I have a strategy that I'm surprised I don't hear more "experts" talking about. (Maybe I'm missing a branding opportunity here!) When people talk about emergencies, they always talk about saving enough. But if necessary you could probably make temporary but major reductions in spending too. So in addition to my…

I'd consider buying a NOT GREAT BOB t-shirt if someone came up with such a thing.

I'm in Iowa and the difference at Costco is about $0.05. Years ago it used to be closer to $0.10 but it seems after gas prices skyrocketed in 2008 the gap narrowed. So now I gas up when I'm at Costco (once every 3-4 weeks) but not worth going out of my way for.

Generally speaking, and I say this as a huge personal finance geek who pays a lot of attention to this stuff, this isn't terrible advice.

Kids are a nuclear bomb on your finances, there's just no way to get around it. Daycare is an absolute killer. And about the time you dig out from under having your first one, it's about time to have the second. My kids are 7 and 5 and it's only been in the last year or two I feel like we're truly "caught up" - and I…

I feel pretty strongly that college is the ticket to a good career and high quality of life, even if you end up (as many do) working in a field unrelated to your major. American society puts a premium on the growth and development that those four years give you, and statistically speaking this is the surest way toward…

I understand this sentiment, yet at the same time we're all overworked and buried in email. Speaking for myself, if I responded to every email with an estimate of when I might actually get around to solving their problem, I would 1) double the number of emails I send, and 2) constantly feel like a failure because I'm…

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Why don't you just start requesting credit limit increases? If you're in good financial shape they'll probably approve it online within an hour.

Two additional pieces of advice: first (and I've said this before), but unless you absolutely know you will be in this home for a very long time, it's well worth taking an extra couple of years to save and get the house you really want rather than buying what you can get now then upgrading in a few short years. (Or to…

I agree Kristin. I think it's just one more metric to gauge your financial situation. And it's useful but only at a 30,000-foot view - not for any specific, meaningful decision-making.

I think we're overthinking the net worth thing there. First of all, it's meant to be a snapshot in time of where you're at. Considerations about where you might move to later on really shouldn't matter because your net worth alone isn't going to help you make that decision. Second, net worth is a pretty crude tool in…

As a matter of fact there is. I've been using this since it was posted and it works great. http://lifehacker.com/5986204/automa…

Yes, every year since I got out of college. Probably nothing you do will put you more in touch with what's going on in your finances. I'm no tax accountant but I'm guessing that for a majority of people, their situations are relatively easy and straightforward.

I'm pretty fortunate in that I married someone of a similar "money type" as me. We're both savers so overspending typically isn't a problem. Which means I'm probably not the best to give advice here.

I would add another piece of advice I read years ago: buy your second home first. That is, many people buy the least expensive home they can afford, knowing they will upgrade within a few years. If this sounds like you, consider taking an extra couple of years to save, then buying the more expensive home that you'll…

That's exactly what I was getting at. If you're monitoring the daily fluctuations of the market, you're more likely to get swept up in hysteria when things are going bad, or get cocky and fearless when things are going well. Either can lead to bad decisions that could cost you tens or maybe hundreds of thousands of…

Indeed. Those things stink, they stink bad, and they start to stink quickly after washing.

It's really simple. Identify your goal, identify the investments which will get you there, invest, then leave it alone. When people talk about "investing" they're usually talking about retirement. So pick a path and stay the course. Ignore the noise, because that's all it is. If the market tanks, don't worry about it…

Yes, you have to account for inflation to arrive at your expected monthly spending figure at retirement. But after that, the 4% rule accounts for inflation in your monthly spending/withdrawal figure in years to come. As the post stated, there recent debate in the retirement/financial planning community over whether…