MiamiHerald.com: Personal Finance

She’s worried hubby’s grand plan will leave them house poor

Fri, 03 Feb 2012 21:13 EST

Dilemma: My husband’s company was just sold and because of it, they cashed out his stock. He still works there. A little bit was in his pension but most he had personally. After taxes it’s more than 50 percent of all our savings.

Self-employed? Deductions add up

Fri, 03 Feb 2012 20:29 EST

With so many of us taking the entrepreneurial route, here’s a tax primer for the newly self-employed.

Our son’s fallen in with the rich crowd

Mon, 09 Jan 2012 15:49 EST

Dilemma: Our son is very bright and worked hard through high school to get into a great Ivy League school. With scholarships and loans and savings we had, it’s tight but we make it. He worked as a waiter all summer so he has some savings to spend, but he’s not working his freshman year at school by family agreement. We put together a budget for him to live within.

Put yourself on a financial diet for the New Year

Sun, 08 Jan 2012 17:56 EST

Experts say the new year is a good time to make an honest assessment.

Out with the old …

Sat, 10 Dec 2011 10:53 EST

The end of year is a great time to de-clutter and get back a little cash, perhaps a tax deduction, and a more organized start to 2012.

Is there a solution to stock market turbulence?

Sat, 10 Dec 2011 08:25 EST

This fall, the U.S. stock market seems to change direction every week in response to the latest news — good or bad.

How to combat creative resistance

Sun, 04 Dec 2011 05:00 EST

Sure, the boss says ‘think outside of the box,’ but when it comes to actually listening to new ideas, we’re all a little uncomfortable.

Family’s torn between two financial advisors

Fri, 02 Dec 2011 19:23 EST

Dilemma: We have a financial advisor who we’ve been working with for many years, and he’s become a good friend of our family. We rely on income from our investments and pretty much let him do what he thinks is right. Our income has been going down, and he’s said there isn’t much he can do. He hardly ever comes to us with ideas, and rarely do we make changes. It’s like he’s lazy.

How to save some green this holiday season

Sun, 20 Nov 2011 11:06 EST

If you are wishing for a more affordable holiday this year — and in this economy, who isn’t? — these tips are for you.

South Florida grocery cart

Sat, 11 Jun 2011 10:44 EDT

The chart shown here reflects the average of prices at six South Florida groceries on June 8. Prices changed relatively little since April. Since The Miami Herald began tracking grocery prices in February, prices on most items have crept up slightly. The biggest increases were on bacon, which rose about 30 percent, and Roma tomatoes, which rose about 25 percent. Item May June One month change Loaf white bread, store-brand, 20 oz. $1.22 $1.36 $0.14 Cheddar cheese, store brand, 16 oz. $4.60 $5.30 $0.70 Dozen eggs, large, grade A $1.70 $1.65 -$0.05 Ground chuck, per pound $3.40 $3.67 $0.27 Bacon, store brand, 16-oz. package $4.96 $4.62 -$0.34 Gallon of whole milk, store brand, gallon $3.37 $3.51 $0.14 Tomatoes, Roma, 16 oz. $2.36 $1.94 $0.42 Green bell peppers, 16oz. $1.77 $1.70 -$0.07 Orange juice, store brand, half-gallon $2.95 $2.86 -$0.09 Stores surveyed: Milam’s in Miami Springs, Wal-Mart in Hialeah, Aldi in Deerfield Beach, Super Target in Davie, Publix in Fort Lauderdale and Winn-Dixie in Fort Lauderdale

When company inspectors come calling

Tue, 03 May 2011 14:03 EDT

If you own a House of Condo, your Insurance Company may soon be letting you know they’re sending out an inspector to check out your property.

Should you cuddle up with COBRA?

Fri, 27 Mar 2009 21:36 EDT

Stunned by news of losing their jobs, laid-off employees often are asked to quickly make a highly complex decision: What should they do about health insurance?

I've been laid off; now I'll try to save money

Sun, 22 Jun 2008 03:01 EDT

I've been laid off; now I'll try to save money Back in March my month-long Heavy Thrifting blog chronicled my attempts to rein in my spending habits by at least 10 percent. Now, three months later, I'm again reaching for the budget ax.

Taking a knife to expenses

Sun, 09 Mar 2008 03:01 EDT

Following in the footsteps of The Frugalista Files blogger Natalie P. McNeal, I am preparing to embark on a month-long spending diet, cutting the stubborn belly fat from my expenses and blogging about it for all the world to read.

Breaking the chains

Sun, 25 Nov 2007 18:53 EST

My grandfather, who ran an independent clothing shop in a small Pennsylvania city for decades, used to say that consumers who shopped at malls and chains should be shot. He was joking. Sort of.

Financing the night of our dreams

Sun, 03 Jun 2007 18:41 EDT

Young. Just out of college. No full-time jobs. Most couples wouldn't hear the tolling of wedding bells under such circumstances. But we had our eyes on a big, lavish wedding, and we were ready to pay for it.

Tough lesson on friendship

Sun, 06 May 2007 18:32 EDT

The building I lived in had a rooftop pool, an elevator and a workout room one floor above my unit -- lavish features for college kids. But I never imagined that this beautiful apartment would cost me a friendship.

The value of panhandling

Sun, 18 Mar 2007 18:05 EDT

Here, amid the rumble of traffic on the highway overhead and the plumes of exhaust from tractor-trailers lumbering to the port, is a corner of the economy so familiar that it is often overlooked. Dozens of such hard-luck hubs exist throughout South Florida as centers for the most basic of economic transactions -- begging.

Readers weigh in on 'no spending'

Sun, 04 Mar 2007 16:08 EST

EDITOR'S NOTE: Here are more responses to my request for readers' best money-saving tips. I've begun to try some myself. Now I search for coupons online and print them out, and I’ve also tried the reader’s suggestion to pour a little tequila on a tough cut of meat to tenderize it.

Cutting back requires effort and dedication

Sun, 04 Mar 2007 15:41 EST

Saving money is all about making choices. A luxury purchase, a necessity or an impulse buy all mean different things to different people. Throughout January, my husband, my 17-year-old daughter and I went on a spending diet, cutting out expenses for such things as movies, eating out, bottled water and coffee breaks and trying to limit our weekly trips to the grocery store to $70.