Articles by Nick


Have You Ever Been a Victim of Identity Theft?

Posted by Nick on May 16, 2013

You look at your credit card statement. There’s a charge for about $700 from a merchant you’re not familiar with. “Honey, did you buy something from so and so for $700 last month?” “Why no, dear, I would never spend that much without talking it over with you first.” “Hmmm; I wonder where that charge […]

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How to Save Money on Gas

Posted by Nick on January 30, 2013

Gas is expensive. Wait, what was that? Did I hear a collective “Well duh!” Oh, sorry, I didn’t know it was such a well known fact! All kidding aside, we’re all struggling right now to fill our tanks. I know I cringe whenever I look at that digital screen that tells me how much the […]

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Anti-Snowball Method to Payoff Debt and Save More Money

Posted by Nick on October 23, 2012

When you have a few (well, maybe more than a few!) credit cards with balances that you carry month to month, you know the frustration of seeing those statements each month with new finance charges added, if you bother to look at the statement at all. I know I don’t want to at times. There […]

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For many readers, this will be a review of a concept you’re already familiar with. But for those not initiated in the ways of the snowball debt reduction method, this handy dandy tutorial should prove quite, well, handy! I enjoy writing articles for those of you just getting into personal finance, and making the decision […]

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How to Handle a Financial Windfall

Posted by Nick on October 10, 2012

Financial windfalls: Big tax refund. Inheritance. (I’m sorry for your loss.) Winning the lottery. (Congratulations! Although playing in the first place should be done in moderation, if at all.) So, you’ve suddenly found yourself in a position of having a ton of money (to you, anyway) and don’t know what to do with it. Your […]

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Will Social Security Be Around in 20 Years?

Posted by Nick on September 5, 2012

Over the years, there has been a lot of hullabaloo over the solvency of the Social Security system here in the United States and whether or not Social Security will still be around in 20 years. Many people have fears and questions that are not sufficiently answered by those who represent us in congress. (A […]

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Should You Save for College or Retirement First?

Posted by Nick on July 30, 2012

My wife’s parents paid for the four years she spent in college leading to her bachelor’s degree. I paid my own way. We both went on to earn masters degrees, which we paid for ourselves. In the meantime, we had been saving for retirement, as well as college for our daughter. My wife is very […]

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Banks Versus Credit Unions

Posted by Nick on June 6, 2012

Are banks or credit unions better? This is a subject I am very adamant about. There are so many facets of the debate between these two financial institutions, and I have no qualms defending what you will obviously see is my preference! What’s the main difference? How do you define a bank and a credit […]

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Should I Convert My Retirement Plan into a Roth?

Posted by Nick on May 15, 2012

Ok, fellow readers, I’ve got a question for you. I think that Roth IRAs are the bomb, and my wife and I have had one ever since I learned about how cool they are. There is one problem with the Roth IRA though; that pesky $5,000 per year deposit limit. Employer Options At my work, […]

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Meet the new writers! Our next new writer is Nick. Nick is fascinated with the different ways money can be used as a tool for people to increase their wealth. He is also quite familiar with the concept of debt and is working diligently to get rid of his debt. You can read more about […]

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