The U.S. economy is wrapping up 25 years of some of the strongest, smoothest growth in its history—a performance so sweet economists have given it a name: "the Great Moderation." So why have so many people, even those making hundreds of thousands of dollars, arrived at the new century with a gnawing sense that events are moving in a direction that is detrimental to our… More About: High Wire
¿Se Habla Dinero? The Everyday Guide to Financial Success is a bilingual guide to the basics of financial success. (Scroll down for a Spanish version of this book description.) Getting ahead financially in the United States is a difficult task, and it is even more daunting for someone who comes from a different culture. This book offers information for financial survival and success, written in… More About: ¿Se Habla Dinero?
When it comes to making decisions in our lives, we think we're in control. We think we're making smart, rational choices. But are we? In a series of illuminating, often surprising experiments outlined in his book, "Predictably Irrational: The Hidden Forces That Shape Our Decisions," MIT behavioral economist Dan Ariely refutes the common assumption that we behave in fundamentally rational ways. Blending everyday experience with… More About: Predictably Irrational
Curtis Arnold, founder of Cardratings.com, passes along techniques he has used to escape credit card debt, "creatively finance" his wedding, car, and home purchases, and earn thousands in credit card "perks" every year. Along the way, he offers advice targeted to young consumers who are being aggressively targeted by credit card marketers; retirees facing credit discrimination; Americans recovering from bankruptcy or other debt… More About: How YOU Can Profit from Credit Cards
In an age of information overload, many simply don't have the time, knowledge or organizational skills to create a simple, functional system for managing personal finances. Now in its fifth edition, "The Budget Kit: The Common Cents Money Management Workbook "is a best-seller that has helped hundreds of thousands of people across America develop effective budgets and gain financial freedom. Even if you are using… More About: The Common Cents Money Management Workbook
Scams have always been with us, and they always will be - except now, technology makes scammers' jobs even easier, enabling them to reach out from anywhere around the world, and take advantage of more people than ever before. No matter how smart you think you are, you can easily become a victim: in fact, scammers have discovered that educated, sophisticated individuals are among their… More About: The Truth About Avoiding Scams
"Taxes are what we pay for a civilized society."—Supreme Court Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes Jr. This short, snappy handbook countersthe anti-tax, anti-government rhetoric that permeates our culture and reminds us why taxes lie at the heart of a functioning democracy. Paying taxes is something almost everyone loves to hate. 10 Excellent Reasons Not to Hate Taxes makes the case for thinking about taxes in a… More About: 10 Excellent Reasons Not to Hate Taxes
Blending social commentary with reporting, House Lust is a funny and disturbing portrait of the behaviors that drove the greatest real estate boom in history—and its eventual bust. Owning a home has long been considered the fulfillment of the American Dream. But in the last decade, as the real estate market boomed, Americans’ fascination with homes turned into a frenzy. Shelter has been transformed from… More About: House Lust
You didn’t fill up the rental car with gas? Gotcha! Gas costs $7 a gallon here. Your bank balance fell to $999.99 for one day? Gotcha! That’ll be $12. You miss one payment on that 18-month same-as-cash loan? Gotcha! That’ll be $512 extra. You’re one day late on that electric bill? Gotcha! All your credit cards now have a 29.99% interest rate. Here are just… More About: Gotcha Capitalism
While there are many books that describe the mistakes investors make, but this one draws on the latest scientific research to explain why smart people can be so dumb about money—and how they can do better. In this book subtitled "How the New Science of Neuroeconomics Can Help Make You Rich," Money magazine writer Jason Zweig explains what goes on inside our brains when we… More About: Your Money and Your Brain
Roth Individual Retirement Accounts were created in 1997. They are named for the late Republican Senator William Roth Jr. Roth IRAs are different from traditional IRAs. Roth IRAs are funded with after-tax contributions, so there is no allowable tax deduction. However, retired individuals do not have to pay taxes when they take distributions from a Roth IRA, providing lifelong tax protection of the earnings in… More About: The Kid's ROTH IRA Handbook
This book addresses "Dealing with All of the Trickiest Money Problems Between Family and Friends—From Serial Borrowers to Serious Cheapskates." Your next-door neighbor's two-year-old broke your most expensive vase, and your neighbor hasn't offered to replace it. Your best friend expects you to shop at the boutique she just opened, though her very pricey clothes look terrible on you. And your sister says she needs… More About: Isn't It Their Turn to Pick Up the Check?
Liz Pulliam Weston is a personal finance columnist whose twice-weekly columns for MSN Money reach more than six million people each month. In her new book she provides a complete action plan for improving your credit score. Credit scores—numbers that sum up your credit history based on information in your credit report—have bearing on many aspects of life, including credit, insurance, renting a home and… More About: Your Credit Score
Until recently, there were only two main ways you could get cash from your home: sell it or borrow against it and make monthly loan repayments. Reverse mortgages offer a third way of getting money from your home. If you are a homeowner, age 62 and older, you are eligible to apply for a reverse mortgage loan that converts your home equity into tax-free income.… More About: The Complete Guide to Reverse Mortgages
Watch out, spammers! Michael Berry's revenges against the purveyors of e-mail pollution are funny, savage and inventive. With warm hearts I offer my friendship, and my greetings, and I hope this letter meets you in good time. It will be surprising to you to receive this proposal from me since you do not know me personally. However, I am sincerely seeking your confidence in this… More About: Greetings in Jesus Name
Like many great adventures, the 100-mile diet began with a memorable feast. Stranded in their off-the-grid summer cottage in the Canadian wilderness with unexpected guests, Alisa Smith and J.B. MacKinnon turned to the land around them. They caught a trout, picked mushrooms, and mulled apples from an abandoned orchard with rose hips in wine. The meal was truly satisfying; every ingredient had a story, a… More About: Plenty
Everything you need to get out of debt and repair your credit, from the Nolo Press, the pre-eminient self-help legal publisher. Feeling overwhelmed by your debts? If you're ready to regain your financial freedom, this book is exactly what you need! To make the process easier, Solve Your Money Troubles also includes sample letters to creditors, as well as worksheets and charts to calculate your debts and… More About: Solve Your Money Troubles
Sarah Bongiorni and her family resolve to forgo Chinese imports for one year. Her experiment, according to one reviewer, ,"requires surprising feats of will power and ingenuity." Chuck Jaffe, Senior Columnist, MarketWatch host, Your Money (www.yourmoneyradio.net), says, "You will never go shopping the same way again! It's impossible to read Sara Bongiorni's book and not be captivated by the complexity and challenge of her task,… More About: A Year Without 'Made in China'
Many of us have tried to call a halt to our spending at one time or another. But what if we decided not to buy anything for a whole year? Obviously, we would need necessities like food and soap, but how would be manage without new clothes, treats, entertainment? Not Buying It takes a close look at our society's obsession with shopping and the cold… More About: Not Buying It
Many investment professionals believe that the simplest and most efficient investment strategy is to buy an index mutual fund. Legendary mutual fund industry veteran John C. Bogle—founder of the Vanguard Group and creator of the world's first index mutual fund—has relied primarily on index investing to help Vanguard's clients build wealth. Bogle shares his strategies in "The Little Book of Common Sense Investing."
With insights… More About: The Little Book of Common Sense Investing
Be forewarned: This book is a joke, but it uses irony to great effect to spotlight America's love affair with shopping! "Reverend" Billy of the Church of Stop Shopping shares his hilarious but spot-on views on American consumerism in this book, a companion to Super Size Me creator Morgan Spurlock's new upcoming film about the Reverend Billy's satirical revival tour across America.
The Reverend Billy… More About: What Would Jesus Buy?
You no longer need a traditional employer plan to get good, affordable health insurance argues Paul Zane Pilzer, an economist, professor and author. The New Health Insurance Solution: How to Get Cheaper, Better Coverage Without a Traditional Employer Plan offers ideas to cut your health insurance costs in half if you're self-employed, an independent contractor, or your employer doesn't provide health insurance. According to the… More About: The New Health Insurance Solution
Consumer Action advises consumers to go slowly when considering reverse mortgages, as there are some bad deals out there. But we recognize that reverse mortgages are helpful for many house-rich, cash-poor seniors. People who do not have heirs and therefore do not have to consider the issues of leaving money to their children or other family members may also benefit from reverse mortgages, because they… More About: The Reverse Mortgage Advantage
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