A friend asked me how he should save for his daughter’s college education. (His daughter was born in 2009, which means probably I should be asking him the personal finance questions, but whatever.) “A 529 college savings plan,” I said. 529s are great, I explained: you put in after-tax money and it grows tax-free. You can ...

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Since I am expanding my portfolio to beyond just IRAs and 401ks, I will need to move my more tax-inefficient investments like bonds into those tax-deferred accounts. This way, I’ll put more of my stocks in plain taxable account which can be taxes at the more favorable long-term capital gains rates. Fidelity is my ...

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24 Hour Fitness has some good promotions right now for those interested. You can get an All-Club membership with no initiation fee and $29.99 per month with no long-term contract, but only if you sign up by 1/31/10. Alternatively, you can get a One-Club membership for $199 a year upfront. Offer not valid ...

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Losing Everything [caption id="" align="alignright" width="250" caption="Photo: affordablecarloan.net"][/caption] Bankruptcy does not mean that all is lost, even if you think it is. Difficult times may have forced this situation on you, or you may even have brought it upon yourself. You can get back on your feet financially after filing for bankruptcy. With the bankruptcy complete, you ...

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Recession Affecting Schools It seems to never end—the streams of money that my children's schools are expecting me to give to them just so they can either go on field trips or buy team shirts. Even when I try avoiding these money requests, it never seems to end. Payday loans may be an option should this ...

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