The average American household earns $63,784 before taxes, which amounts to bringing home $51,100. From that amount, they spend $9,004 on transportation, $6,602 on food (of which $2,625 is spent at restaurants and $3,977 is spent on food eaten at home), $5,528 on insurance and pensions, $1,604 on clothes, $2,482 Read more…
Taking control of your finances can help you reach your dream life in many ways. By paying off your debt, making more money, not living paycheck to paycheck, budgeting better, and more, you may feel more free to reach for your dream life because you most likely won’t feel as Read more…
Another way this works is to find at least one thing about that coworker you do like and focus on that rather than the traits that annoy you. Maybe they’re into dogs and you can brag about your pooch to them, or they enjoy craft beer like you do so Read more…
According to Covey, that’s a big mistake. If you want to change your life, you first must act on the important but not urgent goals. While it’s tempting to open your inbox and answer those emails, I encourage you to relax, take a deep breathe, realize that those emails will Read more…
Try this now if you’re feeling stressed, frustrated, in pain, disappointed, angry, anxious, worried, or depressed: 1. Notice. Take a moment to turn inward and notice your pain in this moment. Now notice where it is in your body, and how it feels. Describe the pain to yourself in physical Read more…
I recently visited family in a semi-remote area of Montana. Remote enough that author Max Brooks deems it as one of the only safe zones for people in the zombie apocalypse novel, World War Z. This wasn’t a vacation, though. I did my normal work routine and clocked my normal Read more…
Today, I thought I’d share eight of the more unusual ideas I’ve discovered during my experiments with personal finance over the past decade or so. These are ideas that have really hit home for me. They make finances make sense to me as part of my life. I’m sharing them Read more…
Saving for Retirement (And Why You Should Start ASAP) Once you have your high interest debt under control, as we discussed in Part 2 of the series, it’s time to start thinking about the future. When you’re 24 (or even 34), retirement seems like a ridiculously long time away. And, unless you’re Read more…
Whether becoming empty nesters, downsizing or just finally embracing the decluttering movement, boomers are taking a good close look at the things they have spent their life collecting. Auction houses, consignment stores and thrift shops are flooded with merchandise, much of it made of brown wood. Downsizing experts and professional Read more…
Every time someone complains to me about their state of finances, the first question I ask them is this, “Do you track and record your expenses?” or “Do you know where your dollars are going?”. Most of the time, they will shrug and say, “No”. And there…right there you have Read more…