Stimulus Money and Academia

Our local paper published a long piece today about use of our tax dollars. The article is entitled “VU puts stimulus funds to work.” The writer and Vanderbilt University are boasting about Vanderbilt having snagged $87 million in stimulus dollars to fund 194 difference academic research grants. Read more

Be a Blog Award Voter – Please!

It’s not American Idol but almost. OK, not even almost.

Here’s the situation: Tough Money Love has been named a finalist for a Plutus Award in two separate categories:  ”Most Controversial Personal Finance Blog” and “Best Personal Finance Blog for Retirement.”

My Go To Retirement blog has also been named a finalist in the “Best Personal Finance Blog for Retirement” category.  If it were up to me, Go To Retirement would win the retirement category while Tough Money Love would win “most controversial.” But it’s not up to me. It’s up to you.

If you would like to help put Mr. ToughMoneyLove on the winner’s podium, please take 20 seconds, visit the Plutus Award vote page, scroll about 2/3 down the page, and record your votes. Ask your friends to consider doing the same thing.

If I win, I will celebrate by giving away some copies of my Failsafe Retirement System to some lucky readers so be sure to check back.

Thanks for your support!

My Life as a Volunteer Tax Preparer – Ch.2.4

Today I prepared five tax returns. A big question at the end my tax volunteer day: What happened to all of the men? Read more

Is the World Ending Tomorrow?

The number of articles written about tomorrow’s change in credit card rules seems to be approaching Y2K Armageddon levels. Pity is descending upon the young and creditless, particularly college students eager to light up credit card terminals with their new-found addiction. Mr. ToughMoneyLove’s heart is breaking. This denial of the fundamental civil right of credit cards to our young must end! Read more

Please Send Sezmi to Save Me Money

Another competitor to the Comcast Cable monster has launched. If it works – I want it. The service is Sezmi and it has officially launched in Los Angeles with Best Buy as its retail partner. It claims to be a $20/month alternative to cable and satellite TV. This does not include the cost of broadband Internet, which you must have to use the Sezmi service. Also needed – a Sezmi DVR box to download and record your desired programs. Read more

Vote Buying in Vegas

Lest you think that money and politics have changed (or will ever change), consider President Obama’s recent decision to use $1.5 billion of your money to buy votes for a desperate Harry Reid. Read more

My Life as a Volunteer Tax Preparer – Ch 2.3

Yesterday’s session at the Tax Aide volunteer office was more quiet than most. I worked on three returns. One was a return that I started last week. The other two clients were unique and interesting, with one being upbeat and the other a real head-shaker. Read more

Should Personal Finance Blogs Come with Warning Labels?

I scan/read a lot of personal finance blogs. A few I find educational. A few others are worth reading because of the quality of the writing. Some I read for no good reason at all. (I gotta do something about that time-waster.) And then there are those blog posts that just make you shake your head in amazement. Some of those need “bad money behavior” warning labels. Read more

Hard Truth Weekly Reader – Shall We Panic?

This is a week for considering not how things are in the world of personal finance, but how bad they can become. If you are inclined toward getting in a funk after reading negative predictions, you might want to skip this post. If you are willing to read some hard truth to guide your own money decisions, I’ve got some helpful stuff for you. Read more

My Life as a Volunteer Tax Preparer – Ch. 2.2

This week’s volunteer visit to the Tax-Aide office was different from last, in that each of the three taxpayers I worked with was new to our office. That made a little more work fro me but also allowed more time to hear their stories. Read more

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