a bit about what...
Read More
pizza-1442946_1280
Stock Splits - Meh!
In this post we will talk about what a stock split is, why they happen and what it means to you as an...
Read More
christmas-1869902_1280
Christmas in March, A Dividend Story
This morning, I checked my brokerage account and found an $814.57 gift. As a retiree, I rely on investment...
Read More
carrier
Company Research
It’s annual report season. If you hold stock in more than a few companies, prepare to be inundated...
Read More
achievement-3656144_1280
Investor Mentality
In order to build wealth through investing, it is important to have the right mentality. In this post,...
Read More
business, money, pounds-1037739.jpg
Loans
While I don’t know anyone who has kind words to say about their loan or their monthly payment,...
Read More
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...
Read More
stock-6682491_1280
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...
Read More
poker-1798037_1280
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...
Read More
woman-8601818_1280
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...
Read More
mark-804936_1280
Dividend Stocks
Dividend Stocks are a compelling investment option. They have the potential for capital appreciation,...
Read More
stock-market-2616931_1280
Measuring Stock Performance
You’ve decided to invest in companies and you’re buying stocks. Congratulations. How do...
Read More
telephone-3594206_1280
Phone Scams
Phone scams are quite common these days. We’ll talk about prevention, but let’s start with...
Read More
debt-3272735_1280
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...
Read More
scam-6922102_1280
How to Spot email Scams
We all remember the Nigerian prince email scams. These were popular years ago, but they’re still...
Read More
blood-pressure-1584223_1280
Health Savings Account
A Health Savings Account (HSA) is becoming a popular but frequently misunderstood employee benefit....
Read More
credit-40673_1280
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...
Read More
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18