The UpSide of Money

What to Read. Now.

What do “Why Smart People Make Big Money Mistakes”, “The Laws of Money”, “Your Money or Your Life”, “The Millionaire Next Door” and “Your Credit Score” all have in common? These books all made it on to the PF: What to Read Now list.

For the full Sf Examiner.com article, go here.

Add comment October 27, 2009

Calling all Frugalistas, Recessionistas, Dealistas, and Couponistas…

Savings.com is honoring the best 30 DealPros at their inaugural Save Up event in San Francisco on November 5th, all-expenses paid, which of course is just a fancy way of saying “free.” Yours truly will be moderating the “What’s the Big Deal? Trends in Online Savings and Coupons” panel that day at the W in San Francisco.

Recently I wrote about the combined efforts of moneyStrands and Savings.com to bring moneyStrands customers the best and most relevant coupon savings, delivered via their online app. The Save Up event, sponsored by Savings.com, is another step in their latest innovative business moves.

For the full SF Examiner.com article, see Are You a Deal Pro?

Add comment October 24, 2009

Modern Tightwad Turns Frugal Eating Upside Down

I wasn’t sure I could stomach writing one more frugal eating tips article (where’s the beef, anyway?) so I turned to 4th-generation Marinite and self-styled gracious frugal living expert Andi Blackwell of ModernTightwad, to give me a hand in the kitchen. I asked her the gastronomical question, “How to save money but still eat really well?” and she passed along these five great high-living champagne tips for a beer budget…

for full SF Examiner article, click here.

Add comment September 8, 2009

BudgetPulse Gives You More Than Just a Financial Checkup

The clean look and feel of the site reflects the company’s overall “Keep It Simple” philosophy. In fact, BudgetPulse CEO Raj Jeyaprakash started the site after he experienced a lot of frustration trying to find a money management tool that was truly easy to use, and that did not ask for personal or account data. He created the model for BudgetPulse, showed friends and family, and got such a good response, he brought it to the public. It has been out of beta since 2008 and has over 13K users.

“Secure”, “Upbeat” and “Giving Life to Your Finances” – these are a few of the catchwords and phrases used to describe BudgetPulse, the free online financial tracking tool. Recently I spoke with Craig Kessler, Marketing Director.

See full SF Examiner article here.

Add comment August 1, 2009

When Payday is a Bad Day

thb_bb124s2636 It’s Friday and that means TGIF, cheap beer and payday for lots of folks. For some, it means a lot less money on payday than they would have had, if they hadn’t taken out a payday loan. So what is a payday loan (or “paycheck advance” or “cash advance loan”)? It is a high-interest advance on your paycheck that is paid back when you get your paycheck. Generally, the typical finance charge for this kind of loan is $25 per $100 borrowed – or 25%. The average payday loan is around $200. That’s a huge price to pay for a small chunk of change, but if you’re employed and find yourself in a bind between paychecks, what should you do?

Luckily, there are numerous alternatives to payday loans (it turns out, even getting a “payday loan” from your bank is a better alternative). My colleague in Houston, SF Personal Examiner Steve Straughter, has put together a great list of alternatives to payday loans in his article, “Personal Finance 101: Payday Loan Alternatives.”

See full SF Examiner article here.

1 comment July 31, 2009

Get in the Money with Zecco

Burlingame-based Zecco (Zecco Holdings, Inc) is an online discount trading site that gets you in the money fast. Back when I was swing trading, I always had my eye on the break-even point for every trade. I was paying more than Zecco charges, and I would breathe easier when I was in the black on a stock trade or “in-the-money” on an options trade. If you’ve got $25,000 minimum to invest, you’re home free at Zecco, with 10 free trades every month. Don’t have that kind of cash? Your stock trades will only cost you $4.50 each, which is real value.

To see full SF Examiner article, go here.

Add comment July 29, 2009

Living the (almost) frugal life in France

kelly Recently, Kelly Rigotti, the creator of the blog Almost Frugal, wondered aloud to the Twitter world, “Why do people want to have (financially) right away what took their parents 30 years to build? Is this the cause of all financial problems?” I was intrigued, and I caught up with Kelly recently and asked her more about this and about her blog, France, and living the (almost) frugal life.

For full SF Examiner interview, go here.

Add comment July 27, 2009

UpSide of Money in the latest Carnival of Personal Finance: House of Rose Edition

Thanks to Jeff of Good Financial Cents for putting together the latest Carnival of Personal Finance.

2 comments July 27, 2009

Making It Through the Recession: The Home Puppy Cut

I had been putting off going to the groomers for our two silky terriers, Gracie and Beau, because of the expense, but their hair was getting so long I could no longer brush it without barks and snarls, and lately I had given up. It’s mid-summer and it’s way past time for the annual summer “puppy cut” (which basically involves shearing a dog’s coat like a sheep’s).The cost of professionally grooming one dog is enough, but two dogs, even though they are supremely little, would put us back at least $80 if not more. So in the spirit of eating meatloaf, using less toilet paper, and other guerilla recessionary tactics, my husband and I decided to get out the good cutting scissors and have at it.

The first patient, Gracie, came out looking like the mangy dogs I used to see on the side of the road when I visited India. Beau fared a little better, with the slightly less humiliating dog equivalent of a “bowl cut,” but he drew a comment from our normally reticent teenage son, “Wow, Mom, that’s really hard core.” Luckily, our dogs are not very self-conscious. All throughout the “session” we bolstered ourselves with praise as the back yard filled with beautiful chestnut and grey dog hair: “They don’t look half-bad,” and “I’m sure that’s how they used to looked when they came back from the groomer – but it always grows out just fine.” We were very careful – dogs could care less if they lose in an ear in a dog fight, but god forbid you should nick them and this whole home grooming thing will be over.

I did my best to reassure Beau he was still a real man of a dog, even though he is easily half his previous size and I have been careful to stifle a laugh when I look at Gracie, despite the strong resemblance to Grover on Sesame Street. I can guarantee we will not be putting any of my friendly, neighborhood dog groomers out of business. Dog grooming is definitely a great side business for extra income – if you have a sure hand and the right equipment and know-how. And I am a firm believer in supporting local businesses when I can. But now I have $80 in my pocket, and well, tough times call for tough measures. The dogs can always wear hats til their hair grows out.

8 comments July 27, 2009

Wesabe Keeps It All in the Family

Wesabe CEO Marc Hedlund had just returned from his honeymoon when he started working on the Wesabe site in earnest. He set out to create a quality online financial application from the bottom up and the first truly social cash management site was born, connecting people to their money AND to each other. That was November of 2006. The user experience and the interaction of the community is still on Hedlund’s mind and evident when you look at Wesabe’s advisors – it’s a regular “who’s who” in the social apps and tech space. Not listed on the advisor page is Trent Hamm who writes the Simple Dollar finance blog. “I was impressed that Trent understands how people truly experience their finances,” Hedlund explains.