As featured in The Wall Street Journal, Money Magazine, and more!

July 2005

Career Advice

by Luke Landes

Here’s some good career advice that has netted millions of dollars for some lucky individuals: If you want to get ahead quickly, leak to the public a sex video of yourself. It’s worked for the likes of Paris Hilton and Rob Lowe.

3 comments Read the full article →

Concerts in Central Park

by Luke Landes

The New York Philharmonic is one of the many great things about New York City. Unfortunately, their concerts tend to be a bit pricey for those of us looking to cut back expenses and increase savings. Luckilly for us, you can enjoy the Philharmonic for free with their Concerts in the Parks series. How can ... Continue reading this article…

2 comments Read the full article →

Accounting is Sexy Now

by Luke Landes

Apparently accounting is sexy. That’s good news [AccountingWeb] for a large number of nerds. Accountants are in high demand due to the many scandals that have emerged in the last few years. Kids entering college have tuned into the need and now accounting is the most popular major for freshmen. We can all give thanks ... Continue reading this article…

Read the full article →

Wallet of Plastic

by Luke Landes

It’s widely believed that the more credit cards you have, the better your credit rating. MSN Money, with the help of some experts, debunks that common misconception and recommenhds having two to six credit cards, and using them wisely: Keep your debt ratio low. Don’t carry a balance higher than 30 percent of the credit limit. ... Continue reading this article…

Read the full article →

News Corp Buys The Internet

by Luke Landes

Actually, News Corporation is buying one website, but it’s the “fifth most widely viewed domain.” The corporation is purchasing MySpace for $580 million. Out of all of the social and business networking websites, MySpace is probably the ugliest and worst programmed. It’s easy to hack and the templates kids choose for their profiles are horrendous. ... Continue reading this article…

2 comments Read the full article →

Carnival of Personal Finance #5

by Luke Landes

The Carnival of Personal Finance #5 is up. Free Money Finance will be hosting next Monday’s Carnival, so submit your articles for consideration early and often! I have a hunch that this will be the biggest Carnival of Personal Finance to date.

Read the full article →

Spend Less In Retirement?

by Luke Landes

Here’s an interesting contrarian point of view, and one with which financial planners will surely disagree: You may be saving too much for retirement. According to the Department of Labor [survey results here], as age increases, spending decreases in all categories other than health care. However, the facts won’t get in the way of financial ... Continue reading this article…

6 comments Read the full article →

Welcome

by Luke Landes

Welcome to all new readers coming from the Wall Street Journal Sunday Edition. [Alternative link to article.] You may be interested in an introduction to this website or a list of what may be the best of Consumerism Commentary. My latest balance sheet and expense report is here and you can browse entries by category ... Continue reading this article…

9 comments Read the full article →

NetWorthIQ

by Luke Landes

There’s a new web tool in beta called NetWorthIQ. Its purpose is to allow people (anonymously, if they wish) to share their net worth and track their finances month after month, similar to the way I do at Consumerism Commentary. NetWorthIQ has potential. I signed up and entered my net worth in less than two ... Continue reading this article…

4 comments Read the full article →

Quick Carnival Reminder

by Luke Landes

Here’s a quick reminder: send a recent personal finance blog entry (or article, or essay, or post) to Carnival of Personal Finance #5 at the blog I Will Teach You To Be Rich by Monday.

Read the full article →

Money Clubs?

by Luke Landes

Marshall Loeb mentions the popularity of money clubs, akin to the investment clubs of the 1990s. Much like other sorts of support groups, money clubs offer the unique opportunity of belonging to a group of people with similar desires, who can encourage, inform and brow-beat you as needed. (This sounds very much like the community ... Continue reading this article…

2 comments Read the full article →

Property Taxes

by Luke Landes

I am not a homeowner right now for many reasons. Here’s another reason to add to the list: sky-high property tax. Yes, I pay some property tax now, hidden within my rent bill. Landlords pass the cost of taxes onto tenants. Because of the high cost of buying and owning a home, finding money for ... Continue reading this article…

4 comments Read the full article →

These Rules Don’t Work

by Luke Landes

I like this article from MarketWatch that presents five investing rules that don’t work. You may have heard these investing clichés before, but clichés come a dime a dozen: Subtract your age from 100 to determine the percentage of your investment that should be in stocks. This would present an overly conservative portfolio for most ... Continue reading this article…

1 comment Read the full article →

Paying Himself First

by Luke Landes

Mike Rogalski is featured as one of CNN’s Millionaires in the Making. He’s a civil engineer working for the U.S. Department of Defense in Florida, making $84,500 a year. He chooses not to take advantage of an IRA for retirement savings, instead investing $33,000 in stocks and mutual funds. With $105,000 already put away in ... Continue reading this article…

2 comments Read the full article →

The Etiquette of Money Talk

by Luke Landes

Peggy Post, who has taken over the Etiquette legacy from the mannerific Emily Post, was interviewed by Bankrate.com. She tackled the problem of the appropriateness of talking about money; that is, when and how not to do it. Her tips were standard. People don’t like to talk about money because they feel they are being ... Continue reading this article…

4 comments Read the full article →

Wasting Time

by Luke Landes

Although employers expect workers to waste some time on the job, they don’t expect the actuality: employees waste more than two hours each day. That is what Salary.com discovered through a survey. The top item on the time-wasting list is, of course, use of the Internet, including email, web browsing, and surely blogging for many. ... Continue reading this article…

2 comments Read the full article →

Presidential Bank Raises APY

by Luke Landes

Presidential Bank has raised the interest paid (yield) on its savings and checking accounts to 3.75 percent and 3.5 percent respectively. I’ve updated the rate table.

Read the full article →

Best Place to Live is 45 Minutes From Me

by Luke Landes

According to Money Magazine and CNN Money, Moorestown, New Jersey is the Best Place to Live. The article describes Moorestown as a small, affordable town with a quaint feel. Beware: the town was founded by Quakers and you can’t buy alcohol. Have no fear, Philadelphia is only 15 miles away. (Is that always a good ... Continue reading this article…

4 comments Read the full article →

Carnival of Personal Finance #4

by Luke Landes

This week’s Carnival of Personal Finance was masterfully hosted by Jon at Smart Money Daily. Take a look! Here are some highlights: * You Can Save a Bundle Without Having a Large Income. That’s what I’m striving for; although having a higher income would certainly help me. * Money Goes To Where It Is Needed ... Continue reading this article…

Read the full article →

Extreme Frugal Living and Farming vs. Hunting-Gathering

by Luke Landes

More accurately, it’s extreme poverty. That is the best way to describe living on one dollar a day in a pre-industrialized (farming) community. Now imagine this family, earning one dollar a day, has six children to support. Forget about television (much less cable) and internet. Forget about cell phones (or any phone, for that matter). ... Continue reading this article…

6 comments Read the full article →
Page 2 of 3123