I talked before about why it is so hard to get out of credit card debt [Oct 6, 2009].  I’m going to hit on the same concept here but explain why with some actual numbers.  In my recent posts, I’ve been talking about my savings goal of $15,000 per year.  You take a look at a similar goal of paying off $15,000 in credit card debt.
In my previous article, Taking a Hard Look At Expenses To Boost Savings [Nov 25, 2009], I talked about the changes I could potentially make …

I’ve been slowly moving towards the 700 subscriber mark here for some time. It’s time to get over that hump. Have you subscribed to 20smoney.com? If not, what are you waiting for?
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It’s interesting to observe how most Americans view the economy, view the future and view their own wealth.  In most cases, it’s not based on the real wealth that they have or don’t have, but in fact, is often based on market sentiment and other feelings of the public as a whole.
Let’s look at two periods to discuss further…
Housing Boom – 2000-2006
During the years where real estate prices skyrocketed, everyone felt wealthy.  The problem of course was that there was a bubble in real estate, and bubbles always end up …

Here are the video clips from this past week that I would recommend you watch.
The first video is an interview with David Rosenberg on CNBC this week.  He’s a bearish economist who actually makes some real sense. Included in this clip are the typical interruptions and unwillingness to listen to economic reality by the CNBC host. David Rosenberg is no stranger to this.

The second interview is Ron Paul on CNBC this week talking about his mission to audit the Fed.  Steve Liesman continues to drive me nuts in …

In my recent post, Planning for Various Expenses [Nov 19, 2009], I talked about the different kinds of expenses, the best ways to manage them and prepare for them and how it relates to overall savings targets.  I’d like to continue the discussion here, looking into the specific expenses in my life.
First, my savings goals are at least $15,000 a year.  Most of this will come from additional income, i.e. sales commissions, but the more I can have left over from my base income from my regular expenses, that obviously …

Black friday, the epitome of the American consumer (or at least the old consumer) is this friday.  Deals will be everywhere especially as struggling retailers do everything possible to lure shoppers.  For most people, the advice is clear… stay home and save your money.  No deal is a good deal if you’re buying something you don’t need.  When it comes to gifts for the Holidays, find cheaper alternatives or consider making arrangements to forego gifts this year for certain people.  I think you’d be surprised how many people would agree …

I have an American Express that I use religiously.  I put almost every dollar on it that I spend each month.  Also, I’m fortunate to be able to put significant business expenses on it.  The result is that I accumulate some pretty significant rewards points.
The Rewards points are great.  I use them primarily for travel where I will get airfare, hotel and even rental cars for free.  Even this past weekend, I decided to take a weekend at a new W Hotel with the wife on the beach.  I even …

There are some interesting developments regarding the world wide web specifically when it comes to content.  These developments are being driven by News Corp and potentially Microsoft.  News Corp determined to generate revenue for online content has been saying for months now that it is exploring new ways to make money online.  This is in response to declining newspaper circulation and most likely the challenge of generating enough money through traditional advertising on a website to support a major news organization.
The idea is that News Corp would demand Google “de-index” …