Broke-Ass Student

A new frugality could remake the U.S. economy—and American life. While some Americans have spent themselves straight into poverty, others industriously aspire to conserve and save. But is frugality a doctrine that can actually serve as a death warrant in a credit based society? The End of Credit Card Consumerism U.S. News and World Report [...]

The first steps to wealth accumulation blossomed when I was five years old. “Daddy?” I inquired as my tiny fist wrapped around the sleek shiny morsels placed in my palm. “What would happen if I save all these and never ever EVER spent a penny of it?” My father’s eyes crinkled in amusement as his mouth [...]

When my gym membership came up for renewal this summer, I realized I was missing out on a lot of opportunities to exercise simply because it was difficult to squish a good hour-long session into my hectic schedule early enough before the gym closed. I love the atmosphere at the gym; all the various cardio [...]

A Sad Legacy for the American Taxpayer Bush Aides Project Record $482 Billion 2009 Deficit Being the incredible insomniac I tend to be, I was snuggled in bed last night flipping through various channels when I came across a late night re-run of Glenn Beck interviewing Congressman Dr. Ron Paul on CNN. I found the [...]

Credit card comparison shopping doesn’t have to be a hassle, instead let it be a breeze! Credit cards can be an invaluable tool when utilized responsibly, and cash back credit cards offer a great incentive to use credit for small daily purchases as long as a balance isn’t maintained on the card from month to [...]

The FDIC Deposit Insurance fund is “a myth,” according to longtime banking consultant Bert Ely, and consumers may end up paying the price of what is expected to be a growing wave of bank failures. Concerns Mount About FDIC Deposit Fund Global Financial Newswires July 18, 2008 NYU Economics Professor Nouriel Roubini predicts that Congress will [...]

All right, so maybe we aren’t all experts in the financial arena yet but we do share propinquity in a collective passion for personal finances. Find out what happens when a group of 20-somethings get together and start writing about money, life and college. Introducing The College Money Network, a group of personal finance sites [...]

Shelter Your Financial Savings and Eliminate Exposure to Risk I pulled the bulk of my money out of my savings account months ago when interest rates started plummeting. My goal right now is actually two-fold; to preserve my current savings through diversification (such as foreign currency and commodity investments), and to aggressively pay down my [...]

The dirty little secret everyone in Washington knows – “We suffer from a fiscal cancer.” David Walker, the nation’s top accountant and former comptroller general of the United States, is a highly respected public figure who has run the Government Accountability Office. (The GAO audits the government’s books and serves as the investigative arm of [...]

A financial update. Oh baby, how far we’ve come While rummaging through some older posts here on Broke-Ass, I stumbled across a lot of stuff I’d forgotten about. A post from last year showed how I’d gone from $0 in savings in January 2007 to $1,000 in savings four months later (see Surviving Paycheck to Paycheck? You [...]

In The Current Turbulent Economy and Financial Sectors, What Gives? I’ve become somewhat of a CNBC junkie lately, which has resulted in some pretty bizarre sleeping patterns. It’s not unusual to catch me propped up on my pillows at 4am, munching on some Cheerios and sneaking in an hour or two of ”Worldwide Exchange”. Month after month I’ve held my breath [...]

Here are current rates of some online savings accounts, as of August 15, 2007. iGObanking 5.30% APY ($1 to open, no minimum, no fees, FDIC insured, compounded daily) E*Trade 5.05% APY ($1 to open, no minimum, no fees, FDIC insured, compounded daily) EmigrantDirect 5.05% APY ($1 to open, no minimum, no fees, FDIC insured, compounded daily) [...]

To move forward in your quest for wealth, you need to establish a clear financial picture Is one of your aspirations to have complete control and power over your finances? Are you ready to reign in frivolous spending and not allow hard earned money to continuously be sucked into a spiraling black abyss? Here is a [...]

Taking Inventory of My Finances This week I’ve decided to set aside a bit of contemplative time and quietly review my financial situation.  Every few months I sporadically enjoy kicking my feet up at a coffee house, with my trusty notepad in tow, to scribble an overview of whether or not my financial priorities are being established and my goals are being [...]

Millionaire Mommy Next Door poses an excellent question of Can Money Make You Happy? on her personal blog today. Here is my response to her. Hi Mommy Millionaire! There can be a deep correlation between happiness and money. Money has the potential to make us happy through the freedom it provides. It can extend our impact on [...]