When Money is Tight, the Government Keeps Hiring

I just had to share an article summarizing the collective hiring and firing practices of our state and local governments during this Great Recession. They are willing to raise taxes and fees and accept federal (our) dollars in a futile attempt to close their budget gaps. They are not so willing to drop government workers from the payroll. This will be a double-whammy for taxpayers in those jurisdictions because of the pension costs that are piled on top of everything else. Read more

Poor Money Judgment Loves Company

I read a lot of other personal finance blogs. Some of them write about their own poor money judgments. Others talk about the bad personal finance decisions made by readers who contact them. Read more

Avoiding the Post-Christmas Money Hangover

I’m speculating that for some, December 26 represents the beginning of the post-Christmas money hangover. You may know the feelings to which I am referring. Read more

Merry Christmas from Mr. ToughMoneyLove

I’ve been quiet this week. Between rehabbing my post-surgical knee, meeting project deadlines for clients who wait until the last minute, and the usual Christmas to-do list, blogging has been neglected. But readers are probably in the same situation so no harm, no foul.

Mr. and Mrs. ToughMoneyLove arrived at our lake house yesterday (Lake Barkley, Kentucky) joined by our three sons and one significant other who is becoming part of our family. Everyone is relaxing (except some of the five dogs who are with us). No snow yet (maybe Saturday) but a fire is blazing. It is so peaceful up here in the winter. I have surprised myself by finishing my gift wrapping before the wee hours.

We have long-standing Christmas Eve traditions in our family as I am sure you do. Our “Secret Family Recipe” Christmas Punch, cheese fondue, Christmas Eve Mass, and watching It’s a Wonderful Life.

I hope and pray that each and every one of you having something and someone to bring you peace and joy this Christmas Season. I am so thankful for your readership and comments.

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

The Unemployed Flocking to Grad School – A Bad Idea that Won’t Die

It seems that the young and unemployed are working their way toward becoming slightly older while earning dubious grad school credentials. Read more

Christmas Signs of the Goofy Consumer

I spent a few hours in a number of different stores this past week. A couple of things registered in my brain as evidence that goofy Christmas consumerism is alive and well.  Read more

Giving Thanks for Non-Binding Agreements

Mr. ToughMoneyLove had long ago surrendered hope that government could be trusted with our money. I still believed that science was a bedrock on which we could build some aspects of economic policy (excluding of course the dismal science of economics itself). Now I wonder. Read more

A Christmas Message for those Considering Law School

Long time readers know that Mr. ToughMoneyLove is a lawyer. They also know that I am no fan of law schools, who mostly exist to attract mostly borrowed tuition money from students having mostly unrealistic expectations about their post-law school financial futures. Read more

Another Reason to Dislike Pittsburgh

If you are from one of those cities that dislikes Pittsburgh (any other NFL city, for example), or if you just don’t like rust-belt union cities trying desperately to remake themselves, here is another reason to stay away from Pittsburgh. Read more

Financial Incapability in America

The U.S. Treasury Department, the President’s Advisory Council on Financial Literacy, and the FINRA Investor Education Foundation has discovered through a survey what Mr. ToughMoney and others could have told them for free:  Americans are pretty much financially incapable. Read more

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