Linda Leitz, author of We Need to Talk: Money and Kids After Divorce, has been answering some personal finance questions from readers lately. Today is a look at the third installment:
Q. I want to make a family budget, but am unsure of how to begin. What should I do to get started?
Linda offers this answer:
First, figure out what you spend now.  Ideally go through at least six months of checking account and credit card records.  If you have one of the computer programs that can track spending, it’ll be easy to download all your accounts, then categorize what each item …read more

Not too long ago, Yielding Wealth ran a contest in which readers submitted questions to Linda Leitz. Leitz is the author of the book We Need to Talk: Money & Kids After Divorce. Throughout the rest of the month, I will be posting her answers to the four best (and most common) questions I received.
Today’s Question: I only have a limited amount of extra money each month. Should I concentrate on paying down debt first, or putting money aside for savings? 
Linda’s answer:
It depends some on how big your debts are.  If you owe a substantial amount – let’s say a …read more

In conjunction with the release of the book We Need to Talk: Money & Kids After Divorce, we’re having a contest at Yielding Wealth this week. Don’t forget to email me your personal finance questions. So far, I’ve been getting some good ones.
There is some good personal finance advice in this book, even for those who are not divorced. Here is an excerpt from the book by Linda Leitz.
Let’s start with a basic assumption: Only I Control Me. That means that when it comes to the final decision on what you do and don’t do, you’re in control. …read more