Category: Blog

2008 Media Coverage of Compulsive Buying nePsy.com (December 2008): Compulsive shopping: disorder or disease? NOW Magazine (December 29, 2008): http://www.nowtoronto.com/news/story.cfm?content=166605 Divorce360 (December 15, 2008): Married to a Shopaholic? Holidays Can Be Tough for your Marriage Wall St. Journal (December 14, 2008): This Year, More Than Ever, It’s Tough to Be a Compulsive Shopper. Adbusters Magazine… Continue reading Related Blogs / Articles / 2008 / 2007

A Financial Highway blogger compares two scenarios using the Toronto market as an example. Two similar condos are compared, one as a rental and one for sale. Playing out the numbers, renting costs much less monthly, but over the long term you come out ahead as a homeowner. Three things to keep in mind as… Continue reading Rent vs. Buy

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) focuses on our thoughts, not on our situations. The skills learned help us to handle difficult situations in new ways, which can be helpful in many problem areas of life, including addiction. In a cognitive behavioral approach to substance abuse treatment, patients learn new coping skills, how to change old habits… Continue reading Treating the Cognitive Components of Addiction

The team at DailyWorth tells us that Apple, IBM, Dell and other major computer companies all sell refurbished computers that can often be a great deal, both from a financial and a quality perspective. When computers are returned, they might be “repaired, upgraded, cleaned, or simply tested and repackaged…,” and very few are found to… Continue reading The Case for Buying Refurbished Computers

Nearly every religious and spiritual tradition teaches meditation and mindfulness, and for good reason: these practices help us live in the present moment and deal with stress as it arises. The practice of mindfulness is not just for monks and nuns, it’s for anyone who wants to experience happiness and peace. We can be mindful… Continue reading How to Unplug and Be Present in Our Over-Connected World

Financial Therapist, Coach, and Mommypreneur Bari Tessler Linden believes we need to clarify the difference between needs and wants if we are to have a healthy relationship with our money. She suggests we start by examining our past, asking ourselves if our needs as a child were met. If not, we may turn to overspending… Continue reading Needs vs. Wants

Ronnie Haring, a 38-year-old mother, is one of 6% of Americans struggling with compulsive buying. She describes the highs she experiences while shopping, as well as the shame she feels after returning home. She incurred thousands of dollars in debt by buying items in bulk: shirts in every color, every scent of hand soap, etc.… Continue reading Shopaholic Says Shoplifting Arrest Was Her Wake-Up Call to Get Help

“Becoming Minimalist” shares another story of a personal journey into minimalism. Twenty-one year old Dana says, “I don’t know why, but it is so hard to look at your stuff sometimes and really see what you have.” She describes her teenage bedroom as “organized chaos”, and shares her discovery that so much stuff was weighing… Continue reading Becoming Minimalist: Dana’s Story

Keeping sight of your long-term investment goals will help you keep your emotions in check as you encounter the invariable fluctuations in the investment markets. Fear due to losses and then subsequent confidence from gains can lead to unwise investment patterns and the paradoxical “buying high and selling low” mentality; the exact opposite of what… Continue reading Emotional Investing: Why We Buy High and Sell Low

Have a student loan? You’re not the only one; college debt is over $1 trillion in the U.S. To take control of your student debt, experts suggest starting with a clear assessment of your debt and debtors. Make sure your contact information is up to date, and keep it current. Federal education loans can be… Continue reading Student Loans: Your 5-Step Plan to Pay Them Off