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

October 2011

Boost Your Human Capital: Get Involved and Volunteer

by Luke Landes
Habitat for Humanity

Consider your personal human capital as an addendum to your net worth when evaluating your overall worth. While your net worth is a good financial measurement, your human capital is a good predictor of how you’ll handle opportunities to grow in the future. In an unsteady economy, those with better developed human capital have an ... Continue reading this article…

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The Best Financial Advice I’ve Ever Received

by Luke Landes

People frequently ask me to share the best piece of financial advice I’ve ever received. Most recently, this was a common theme at the Financial Blogger Conference in Chicago. One company in attendance, creditcards.com, filmed and edited a video of various personal finance bloggers sharing their best piece of financial advice. I think it’s important ... Continue reading this article…

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What I Learned as a Financial Planner

by Neal Frankle

The following is a guest post from Neal Frankle, a Certified Financial Planner in Los Angeles who owns the financial blog Wealth Pilgrim. Neal has been a financial planner for the past twenty-seven years and is writing this article on Consumerism Commentary to share what he has learned from his experiences with clients over these ... Continue reading this article…

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Herman Cain’s 9-9-9 Tax Plan

by Luke Landes
Herman Cain

In the latest CNN poll, Republican Party hopeful Herman Cain is statistically tied with Mitt Romney with support of 25 percent to 26 percent of Republicans asked, but two thirds of the respondents haven’t made up their minds. Likely a big contributor to Cain’s surge from from 9 percent to 25 percent is his 9-9-9 tax reform plan. This ... Continue reading this article…

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Boost Your Human Capital: Explore Beyond Your Industry

by Luke Landes
The box outside of which you should think

If there’s anything to take away from an extended period of unemployment, it’s that human capital can mean the difference between receiving a good job offer and remaining unemployed. There are many facets of human capital, and as your human capital increases, so does your marketability. There are many ways you can gain an edge, ... Continue reading this article…

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Best Holiday Toys 2011

by Luke Landes

Christmas and Hanukkah are right around the corner, and if you have children, they might already be looking forward to the holiday season. Gift-giving is a big part of the holiday season, as it has been for a long time. Commercialism is the most popular American religion as we approach the end of the year. ... Continue reading this article…

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Podcast 130: Richard and Linda Eyre, The Entitlement Trap

by Luke Landes

On today’s Consumerism Commentary Podcast, Tom Dziubek speaks with Richard and Linda Eyre, authors of the book The Entitlement Trap: How to Rescue Your Child with a New Family System of Choosing, Earning, and Ownership. Richard and Linda discuss several concepts in the book including the definition of entitlement, the five family laws and reversing ... Continue reading this article…

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The Emergency Fund in 1939

by Luke Landes

In the Berkshire Hathaway 2010 Annual Report, Warren Buffett shared a letter from his grandfather to his uncle’s family in 1939, and the advice contained within the letter formed the basis of Berkshire Hathaway’s commitment to weathering any financial storm. I can’t say if the idea of an emergency fund was novel in 1939, but ... Continue reading this article…

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Earn 6% APY With the Mango MasterCard Prepaid Card

by Luke Landes

The idea of prepaid card being used as financial tools can be a cringe-worthy concept, particularly to savvy financial experts. For most Americans, prepaid cards aren’t really part of the tool set. The benefits of a credit card are much stronger than prepaid cards, and with most people qualifying for credit cards, even through the ... Continue reading this article…

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Boost Your Human Capital: Become an Expert

by Luke Landes

Education and experience are necessities for increasing your human capital, with human capital as an approach to looking at your potential overall worth, a grand analysis of which your financial net worth is only a part. With education and experience, you have the ability to become a versatile subject matter expert. As a recognized expert, ... Continue reading this article…

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My New Gym Membership: Good Idea or Foolish Move?

by Luke Landes

After years of failed self-improvement in a number of aspects of life that most people tend to consider important, like organization, time management, and self-motivation, I’ve come to accept some of my flaws while taking advantage of my strengths. I haven’t completely given up on the strive to improve facets about myself that could lead ... Continue reading this article…

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Marriott Rewards Premier Credit Card

by Luke Landes

Using a hotel rewards credit card can do more than just provide a way to pay for your travel expenditures. If used properly, it can also save you hundreds to thousands of dollars over the course of a lifetime by offering free stays at hotels and by providing discounts on future travel purchases. The Marriott ... Continue reading this article…

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Boost Your Human Capital: Get More Experience

by Luke Landes

Increasing your human capital is an excellent way to put yourself in a position where you’re better prepared for life’s surprises, particularly when it comes to money. I’ve written about human capital in the past, but I’m taking a deeper look into ten ways you can boost this important aspect of self-worth — beyond the ... Continue reading this article…

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Incomes Decreased More After Recession Than During Recession

by Luke Landes

A new analysis of household income reveals some statistics that might be counter-intuitive. The study, authored by former Census Bureau economists Gordon W. Green Jr. and John F. Coder and published by Sentier Research, shows that median income for Americans has decreased more sharply during the economic recovery than during the recession. The survey that ... Continue reading this article…

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Boost Your Human Capital: Increase Your Education

by Luke Landes
University of Delaware Memorial Hall

Last year, I offered ten ways to boost your human capital. I’ve spent the past few years concerned mostly with the net worth, income, and expense measurements of personal finance, but human capital is just as important as monetary capital. By increasing human capital, you increase your value to society as well as potential future ... Continue reading this article…

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The Best Online Checking Accounts, November 2012

by Luke Landes

As consumers grow increasingly frustrated by the checking account options offered by traditional banks, more are seeking out the best online checking accounts for better interest rates and service. Large banks like Wells Fargo and Bank of America are continuing to add fees, such as debit card fees, and are not concerned with scaring the ... Continue reading this article…

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Podcast 129: Financial Blogger Conference, Betterment

by Luke Landes

Today’s Consumerism Commentary Podcast features two interviews. In the first segment, Tom Dziubek talks with Philip Taylor from PT Money: Personal Finance and Consumerism Commentary founder Flexo about this year’s Financial Blogger Conference. In the second segment, Tom speaks with Jon Stein, founder and CEO of the online investing service Betterment. Jon discusses recent survey ... Continue reading this article…

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Offering Your Services for Free

by Luke Landes

For anyone interested in starting a business, particularly in creative arts, is building up a reputation in the field. I mentioned that my goals for this year include doing two photography shoots each month. Over the past few years, my interest in photography has grown from a hobby to a serious interest to a potential ... Continue reading this article…

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Citi ThankYou Preferred Card $500 Limited Time Bonus

by Luke Landes

The offer you are interested in has expired. Read our review of the Citi ThankYou Preferred Card $250 in gift cards.

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Quicken 2012 Review With Video

by Luke Landes
Quicken 2012 Budget Planner

Quicken 2013 is now available. Read a full review of the latest version of the software be clicking here. What follows is a review of Quicken 2012, now outdated. For the last few days, I’ve been testing the new version of Quicken Home and Business. While most people who track their finances have moved to ... Continue reading this article…

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