There are all sorts of estimates as to how much it costs to raise our kids these days, but it’s widely agreed to be in the hundreds of thousands of dollars. Of course, most parents are on a budget – but even so, a few savings here and there can soon add up, so try [...]
Category Archives: Savings
Preventative Measures: 5 Tips for Staying Healthy and Saving
This guest post is contributed by Olivia Coleman, who writes on the topics of online colleges and universities. She welcomes your comments at her email Id: olivia.coleman33 @gmail.com. As discussed often on My Next Buck before, collecting a substantial emergency fund is an essential component of financial responsibility, simply because we have no idea what life could throw [...]
Where Should You Be Focusing Your Money
One of the reasons I titled this site My Next Buck was because I wanted to keep track of where my next dollar was going. Was it being spent on food, drinks, or put into a savings account? While this is important for me, there are some ways to take what I am trying to [...]
72 Ways to Save Money on Electricity Without Spending a Cent
Today features an AMAZING guest post by my friend Fred Schebesta. Fred writes about saving money at Savings Account Finder, he focuses on helping people find, compare and apply online for savings accounts to put their hard earned money away. Earning extra interest for people makes him happy! Saving on your electricity can be as [...]
Giving Away Free Money! Anyone? Bueller? Anyone?
For the past 6 months, I have talked to scores of people, mostly in real life, and have tried to give them free money. None of them have accepted. Not one! What I am talking about today is the ING Direct $25 Referral Bonus. If you sign up for an ING account after a friend [...]
From Red, to Black, to Red Again – My Net Worth
While planning for my August Cash Flow Recap, I noticed something a couple of days ago. I have a positive net worth for the first time since I have actually cared about money. This of course has some caveats as a big chunk of my liquid assets was from my car insurance settlement. However, until [...]
Lies, Damn Lies, and Statistics
In this first column, I would like to touch on a statistical number that is grossly misrepresented in the pop media, how it should be interpreted, and how to apply a new understanding what it means to your personal finance planning.
On My Way to Becoming a Millionaire
After discussing the errors of my past yesterday, I think it is important to highlight my future prospects. Today I declare that I am officially joining J. Money’s Million Dollar Club. I was walking in DC last week, listening to the audio book of The Millionaire Next Door when I spontaneously broke out smiling. The [...]
Look For Other Ways for Your Job To Pay You
When looking for an employer or while at your current employer there is value spent at looking into your full benefits package. There are the obvious benefits, health insurance, 401(K) matching (which isn’t a benefit unless you take part in it… so get on that if you haven’t!), paid time off, etc. However, there are [...]
Get $100 Free by Starting to Save & My Credit Score Update
Start Saving – Get $100 Free I was forwarded a link over the weekend that I wanted to share with everyone. TD Ameritrade is offering a unique promotion that will give its customers a Free $100 for signing up and continually depositing money into their non-retirement savings account. You can see the promotion details here. [...]
You Don't Need an Emergency Fund
I definitely don’t expect everyone to agree with me about the necessity of an emergency fund, but please remember I am only advocating this strategy as an alternative to younger adults who could be boosting their savings in the years when an emergency is least likely to happen. I personally don’t have an emergency fund set up.
7 (not exactly) Smart Places to Stash Your Cash
On the metro this morning I saw a gentleman reading the Wall Street Journal. I politely asked to borrow the section with an article headline that caught my eye: 7 Smart Places to Stash Your Cash.
I should mention that once the gentleman gave me the section I realized that the entire page was one big advertisement for buying US Coins and armored safes. The page was disguised to look like a legitimate news article in the journal (go check it out – page A7 in today’s WSJ) but clearly, further investigation was necessary.
Optimizing My Own Accounts – Making My Money Work for Me
Friday’s discussion was about making your money work for you with high-yield savings accounts. Today, I will go through all of my own personal accounts and the benefits that each offer their customers (I will even touch on what funds I have invested in). You can use my accounts as a guide for making your [...]
Start Making Your Money Work For You – Open a High-Yield Savings Account
How much interest is your money in your bank account earning? Do you know the percentage? Odds are its some fraction of a percent that isn’t worth recognizing or remembering. This is where economists freak out, because many of us aren’t acting as rational entities and aren’t maximizing our wealth/earning potential via the resources that [...]
Responsibility is Sexy – Positioning Yourself Better in the Dating Market
Things drastically change after high school and after college. All of a sudden we are thrown into the real world and we are faced with modern day Darwinism, known as capitalism. The things we look for in a partner change drastically as well, especially for young adults in large urban areas. I was reminded of [...]
