Should You Walk Away From Your Home?

Despite the struggle, most responsible homeowners don’t think twice about whether they should make the mortgage payment each month. You’ve worked like crazy to stay on top of bills for years. You may have already fought your way back from bad credit and don’t want to let your credit score sink again. Whether you choose to fight and stay in your home for the long-haul, or you have given it your all and just can’t bear the crushing weight anymore, it’s important to know that there are better options than simply abandoning your home before you are late on the payments.

The Black Friday Survival Guide

With the economy struggling, many retail stores are painfully aware that it is going to take big price cuts on Friday to fill up the parking lots and get cash registers ringing. If you are going to brave the crowds, you need to be prepared and educated about where to go and when. Perhaps you love the thrill of the chase and your crowning achievement was wrestling a Tickle-Me-Elmo doll away from a elderly woman a few years ago, but you were called into the office this Friday. While you might feel a bit left out for not being at the front of the line when the doors open, we can still help you save some money (and sanity).

Obama’s Economic Brain Trust

Can President elect, Barack Obama, fix the economy, save our country, and right the galaxy? In a recent AP poll, 72% of Americans were confident that Obama will make the necessary changes in order to fix the economy. In an unrelated Gallup poll taken on the same day, only 3% of the nation think the economy is in a good or at least stable condition.

How to Shrink Your Home

We homeowners often dream of making changes to our homes. We may envision a remodeled bathroom, for example, or a vegetable garden in the backyard. But a less common sort of home alteration can actually make you richer: Shrinking your home.

7 Financial Tips From the Great Depression

History teaches us that creative solutions to complex problems can lift us out of unfortunate circumstances. After the 1929 stock market crash, people learned to not only make due with much less, they also found ways to save money and still have a rewarding life. Now that we are facing similar dire circumstances, let’s take a look back at some lessons from the Great Depression that still make sense today.

It’s the Economy…Why McCain Lost

As you approached the voting booth last week, what concerns were on your mind? If it was the economy, you were not alone. Six out of ten voters selected the economy as the number one issue facing our country. At the same time, none of the four other issues listed (Iraq, terrorism, energy, and health care) received more than one in ten votes.

How-To Guide: Spend Smarter

If you want to save some significant coin on your retail expeditions, you first need a game plan. Consider the biggest slices of your spending pie, and practice cost consciousness where it counts: vacations, transportation, holiday and home expenses, and electronics. Really planning a shopping strategy to procure these items could save you some serious cash.

A Visual Guide to the Financial Crisis

Almost overnight, the talking heads went from perpetuating the euphoria of investors to rushing to pronounce the economy dead. Last year, when lenders started dropping like flies as foreclosures rose and margins were called, the problems of Wall Street became more and more apparent, and lending guidelines were tightened to the point that many individuals were stuck in their time-bomb loans, and thus began a vicious cycle. But what led to this? Here is a visual guide to help you understand the events leading up to the bailout.

How Can You Be Sure You Have Enough to Retire?

If you’ve been contributing to a 401k and socking away money for retirement, you probably think you have enough. But you’d better brace yourself for the shocking truth. Unless you’ve taken into account how old you were when you started on your retirement plan, you most likely don’t.

Get It Done: Save 50% On Your Utility Bills

According to the U.S. Department of Energy, the average family shells out about $1,500 annually for utilities. With energy prices steadily rising, that may soon seem like a bargain.

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