Personal Money Management 101 Blog

There’s been much ado about the current problems in the real estate market with foreclosures rocketing and prices dropping like a stone. A quick random sample of the media finds CBS reporting Foreclosures Jump 79 Percent In 2007 (Jan 29 2008) while CNN hass Home prices in steepest quarterly drop (Feb 14 2008) and Mortgage applications tumble. Across the Atlantic the UK Daily Mail reports Boom ‘offically’ over as house prices plunge for fifth month in a row (Feb 25 2008).

But the situation isn’t all doom and gloom. Here’s why… Read the rest of this entry »

I often wonder whether the reason many people find it hard to acquire and accumulate wealth is that they have been brought up to believe the pursuit of money is somehow sinful. Even the Bible says: “the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil.” Although this is often mis-quoted as: “money is the root of all evil.”

There is an archetypal image of a rich man lazing on his yacht sipping champagne all day funded by an army of overworked underpaid employees while polluting the planet into the bargain. The phenomenal wealth of the few can appear unjust against the poverty to be found in the developing world, or even here at home.

But there is another side to the coin. Money (or even the love of it) is not inherently evil. Money equates to potential and choice; ie it has the potential to be used for good or not-so-good purposes. Read the rest of this entry »

Horror stories abound of people having their identities stolen and suddenly find themselves with huge debts they knew nothing about.

It is true that ever more complex financial systems, and in particular the proliferation of online transactions, increase the potential for identity fraud. But by taking a few simple common-sense precautions you can minimize the chances of becoming a victim. Read the rest of this entry »