I’ll be on WCCO’s Good Question segment with Jason DeRusha tonight at 1o. The topic? How to prepare financially in case you’re canned. Check out his “Deblog” entry about the upcoming segment. Now that I was on the show, I forgive him for naming his blog Deblog

Dealing with a layoff also happens to be the topic of tomorrow’s Dollar Duo, and my co-host John Ewoldt will have a column on the unfortunately hot topic as well.

The bottom line message I hope everyone takes away from the stuff I’ve done on this topic is this: Have some cash at the ready.

Even if you can get nowhere near 3 to 6 months, set a goal of saving $50 a month, or having $1,000 in the bank, and you’ll be much better off if you end up paycheck-less. If you keep your job, you’re still better off with some savings.

A comment I’m sure won’t make it on the air that I made is that it’s time to get back to some of our Depression-era values of saving, conserving, and reusing. We media doom and gloomers have been focusing too much on the “Depression” and not enough on the “Great,” joked DeRusha.

Seriously though, as I argued in a recent column, it’s time to return to the values of thrift. Anyone in?

Keith Tufte of Longview Wealth Management just sent me his list of things to be thankful for in this thankless economy. I added a few of my own at the end and hope you’ll do the same.

Thanksgiving 2008 things to be thankful for Top 10 List:
Be Thankful For . . . . . .
1. America is still the best country in the world (except maybe Norway). There are many worse places to live.
2. The price of gas is down huge. You can afford to drive your SUV and snowmobile again.
3. You still have a job (if you do). You still have your health (that’s what really matters).
4. AC/DC is touring again. Brittany Spears is not. (more…)

Believe it or not, I’ve always said I wanted the option of a health savings account tied to a high deductible health care plan. Fortunately, my family has spent little on health care in recent years with the exception of delivering a couple of babies.

I’ve thought in the years where there weren’t new family additions, that we would actually save money with a high deductible plan (hdhp) with lower premiums tied to a health savings plan, which allows you to put money away pre-tax for health care costs. Many employers even contribute money to the account for you.

But a story I read in the Washington Post years ago featuring Felix Meschke, a father and University of Minnesota business professor who has patiently explained stock market statistics to me on more than one occasion, makes me worry that an HSA would actually end up costing us a lot of money. (more…)

Every now and then I browse through dozens of pages of upcoming personal finance books on Amazon in search of trends or interesting concepts. Today, I found several books that aim to explain, or capitalize, upon our current financial crisis, books on being cheap, and your standard books on how to become rich by investing in real estate or the stock market or the particular author’s strategy.

Two oldies but goodies are also being revised. Finally! One is Beth Koblinger’s “Get a Financial Life,” a book geared towards teaching young adults about money. It was terribly outdated, so I was reluctant to suggest it in the past.The second, is “Your Money or Your Life,” the bible of frugal living with meaning. The new edition should be out in time for the holidays. The book also happens to be featured in this week’s Dollar Duo video, which will be released on Tuesday.

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In this week’s Dollar Duo video, I visited the National Theatre for Children. The group travels to schools to present improv plays on important topics such as global warming, nutrition, and money.

As I mentioned in the video, the NTC relies on regional sponsorships to bring plays to schools and surprisingly despite having a lot of financial heavy-hitters in this town, no one has stepped up to the plate.

So if your school isn’t teaching financial literacy and you need some ideas for educating your kid at home, check out the following links:

The Jumpstart Coalition – a well-established group create to promote financial education.

Practical Money Skills for Life — Yes, it’s paid for by Visa, but it’s got a lot of flashy resources that appeal to multiple age groups.

Feed the Pig — Geared more towards young adults, this site, sponsored by the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants and the Ad Council, is worth a visit just so you can set eyes on Benjamin Banks, the creepiest PSA mascot you’ve ever seen.

Italladdsup.org — Financial education site from the National Council on Economic Education.

Hands on Banking — Wells Fargo’s site to teach basic money management.