Graduation season is upon us, and those of us who are parents are suddenly struck by the fact that, before we know it, we will be sending our children off to college. Use the time before they leave for school to have focused conversations that will empower and prepare them for the challenges ahead. In [...]
This post was written by guest blogger Teri Cettina. As summer approaches, most of my friends talk about the camps, classes, and other activities that their kids will be attending this summer. But when I raise the idea of the kids earning summer money—whoa. This may still be a foreign concept for many parents of [...]
Being self-employed requires passion and determination. With some hard work and creative thinking, you can turn your favorite hobby into a small business that makes money and helps you achieve your financial goals. Almost 15 years ago, the manager of the gym where I was working as a bookkeeper asked me if I wanted to [...]
My teenage daughter, like her friends, pretty much lives on her Twitter and Facebook accounts. Me, not quite so much. I’m not a huge fan of sharing little bits of my daily life in short sentences. The way I do use social media, however, allows me to save money. Every few days, I check our [...]
Technology has made sticking to a budget easier through the use of auto-payments. With auto-payments, it’s possible to arrange to have the money you owe for bills and subscriptions deducted directly from your bank account on a specific date each month. This can help you avoid penalties and interest associated with late payments, and make [...]
It’s important to teach your children how to budget wisely while they are still young, but how can you teach them to save money if they don’t have any? Allowance is one way that you can provide your children with money of their own to manage while you help them to learn by doing. Setting [...]
This post was written by guest blogger Eve Becker. While newlyweds take their first wedding dance, a delicate budgeting dance can be going on in the guests’ heads—especially if they had to pay for travel expenses along with numerous engagement, bridal shower and wedding gifts. As stressful as it can be, it’s possible to keep [...]
As parents, we want our children to be successful and happy in life, but teaching them financial independence often gets put on the back burner. Many parents wait until their children are graduating from high school or leaving for college to begin talking about money management. Here are three tips to help your children forge [...]
First, there’s the school wrapping paper sale. Then Girl Scout cookie sales. Then the big spring gala. They are all worthy causes, of course, but how do you budget for seemingly constant school fundraisers, especially if you have multiple kids in different schools? As shrinking state and federal budgets take their toll on schools, parents [...]
Sometimes we find ourselves with a little extra cash through a tax refund, a bonus at work, or some other unexpected windfall. What are you going to do with all of that money burning a hole in your pocket? Treating yourself is sometimes nice, but there are often smarter ideas for money management. Those who [...]
