I’ve actually been thinking a lot about Amazon this year.  The story of its growth in the last 17 years can only be compared to the thunderous rise of Walmart.  And in some ways, the curve is steeper: the million-title-bookseller … Continue reading →

Over the years, my opinion on college funding has shifted a bit. I used to be of the opinion that kids should be responsible for paying for their own college education. After all, I paid for most of mine, and I was one of those parents that thought, “If I ...

It was not until I reached 30 that I started to turn my own financial life around. Unfortunately, by then, the damage was done. In retrospect, I often knew the decisions I was making were not-so-smart, but I did them anyway because I could always “pay it off later” or ...

It’s that time of year again. That time when Uncle Sam returns some of your hard-earned tax dollars that he’s been borrowing at zero-percent interest. Tax refunds are sort of a forced savings account for many people. And while I personally aim to avoid receiving a tax refund, there are ...

Editor’s Note: We are honored to welcome guest columnist Don Harrold from practicaldad.com.  This article is the second in his three-part series exploring college planning. The first column, published in January, is “Rethinking the College Model.” The experience of choosing a college is very different when you’ve got a teenager ...

Orthodontists and College. No two words scare me more since each involves kids and significant amounts of money. But college is the scarier word. Orthodontia might or might not be required, but if the kids are going to have a leg up in the world, then some form ...

This is the second post in a series called Saving With Purpose: Living a More Intentional Financial Life. In this series, I plan to highlight a number of specific savings goals my family has identified we would like to achieve over the next few decades. Before having kids, both my wife ...

This is the first post in a series called Saving With Purpose: Living a More Intentional Financial Life. In this series, I plan to highlight a number of specific savings goals my family has identified we would like to achieve over the next few decades. We have all heard of SMART ...

In a recent post I reported that the Frugal family was nearly debt free. Well, we’ve crossed that pinnacle point, and are now enjoying life after debt. A comment from that post, and my initial experiences, have me wondering if life really is any easier after crossing over from being ...

Dear Mr. Dad: My wife and I are relatively well off and can give our kids whatever they want. But how can we be generous without spoiling them rotten? A: First of all, change your perspective: think in terms of giving them what they need instead of what they want. That ...