I’ve always used Microsoft Money. Why? Because it came installed on my computer back in 1997, when I started tracking my money really closely. Even since then, I’ve just continued with it. Good reason, right? MS Money Stops Yearly Updates I felt pretty confident with my setup until one of my fellow About.com guides, Shelley, […]
We’re half way through the year. It’s a great time to do a mid-year checkup of your financial situation. Here are a few of the topics that I like to revisit in the summer to make sure that we are on track! 1. Asset allocation rebalancing. Have you rebalanced your portfolio lately? With the decline […]
Taxes, spreadsheets, budgets, money files… Is your computer command central for your financial life? When was the last time you backed up your data? Data Loss Statistics reveal that “More than 22 percent [of computer users surveyed] said backing up information is on their to-do list, but they seldom do it” and “nine percent admitted […]
Dear Mr. Dupaix, We have a wonderful marriage and great kids. We found a great way to divide household responsibilities and it works well for us. However, since I handle the finances, there’s some important information you will need. Here’s a guide of what you need to do financially for our family. As I’ve always […]
In our million dollar credit limit article, readers asked how I keep organized with 89 credit cards. I introduced the series of my organizational system in my billpay and anti-filing system. As I shared, Microsoft Money is the center of my strategy. Here’s my tips, tricks and troubleshooting for using Microsoft Money Home and Business […]
I’ve come up with an easy strategy to take the pain out of doing our taxes. We have lots of accounts, but doing our taxes is actually relatively easy based on some simple organization techniques. Replacing all the forms and data with one list makes the process quick and easy. Here’s how I organize our tax work […]
I had my husband call American Express yesterday to get the $689.72 finance charge straightened out on his IN: CHICAGO American Express card. He actually tried to call on Wednesday, but the hold time was over 10 minutes. He waited for a few, then handed me the phone to hold when the doorbell rang. Somehow in […]
How exactly do I stay organized with 89 credit accounts, 31 bank accounts, 29 investment accounts and 32 other accounts (not including 14 accounts for the kids and numerous accounts for family members)? That’s what readers wanted to know when I started to describe some of the details of our accounts. I’ll highlight my various […]
We recently set up a special needs trust for for a family member. It is an important part of planning for the future of a disabled individual and has large consequences if done incorrectly. Special Needs Trust Special needs trusts, or supplemental needs trusts, provide the means to care for a disabled child (or adult) after the […]
