Consequences of Poor Financial Planning

December 16, 2011

Everything we do, or fail to do, has consequences.  And, when it comes to personal finances the consequences can be profound.  The end result of our actions can be either positive or negative.  With money many of us don’t think in terms of consequences, instead we think of immediate gratification.  We want something and we [...]

Read the full article →

10 Tips to Reduce Your Cost of Transportation

December 14, 2011

High transportation costs can really mess up your budget.  After housing, transportation is usually the second-highest cost.  And these expenses can be a budget-breaker.  If you live in an area with excellent public transportation, you may not even need a car.  However, most of us don’t, or have families, live a distance from work, take [...]

Read the full article →

Show Your Money a Little Respect!

December 12, 2011

One thing I learned as a youngster is to respect others; to show them attention, esteem, and consideration, and to regard them appropriately.  Well, the same sentiments apply to money!  Your money is certainly worthy of special attention and consideration.  After all, it pays your bills, provides you with sustenance, travel, entertainment, security, enjoyment, independence, [...]

Read the full article →

Dr. Ben at the Miami Book Fair

December 5, 2011

The Miami Book Fair International is the largest in the U.S. with hundreds of thousands of visitors, over 350 author presentations, scores of publishers and booksellers, events, activities, country pavilions, educational forums, writers’ workshops, etc. The 2011 fair took place from November 13-20.  Harry Bellafonte was there with his memoir “My Song,”, Ron Suskind with [...]

Read the full article →

Don’t Acquire Excessive Student Debt

November 16, 2011

For many years students graduated from college debt free or with manageable student loans.  However, in recent years, this has become increasingly challenging to accomplish.  Colleges have been raising tuition and fees at a rate much higher than general inflation.  Recent government data released for 2010 reveals that average debt for graduates having loans exceeded [...]

Read the full article →

Should You Invest in a Home?

November 14, 2011

Absolutely not!  Your home is a place to live and an alternative to renting, but it may be worth more or less in the future.  There are plenty of investment options and for most of a century a home was touted as an excellent “investment,” and with few exceptions the strategy worked. This folklore led [...]

Read the full article →

Concise Advice…for your finances

November 11, 2011

Long-winded advice is soon forgotten or ignored.  Brief, straightforward advice is generally best.  Here’s some for your finances… If you don’t have money, make some. If you have money, save some. If you have savings, invest some. If you have investments, manage them. If you manage them, gain knowledge. If you have money, savings, investments, [...]

Read the full article →

Nobody Retires Anymore

November 10, 2011

Blame the economy.  Blame the stock market.  Blame the housing crash. Blame the demise of fixed benefit retirement plans.  Blame Social Security.  Blame longevity!  There are lots of reasons why people don’t retire anymore. THE RETIREMENT MENTALITY Retirement is a relatively new concept.  It emerged in the late twentieth century following the enactment of the [...]

Read the full article →

15 Ways to Increase Your Income

November 7, 2011

Cutting expenses isn’t the only way to solve your budget problems and improve your financial position.  Increasing your income is more appealing from many angles.  But everything you do to improve your financial situation is a challenge, and will require some effort and/or sacrifice.  These are only some examples to stimulate your thought processes.  Some [...]

Read the full article →

Occupy Wall Street or Occupy the World?

October 31, 2011

This movement isn’t unique to Wall Street, New York City, or the U.S.  It didn’t start here, and it won’t end here.  The problem is, after decades of prosperity, higher incomes and improving standards of living things are changing in post-industrialized nations.  A few months ago we witnessed similar demonstrations in Greece, Great Britain, and [...]

Read the full article →

← Previous Entries

Next Entries →