Personal Finance

Articles on Money Q&A about personal finances and how it affects and interacts with your money and finances every day.

Is the American Dream Dead or Alive?

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Is the American Dream dead?

Jon Acuff who wrote an incredible book called “Quitters” recently asked his Twitter followers (follow him @JonAcuff and follow me on Twitter @MoneyQandA), “When did you realize that you were never going to be able to slam dunk a basketball? Have you realized yet?” We all have dreams and goals that are incredibly lofty. I have 100 goals to complete before I die. I know what you are thinking. What does this have to do with the American Dream? It has everything to do with our dreams, the American Dream, and what we think that we can accomplish in our lives. Is you glass half full or is it half empty? Do you think that you will ever hit a … Read more

What Are Things You Never Go Cheap On and Why?

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How to Control Your Impulsive Spending Habits

The following is a blog swap post from Joe at Retire By 40, where he writes about his journey to early retirement and other fun stuff along the way. Check out my post I Don’t Mind Paying Full Price For Experiences at his site today! What are things you never go cheap on and why? This is a pretty tough question for me. The crux of the question is the definition of cheap. If cheap means paying less than full price, then I go cheap on pretty much every product I purchase. We buy generic brand groceries because it’s cheaper and the quality is the same. The only thing I buy at full price is Colgate because I don’t like the … Read more

How to Make Easy Money Selling Online with eBay Arbitrage

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How To Make Money With eBay Arbitrage
How To Make Money With eBay Arbitrage

Have you ever wondered where people get the things that they sell on eBay or Half.com? Have you ever stalked an item on eBay? My wife used to desperately want a crystal Tiffany’s iconic blue box. For weeks, I stalked the item on eBay in order to get it for her for Christmas one year. I was barely able to find it in time. I almost had to pay full price for the crystal box.

Have you ever seen items in stores that you know are selling for a higher price on eBay? Have you ever seen items on a website that you know sell for a higher price on eBay? You can profit on that difference in price parity. It is called arbitrage.

What Is Arbitrage?

Enron stock certificates are great for eBay arbitrageArbitrage is usually talked about in currency circles of finance and economics. There are often times when different countries’ currencies are not priced correctly. Let me give you a simple example. If the United States’ dollar is worth 1.5 Canadian dollars and one US dollar is worth ten Mexican Pesos, if a Canadian dollar does not equal 15 Mexican pesos, then there is a currency arbitrage.

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Would A Crazy, Wacky Piggybank Help You Save More?

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crazy piggybanks help you save moneyI was walking around Target the other day when I ran across this shelf of piggybanks that are featured on this picture. And, I just had to snap this picture. I wondered if having a personalized piggybank will help inspire you to save more money. I have a jar sitting on my dresser that says “casino money” right on the front of it. It is one of many that you can buy that lists what your savings goal is. I have seen others that say things like “new car”, “down payment”, “vacation”, etc. Mine just happens to say “Casino Money” because I have a secret addiction to Las Vegas and Blackjack (now you know a little something extra about me!).

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The Only Two Numbers You Should Measure in Your Finances

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The Only Two Numbers You Should Measure in Your Finances

The numbers that you monitor with your finances matter.What do you measure in your life? Do you count calories? Do you count how many visitors check out your website everyday (or every hour if you are me)? You should be counting things in your life.

Counting implies that there is a goal in the end that you are counting towards something in the end. Thos with a goal have been shown in studies to ultimately be more successful in life.

A study of Harvard MBA students in 1979 who were followed for ten years found that the 13% of the class who had made goals for themselves were earning, on average, twice as much as the other 84% who had no goals at all.

In fact, 3% who had written down those goals were earning, on average, ten times as much as the other 97% put together. What you measure in life matters. It draws our focus to it like a laser. So, what are you focusing on with your money?

Measure Your Finances With Two Numbers

You Should Measure Your Net Worth

You should know how much you are worth. You should keep track of this number every month. You should have it written down and should compare it to the previous month’s outcome. How did your investments do?

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