A Matter of Trust…

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A matter of trust is fundamental to human nature. We want to trust each other – help each other – get along. If we couldn’t trust people to stop at red lights, how could our traffic operate at all? Trust is a fine balance. There is blind trust, and there is wise trust. Here is… Continue reading A Matter of Trust…

You Spend More on Accessories When Purchased with a Big Item

We are likely to spend more money for accessories when purchased with an expensive item like a new dress, sofa, or car than if we purchased them alone. Here’s why, and how you can save money by avoiding it. My husband and I bought a new living room sofa that was a fair amount of… Continue reading You Spend More on Accessories When Purchased with a Big Item

The New Definition of Need

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If we think back a few centuries, the word Need had pretty specific connotations. People needed a cow for milk. Farmers needed a good growth season to survive. And kids needed a bath once a week. They didn’t need matching dishes, or anything beyond a dirt floor. Wow have we changed. As a society, we… Continue reading The New Definition of Need

Catch the Scam – Use Your Thinking & Feeling Brains

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I received a letter in the mail from US Airlines suggesting I’d won 2 round-trip airline tickets. The letter just didn’t feel right according to the Feeling side of my brain – the side we use for most of the day on auto-pilot. And, my brain was right. But I didn’t figure out exactly why… Continue reading Catch the Scam – Use Your Thinking & Feeling Brains

Dividing Your Money into Buckets – Good or Bad?

We all do it. We divide our money into buckets, physically or mentally for special purposes. There are buckets that are specifically defined by a financial structure, such as a mortgage or a 529 college savings fund. And then there are the other buckets that we mentally create to help drive our own behaviors. Sometimes… Continue reading Dividing Your Money into Buckets – Good or Bad?

How to Manage Your Money Buckets & Behaviors

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In our last blog we talked about mental accounting – how we separate our money into buckets in our minds. If we were all completely rational about it, generally speaking we would look at what we earn on our savings, what we pay on our debt, how our taxes are affected, and pay off our… Continue reading How to Manage Your Money Buckets & Behaviors