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Back in business

Thursday, February 7th, 2008

I’ve been told the commenting issue has been fixed on Ka-Blog, so if you want to tell me what you think about my $19,000 day care bill, share what drives you nuts financially about your partner and tell me your credit card rewards secrets, take a look at the most recent posts. Don’t they look lonely sans comments?

We knew it was coming

Tuesday, January 29th, 2008

I received a notice from one of my three online savings accounts today announcing that it was reducing my interest rate from more than 4 percent to 3.80 percent.

I knew it was only a matter of time, what with the Federal Reserve lowering rates last week. But it’s unwelcome news, nevertheless. Plus it’s still much higher than the ridiculous .14 percent I’d be earning with my brick and mortar bank savings account.

Your financial resolutions

Monday, December 31st, 2007

I’m mulling over my own set today and will post soon. But for those of you who do resolutions and have some money-related goals in mind, please share!

The Fix-Ups Club

Friday, December 14th, 2007

I followed three families in debt for a year and just finished up the 12 month period in September. I called it the “Financial Fix-Ups.”

I received so much feedback. Some people complained about the financial habits of the individuals being profiled. Others shared their own tales of debt. Yet others thanked me for addressing such a taboo topic. And then some contacted me asking for help.Each participant told me that being accountable not only to the financial expert I paired them with but also the reading public was instrumental in making improvements in their money life. So I decided to start the Fix-Ups Club– a mostly online club where readers can tackle their own debt issues and meet their financial goals. We’ll have plenty of guest expert Q&As. Discussions and web tools are on their way.

For Ka-Blog readers, the format is familiar. Essentially, it’s another blog. Never fear. I’ll still be Ka-blogging and the content of each blog will typically be different. But I figured some of you might be interested in the Fix-Ups club as well.I’ve been fortunate enough to have never had a lot of debt, aside from some school loans and my home. But for those of you had debt and paid it off, I’d love to learn how you did it. And for those of you currently tackling your debt demon, share your strategies too.

Best personal finance books

Thursday, December 13th, 2007

The week’s column features personal finance books released in 2007 that are worth a read. What new money and investing books have you read this year and what did you think?

Share your all-time favorite money books here as well. Two oldies but goodies:

Andrew Tobias’ “The Only Investment Guide You’ll Ever Need” and “Your Money or Your Life” by Joe Dominguez and Vicki Robin. The first is a conversational primer to investing. The second makes you think long and hard about money and work and the role both play in life.