Walter Mischel, a psychologist and professor at Stanford University, led an experiment in 1970 that offered a choice to small children: eat one marshmallow instantly or wait 15 minutes and receive another. Follow-up studies of the same children after 15 years showed that 100% of those who could resist temptation were wholly more successful; they... Read more
June 18th is National Splurge Day, a day dedicated to throwing caution to the wind and getting yourself something nice. After all, what good is all the financial restraint in the world if you never get to enjoy the fruits of your labor? National Splurge Day is a day for you to give yourself something... Read more
Lately, everyone seems to be talking about a million dollars. For example: “A million dollars isn’t what it used to be,” the New York Times reports. For now, let’s sidestep the debate about whether a million dollars is a lot of money or not and focus on a question we’ll all face at some point, if... Read more
We like to think the Mint team has thought of pretty much everything when it comes to budgeting and spending money. But occasionally a question comes up that needs clarification – like how to track spending that is unbudgeted. By unbudgeted, I mean spending that doesn’t fall into a category you’ve designated, like your car... Read more
Caring for a dog is by no means cheap. Annual costs can exceed $800, according to one survey by The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, with a year’s worth of food and treats for a large dog setting owners back more than $300 on average. But spoiling rewarding your dog with... Read more
Credit cards are evil, credit cards entice you to get into debt, and credit cards are just plain bad news. This is the message a small, but very vocal, minority of rabid consumer advocates would have you believe. Thankfully they’re all wrong, as credit cards are a very safe and efficient way of transacting commerce... Read more
Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) recently introduced the Federal Student Loan Refinancing Act, a piece of legislation that calls for the refinancing of all higher-rate Federal Direct and Federal Family Education (FFEL) student loans at 4% interest. She estimates that her plan will assist nine out of 10 students who borrowed under the various federal education loan programs. The... Read more
BrightNest is a free site that provides tools and tips to homeowners to help them save money, get organized and keep their homes in great shape. Sign up for a free BrightNest account today! Would you buy sushi from a gas station? Didn’t think so! Some edible items – like seafood – are definitely worth... Read more
When it comes to personal finance, saving, and investing, there are a lot of “it depends” or “your situation may be different.” I daresay that saving for retirement is not among those – unless you are one of the very fortunate few to be independently wealthy, setting aside money today to see that you have enough for the... Read more
“An epidemic:” That’s how U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood has described the effects of distracted driving. And when you take a look at the numbers, distracted driving has taken thousands of lives and resulted in hundreds of thousands of injuries. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, 3,331 people were killed in 2011 in automobile crashes involving... Read more