The “Now” Syndrome

Look at today’s technological innovations.  Look at all of the different forms of financing.  To help visualize what I’m talking about, I’m going to list a few of them: E-mail Cell Phones Texting Movies on demand Credit Cards Payday Loans Vacation Loans Pre-prepared foods What do they all have in common?  They are all different … Read more

A War On “Splurge”

Today, I declare war on the word “splurge.” There really isn’t anything wrong with the word itself, but there is something terribly wrong with the way people use it. The word splurge is one of the most abused words in the English language. Here are some of the problems: It is used far too often by the … Read more

Cost of Entertainment Per Hour

Cost of entertainment per hour is a fairly simple concept that we covered in our article “Watching Netflix on the Nintendo Wii” but we are going to cover it a bit more in-depth.  Most prices that you see throughout your day are generally arbitrary (as far as you’re concerned). You go to a grocery store … Read more

Johnson and Johnson Dividend Analysis (JNJ) 2010

Company:Johnson & Johnson Ticker: JNJ Current Price: ~$63.57 Annual Dividend: $2.16 52-Week Hi/Lo: $66.20/$56.86 Dividend Yield: Price: Yield: Hi $66.20 3.263% Current $63.57 3.398% Lo $56.86 3.799% Looking at that table, it’s easy to see that this Dividend Aristocrat has a very healthy dividend yield. I typically uses 3% as my minimum required yield when … Read more

Take 2.5 years off from work

If you like what you read, then subscribe to our feed! How would you like to get 5,054 hours of your life back, without having to pay for it?  How would you like to get 2.43 years off from work?  Your numbers may vary, but we’re going to show you how.  Now, it isn’t something that you … Read more

Home, Cheap Home: The Chandelier

If you like what you read, then subscribe to our feed! I’m married, and naturally, that means there will be disagreements, compromise, and surrender.  I’m also a home-owner which means there will be various household decorating ideas, and those get expensive. My wife wanted this chandelier (pictured to the right) from JC Penney.  This Chandelier … Read more

3 Lessons From A Slot Machine

If you like what you read, then subscribe to our feed! The slot machine, it is an iconic symbol of decadence that prevails throughout the world. From the Las Vegas Strip to the St. James Club in Antigua, from Atlantis Resort in the Bahamas, to Casino Baden-Baden in Germany, few people in the developed world … Read more

Is Saving Money Difficult For You?

Many people are beginning to cope with cutting back indulgences to save more money, but still, many have trouble with saving money.  Is saving money difficult for you?  If you have trouble saving money, then the solution may be as simple as changing your perspective on saving. Saving Money Requires Too Many Changes A lot … Read more

America’s Cheapest Family

If you like what you read, then subscribe to our feed! This is Steve (Top Row Right), Annette (Bottom Row, Second From Right), and their kids and they are “The Cheapest Family in America.”  What makes this family the cheapest family in America?  Here is a short snippet from their website: Steve worked as a … Read more

Celebration: 6 Months and 100 Posts!

Happy Fall and Happy October Today is an interesting day.  There’s so many things happening.  We just finished September, summer is over and fall is here (my favorite season), 6 months ago I started this blog to help friends and family with their money issues and it has since grown into what we have here … Read more

Use What You Can Lose

It’s not only a neat rhyming phrase, it is a rule of thumb that you should consider employing if you aren’t already.  Use that you can lose is simple in philosophy, but abundant in knowledge.     The idea is that you should invest money with the understanding that you can and may lose it all.  Another … Read more

Are Dividends Good Enough For You?

Some people dislike things because they just aren’t cool any longer.  Remember the walk-man cassette players, then the portable CD players, and now the mp3 players?  What about the cellular phones in a briefcase, then flip phones, and now mini computers that you sometimes talk into? Have dividends become so unattractive in today’s shorts, calls, … Read more

Home, Cheap Home: The Dimmer Switch

Update: Because of a high number of email requests, we are including some Amazon links to the switch we used (which is pictured to the right), and some other common types made by the same company.  We’ve had a great experience with the toggle dimmer, the reviews look pretty good for the other two as … Read more

5 Reasons Why Burger King Is Losing

Money.CNN has an article titled “What Went Wrong At Burger King?” in response to the recent acquisition of Burger King by an investment firm.  The article is well written and gives a great “macro” perspective, but we wanted to give a more “micro” perspective of the problems in the Burger Kingdom. I find the acquisition interesting because, in my … Read more