Tag: Advice

Obstacles and Answers

Dear Dave, In your mind, what are some of the biggest mental and emotional obstacles preventing people from addressing their financial problems? Roger Dear Roger, This is a great question! There are always circumstances beyond our control that can put us in a bad place, financially or otherwise, for a season. But to change your…


What Farmers Can Teach Us About Finances

Dear Readers: In the fast-paced financial world we live in, with its focus on trading trends, online platforms, and market movements, it’s easy to get lost in the weeds and lose sight of the grounding principles of managing money that are essential to long-term success. So with spring in the air and buds on the…


The Good Old Days of Social Security

I’ve been writing a book for years now. It’s not going to be a bestseller, and it only has to do with Social Security in a peripheral way. It’s a history of my life, my wife’s life, and our lives together (about 47 years so far). I’m writing this collection of stories for my children…


As You Build Your Financial Future, Heed the Advice of Richard Thaler

Dear Readers: I’ve been promoting the tried-and-true principles of smart money management for so many years it can be hard to come up with fresh ways to share their important message: Spend less. Save more. Diversify your portfolio as you invest for your long-term goals. As old-fashioned as this advice may sound, it remains the…


Not Really an Emergency

Dear Dave, My husband and I are close to having our home paid off and being completely debt-free. Can we dip into our emergency fund to pay off the house? Enid   Dear Enid, I’m not sure I’d recommend doing this. I might think about it if your emergency fund is way too big, plus you have a very small amount…


Social Security Disability: The Program Everyone Loves to Hate

I was heading into a local grocery store the other day, and I noticed a few people gathered around a car parked in one of the spots reserved for people with disabilities. I heard someone yelling. As I got closer to the car, I saw an old guy ranting and raving at the driver of…


It’ll Work Out Better in the Long Run

Dear Dave, My wife and I are having a financial disagreement. I would like to go ahead and fully fund our Roth IRAs, even though we have about $10,000 in car loan debt. She, on the other hand, thinks we should pay off the debt first. We can probably have either one completed by the…


I Don’t Get the Allure of Retroactive Benefits

I just don’t get people’s fascination with the idea of getting retroactive retirement benefits from Social Security. I can understand that, on the surface, the idea of getting a big retroactive check from the government might sound like a financial windfall. But when you think it through, or at least when I think it through,…


Should You Refinance Your Student Loans?

If you’re feeling crushed by your student loan debt right now, you’re not alone. I’ve been there. I get that it can feel like a huge burden you’ll never get off your shoulders. But listen: There’s light at the end of the tunnel! There are plenty of ways to get intense about paying off debt….


You Are Not Getting SSI. You Are Getting Social Security!

Every single day, I get emails from readers that say things like this: “My wife and I are getting SSI. And we would like to ask you some questions.” Or this: “My SSI check is $2,140 per month. My wife’s SSI check is $1,800. Can she get any of my SSI?” You know the uncomfortable…