Tag Archives: personal finance

Cash & Coupling: How Having A Baby Changed Us — Financially

Colleen MeeksJuly 23, 2010 //

When I began dating my now husband, I already had a little girl from a previous relationship. In order to get serious with me, he had to adjust to the idea of late-night dinners at restaurants to takeout scheduled around bedtime. Luckily, he did so beautifully and won both my and my daughter’s hearts.

One wedding, two successful careers, and a substantial mortgage later, my husband adopted my daughter and we were ready to add another tax deduction to the mix. We were used to having to make adjustments to accommodate life’s surprises, so we thought a baby would cause minimal monetary ripples in our fairly stable life. We couldn’t have been more wrong. Keep reading »

Therapy For Your Pocketbook Episode 7: “Hidden Purchases”

The FriskyJuly 22, 2010 //


In the latest episode of Therapy For Your Pocketbook, Connie confesses she’s been keeping her purchases in the closet and under the bed — anywhere her live-in boyfriend won’t find them. Finance Expert Manisha Thakor says it’s OK to have fun with the money you’ve earned, but when spending gets out of control it affects you and your partner. Show you’re responsible by setting up an account specifically for “Want” purchases. [Therapy For Your Pocketbook] Keep reading »

Money 101: How To Save Even When You’re Living Paycheck To Paycheck

Colleen MeeksJuly 15, 2010 //

Being the queen of your own financial destiny is priceless … and can be as scary as some of Lady Gaga’s heel heights. Whether your salary is as high as a modest kitten heel or soars to stiletto altitudes, you’re only as financially healthy as your savings habits. Maybe you’re eating Ramen to make your money stretch, or worse, living off your credit cards, but that doesn’t mean you can’t start saving now. J.D. Roth, of GetRichSlowly.org, offers these tips to get you saving even if you feel like you’re barely getting by. Keep reading »

Poll: Be Honest — Do You Save Money Every Month?

Amelia McDonell-ParryJuly 13, 2010 //

Are You Able To And Do You Save Money Every Month?

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Money 101: How To Start Saving To Buy Your First Home

Heather TeilhetJuly 7, 2010 //

There it is again. That once-a-month unsettling feeling. It’s not your ovulation cycle. It’s your monthly financial cycle making you nauseous. It’s that nagging feeling that accompanies the deadline for your rent check. Who’s getting rich off your rent? Are you wasting money when you should be building equity? And what the heck IS equity, anyway?

However noble and responsible those questions are, if you’re anything like I was before I got hitched and bought a house, you quickly file them away in the “I’ll think about that next month” drawer. Besides, the pizza deliveryman is on the way, and “Sex and the City” re-runs are on demand. Renter’s paradise, right?

But if you’re lingering over the neighborhood home guide, you might as well educate yourself on how to save for your first home. We interviewed consultant and women’s financial expert Deana Arnett for tips on when you’re ready for your own home and how in the heck to get the process started. (First, turn off Carrie Bradshaw. She’s a bad influence. Her shoes and handbags alone would cover half a dozen mortgage payments.) Keep reading »

Money 101: How To Start Your Own Small Business

Heather TeilhetJune 18, 2010 //

J.K. Rowling was buying groceries on a welfare check until she hit pay dirt with a nerdy pre-teen wizard. Sara Blakely was a sales trainer and stand-up comic before she revolutionized the pantyhose industry with Spanx.

Almost two-thirds of the world’s approximately 1,000 billionaires are rags-to-riches stories. And even Kanye says a little ambition can help you make a Benz out of that Datsun. So … why not you? Keep reading »

Therapy For Your Pocketbook Episode 4: “He’s Really Sensitive”

The FriskyJune 10, 2010 //


Connie just moved in with her boyfriend and although he’s really nice and makes great lasagna, there’s something she’s never asked him — his number. Could his credit mess up their financial future? Finance Expert Manisha Thakor encourages her to do the “partner exchange,” even though he’s really sensitive and cried during “Wall-E.” [Therapy For Your Pocketbook]

Keep reading »

Money 101: The Lowdown On Hidden Finance Charges

Heather TeilhetJune 4, 2010 //

So you’ve just noticed the $4.99 mystery charge on your cell phone bill; and, how annoying, that “emergencies only” credit card you never use billed you $15 for your frugality? We consulted two experts to find out if these and other hidden charges are legit, and if there’s any way to avoid being nickel and dimed right into the poorhouse. Deborah Owens, women’s wealth coach and author of A Purse of Your Own, says it’s more than just sweating the small stuff. “This is about knowledge, and knowledge is power,” says Owens. Keep reading »

Money 101: Get Out Of Debt Now!

Heather TeilhetJune 3, 2010 //
credit cards photo

One Venti latte five mornings a week. You could probably pay for your caffeine addiction with cash, but who carries around stacks of green besides strippers and Lil Wayne? Plastic is so much more convenient.

A couple coffees probably won’t send you to the poorhouse, but are you swiping the plastic for groceries? Rent? Routine living expenses?

If so, you’re not alone, says Clarky Davis, The Debt Diva, author of The Debt Diva’s Financial Guide. Davis says most Gen Y-ers have more than three credit cards, and one-fifth of them owe more than $10,000. Of those households in the U.S. with credit card debt, the average debt is $16,007. So, when are you in over your head? If you are struggling to meet your minimum payment, your phone is blowing up with collections calls, or you cannot pay off your entire credit card balance in three months … the Debt Diva is talking to YOU. Keep reading »

My Two Cents: Weaning Myself Off ATMs

Kate Torgovnick/Kate-Book.comMay 12, 2010 //

Do you ever feel like you spend an inordinate amount of time standing in front of an ATM? I used to feel the exact same way. I’d take out cash in small increments, spend it on Lord knows what, run out, and then go back for more without thinking. I won’t lie—there were nights, especially when alcohol was involved, where I’d sometimes go for cash twice. Then I’d look at my statement online, and notice that $40 plus $40 plus $80 plus $40 kind of adds up to a lot. Very quickly, my paycheck began dwindling much faster than it should have been. Then I had a random conversation with my parents where they were telling me about The Good Old Days, when once the bank closed, if you didn’t have money—too bad, you just had to figure it out. You didn’t have constant access to your money. And what I think is a brilliant idea was born. What if I went to the ATM once—only once—a week and pretended at all other times that cash was not a four-digit pin code away. Keep reading »

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