Article Archives

Let me introduce myself: I’m a young professional who recently relocated to the Washington, DC area from Nashville, Tenn. My income increased as a result of the move — but so did my cost of living. The city is full of opportunities and I want to experience them all, while also... Continue reading »

The beginning of a new year is as good a time as any to untangle your investments.   If you’re like most people, it’s easy to get overwhelmed.   It’s not too different from the challenges in organizing your time, your email, your closets, your garage. Too much... Continue reading »

At the start of each new year people make resolutions to gain or lose something, e.g., “I resolve to lose x amount of weight, by x date.” They may even resolve to reach a certain amount in general savings by a certain date. But you rarely hear resolutions to save specifically... Continue reading »

If you got $3,000 dollars in the mail, what would you do with it?   Well, for the average American, that’s a question many will have to figure out the answer to very soon (if they haven’t already). CNNMoney reports that the average tax refund in 2011 is $3,129.    Now... Continue reading »

You’re thinking about buying a home. In fact, you’ve been looking around and found one you love, and now you’ve got plans for where the big-screen TV will go and what color to paint the walls.   All that’s left is the financing, and surely you can figure that out — you... Continue reading »

Going into my sophomore year of college, I was very excited to live off campus. I felt independent. I had my own car and an apartment; I had it all and thought living on my own was going to be great. When reality hit me, I realized that what I actually had was a lot of... Continue reading »

No matter how much you love your job, you will want to retire someday. To counter your future dependence on Social Security payments, you have probably (hopefully) already begun contributing to an employer-sponsored retirement plan or some other retirement investment option... Continue reading »

An article on CNN Money.com tells us that most Americans can’t afford a $1,000 emergency expense. Two statistics from the article are noteworthy:   “A majority, or 64% of Americans don't have enough cash on hand to handle a $1,000 emergency expense, according to a survey... Continue reading »