Tracy Harger, a recovering mutual fund addict, tells her story of how she became a junkie and how show finally broke her habit. Moral: just like other vices, everything can be acceptable in moderation.
Amy Chan Hilton and Edgar Hilton have or are finishing their doctorates in engineering and currently have a combined income of $140,000. They are on their way to becoming millionaires through their , investments and a plan to retire when they become 40 in less than ten years. They’re avid savers but manage to live a good life from the sound of it.
As I’m getting ready to post my financial reports for April, I’m making some changes to my accounting methods. I would like to get this information out in the open in case anyone has any questions or suggestions ahead of time. This would allow me to make changes if necessary, but I think everything’s going to be okay.
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Unaffected by the failure of the Susan B. Anthony dollar coin to come the “dollar of the future” as expected in the 1970s and by the failure of the Sacagawea dollar coin to be used for anything at all in the last six years, Congress is taking another stab — this time, at dead presidents.
Compared to the past dollar coin efforts, the state quarters have been wildly successful, mostly due to collectors who hoard the coins and keep them out of circulation. The state quarter initiative involves the release of five new quarter dollar coin designs every year for ten years, 1999 throuh 2008.
The new Presidential Dollar Coin Act will introduce two new dollar coin designs every year. Each design will feature a past POTUS, whether dead or alive (but mostly dead). Congress is counting on collectors getting into the game; the cost of minting a coin is well below its face value, so the US Mint makes money when people collect.
While doing research for an article for Business Week, Amey Stone has come to the conclusion that car prices are on the way up. Incentives are running out, and makers can’t squeeze any more out of their operational processes.
She makes an interesting point in an entry on her weblog, Well Spent: … 10 years ago it took the average worker 30 weeks to pay for a car, but it takes just 20 weeks today.
Interestingly enough, the price of the car I purchased last year (a new 2004 Honda Civic LX) was within $1,000 of 20 weeks of my salary at my current job. This confirms what my boss has known all along: I’m an average worker.
Luke Landes founded Consumerism Commentary in 2003 and has been building online communities since 1990. Luke, also known as Flexo, has contributed to PC World Magazine, US News, Forbes, and other publications. 
New RSS Feed and Audio Feed
by Luke LandesI am now using FeedBurner to generate Consumerism Commentary’s RSS feed. If you already subscribe, you will see no change since the feeds are autoamtically redirected. I’ve also begun adding audio clips to some blog entries. They can be downloaded directly from this site or you can subscribe to them. They function as podcasts so ... Continue reading this article…