Category Archives: Money 101

The concept of paying yourself first is a common idea in many financial advice books, but it is not universally understood or implemented. The theory of paying yourself first is the idea that if you put money into savings before you do anything else with your paycheck, you will be able to consistently put something […]

We’ve all seen that infomercial with the countertop oven, ‘Set it and forget it!”. While I can’t speak for the product, the tagline definitely has some merit to it. Setting things up to happen so that you don’t have to do much active work can make you life a lot easier. We all like to […]

If you were a teenager in the 90’s, you might be hoping this article is about finding the best music of your youth. Although I’d like to be writing an article debating whether the Backstreet Boys or Green Day is the best musical group of the 90’s, this is actually an article about Certificates of […]

Raise your hand if you have an emergency fund. Okay, to be fair, I can’t see if you raised your hand, but I know a bunch of you reading this didn’t – and not just because you knew I wouldn’t see. Having an emergency fund is a really important part of a solid financial picture. […]

Have you ever wondered why credit card interest rates are so high? Or why mortgage rates feel like such a bargain right now? There are reasons behind these differences that primarily have to do with the risk the lender takes in loaning that money out. The three main categories of loans are unsecured, secured and […]

Have you ever been struggling to decide between two options and thought to yourself, “If I choose option A, then I will miss out on the benefit of option B”. Maybe without even realizing it, you were using the principles of opportunity cost to make your decision. Most commonly, opportunity cost is used to refer […]

You work hard for your money and try to make wise financial choices, so trying to choose the right investment for that money may seem overwhelming. Should you choose individual stock, bonds, mutual funds, ETFs, international options, that hot technology fund . . . . if only there was someone that could help sort through […]

Have you ever looked at your credit card bill and thought, ‘How could it possibly be this high? I hardly used my credit card this month’? This is likely due to one of two things. Either your credit card has been stolen (in which case, you should call your credit card company, but then come […]

If you continued your education after high school, then there’s a good chance you have loans to prove it. Most Americans who seek to further their education do so with the help of student loans. If you were lucky enough to have avoided the student loan journey, then this article isn’t for you, but I […]

In the mail, on the web, in your email and at most store checkouts, everywhere you turn there is a credit card offer. Before you find an offer enticing you to sign the application, it’s a good idea to stop and think about the impacts of a credit card and research which one is best […]