Play hooky for money + MORE

February Highlights and Lowlights

2013 Financial Goals: No progress in February. It’s a bit disappointing because we did so well in January by maxing out the IRA and setting up Mrs. RB40′s 401(k).

2013 Personal Goals: I tried several new beers in Feb. and met up with local bloggers for a drink…

It recently became illegal to unlock your smartphone for use on another network without the current network’s permission. We covered it here.A petition to the White House sought to overturn that change, and got more than four times the number of signatures required for an official response. That response came Monday…

If you’re like me, it can be almost impossible to keep track of your receipts.  You put them in a desk drawer or in your wallet only to not be able to find them when you need them.  You may never have heard of Shoeboxed, but it is a website that keeps track of your receipts for you. In this Shoeboxed review we will show you how it can make life easier…

Join our Tweetchat this Thursday at 12:00 pm Pacific for lively conversation and a chance to win prizes! Use #WBChat to participate.
This week’s topic: How to Save on Pets! Learn about saving on food, boarding, and vet bills! Share your favorite tips to save on pets!
For an easy way to keep track of the conversation, try using our special Tweetchat Chatroom…

The first post of this series had looked at energy-efficiency programs and financial incentives for residential customers in Ontario. We will continue the series with energy saving incentives for Alberta and Newfoundland and Labrador.
Alberta: SunRidge BuiltGreen Homeowner Rebate, Lethbridge
SunRidge Built GreenTM is a voluntary program that promotes sustainability by using building practices that reduce impact of the building on the environment…

When it comes to getting a Master of Business Administration (MBA) there are a number of things to take into consideration. This ranges from career goals, family/spouse considerations, personal finance situations, and how much time you are willing to sacrifice in pursuit of your MBA.
Recently a friend at work pretty much said he’s pretty much for sure going to get his MBA through a part-time program…

It’s always a good month when the stock market hits an all time high. I graduated college in May 2007, just a few short months before the economy took a dump. It sucked watching some of my first 401K and Roth IRA contributions drop significantly in value, but if you stay the course, things always seem to turn around…

When the stock markets were imploding, so was my 401k by a magnitude of about -30%. My net worth probably took an equal percentage hit because of my holdings in real estate. Good thing it’s hard to mark to market real estate values given the lack of transactions. To make myself feel better, I often joked I was catching up to the likes of Bill Gates, Warren Buffet, and Carlos Slim given they lost billions…

This year, you may have made a variety of New Year’s resolutions to improve your mind, your finances, or your health. Many people, however, tend to lose focus of their goals, and the promises made on the first of the year are soon forgotten. You don’t need to make a resolution to improve your life, […

No matter who you are or what you do for a living, a steady revenue stream is a good goal to strive for. Freelancers and other self employed people find this to be especially true since they don’t have the built in stable revenue stream that a job provides. Without a steady stream of revenue or cash flow, many freelancers and entrepreneurs end up back in a cubicle wondering what went wrong…

Barclays has enjoyed a long and storied history as a financial industry leader in the United Kingdom. While those of us in the United States often consider a financial company to be historied once it passes its centennial, Barclays was founded in 1690. As an organization, the bank is older than our country…

Today I’m going to share with you my Capital One 360 Savings review.
I’m a big fan of online savings accounts, both for their higher interest paid and their ability to be a separate place to save your money.
Capital One 360 Savings Review
I’ve been saving my money with Capital One 360 Savings (formerly ING Direct Orange Savings) since at least 2007…

Guest post byErin Steiner who is a freelance writer and blogger based in Portland, Oregon.

 
 
 
 Intimidation, thy name is “Loan Application!”
Trying to get a business loan for your small business can be a nerve-wracking process. You want to present yourself in a manner that proves that you are exactly what your loan officer wants to see…

This is a post from staff writer Robert Brokamp of The Motley Fool. Robert is a Certified Financial Planner and the adviser for The Motley Fool’s Rule Your Retirement service. We at Fool HQ did it again: We had a company-wide financial health day. As we did three years ago, we encouraged Fool employees to clear their professional decks in order to tackle personal financial tasks…

My mom and I were discussing the price of gas the other day. I told her that I’d just paid $3.96 a gallon; I was shocked that the price was so high and wasn’t happy about spending $50 to fill up my car. Her response was, “I never really worry about the price of gas — what will I do? Not buy it?”
This is an interesting topic to address…

Every American should read this piece on health care costs, from Steven Brill, of Time Magazine. It’s 11 pages of excellent journalism that will enlighten and enrage you, as it highlights the “why” of skyrocketing health care costs in the U.S.
There is an epic battle going on between health care providers and insurers…

Just when you thought there were no more ways to make extra money 🙂 I love it…
Here’s the article about it on Today.com: Mom defends $5,000 payoff for baby name rights. In a nut shell, a mother-to-be will receive $5,000 for allowing people online to vote for her son’s/daughter’s name – which is somehow backed by sponsors of the contest (I don’t think a name could be “Coca-Cola” or anything…)…

Debt Movement Google Hangout: Paying Off Student Loan Debt

with Joseph Audette
VP of Education, NerdScholar at NerdWallet.com (education@nerdwallet.com)
Student Loan Q&A
Can a monthly student loan payments be lowered? Especially due to financial hardship?
There are several programs available, and you should always contact your loan servicer to see what might be available to you:

Deferment postpones your loan payments on the principal (and interest for certain subsidized loans) for economic hardship, unemployment, or if you go back to school, for example, graduate school…

For the last 6 years I have been a subscriber to Bell Canada. They have provided me with my cell phone service since I was in college. When I first signed up I was offered, because I was in college, a business plan that has allowed me to maintain the same level of service for the last number of years…

I tend to view life as being something like a high wire act at the circus.
We balance ourselves on that high wire and attempt to walk through life. We’re carrying a lot of weight to make the balancing act even trickier – children, marriage, and other responsibilities.
Eventually, something happens and we fall…

After you file your tax return with the IRS, and before you stick your copy in a box kept in the attic, take the time to look through the results, and learn what you can do to improve your financial situation. Your tax return says a lot about your finances. If you know what to look for, your tax return can help you identify areas where you could do better…

Here we go with the first round of Free Money Finance March Money Madness (to follow all the action click on my March Money Madness category link and scroll down to read all the posts involved in this subject.) Today’s games are brought to you by the Citi® Hilton HHonors™ Reserve Card, which offers two weekend night certificates, each good for one weekend night (standard room, double occupancy) at select hotels and resorts within the Hilton HHonors portfolio, after $2,500 in eligible purchases within the first four months of cardmembership…