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The Dangers of Motivating Kids Through an Allowance

by Luke Landes
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Parents who offer their young children an allowance or pocket money are helping to introduce the concept of money at an age when they are susceptible to ideas they will hold for the remainder of their lives. It’s a good idea to allow kids to gain exposure to to concept and application of income and ... Continue reading this article…

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Improve Your Finances By Modifying Your Behavior

by Luke Landes
Money

Improving your financial situation requires more than just trying harder. People who write financial websites offering advice often think or imply that the reason for financial misfortune is ignorance of the basics. Recently, there was one website that claimed that the only thing people need to know was spend less than you earn, as if ... Continue reading this article…

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Bank Switch Kit and Checklist

by Luke Landes
Broken piggy bank

With Wells Fargo changing their policies to be less consumer-oriented this week, I’ve received several questions about the logistics switching banks. In previous decades, closing your account at one bank and opening an account at another was a simple process. All that was required was to walk into one branch, ask to close your account, ... Continue reading this article…

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Your Ego and Your Wallet

by Marc Pearlman
Poker chips

This is an article by Marc Pearlman. Marc is a money management professional who has been in the finance industry over 20 years, and he is the author of The Positive Money Mindset and host of the radio show, Your Money Matters. I watched as these two were duking it out — at the poker ... Continue reading this article…

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The Role of Money in Choosing a Relationship

by Luke Landes
Relationships couple

Do people have any kind of control over whom they fall in love with? Perhaps Cupid’s arrow strikes randomly, and there is no choice but to obey the heart — or chemicals in the brain — or sexual urges. But once that initial response has subsided, if you and your partner are headed for a ... Continue reading this article…

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How to Solve the Financial Literacy Problem

by Luke Landes
Kid with money

Many Americans experience financial jeopardy at some point in their lives, and experts share an opinion about a strong cause: there’s no formalized way to learn how to use money properly, so most people must learn by experience, making mistakes as they learn what is necessary for building a solid financial foundation. It would save ... Continue reading this article…

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Home Mortgage Interest Deduction

by Luke Landes
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Although the home mortgage interest deduction is one of the most oft-cited benefits of owning a home, most taxpayers don’t take advantage of it because it requires itemizing taxes. If itemized deductions including mortgage interest paid throughout the year exceed the standard deduction, a taxpayer can take advantage of the benefit. The benefit isn’t as ... Continue reading this article…

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Suze Orman’s New Prepaid Debit Card: The Approved Card

by Luke Landes
Suze Orman

As Ron Lieber reported in the New York Times, personal finance guru Suze Orman is launching her own debit card brand, the Approved Card, following in the footsteps of music mogul Russell Simmons and his Rush Cards. Suze Orman’s debit card will be a prepaid debit card, ensuring customers using the card can spend generally ... Continue reading this article…

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Binding Arbitration: Wells Fargo Taking Away Customers’ Rights

by Luke Landes
Wells Fargo

February 14, 2012 update: The change in terms described here goes into effect tomorrow. It’s not too late to switch banks. If you enter into an agreement with a company, and that company does something to wrong you, most of the time you can avail yourself of the American judicial system to correct the problem. ... Continue reading this article…

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Could You Survive at the Poverty Line?

by Your Finances Simplified
Thrift store

This guest article is written by YFS, owner and author of Your Finances Simplified. YFS was born and raised in west Philadelphia and is now a financial adviser, IT contractor, landlord, and treasurer of a non-profit. If you and your family of four received an annual income of $22,350, could you survive? You would be ... Continue reading this article…

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Why Americans Take Fewer Vacation Days

by Luke Landes
Beach Vacation

In most workplaces throughout the United States, employees receive vacation days to use every year as a benefit, and in some cases, unused vacation days expire at the end of the year. According to the latest survey by Expedia, on average, Americans earned 14 vacation days this year but used only 12. While the survey ... Continue reading this article…

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5 Reasons You’re Unhappy With Your Career Progress

by Luke Landes
Ladder

There have been times in my life, while working for other people or companies, that I’ve thought to myself, I should have more job responsibility than this, or, I should be getting paid more than I am. A disagreement with the boss over my skills, potential, and value to the organization created tension. For some ... Continue reading this article…

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5 Saving Money Tips for Car Owners

by Emily Guy Birken
Rusted Car

This is a guest article by Emily Guy Birken, author of The SAHMambulust. In this article, she offers suggestions for cutting the costs associated with car ownership. Owning a car is an expensive proposition, but most of us never stop to consider the cost of each trip. Unless you live in a city with great ... Continue reading this article…

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10 Ways to Avoid Hotel Fees

by Luke Landes
Hotel

I’ve noticed over the past few years that the fees and surcharges that appear on my hotel bills are creeping steadily upward. I’m apparently not alone with this observation. According to a new study by Dr. Bjorn Hanson from the NYU School of Continuing and Professional Studies, hotel fees and surcharges will account for $1.8 ... 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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Citibank to Charge $20 a Month for Checking Account

by Luke Landes
Citi Checking Account Piggy Bank

For the last few years, savers have been punished by banks offering low interest rates. If that weren’t enough, banks now want depositors to pay for the privilege of putting money in a bank. In the world until recently, banks sought depositors because they used the public’s money to increase lending to borrowers who were ... Continue reading this article…

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The Buffett Rule: Tax for Millionaires

by Luke Landes
Warren Buffett

As a continuation of President Obama’s jobs proposal (economic stimulus) for curbing spending and increasing federal government revenue, the administration is taking a cue from famous investor, Warren Buffett. On many occasions, Buffett has claimed that wealthy Americans do not pay a fair share of the tax burden relative to their means to do so. ... Continue reading this article…

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2011 Stimulus Package: American Jobs Act

by Luke Landes
Dollar - 2011 Stimulus Package

Update: The Buffett Rule, if implemented, could help pay for the American Jobs Act. As long as the public holds the general impression that economy isn’t favorable, and that’s certainly the case, for example, when unemployment is high or after a stock market crash, political leaders will propose stimulus plans to help move the country ... Continue reading this article…

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The Best Back-to-School Shopping Tips

by Luke Landes
Back to School

The best way to get the most for your money when shopping for school supplies is to start early. While there are some good deals and good sales during the summer before the school year starts, you can only take advantage of them if you’re prepared. Some deals aren’t ask great as they’re advertised to ... Continue reading this article…

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Ignoring Bills Won’t Make Them Disappear

by Luke Landes
Toyota Celica

This is one of my biggest financial mistakes. My failure to learn some basic skills and my willful ignorance of the trouble I was in cost me thousands of dollars and major inconveniences. When I was younger, I didn’t have that much of a positive track record with cars. In high school after receiving my ... Continue reading this article…

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