By now a majority of Americans have received their stimulus payments from the IRS.  If you're wondering what to do with that money, I have some suggestions.

Start an Emergency Fund.
Everybody needs an emergency fund.  Dave Ramsey recommends at least $1,000 until you pay off your debts then you need 3 to 6 months of income.  I recommend you put as much as you can into an emergency fund.   …

The cost of college is increasing faster than inflation. How do you know if you are saving enough money for college? We have a new college cost calculator that will help you determine the cost of college in the future and also tell you exactly how much money you should be saving for college.
When we had our first child many things changed. I found myself with a lot more responsibility. I was now …

Years Until College:

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Current Savings:

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Current One Year Costs:

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Estimated Return on Savings:

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help …

Confused about the difference between 529 plans versus Coverdale plans or college savings in general? So was I, so I researched and wrote this article as a way to educate myself (and hopefully you) on the topic of college savings.
My son Ben just turned one year old as I write this. He had the mandatory birthday party and received presents and a decent amount of cash from relatives.
We deposit all of his money …

Make More Money

December 19, 2007 | 3 Comments

Everyone wants to know how, at least, everyone claims they want to know how. It’s strange that so few make the effort to learn how to become wealthy, let alone actually do it. If you want to become wealthy, the logical first step is to find out how to make more money.
The secret to making money is to understand that there is no secret to making money. Becoming wealthy is the most obvious thing in the world. In fact, any kid with a piggy …

I just transferred my current balance out of Prosper.com.  I know they've made some changes recently but I'm not going to bid on new loans.  It's just way too risky.
I've posted about my experience with Prosper.com in previous articles.  Here's an index of my articles on prosper.com.

Peer to Peer Lending with Prosper Et Al.
What is Prosper and How Does it Work?
Lending …

Gas prices are at record highs. If you've filled up recently, you probably felt a little sick after dumping $50 or more into your gas tank. Gas prices are high, but there are a few things you can do to save yourself a few bucks.
This is the 4th article in a multi-part series on gas prices in the United States. You can read Part 3 (High Gas Prices - What Can We Do About It?) of the Gas Price …

More frequently asked questions regarding the Economic Stimulus Payment ( Rebate ): What if my spouse owes money ? What will happen to our stimulus payment ? Will the IRS keep it all even though part of that money is for me and my children?
The IRS Will Keep Your Money
The IRS can keep your stimulus money (and tax refund) if you owe money to the government. The IRS will shoot first and ask questions later. …

Do you use PayPal ? If you do business on the internet, there is a good chance you do. Many web sites accept PayPal for payment. Our small business used PayPal quite extensively in the beginning, but now we are moving away from it. Why? It’s too expensive.
Most people associate PayPal with EBay. That’s because the most convenient way to pay on EBay is via PayPal. However, many smaller online …

This is the 4th post in a series of articles about Prosper.com. Prosper is a person to person lending site with an auction format similar to EBay. I’ve been lending money on Prosper for awhile. In this article I’ll write about my results.
In my previous articles, I’ve discussed how Prosper.com works and the risks of lending money on Prosper. Refer to those articles if you have …

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