Understanding Debt Settlement

Recently, I have received a lot of Advice Team questions about debt settlement. While paying less than you owe sounds appealing, there are several things consumers need to consider before attempting to... Read more »

Smart Splurging

Earlier I wrote about my efforts to reduce frivolous spending. Today, I think it is important to recognize that even when you are on a budget, it’s nice to indulge yourself now... Read more »

Author Brent Kessel offers some perspective

I recently had the chance to talk with Brent Kessel, author of the new book, It’s Not About the Money. Brent is one of the country’s only CFPs who is also a... Read more »

Time to call it like it is

My online money management system allows me to categorize expenses. Categories include groceries, food away from home, auto expenses, entertainment, housing, etc. In fact, I have 28 categories to choose from, yet... Read more »

The babies are coming

Did you know that there are seasonal patterns for births in the United States? I just learned that births tend to peak in August and September. Any life change... Read more »

The cost of unconditional love

My free dog isn’t cheap. Now that the cute little puppy I rescued from a neighbor’s garage has turned into drooling, snarfing, barking dog, he is costing me a bundle. ... Read more »

What exactly is an authorized user?

There seems to be a lot of confusion about the role of an authorized user on a credit card account. An authorized user is someone who has permission to use another person’s... Read more »

Quick trick to value time

A few weeks back, I wrote about my efforts to try and calculate what my time is worth. Thankfully, I just read an article in Real Simple magazine about quick and easy... Read more »

Déjà vu

In the past six years, I have answered more than 30,000 individual consumer questions asked to MMI’s Advice Team. Actually, it might be more accurate to say that I have answered the... Read more »

What does it mean to save?

Today’s research lead to a startling conclusion: I don’t know the meaning of the word ‘save.’ The following definitions of the word ‘save’ appear in the Merriam-Webster Dictionary. Save,... Read more »