Hi, I’m Kathleen, and I’m new here. My usual corner of the internet is frugalportland.com. Today, I want to talk to you about why having a budget may not be the most important thing on earth, and how it’s entirely possible to achieve your financial goals without one. What is a Budget? Simply put, [...]
Why Mompreneurs Need to Consider Business Insurance
Having a child really impacts your life and can make you view your professional commitments differently. When you enjoy being at home and have a talent or a hobby which you could exploit to earn income, becoming a mompreneur can give you the best of both worlds. While staying at home cooking dinner and reciting Julia [...]
Don’t Do These 3 Things When Signing Up For College Classes
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It’s almost that time of the year again! Where did summer go? It’s the time when students start signing up for their fall classes. It’s when freshman start their orientations. I know my cousin just got back from his freshman orientation, and he was very excited to meet his roommate and get going in the [...]
How Europe Affects Your Portfolio (And What to Do About It)
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Europe is huge for economic output. All the nations in the European Union had total economic output of $17.6 trillion in 2011. The United States produced $15 trillion of goods and services in the same period. American-European Trade Trade statistics can help us better understand how connected the EU and the United States really [...]
Save Money on Homeowners Insurance! Calculate Your Insurance Costs
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The other day I was taking my own advice and trying to lower the costs of my homeowners insurance. I’m a big fan of trying to get the best deals possible, and so every now and then I see if there is anything I can do to get a lower rate. Since the insurance market [...]
The Trouble of Running a Small Business
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If you run a small business, chances are you’ve encountered some of these issues at one point or another. They are a fact of life, but they can be headaches none the less. Here are some common troubles with running a small business, and what you can do about it going forward. The Poor [...]
Do You Still Pay With Cash?
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Earlier this year, I asked if you still used checks. There were a lot of interesting responses, especially when it came to specific situations when you need to you checks. But what about paying with cash – cold hard dollar bills? I think over the course of the last month, I’ve had a total of [...]
Home Improvement Projects to Save Money
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It’s summer, which for many people means it’s time to relax and enjoy the warm weather. But for homeowners, it is usually a time to tackle some home improvement projects around the house. However, it can be difficult to know sometimes which projects are needs and which projects are wants. That is why I wanted [...]
Chaikin Portfolio Health Check Review
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Last year, I reviewed a product called the Chaikin Power Gauge Stock Rating Widget, which provided a ton of great insights into any potential stock you were looking to buy. Well, last month Chaikin Power Tools released a new service: the Chaikin Portfolio Health Check. This service combines the features of the Chaikin Power Gauge and the [...]
Should You Invest While Paying Down Debt?
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The other day I posted about When to Open a Roth IRA, and I got an interesting comment from Jason at Work, Save, Live. He wanted to start investing in a Roth IRA for many of the reasons I mentioned in the article, but he hadn’t started yet because he’s working his way out of [...]
The Right Time for Debt Settlement
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Many people struggle with debt today. Unemployment remains high, the job market fails to create enough jobs, and the cost of living outpaces most incomes It would be great if everyone could solve their debt problems on their own. Well-known and unknown financial gurus publish books and videos with good, basic financial advice for consumers [...]
Best Valuation Ratios for Stocks
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A new paper published by Eyquem looks at the best ways to value a stock. The paper looks at the relationship between five different ratios and the past performance for each ratio for different types of stocks. The paper divides the total stock market into five different quintiles for price ratios including EV/EBITDA, EV/GP, P/E, [...]
How to Start Minimizing 2012 Taxes
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It seems like just yesterday we were filing our tax returns are wrapping up the 2011 year (unless you’re Mitt Romney, who still hasn’t filed his 2011 taxes). However, there is no better time than the present to start thinking about ways to minimize your 2012 taxes. Because we all hate paying taxes, and there [...]
When to Open a Roth IRA
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The Roth IRA is a special type of retirement account that makes it possible to avoid taxation on investment returns because you invest with money that you have already paid taxes on in the present. If you are trying to decide what type of retirement accounts open, the Roth IRA has some specific advantages that [...]
Ask The Reader: How Much To Know Before The Wedding?
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I’ve got a lot of friends that are going to be getting married soon (either this summer or next). It seems to be that time in life when everyone is getting married. But an interesting discussion came up with a friend the other day about how much financial information you should really know before the [...]
