It always amazed me growing up how much my father knew about money and finances. Even to this day when he is nearing retirement, he knows more than almost every person I’ve met. He is still planning and evaluating his portfolio, always tweaking and always adjusting. He’s continues to make regular contributions to his retirement fund and never misses or is late with paying his bills. He knows how to manage money.

Part of me thinks that my interest in proper money management stems from his passion for it. When I was younger I would continually probe him for information from his past. I asked him how he knew when to change certain funds from low risk to high risk and vise versa. Before the market crash in the late 1980′s he successfully avoided a loss by adjusting his portfolio a few months before everything hit the fan. He did so in early 2000 and again before this most recent down slide. When tens of thousands of people were losing half of their savings and losing their homes he managed to protect all of his portfolio and pay off his mortgage in 15 years.

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The Dollar Stretcher Blog

Written by: Gary Foreman

I recently bought a certified pre-owned vehicle at a dealership. Although I am not struggling to make my monthly payments I would like to know what my other options are. I’m kind of having regrets buying the car. I don’t really want to pay for the car anymore. This was my first time purchasing a vehicle and the decision was based irrationally.

My loan is $28,000, 6 year, around 10% interest rate. The car is a 2007 Honda Civic Si Sedan.

My boyfriend is bugging me about adding his name to the title. He said he would help me with the monthly payments by matching my monthly payment. By doing this we would be paying off the vehicle faster. He also says that by doing this, it would increase his credit score. Is this true? And what are some benefits to me by doing this?

Michelle Read the rest of this entry

I think it’s time to go back to school. Okay, you don’t actually have to jump on the bus, buy a new school bag and lug around a few pounds of paper and pens and dodge spit balls, but It’s time for a little personal finance help. Here is a fun quiz for you to go through to find out how well you know your finances.

1. It’s always better to choose the longest amortization period with your mortgage because you will have a lower monthly payment.

a: True

b: False Read the rest of this entry