Four Steps To Getting Out Of Debt

This blog has talked a lot about different personal finance topics ranging from budgeting, saving for retirement, and paying off debt….except that up til now I haven’t described exactly how to pay off debt. How hard can it be? You just start paying extra on all your...
The Fallacy of Credit Card Rewards

The Fallacy of Credit Card Rewards

This “great deal” illustrated above recently popped up on a shopping deals site I visit from time to time. It’s at best a 2% cash back credit card (but read the fine print…). Everything you need to know about how these things work in reality, and why they are a...
Happy Debt-Free Anniversary!

Happy Debt-Free Anniversary!

April 4 marked four years that we have been debt free, everything but our mortgage. It took us 6.5 years to pay off 23 accounts consisting of credit cards, car loans, and student loans. After calculating the interest during that time the total amount paid back was 3x...

Reverse Mortgages Are A Bad Idea

Awhile back we had dinner with two other couples and we were decidedly the youngest people there. And we’re not exactly spring chickens. The host was a retired banker and the subject of personal finance came up, of course. He started talking about reverse...