On September 1, 2010, my new husband and I declared ourselves to be non-mortgage, debt-free from our $25,000 of consumer and student loan debt mostly leftover from debt accumulation during our single years. It was momentous, it was awe-inspiring, and then it was just life as usual. Except that we didn’t quite know what debt-free, […]

Continue reading…



Serve $50 Sign Up Bonus

Posted by Madison on July 12, 2013

Serve from American Express is offering a $50 bonus. It is this week’s Free Money Friday! Do you still have your Serve card from American Express? I previously used my Serve card to Cash Out Gift Cards via ATM, but had to close my account to open a Bluebird card to Pay Bills with a […]

Continue reading…



How to Split the Bills When Spouses Have Unequal Pay

Posted by Adrienne on July 10, 2013

This will be the first of an occasional column devoted to relationship advice around money. No stock tips, no tax advice, just relationship advice as it relates to finances. When Spouses Have Unequal Pay A reader recently asked: What percentage should I pay if I make 400 more than my spouse? There are a lot […]

Continue reading…



I must admit, I’ve always thought I would live abroad as an adult. The first time I left the country was for a six-week student exchange in Spain. This was an eye-opening experience for a kid just coming off of the farm, and it led me to want to do even more exotic travel. I […]

Continue reading…



If you are familiar with my love for the Blue Cash Preferred® Card from American Express, here is a way to supersize your sign up bonus for 6% cash back card. You can use the CardMatch program from Creditcards.com to access premium sign up bonuses. How to Get Your Exclusive Offers Access Creditcards.com via CardMatch. […]

Continue reading…



Barclays Carnival $100 Sign Up Bonus

Posted by Madison on July 5, 2013

Time for another fun Free Money Friday offer in our series of summer travel sign up bonuses. This week Carnival is offering up to $100 towards your next vacation! If you aren’t planning a Carnival vacation soon, you can redeem your points for gift cards instead. How to Get Your $100 Sign up for the […]

Continue reading…



Take a break from enjoying your 4th of July celebration by catching up on some of these great personal finance reads! Source: mrsdkrebs Finance Reads 4 Moves to Consider Before Interest Rates Rise – Should you or shouldn’t you lock in a CD right now? -Money Smart Life 6 Natural Products That Are Good Substitutes […]

Continue reading…



I have mentioned previously the financial benefits to not maintaining an escrow account. Basically, instead of paying a few extra hundred dollars per month for insurance and property taxes to a bank, you can pay your own savings account this money and reap a small amount of interest on it (with today’s abysmal interest rates, […]

Continue reading…



What is a Backdoor Roth IRA?

Posted by Madison on July 2, 2013

A reader Bob, recently asked about contributing to a Roth IRA after he maxed out his 401k. For most people, yes, as long as you qualify for the IRA, you can contribute to and max out both a Roth IRA and your 401k. However, Bob has a high income and the Roth IRA eligibility phases […]

Continue reading…



Reader Shares His $12,000 Amazon Success Story

Posted by Madison on June 26, 2013

After I shared How I Made $10,000 Selling on Amazon, a reader Shaun, wrote to share his success story selling on Amazon. I was so excited when he shared his numbers, because I know there are lots of other readers who like being able to see the numbers too. Background Shaun got started 8.5 months […]

Continue reading…