I just popped open my ING Direct account this morning to find this quote… “There’s no such thing as Saver’s remorse.” -ING Direct It is pretty clever and generally I think it is true. You could argue that some people are a bit too extreme about saving money that they fail to live today, so that they can have plenty to live on in the future. To me, maintaining this balance has been tricky at times, but a key to doing this whole money management thing the right wa... Read Full Story

The following is a guest post from Julius who writes for NewRetirement.com. The Good News and Bad News on Reverse Mortgage Loan Amounts Reducing the Maximum Reverse Mortgage Loan Amounts Effective Oct. 1, 2009, the Federal Housing Administration reduced the maximum loan amounts seniors could receive from a Reverse Mortgage. The reduction means a 10 percent cutback on the loan amount for all new FHA Reverse Mortgage loan applications. While this won’t impact borrowers with applications taken ... Read Full Story

It’s no secret that I like quotes. I am one of those guys who can get really motivated by the right words. And while some of the best encouraging quotes are in the Bible, there have been a lot of brilliant minds who have said some pretty inspiring words that still help me when I read them. So I decided to gather up the 10 best motivation quotes (in my opinion, of course!). If any of them resonate with you, I encourage you to write them down and tape them to your fridge or computer scree... Read Full Story

This article was written by Lakita Humber who serves as the founder of Paneh – A ministry which exists to educate, impart and equip those called to worship arts on a variety of subjects, such as D.A.N.C.E. Out of Debt. Is There a Such Thing as a Free Lunch? One of the tenets of economics is “There is no such thing as a free lunch.” The underlying concept is you cannot get “something for nothing.” The phrase originates from 19th century American saloons attracting drinkers b... Read Full Story

I have always had a feeling that contentment was a critical component of having joy in life. As I have been learning this lesson on a deeper level, I have written about it (here and here). But lately I have been seeing a new angle on a few verses in Philippians 4. 11Not that I speak from want, for I have learned to be content in whatever circumstances I am. 12I know how to get along with humble means, and I also know how to live in prosperity; in any and every circumstance I have learned the ... Read Full Story

Happy Monday – it has been a busy weekend. Working on the new house – painting, cleaning, installing a sink in the basement, and installing a garage-door opener. The garage-door opener has been a bit of a challenge, but I always like a good challenge. Hopefully I will finish it today and get to take my victory lap – and the appliances are getting delivered today as well – and the internet will be installed – and I might paint another room… I am keeping myse... Read Full Story

If you hate the unpleasant surprise of finding out how much shipping adds to your online shopping order, here are a few suggestions… FreeShipping.org This website has all the major stores listed and has coupon and promotion codes that will allow you to get free shipping on your purchase. Amazon Prime I have been using Amazon Prime for the last couple years and I love it. Basically you pay $80 a year to Amazon.com in exchange for Free 2-Day shipping on any item that they ship. I buy a wh... Read Full Story

Sometimes spending a little money today can save a lot of money tomorrow.  Common sayings support this notion: a stitch in time saves nine and don’t be penny smart and pound foolish.  A predictable characteristic of the poor is that decisions are made for today without any regard for tomorrow.  However, there a few fall chores that if completed today will save a lot of trouble and money tomorrow.  By completing these first two tasks you maintain and improve the value of items in which you hav... Read Full Story

Apparently all the talk about the $8000 first-time homebuyer tax credit being extended and expanded is coming to pass. According to a USA Today article… “Senators agreed to extend the existing tax credit for first-time home buyers while offering a reduced credit of up to $6,500 to repeat buyers who have owned their current homes for at least five years” Obama seems to be fully behind the extension of the tax credit, so it is will likely be finalized very soon. The proposed b... Read Full Story

Well, yesterday we closed on our first house. It was a pretty eventful day – a lot of moving parts all coming together at the same time. Building our house has been a fun and occasionally stressful task, but we can now say that it is behind us and get started living in it! We successfully beat the November 30th deadline for the $8000 tax credit for first-time home buyers (unless it is extended), so after filing our taxes next year, we should get a nice bonus. I want to thank all the re... Read Full Story