After the end of each month, I take a closer look at my personal finances. Although I’ve moved away from tracking every cent I spend, I still look at most of my purchases and expenses to ensure I’m not doing anything I consider financially unreasonable. While my spending wasn’t excessive this month, my reports do ... Continue reading this article…

When I reported my net worth earlier this week, RetirementInvestingToday, a Consumerism Commentary reader, mentioned I should be reporting my investment performance as well, as raw changes in balances don’t tell the full story. An investment’s performance can’t be measured just by looking at a starting and ending balance if during that time I make ... Continue reading this article…

It’s time again for my monthly financial reporting. I’ve been posting a balance sheet online almost every month since July 2003 in order to keep myself accountable for my financial decisions. Seven years ago I was not far into my journal to financial solvency, but I was at least spending less than I was earning ... Continue reading this article…

Yes, you can time the market. The S&P 500 benchmark provided an admittedly handsome 27.76 percent annual return in 2009. However, if you invested in a diversified index mutual fund when the market was at its low point in March more than when it recovered towards the end of the year, you probably beat the market. ... Continue reading this article…

This week, Consumerism Commentary is matching your charitable donations up to $4,000. Here are the details. It’s time again for checking in with the state of my finances. Although a few months ago, I changed the format to isolate my “side business” from my personal finances, I’ve changed my mind yet again. It makes more ... Continue reading this article…

Earlier this year, I added my investment portfolio to the group of reports I publish on Consumerism Commentary on a regular basis. Every three months, I share my investment balances and performances. I include Quicken’s calculation of the year-to-date average annual rate of return for an idea of how each investment is performing this year. ... Continue reading this article…

You may have noticed that over the past few days, Consumerism Commentary has been featuring a number of guest authors. A few weeks ago, I wrote about the cost of funerals, inspired by the passing of my paternal grandmother. My maternal grandmother entered hospice care around that same time, and a few days ago, she ... Continue reading this article…

We have reached the half-way mark for 2009, and time certainly does fly when you keep busy. As long-time readers know, the original purpose of Consumerism Commentary was to keep myself accountable for my own financial decisions and to blog about interesting things I find on the web. I freely admit that Consumerism Commentary has ... Continue reading this article…

Although I post my financial reports each month to keep myself accountable for my financial decisions, I have moved to summarizing my investments rather than listing all the details. My reports now simply separate my investments between retirement and non-retirement accounts. An important part of anyone’s finances is how investments are allocated among stocks, bonds, ... Continue reading this article…