Eight Steps from the Experts on Handling the Holidays when Your Marriage No Longer Feels Like a “Gift” Thinking about shopping lists, presents, parties, and…divorce? Holidays are usually a time for reconnecting, but if you are married — and not so happily — seasonal preparations can put major strain on relationships that are already teetering […]
Family
"I don't care how poor a man is; if he has family, he's rich."
~Dan Wilcox and Thad Mumford, "Identity Crisis," M*A*S*H
Five Reasons Millennials Are Struggling to Get Ahead
It’s Not the Avocado Toast Hating on the millennial generation has become a favorite pastime of many social commentators. We are vain. We are delicate little snowflakes. We want to save the world but are too busy taking selfies. We would rather stuff ourselves with insanely expensive avocado toast than actually save for retirement. Now, […]
Partners in Love … and in the Boardroom
Can You and Your Spouse Cut it as Business Partners? When you married your spouse, you promised to create and share a life together, but does that mean you can also create and share a business? Many couples successfully helm a business together, but they also face many unique challenges. Below are a few important […]
Love & Money: 25 Financial Tips for Couples
The way we earn, spend, and save money is a practical expression of our most fundamental beliefs. When our priorities are out of sync, money can become the great divide in an otherwise harmonious relationship. By working together toward financial freedom, money can cease being a source of conflict and become a way to express […]
Money Talks … Love Listens
This month, as wedding bells ring for hordes of happy, hopeful newlyweds, my husband and I are celebrating our 29th anniversary. We’ve learned a lot over the years, and we wish all the new kids on the block as much happiness and good fortune as we’ve enjoyed. We especially wish them the will and wisdom […]
To Prenup or Not To Prenup
A prenuptial agreement (or prenup) is often more important in a second marriage than in a first. Because of obligations to children, existing assets, and prior legal commitments, a written agreement assures that everyone’s needs are clear and their financial interests protected. If your future spouse feels uncomfortable about the idea, reassure him that the […]
The All-American Yard Sale
Summer is a great time for taking a deep breath and a good look around. If you cast your eyes on the old homestead—the yard, the garage, the closets, and the cupboards—and see way too much stuff, you’re not alone. Americans have more stuff than they can handle. Think about those self-storage facilities appearing everywhere. […]
The Best-Laid Wedding Plans
It’s hard to stay on budget when planning your wedding-expenses can get away from you as you strive for the “perfect day.” Use the following savings secrets to keep your best laid wedding plans from going awry. Try not to make quick decisions. Impulsive decisions can lead to canceled contracts and returned items which in […]
What Your Kids Can Learn from a Trip to the Beach
We create our lives each day by choosing what we focus on. But too often what we focus on doesn’t advance our lives or accomplish our goals. We are too caught up in our daily living to even figure out our goals, never mind taking steps to accomplish them. Let us illustrate this with a […]
Moving in With Your Sweetheart
Many couples are moving in together before they get married. Deciding to live together is a big step in any relationship. It generally means you’re seriously thinking about commitment, but you want to do a little more investigating before taking the plunge. Though it can seem romantic to merge your finances as you merge your […]
Help Wanted for Teens: How to Beat the Job Market Slump
The Help Wanted sign has practically disappeared for today’s teens. Too many young job seekers are likely to spend the summer on social media or watching TV instead of scooping ice cream or serving pizza. Some experts also blame higher minimum wage laws for squeezing out entry-level workers. Teens face competition from laid-off adults, seniors, […]
Save Money This Summer with a Staycation
Are your vacations so hectic that you need to get back to work to relax once you return? Are you still paying off your last vacation while booking your next one? Here’s a way to abandon the stressful vacation payment treadmill, and relax on the cheap this summer. Get away without going away Whenever my […]
Congratulations, You’re Pregnant! Here Are the First Five Money Moves New Moms Need to Make
Wow, you are going to be a mother! How exciting, and perhaps slightly terrifying. If you’ve talked to other new parents, then you know that the miracle of life also has a way of turning into the miracle of the disappearing paycheck. Babies are wonderful…and expensive. That’s why it is so important to plan now, […]
When Should Your Teen Get Their First Credit Card?
Your little baby is growing up. Now that she’s driving and started her first part-time job, is she ready to handle all of the privileges and risks associated with owning a credit card? Heck, is she even old enough? You may wonder when is the right time is for your teen to get his or […]
Five Ways to Safeguard Your New Baby’s Financial Future
Your beautiful new baby has arrived and you think you’ve got the safety thing under control. The house is childproofed, you’ve got the pediatrician’s phone number posted on the fridge, and a brand new car seat sits in the back of your minivan. But physical safety is just part of the challenge. Unless you’re Julia […]
Ten Ways to Fall in Love With Valentine’s Day After a Divorce
During the early days of your courtship and marriage, Valentine’s Day may have been full of gorgeous red roses, glittering glasses of expensive wine, and ooey-gooey proclamations of love. Now, even the thought of Valentine’s Day may sting your already-hurting heart. If you’ve recently gotten divorced – even if it was definitely the right thing […]
Returning to the Workforce? It Might Be Time to Consider an Adult Internship.
Getting a job is hard, especially if you happen to have a ten-year gap in your resume and skills rustier than a bike left out all winter. Yet, this is the reality that many women in our country face when they are ready to rejoin the workforce after leaving their careers to raise a family […]
Teaching Your Children the Value of Saving and Investing
Ask savvy investors how they learned their first lessons about money, and they’ll probably tell you lessons their parents taught them. The money values we learn as children stay with us the rest of our lives. If you are a parent, teaching your children the value of saving and investing will benefit them the rest […]
Positive Money Messages for Kids
Want to give your kids a wonderful gift that will last a lifetime and help them achieve their dreams? No doubt you’ve guessed that it’s not the latest video game or computer gizmo at the mall. Those are fleeting contributions to a young person’s happiness. Give them a healthy, positive, self-confident attitude toward money and […]
Take a Deep Breath – It’s Time to Talk About Saving for Your Child’s College Costs
College. That single word can lift a parent’s spirits and send an icy jolt of fear down their spine at the same time. A college education can play a huge role in a child’s chance for career and financial success, but the price tag can be breathtaking (and not in a good way). According to […]
Spring Cleaning After Divorce: Cleaning Out Your Closet and Your Life
Spring has sprung. If you are coming out of the winter of divorce, consider this season as your chance to clean your home and your soul of the emotional burdens. Back by popular demand is this useful and uplifting article. The season of spring is all about renewal, which is why it is the perfect […]
Who’s Paying For College? Part Three: Finding a Middle Ground for College Costs
College…it’s expensive. No, really expensive. The sticker price even for an in-state public school can still reach $24,000 a year or more according to CollegeData.com! The question of how to pay for a child’s higher education or even if you should is one that every parent must face. In the previous two articles in this […]
Who’s Paying For College? Part One: The Case Against Paying Your Child’s College Costs
On the surface, paying for your child’s college seems like a no-brainer. We all know that a college degree is practically a requirement these days to make it into the middle class and that a lack of a degree may bar your child from most careers that don’t include a fast food uniform. As a […]
The Truth Behind Five Life Insurance Myths
Life insurance is one of the most common types of insurance that people buy. According to the Insurance Information Institute, 62% of Americans had at least some life insurance coverage in 2013. (That’s a big drop from the 78% of Americans who had life insurance in 2004!) Yet life insurance is also one of the […]
Did You Know That You Can Use Whole Life Insurance for Risk Management?
For many Americans, the idea of “life insurance” only brings to mind a simple term life insurance policy. Term life insurance is the most popular form of life insurance, but it is far from the only option on the market. In fact, insurance companies offer a wide array of life insurance products in order to […]
I’ll Show You Mine, If You Show Me Your…Credit Report
Why You Must Have the Money Conversation Before Marriage If you are in a serious relationship, you probably know your partner’s favorite color, his dream car, and at least a few embarrassing stories from his childhood. But do you know his credit score? If not, then you don’t really know your partner at all, and […]
Four Tips to Slay the Monster Cost of College
A college education is almost a requirement these days in order to break into most well-paying jobs (unless your child is itching to start the next great tech company). However, the cost is steep! According to Collegedata.com, the average cost for a public, in-state college was $23,410 for the 2014-2015 year and $46,272 for a […]
Things You Might Not Know About the Day of Love
Love it or hate it, chances are you have a thing or two to learn about Valentine’s Day, Here is some unexpected information about the holiday. 1. How Valentine’s Day began. Valentine’s Day probably originated as a combination of two Roman happenings. The first was Lupercalia, an ancient Roman festival celebrated each February 15, when […]
A Bad Marriage May Literally Be Breaking Your Heart
Every year, Valentine’s Day, along with its epic run-up of love-soaked commercials and ads, is dreaded by singles everywhere. But what if you are struggling in unhappy or even abusive marriage? You may feel like a bad marriage is breaking your heart, especially as Valentine’s Day approaches…and you might be right! Bad Marriage…Bad Heart Health […]
Money Harmony and Marriage
Around Valentine’s Day, with romance in the air, what couple could imagine that they would ever fight about money? Yet disagreements over money are a couple’s most common source of conflict. Finance is as fundamental to married life as the birds and the bees—but nothing can be more damaging to marital bliss. What’s a couple […]
Tax Write-Offs for Your Wedding
Weddings are expensive, so it is too bad that they aren’t tax deductible. But wait – though tax write-offs may not be top-of-mind when you are planning your wedding, with careful planning there are some ways you can garner a tax deduction or two. Here are some ideas: The church. If you are paying a […]
Over Half of Americans “Haven’t Got Around” To Making a Will
Think of all the things you own, from the money in your retirement account, to your home, your car, and your beloved stamp collection. Where will they go after you die? If you are like 61% of Americans who have not created a will, then you are leaving that question up to your home state […]
Make a Wish This Thanksgiving and Then Make It Come True
This Thanksgiving, families and friends across the country will sit around the dinner table and consider the things they are thankful for. In a world that pushes us to want more than we have, it’s nice to actually appreciate the abundance already in our lives. Still, there is always a place for dreams in Thanksgiving. […]
A Couple’s Money Meet-Up
Let’s imagine that you and your mate have a very important financial date today. It’s a regularly scheduled get-together that happens every month like clockwork. You may recall that when you first began these state-of-our-finances meetings, it was rocky. Lots of things needed to be shared and talked through, some quite jarring. Now, though, it’s […]
Financial Planning for a May-December Relationship
May to December relationships used to be about the younger woman marrying the older man, but more and more often we see a younger man marrying the older woman . Marriage between contemporaries is tough, but a 20-to-30-year age difference can make it a whole new ballgame. For couples far apart in age considering a […]
Financial Infidelity
Infidelity. Most couples think it’s a relationship breaker. But in many relationships a surprisingly amount of infidelity goes on every day without a word. Financial infidelity, rampant in many relationships, may go unnoticed at first. It could be as little as hiding small purchases from a spouse or as large as blatant disregard for a […]
Test Your Marriage Money Skills
Take our marriage money skills quiz to improve your joint understanding and communication about money. You and your partner should answer the questions separately and then compare the notes. The results may surprise you! Download this Quiz (PDF) 1. My partner handles money: a. Like a bull in a china shop. b. According to our mutually […]
He Says, She Says
If your spouse is a risk-taker and you are not (or vice versa), it’s sometimes difficult for you to understand each other. The words just don’t mean what they would mean if you were saying them. With that in mind (and of course a firm desire to improve communication between the sexes), we offer you this handy […]
Are You Really Ready for Marriage?
Marriage is an enormous commitment. Before you take the big plunge, do a quick check to see if there is water in the pool. The following quiz can help you and your beloved assess your readiness for the responsibility of marriage and help you communicate about important issues from the beginning. Print out two copies […]
How to Manage Money — Together
“When people argue over money, the argument is likely to have little to do with money. It almost always has to do with issues of control, security, self-esteem, and, above all, love.” –Grace Weinstein, author In our lives, we are pulled in many directions. We both desire and fear the power of money, and most […]
The Love Letter: Talking to Parents About Financial Concerns
Women today are in the sandwich generation, trying to balance the needs of their own families as well as their parents. But not much has changed over the years. When my grandmother became ill years ago, it was my mother who took care of her. In her late 60s herself, mom put her own needs […]
529 Plans—Not Just for Kids
Education isn’t just for the young – it’s also for the young at heart. In the future, the changing world of work will send many mid-life adults back to school for better career options. And surveys show that retirement-minded Baby Boomers want to continue working after retirement, often in a new career, or round out […]
Prenups Aren’t Just for the Rich and Famous
Who had a prenup when they married, Britney Spears or Paul McCartney? Score one if you chose the blonde bubblehead over the savvy billionaire Brit. Paul McCartney lost $50 million to his ex-wife Heather Mills in their March 2008 divorce court battle. But Britney’s preplanning paid off: she paid just $300,000 to shed Kevin, leaving […]
Mrs. Winkler Was Right
Many years ago in a Milwaukee schoolroom my first grade teacher Mrs. Winkler worked hard to instill in her young pupils the principles of personal responsibility and proper behavior. She also made sure we girls and boys left her care with a solid grounding in the fundamentals of basic math—Two plus Two equals Four. Mrs. […]
Is Your Home Keeping You Together?
Home sale prices dropped during the past few years, and in many communities the market is starting to move up, with buyers outnumbering sellers. But even so, if you are divorcing, selling your home can be a challenge in dividing up your assets. Your home likely is the largest asset that you and your spouse own, and […]
A More Perfect Union
“All marriages are happy. It’s living together afterward that’s difficult.” Anonymous Flags, parades, picnics, and fireworks. July is the month we celebrate those traditions and institutions that make our society strong and free. Before the Founding Fathers wrote their plan for “a more perfect union,” they did a lot of thinking, discussing, and a fair […]
Vacation on a Budget
Are your vacations so hectic that you need to get back to work to relax once you return? Are you still paying off your last vacation while booking your next one? Here’s a way to abandon the stressful vacation payment treadmill, and relax on the cheap this summer. Get away without going away. Whenever my […]
Money Camps and Other Ways to Inspire Your Budding Tycoons
As most parents agree, financial education for children is a great idea. In fact, many parents wish that they had learned more about money management way back when. Children are happy asking for and spending the money — until the day when Mom or Dad says, “That’s too expensive” or “We can’t afford that right […]
It’s Never Too Late to Get Started Saving for College
The best thing you can do is start saving for college while your kids are in diapers. But it’s never too late to begin. Even if you don’t implement your strategy until your kids are in high school, you can make great strides toward meeting your savings goals. Here’s how to get started. Start a […]
Hi Ho, Hi Ho, It’s Off to School We Go
As your children begin their college careers, there’s lots they need to know. Click here to read what your student needs to know about handling money, budgeting, buying textbooks, managing phone bills, working part time, and using credit cards wisely.
Cutting College Costs
Hopefully you planned ahead and have a nice chunk of change set aside for the costs of college. Figure out how much you’ll need for junior’s education with the Save for College at VISA USA’s education website Practical Money Skills. If your savings come up short, don’t despair — there are a lot of things you can […]
How Do You Rate on the Money Conflict Scale?
When it comes to money and marriage, do you and your honey talk through issues? Or scream about them? Or just ignore them? Communicating clearly about money is critical, so take this quiz to see how you score on the money conflict scale. Quiz Instructions Write the numbers 1 through 10 on a sheet of […]
15 Ways to Date Your Mate
Is Date Night a drain on your finances, with the babysitter, fancy restaurants, theatre tickets, and cab fares? Here are some ideas for great cheap dates with your honey that will save you lots of cash without skimping on the romance. Eat a simple, nutritious dinner at home, and then go out for a truly […]
Teach Your Children Well
Giving your children the gift of a financial education will pay off year after year. Of course, teaching your children about money goes beyond practicing their math skills with your change purse. There are 10 basic areas in which your children can learn about money, and how it works in their lives. Teaching Children Responsibility […]
The Difference Between Men and Women
Until recently, the world of finances has been pretty much male dominated. And men and women think and learn very differently. For the most part, men don’t enjoy group interaction and sharing. Men are more likely to go it alone, prizing independence and autonomy, while women seek interaction and chemistry. There are a number of […]
Five Money Myths That Can Keep You Apart
Managing money with your significant other is difficult enough. Don’t burden your relationship with half-truths that can make it even harder. Make sure these five money myths aren’t keeping you apart. The partner who earns more, knows more. Your earnings are only a measure of how much you earn right now, period. They don’t represent […]
10 Sweet Ways to Say “I Love You” — on the Cheap
Use these ten sweet ways to say I love you without breaking the bank. They will improve your relationship more. Leave him a love note in his lunch box. Leave her wildflowers at the breakfast table. Call him at work and tell him to come home for an emergency-you. Show up at her work with […]
Finding Your Dream Castle, and Other Housing Dilemmas
If you decide to invest in a home, you have to find the right one for your needs at the right price. As a first step, get clear on your vision of the house that fits your lifestyle. Do you want a quiet bungalow in the countryside, or a duplex in the heart of downtown? […]
What Our Parents Teach Us
When I was growing up, I remember hearing my parents discuss money. It wasn’t usually pleasant: my father loved to find bargains, while my mother’s nickname was “Mrs. Rockefeller” for the way she spent. Now that I am grown, it is difficult for me to feel neutral about money. I always have the struggle within […]
Divorce and Family Finances
Dear Dollar Stretcher, Unfortunately, so many families are splitting that guidelines are needed for that form of family. When a family has split, what would be an equitable financial plan? How big a piece of the husband’s income pie should go to the household occupied by two growing children with their mother, and how big […]
Heart to Heart
It’s an uncomfortable conversation to have with your parents…and I am not referring to the birds and the bees. This one involves their estate and resolving any uncertainties before they’re gone. Death is not a pleasant subject, but it is going to come eventually and it’s better to be prepared. Assure your parents that you […]
Rich Mom, Poor Mom
We inherit many things from our mothers. Mom our first source of nourishment, love, and security, and she’s also a role model for many of the values and beliefs that shape our lives. Knowingly or not, Moms influence their children’s feelings about money, abundance, and prosperity—their sense of whether the glass of life is half-empty […]
A Famous Father’s Money Model for Kids
If you’re looking for a “Rich Dad” role model, you can’t do much better than the popular motivational speaker and best-selling author, Dr. Wayne W. Dyer. Wayne is rich in every sense of the word—in funds, in family, in friends and fans, and in fantastic life experiences. Father of eight and grandfather of five, Wayne […]
The Cost of Raising a Child
When our daughter Carrie was in high school, she worked at Starbucks after school and on weekends. She saved half of her paycheck for future college expenses and spent the rest on current teenage “necessities” such as MP3 players, shoes and fashion. If you asked Carrie, she was practically self-supporting. She loved the independence, and […]
The Next Survivor Series
THE NEXT SURVIVOR SERIES Six married men will be dropped on an island with 1 car and 4 kids each, for 6 weeks. * * * Each kid plays two sports and either takes music or dance classes. There is no access to fast food. Each man must take care of his 4 kids, […]
