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Practical Money Matters

Have you ever wondered why your money habits differ from other people’s habits?  The Psychology of Money offers some thoughts on the subject.  In Money Ideas, you’ll explore various facets of money from debt management to thoughts on profit.

Practical Money Matters Articles

Breaking News on the Consumer Front

Identity Theft Continues to Grow. March 1, 2013.  Identity Theft Resource Center reports that identity theft grew by one-third over the past year.  Identity theft, in fact, has been the #1 complaint to the Federal Trade Commission for 13 years in a row.  Florida tops the list with the majority of their cases involving government tax or benefits fraud.   Georgia, Mississippi, Michigan and Louisiana round out the top five identity theft states.

Are you protected?  For protection tips, read the Protect Your Identity article on... read more >


Our Relationship With Money

Money is necessary in our lives.  It provides the roof over our head and the food we eat.  Beyond those basic needs, however, our individual money experiences can differ dramatically.  Some of us have more money at our command while others have little money to command. 

The bigger difference, however, is how we relate to money.  It’s not a subject we often consider.  When you think about money, what are your feelings?  Does money give you a sense of power?  Does it make you nervous?  Do... read more >


Check Your Credit Every Year

Check your credit annually.  Once a year, go to the only official source for fast, free credit reports, http://www.annualcreditreport.com.  ; AnnualCreditReport.Com was created by the three U.S. credit-reporting agencies – Equifax, Experian and TransUnion.  It is the only official credit report-providing site.  Consumers should never provide personal information to any other company or person when requesting free credit reports.      

There is only one official and free credit report site,


Protect Your Identity

Identity thieves are standing by, they’re watching for a simple mistake that unmasks identifying information.

We are letters, numbers and symbols.  Our computer, our phone and our tablet all recognize us as a series of characters.  At the doctors’ office, we are SSNs and account numbers.  Our debit card or credit card is authorized when we punch in our code.  We’ve got so many numbers and codes, it’s sometimes hard to keep them all straight.  It’s easy to become a bit lax, protecting the things that give away our identity. 

Identity theft is the fastest growing crime in the... read more >


Who’s In Charge, You Or Your Credit Cards?

My bill arrived today – my credit card bill – and it was just not believable.  In one quick glance, I knew something was wrong, that there was a problem with the bill.  The total gave it away.  My heart started pounding as I thought, “Someone else used my card.”

Immediately, I started to look for the mistake, for someone else’s purchase that got on my bill.  Slowly, though, my skin started to crawl and my cheeks started to burn.  One by one, I recognized the charges. ... read more >


Are You Personally Profitable?

Does your income cover all your costs? Is there enough left over to fund your dreams?

What is your dream?  What do you want in your life that costs money?  Some people dream of a home and family.  Others dream of a boat or a vacation cabin.  Still others seem themselves travelling to Australia, to Alaska or even to Zimbabwe.  What are your dreams?

To make our dreams happen, most of us must plan and save.  That means we need to be personally profitable.  We know about profitable businesses, we hear about them all the time.  When is the last time you planned for your... read more >