Watson Inc

By: Roshawn Watson Exchange traded funds (ETFs) are great investment vehicles. They are index funds that are tradable like stock with low costs and taxes. One of their strengths is that they give your portfolio diversification. Image Credit: ringydingydo However, over the past few years, a troublesome trend has emerged: too many ETFs. More specifically,… Continue reading The Death of Fancy ETFs

By: Roshawn Watson First, I should say that I have nothing personally against SUVs (although I do hate when people wield them as weapons). Given that gas is still almost $4 per gallon in many places, many people are considering trading in their gas-guzzling SUVs for newer hybrids. After all, with the savings in gas,… Continue reading Stupid Gas-Guzzling SUV?

By: Roshawn Watson This recent article from Money Magazine highlights the Lipovitches’ struggle to invest on their own. Their family consists of Wayne and Michele and their two sons (their youngest son has Downs Syndrome). Their Financial SituationWayne (a veterinarian) and Michele (runs a part-time massage therapy business) have a combined annual income of $120,000.… Continue reading Cleaning Up Your Finances BEFORE You Invest

By: Roshawn Watson Many of the manufacturers of our favorite brands of food products have recently faced unprecedented cost hikes. Apparently, several costs in the manufacturing process have increased: from the packaging to the product ingredients. Consequently, profits have recently declined for these companies, and they are about to past it on to consumers. According… Continue reading Why That Grocery Bill Is Increasing, Again

By: Roshawn Watson In preparing to write my posts, I often come across noteworthy and sometimes bizarre financial and business news. Below are links to some of these sites. Enjoy! I also wanted to thank all of you who are voting for articles from this site on social bookmarketing sites such as stumbleupon, reddit, delicious,… Continue reading Uncommon Money News (Vol 23)

By: Roshawn Watson I saw this CNN Money article about two married doctors in residency who have a staggering $500,000 in student loan debt and on track to owe >$700K in student loans. I thought there were several things to pull from their story. For example, I really do not know if the decision to… Continue reading Dealing with $500K in Debt

By: Roshawn Watson Unfortunately, when most people “prepare for retirement,” they are actually preparing for poverty. I recently read a sobering statistic that up to 96% of retirees do not have cash flow sufficient to pay for their expenses. I read the perfect example just yesterday. The article was about a 72 year-old lady who… Continue reading The Reason You Are Living Beneath Your Means

By: Roshawn Watson Americans are engaging in another disastrous financial practice in record numbers. Due to more and more credit cards being maxed out and HELOC lending criteria becoming more stringent, Americans are raiding their retirement accounts. This is occuring partly because 401K loans do not require credit checks and are quickly available. However, anytime… Continue reading The New Retirement Threat

By: Roshawn Watson Many people absolutely hate Walmart, but I am not one of them. Nonetheless, I recently read a startling account from a customer’s experience at their auto center.Image Credit: nallalux Ashlee Mooneyhan, a 22-year old Colorado resident, took her car (Saturn) to Walmart Auto Service Center to obtain an oil change. After the… Continue reading Walmart Refuses to Pay for Engine Damage Caused by their Own Faulty Oil Change

By: Roshawn Watson In preparing to write my posts, I often come across noteworthy and sometimes bizarre financial and business news. Below are links to some of these sites. Enjoy! Additionally, my 20 Ways to Dine Out Inexpensively post was mentioned in the Can I Get Rich On A Salary carinval digest. I just wanted… Continue reading Uncommon Money News (Vol. 22)