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I have recently come into somewhat of a windfall – $25,000 lump sum payment with $3,000 monthly payments for the next 47 months (total value = $165k).

What would you do with this money to maximize what you get out of it?

http://www.43folders.com/2007/08/13/hanger-trick/

i know you’re on a kick to rid yourself of clutter, this seemed like a good fit.

Hello from a reader.
I don’t know if you’ve already seen this, but today’s “Dinosaur Comics” from Ryan North (http://www.qwantz.com/) definitely takes a look at the lighter side of personal finance. Though you might enjoy.

Hi,

I was wondering if there are any fees/taxes that might make a Roth IRA
unattractive to a foreigner. I have a social security number and a
local bank account but will be returning to my home country next year.
Is it worthwhile to open a Roth?

Thanks for your time!

Hey, JD! I was wondering if you could review the following book, “Cheap Ways To…”. You can find it on Amazon or just do a quick search for it. I think it’s a nice book on how to save on stuff, and I’d love to see your review and spin on it.

Thanks!

How do I get the VIP code, to sign up for the forum ?

http://cornerscribe.com/wordpress/2007/10/17/financial-planning-and-writing/

Thanks for the great site and contest. Above is my entry for the Wii drawing.

I wanted to enter the contest for the HOW TO GET RICH FORUM. However, the system is saying I have to call or contact them to activate my account. Anyways I wanted to join the contest…See below…my story…

Thank You!
Kimberly Labra

Back in 1970’s life was hard.Mother told us stories how hard it was to earn sleazy dollar. Fathers on the other hand blessed with inheritance. Parents wed 1972 couple months later father enlisted in the military. Each time they rec’d paychecks deposit to bank. They were precise at spendin money. They purchased their home in 1973 & had leased house out & till this day. They also saved efficiently not outsourcing agents; & father’s brother portray in management. Imagine their profitable gains & top it of they’d both work everyday of their life. Finally they decided it was time a wealthy retirement. Father at 62 is retired military with indefinite military privileges & also lookin into retirement with US Gov’t & planning to withdraw investments.Mother at 60 also retired from Hilton Hotel & collecting benefits from SSI for Disability. Still reluctant on how they spend their money. I would say,it took a while to get there & with the hard work & investments its payed off. They’d set their goals, analysis their budgets,created a plan & stuck by it until the end. They are now living off from their investment & their retirement. I have learned much from my parents. “The apple never falls far from the tree.”

How to avoid getting extra dollars added onto your tip at a restaurant. Use a simple checksum.

http://www.punny.org/money/fight-thieving-restaurant-servers-with-checksum-tips/

Fast, easy, and can save you real dollars.

“fast and without cash, that’s how I play”

Not sure if you’ve seen the commercial for the new monopoly game, but that’s the tagline by a little girl.

For the ad:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yS_APB09Ndc

On a side note, been following you for a few months now; great site, posts and tips, thanks! Heard you’ve dropped your day job and now a full time blogger, congrats!!!

I love your site and am in the process of starting a blog detailing my fiance and I financial journey. What hosting service do you use, and do you use wordpress or is this blog offered by your hosting company? There are so many to choose from and I would appreciate your opinion.

Hi JD. I love your blog. I have begun keeping track of my personal finances and will be out of credit card debt as of 01/15/07!!!! The most important things I’ve learned from your community are: 1. Pay yourself 1st, 2. Snowball method for repayment of old debt, 3. Stop acquiring new debt. I came across this list of 101 new uses for everyday items that I wanted to share with the gang! http://www.realsimple.com/realsimple/gallery/0,21863,1030084,00.html

Thanks for your inspiration!
Freddie

a few days ago the significant other and i were discussing our current 401(k) paycheck with-holdings, as a kind of side note she said “and then there’s also a little bit of social security too.”

my question: i’ve always just assumed ssi would not be there by the time i retire (we are both 27); i’m wondering though, do others?

Printer Friendly buttons would be nice. I like reading your blogs/stories, but reading everyone’s comments below the blog isn’t something I have time for (or want to print out).

I have been enjoying reading your blog on a daily basis. Thank you for
taking the time for the insight and information.

I did some search through your articles, but didn’t see much reference
to saving for a eduction and what options their are out there. Do you
have children? I have not done much research on this subject, but I
have a 4 year old and 2 year old and this is one thing that worries
me.

I feel that I am much like you and can relate very well. We have a
mortgage, car payment, student loans, a little credit card debt (which
will be paid off in Feb), and a small savings rat holed away for each
child and us. This last year my wife and I have been determined to
reduce our debt and build a future for us, with a year of diligent
money tracking and analyst, we are starting to see the light at the
end of the tunnel and gaining ground.

It would be great if you could post some info about saving for
education and what options are out there for the average guy like you
and I.

Hope all is well and wish the best for you and your family this
Holiday Season. Keep up the good work

Setup a Sharebuilder account today!

JL

I thought you may enjoy this video of Credit Card National bank — a parody of bank commercials with the reality of debt repayment.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lgu6NcgE2ek

JD,

Congrats on being featured in the Jan. 08 issue of Money Magazine (page 68)!

I have been a longtime reader of GRS and truly enjoy. Keep up the good work!

Rob

Hey there. I have a question for you. A little bit about myself first. I am a first year pharmacy student at a top 10 Pharmacy school here in the US. I am 21 years old. When I graduate school in 4 years, I will be earning anywhere around $70,000-$110,000 a year. I have no debt besides a few student loans, which arent a problem.

I was wondering if you could recommend a good book about finance in your twenties. This is a fair amount of money and I would like to invest at least 30% of it. However, I am relatively new to the whole finance scene, and need a book geared towards someone my age. Any suggestions would be appreciated. Thanks. -SAC

I’m 19 years old and have been frequenting your blog for about a month now. I’ve read a lot of the archives and done some personal investigating on my own about investing firms and what not.
I have a few quetions that pertain to advice I’ve read on your blog posts.
1. I have a Shell card, cash back discover card, Victoria’s secret card and my debit card.
I buy gas about twice a month and pay it off as soon as it hits the statement, I use the Discover card for rather large purchases mainly because I know I’ll have to watch the bill and I am attempting to earn the cash back. I got the VS card because the salewoman haggled me into it but I haven’t used it yet. I do these “buy it” then pay it off before they get any interest out of me because it is my attempt to build credit. Would I be achieveing the same goal by leaving the accounts in good standing without ever using them…?

2. Health Insurance. My job does not provide, but I make good money. My university plan is more major medical and not a good plan. I bought a Blue Cross “HMO” point of service plan for $175 a month that gives prescription coverage, decent copays, out of network coverage, hospital & out patient, ETC. It seems like a really good plan.. but my question to YOU is what about a low cost high deductible plan?

I enjoy your blogs, keep em coming! I look forward to your response..

N

Re Ultimate Cheapskate….I’ve heard of a guy,
to save on his electric bill: recharges his cell
phone at the office! That’s a cheapskate!
My “cheap trick” is to ask the Supermarket baggers to DOUBLE BAG (in plastic bags) my
groceries. I re-use said bags for garbage
discards, hence never have to buy garbage sacks.

STOP the e-mails!

JD – Like others, I commented on one thread and clicked the “notify me of updates” checkbox for that thread. I occaisionally get email updates for new comments on *all* threads. Not all the time, but enough to be annoying.

Could you post something on your front page blog alerting people that you’re at least aware of this problem (as I assume you are by this point)? It’s very frustrating since this has been occurring for awhile now but I’ve seen no notice or indication that it’s a known problem. Letting people know you’re aware of this issue (even if it takes awhile to track down and fix) would definitely help.

I really enjoy your blog and the discussions in the threads. I would prefer not to have to unsubscribe to the threads I want to follow but I don’t want unnecessary storms of emails everytime any of the threads here get additional comments.

I’ve registered on the forum but can’t sign in. What’s wrong? Have tried several times for the last 5-6 days. Still no luck. Fix it please.