When I first started The Simple Dollar in late 2006, it was pretty easy to find a savings account that offered a 4% annual return on your deposits. Some banks, such as HSBC Direct, were offering introductory rates as high as 6% annually. In other words, if you deposited $1,000 into an account at HSBC

A few weeks ago, I put out a call on Twitter and on Facebook for detailed posts that people would like to see. I got enough great responses that I’m going to fill the entire month of July – one post per day – addressing these ideas. Via a private message, Colleen said “I have

A few weeks ago, I put out a call on Twitter and on Facebook for detailed posts that people would like to see. I got enough great responses that I’m going to fill the entire month of July – one post per day – addressing these ideas. On Facebook, Kimberly asked about “Online daily deals

What’s inside? Here are the questions answered in today’s reader mailbag, boiled down to five word summaries. Click on the number to jump straight down to the question. 1. Handling expensive schooling 2. Handling a closed credit account 3. Lowering high housing costs 4. Investing while in college 5. Solid credit, no credit cards 6.

Every Sunday, The Simple Dollar reviews a personal finance or other book of interest. Also available is a complete list of the hundreds of book reviews that have appeared on The Simple Dollar over the years. One of the most frequent issues that I’m asked about is how exactly to start a conversation about a

A few weeks ago, I put out a call on Twitter and on Facebook for detailed posts that people would like to see. I got enough great responses that I’m going to fill the entire month of July – one post per day – addressing these ideas. On Facebook, Emily requested to know more about

A few weeks ago, I put out a call on Twitter and on Facebook for detailed posts that people would like to see. I got enough great responses that I’m going to fill the entire month of July – one post per day – addressing these ideas. On Facebook, Rebecca requested a post on “ways

Each week, I highlight ten things each week that inspired me to greater financial, personal, and professional success. Hopefully, they will inspire you as well. 1. Cooking with my youngest child Lately, when we’ve been working on making meals, our youngest son has insisted on being put in his high chair and pulled as close

Each week, I’ll present a low-cost meal (or a meal that demonstrates a lot of options for cutting costs) that my family eats for dinner and enjoys. Many of the recipes will be vegan or vegetarian, with options to add other ingredients for non-vegetarians. One of my favorite food blogs out there is Peas and

A few weeks ago, I put out a call on Twitter and on Facebook for detailed posts that people would like to see. I got enough great responses that I’m going to fill the entire month of July – one post per day – addressing these ideas. On Facebook, Vicki asked “what impacts going organic

A few weeks ago, I put out a call on Twitter and on Facebook for detailed posts that people would like to see. I got enough great responses that I’m going to fill the entire month of July – one post per day – addressing these ideas. On Facebook, Amanda requested an article on “How

What’s inside? Here are the questions answered in today’s reader mailbag, boiled down to five word summaries. Click on the number to jump straight down to the question. 1. House now or later? 2. Blender recommendation 3. Long term care insurance question 4. Enjoying music at low cost 5. Protecting a family property 6. Finding

A few weeks ago, I put out a call on Twitter and on Facebook for detailed posts that people would like to see. I got enough great responses that I’m going to fill the entire month of July – one post per day – addressing these ideas. On Facebook, Jeffrey requesed that I discuss “why

Yesterday, while working on a propane grill, I cut my finger badly enough that a piece of it was actually removed from my finger. It hurt intensely and it’s left me in a state where I can’t type normally. In other words, if you find that I miss a post or two in the next

For the past month, my family and I had been looking forward to traveling to the Chicago area. We were going to stay for four days with my cousin (who I adore) and her children (which my children adore). We had planned on going into the city to Taste of Chicago and to the Art

A few weeks ago, I put out a call on Twitter and on Facebook for detailed posts that people would like to see. I got enough great responses that I’m going to fill the entire month of July – one post per day – addressing these ideas. On Facebook, Shannon asked “What book/blog/resource do you

A few weeks ago, I put out a call on Twitter and on Facebook for detailed posts that people would like to see. I got enough great responses that I’m going to fill the entire month of July – one post per day – addressing these ideas. On Facebook, Brittaney asked “what should every soon

What’s inside? Here are the questions answered in today’s reader mailbag, boiled down to five word summaries. Click on the number to jump straight down to the question. 1. Refinance mortgage to add spouse? 2. Scanner recommendations 3. Paying off boyfriend’s debt 4. Investing in bond funds 5. Budget question from Phillipines 6. Financial book

Every Sunday, The Simple Dollar reviews a personal finance or other book of interest. Also available is a complete list of the hundreds of book reviews that have appeared on The Simple Dollar over the years. So, let’s be clear right off the bat. When I picked up this book, I had no idea who