We’ve turned into a rather image conscious and materialistic society. How we appear to others is important, and many of us use credit and get into debt to look rich. Indeed, acting rich — as though we’ve got money to burn — when we really don’t is why so many of us are far from being rich. This type of mentality can put our current financial situation at risk, as well as damage our chances for a prosperous retirement.
But how can you accumulate real wealth? Well, the answer lies in the #1 rule of personal finance: Spend less than you …read more

Not too long ago, I won the book Secrets of a Stingy Scoundrel by Phil Villarreal from a contest over at the site Fiscal Fizzle. It is easily one of the funniest money books I have read ever. Villarreal takes you on a journey through money saving tips — many of which are of dubious ethical (if not legal) origin. But the result is hilarious.
Villareal suggests that you can stock up free T-shirts, bags and water bottles by filling out credit card applications. Don’t worry; he realizes that having a bunch of credit cards can be detrimental to your financial …read more

If you are trying to change your financial habits, one of the first things you are likely to to is to change the way you handle your credit card purchases. However, in some cases, using a credit card is the preferred method of payment. How do you limit your credit card charges in a way to change your habits? Redeeming Riches has three ideas, and I have one of my own:

Delete your cookies: Redeeming Riches suggests that you delete your cookies and avoid saving credit card info on web sites. This way, you will think twice when you have to …read more

Mint.com, a free online budgeting and personal finance startup, recently announced that they have received $14 million in Series C funding. This funding round was led by DAG Ventures. In total, Mint.com has received more than $30 million in funding since launching in 2007.
With more than 1.4 million registered users, Mint.com has quickly become an indispensable service for many individuals and families across the nation. In total, the service tracks more than $45 billion in assets and more than $175 billion in revenue.
Aaron Patzer, Mint.com’s CEO, says that their large user base has allowed the company to better understand the …read more