Stacey just sent me an article from the Wall Street Journal that talks about an increase in 401(k) loans.  401(k)s and their cousins, 403(b) and 457 plans, can offer loans to participants.  The cost of the loan is generally something like the prime rate plus a percentage or two.  Even better, the interest charged normally goes back […]

[Read more →]

For money you need quick access to - for emergency funds and other liquidity needs - you generally want the highest interest rate you can find with the least restrictions.  But since most savings accounts are taxable, your tax bracket should also be considered.  For people who are in high tax brackets or who live in areas […]

[Read more →]

Let’s say that you stop to buy a muffin at the health food store every morning on the way to work.  It’s a good muffin, and it costs $2.00.  If you buy that muffin 5 times per week, and 50 weeks per year, your annualized muffin cost (AMC) is $500.   How much would it cost […]

[Read more →]

If I had a nickel for every time someone asked me that… 
I don’t think the markets are predictable, except over the long term.  In the short term, I believe the ups and downs are more indicative of the psychology of investors than they are of global economic health. 
So, how are YOU reacting to the wild swings […]

[Read more →]

 This comes from my sorority sister, Dot Murphy Beck:
Tell your daughter a dollar amount that you, as her parents, will give her for the entire wedding, and what remains after she pays all the expenses is her gift.
From our personal experience this was great! Our daughter treated the money as if it was her own and […]

[Read more →]