The Shocking Truth About $9.99

Does $9.99 really make that much of a difference? It dawned on me on the Wednesday before Thanskgiving that I had subscription fees that were posting over the holiday weekend. They were on my budget as expense items, but I still needed to reconcile my bank account to see if they had posted correctly. Not […]

Halloween Night: A Personal Finance Story (Chap. 3)

Authors’ note: Explaining personal finance can be pretty dull. That’s a problem, if you need to learn about personal finance. On a plane from St. Louis to Seattle, I decided to try and fix the problem. What if I could wrap some personal finance concepts inside of a quirky (even funny) short story? My goal here […]

6 Ways To Reduce Your Home Mortgage Interest Costs

The amount of interest you pay on your home mortgage may have the biggest impact on your personal finances over your lifetime. Not sure you believe me? Well, consider this example: I really like Bankrate’s website, and the site provides a simple home mortgage interest calculator. Let’s assume that you’re buying a $300,000 home loan, […]

How To Make Smart Decisions About Credit Card Car Rental Insurance

There’s nothing worse than getting off of an airplane. You’re tired, and probably in a bit of a mental fog. About a year ago, I got off of a plane, expecting to get on a connecting flight to my destination. I looked at my watch, which indicated that I had arrived at the final destination […]

Budgeting at the Coffee Shop: A Personal Finance Story (Chap. 1)

Authors’ note:  Explaining accounting and finance can be pretty dull. That’s a problem, if you need to learn accounting or finance. On a plane from St. Louis to Seattle, I decided to try and fix the problem. What if I could wrap some accounting concepts inside of a quirky (funny?) short story? My goal here […]

The Rear View Mirror and the Tree: An Accounting Story

    Authors’ note: Explaining accounting and finance can be pretty dull. That’s a problem, if you need to learn accounting or finance. On a plane from St. Louis to Seattle, I decided to try and fix the problem. What if I could wrap some accounting concepts inside of a quirky (funny?) short story? My […]

What The Rio Olympics Teaches Us About Personal Finance

My favorite Rio Olympics-related headline so far: “Olympic kayaker possibly capsized by couch in Rio de Janeiro” Priceless. Now, the story isn’t confirmed, but it illustrates all of the controversy related to Brazil’s preparation for the Olympic Games. This situation is a great analogy for personal finance, because it helps us think about the answer […]

What a 4 Year Old Teaches Us About Earnings Per Share

So, I overheard a Dad say something interesting to his 4-year old son (at least he looked to be about 4). His son asked him a question and he said: “I just answered that question, so I’m not going to answer it again”. That approach would have saved me a lot of time when my […]

What A Telsa Car Crash Teaches Us About Investor Disclosure

So, how much information do you need to make an informed decision? Unfortunately, Tesla’s Motors problems with autopilot cars provide a great discussion about required disclosure to investors. This CNBC video with a former SEC Chairmen discusses whether or not Telsa had a duty to disclose a car accident that occurred with an autopilot vehicle […]