Reducing Your Mortgage
by Gary Foreman
I once heard that you can cut a mortgage in half by simply making one extra payment per year. Is this true? And does this work with any loans like... car, personal and student loans? Thanks.
Debt Negotiation
by Scott Bilker
I need to know if this will really work. It makes me very nervous in not paying my bills so they can be negotiated. I talked to DEBTCO and I got very excited that I could be out of debt in 3 years but when I got the papers (contract) I felt a little uneasy. Should I be uneasy? Should I think more about consolidation? Please help me make the right choice. I really need help with my debt.
Time and Money
by Doris Dobkins
Time is a limited resource. We have 24 hours in a day, 7 days in a week and 52 weeks each year. Who and what determine how we spend our time? How can we maximize the time we have? Money as well is a limited resource. What do we do with the money that we take home? How do we spend it and how can we maximize it? Tough questions or easy questions?
Write your financial profile
by Doris Dobkins
It's fun to read financial profiles. Humans, by nature are curious about how much other people make and how they live with what they make. Profiles can communicate someone's salary, how many children they have, how much they save, how big their mortgage payments are and what else they spend their money on.
Band Instruments
by Gary Foreman
I just read your article about the rent to own question. Your examples are easy ones. What about the difficult ones - namely school band instruments? I read somewhere that the rule of thumb is if they are going to play the instrument for more than 2 years it's cheaper to buy. If they play it for less than 2 years it's cheaper to rent... --Mary
Enron Lessons for the Little Guy
by Gary Foreman
Much has already been written about the fall of Enron. Most has been on the political and business ramifications and deciding who to blame. I've been surprised to see that there hasn't been much that would help the average Joe protect himself from the next Enron. So let's see what lessons can be learned from the current mess.
Payday Loans = Costly Cash
by Federal Trade Commission
I just need enough cash to tide me over until payday. "GET CASH UNTIL PAYDAY! . . . $100 OR MORE . . . FAST." The ads are on the radio, television, the Internet, even in the mail. They refer to payday loans - which come at a very high price.
Save money on clothing
by Gregory Thomas
The amount that you spend on clothing. Do you know how much that is? One hundred, two hundred, maybe even three hundred a month? Is it really necessary to spend that much money on clothes? Maybe not!
Building Credit
by Gary Foreman
Dear Dollar Stretcher, I am a college student looking for a credit card. When I tell my parents this they say, "no, you don't need one". I feel that I am financially responsible and in control of my money. I am not looking to spend money I don't have but merely to build credit. I've read all about college kids in debt, etc. But what about the rest of us that are responsible and ready to start our lives? How do I even get a credit card? And is there any better way to build credit?
Survey Results: Financial Education
by Scott Bilker
Do you think that a mandatory personal-finance/money-management course in high school would have helped your financial life and skills today?
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