Avoid the Bond Fund Trap

Investment professionals often preach to the masses (that’s us) that two of the biggest killers of investment returns are fear and greed. (That would be our fear and greed. Investment professional tend to overlook the impact of their own greed.) I’m familiar with these very human frailties. I’ve struggled with my own fear of loss as in impediment to making rational and timely financial decisions.  Read more

U.S. to Increase Homeowner Aid

The title of this post should probably be “Honk if I’m Subsidizing Your Lousy Mortgage – Part II.” Read more

My Life as a Volunteer Tax Preparer – Ch. 2.7

I returned to the volunteer Tax-Aide office this week. Last week I was in Las Vegas. Talk about contrasting money environments! Read more

Freddie and Fannie are Slow Learners

Freddie Mac announced that, come this September, it will no longer back interest-only mortgage loans. This is good news but raises two questions. First, what took Freddie took so long to pull the switch? Second, when is Fannie Mae going to follow suit? Read more

Embracing the March Madness Work Distraction

Today the games of March Madness® begin. Millions of rabid fans will be putting aside work to stream CBS game broadcasts to their desktops. Evil employers will try to prevent or discourage this, perhaps through clever site blocking strategies. Lunch “hours” will be stretched. Scores will be checked and re-checked.

Everyone needs to get over it and accept the distraction at hand.  Read more

Consumer Credit Usage: The Jury is Still Out

I admit it. Mr. ToughMoneyLove was encouraged by data suggesting that many consumer debt addicts were in recovery. Maybe, I thought, people had learned important debt management lessons from the events of 2008 and 2009. I think I was wrong. Read more

Las Vegas Interlude

I arrived in Las Vegas yesterday, accompanied by Mrs. ToughMoneyLove, our three sons, and one son’s significant other. We are here for four nights. It’s a combined celebration of family birthdays, particularly son number three who turned 21 last month. Read more

Say No to Yes Man Financial Advisers

Mr. ToughMoneyLove is a big believer in self-management of personal finance, if you are willing to study, learn, and then fearlessly apply what you have learned. Too many people turn their financial planning over to so-called professionals who are more interested in selling than in objectivity. Read more

My Life as a Volunteer Tax Preparer – Ch. 2.6

Wow – tax season is flying by. My weekly visits to the volunteer tax office seem to fall closer together. Today was unremarkable compared to other tax days except that one of the taxpayers I helped was male, the first I’ve had in a while. Read more

Hard Truth Weekly Reader- Misguided Protest Edition

Some weird stuff in the news this week, including more political corruption in New York, and misguided protests about spending cuts in California. It seems that for state economies, the larger they are the harder they fall. Read more

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