Pimp Your Finances

Insanity is doing the same thing, over and over again, but expecting different results.
I’ve been pushed around recently, and I’m tired of it. Responsible folks like myself are getting a bad name in the press. I’ve seen quite a few articles describing how people who save money are bad for the country. 
The latest insult came [...]

We’re turning into a nation of whimpering slaves to fear – fear of war, fear of poverty, fear of random terrorism, fear of getting down-sized or fired because of the plunging economy, fear of getting evicted for bad debts…
- Hunter S. Thompson, 2003
One thing that’s always bugged me about the media is how they pretend [...]

US News recently published an article summarizing how 401Ks performed last year on average. While the results weren’t surprising (they went down!), it is interesting to see how people with different 401K balances, risk tolerances, and ages fared last year.
 
By account balance:
Here is how investors with the following 401K balances fared last year. It should be noted [...]

When I started writing this, it was meant to be a summary of how the $790 billion stimulus package could affect people.  But halfway through, I changed my mind.
I’m sure that other people will summarize it, but more importantly, I think that the best economic plan is to just take responsibility for your finances and stimulate [...]

Times are hard.  The unemployment rate is almost 8%, and more layoffs are announced every day.
What am I doing to help protect myself?  I’m paying down debt, increasing my savings, and starting a vacation fund.
Starting a vacation fund?  In the middle of a recession?  Sounds, crazy, right?  But hear me out.  I think it’s a [...]

There’s a lot of fingerpointing about the cause of the recession, but who’s really to blame?
Money Central recently counted down a list of the top ten usual suspects.  I don’t think they got it quite right, so I’m going to summarize their list, then share my thoughts on who is really to blame.
 
10. Angelo Mozilo
Angelo was the [...]

Some people think that that consumers are finally changing the way they spend money.  Last October, CNN reported that the savings rate increased to 3% after four consecutive years below 1%.  In December, CNN also reported that household debt dropped for the first time ever.
Lee Scott, CEO of Wal-Mart – one of the few retailers [...]

According to the UK publication Mirror, David Bowie is to blame for the credit crunch and global recession.  Yes, that David Bowie.
In the article, BBC Today host Evan Davis claims that Bowie gave banks a dangerous idea when he sold the rights to future royalties in 1997.  The move was the first of its kind [...]