The banking and credit card reform laws were supposed to help us – and they did in many aspects – but one of the unintended consequences is that banks are making up for the lost revenue sources by creating new ones… fees, fees, and more fees! I just closed my brokerage account from BoA/Merrill Lynch [...]

Not to be confused with the scales that our friend Lady Justice carries around with her everywhere, the scales of finance are a bit different in function.  To truly weigh something, using a scale, you load up one side of the scale with that which you want to weigh and then put weights of a [...]

When I was a graduate student, I rarely cooked for myself.  I lived alone, and while I don’t mind leftovers, if I cooked a meal, I would have 4 to 6 servings for leftovers, and I would bore of them before I finished them.  Likewise, my mom currently lives alone, and she almost never cooks.  [...]

Are you shocked by the recent high price of groceries?  Have you noticed a jump in your grocery bill?  I have noticed a jump of about $20 a week that I am paying now for the same groceries I used to buy for much less.  Unfortunately, I am not much of a coupon diva, and [...]

I like to read.  A lot.  Not as much as some people, but I still manage to read somewhere between 30 and 40 books a year.  As you can imagine, that gets a little bit expensive if you’re paying full price for all of them.  Swapping and borrowing books only gets you so far if [...]

Many people have been adversely affected by the economic recession that hit the United States in the last few years. Termed the “Great Recession”, from December 2007-June 2009, The United States has not fully bounced back. Let’s take a look at the facts. Jobs are being cut at an alarming rate, so much so, that [...]

When you think of the 1950s, do you think of an idyllic happy time?  Or do you think of it as an unexciting period in our country’s history?  There have been numerous changes in our society over the last 50+ years.  Many believe these changes have led to an easier and overall better way of [...]

Considering the currently rough economic conditions being faced by many Americans, it never hurts to save a bit of money. Although these tips aren’t necessarily meant for those with the most stringent penny pinching tactics in mind, they offer some of the best financial advice about fees you may not normally think about. Buying New [...]

Everybody knows they need an emergency fund.  Right?  Right.  There’s some argument about how much to keep in your emergency fund, but the general rule is no less than $1000 and ideally 6-12 months of expenses.  And common savings strategies says that you should keep that money in a nice comfy savings account that you [...]

Recently, I got the chance to review David Bachs new book, “Debt Free for Life” (Look for the review coming up on Yakezie.com!). David was kind enough to answer a few questions that I send to him. Some great stuff in there as well! Here’s the interview: BB: Most of your previous books seem to [...]