December 2007 marked the start of what would become the worst financial crisis since the Great Depression. At the height of said recession, the economy was hemorrhaging jobs at an unprecedented rate. Business were shuttering. Layoffs were touching virtually every industry. The situation was bleak, and it seemed like the sky was going to fall down.  Slowly but surely, we've come out of it, and now the worst appears to be behind us. Consumer confidence has rebounded in a big way, with consumers forking over big bucks on everything from dining and entertainment to cars and homes. When I conduct searches on CareerBuilder and Indeed.com, I see twice -- if not three times -- as many listings for jobs in my field as I saw just a few years ago. Unfortunately, though, real wage growth remains non-existent, and there are still far too many people out of work. Some people fear it might be another 5-10 years before the economy is in full swing again. Although things have improved, who...

Some people like Toyota Corollas, while others will settle for nothing "less" than a BMW. Some people can do with a Casio watch, while others swear by more high-end brands like Movado. Some people must have a "10" for a partner; others are perfectly content with a "4"  as long as the person has a great personality. People often use words like "simple," "non-materialistic" and "low-maintenance" to describe me. As I've stated in earlier posts, I'm almost completely impervious to the avalanche of advertising appeals that most people fall prey to. (It also helped that I majored in marketing and minored in psychology.) I'm not saying it's bad to splurge on an item here and there, but I've found that far too many consumers have no concept of what it's like to live within their means. An urge to splurge will suddenly come over them at the mall, leading them to rack up ever-increasing heaps of credit ca...

We all know at least one person who has squandered his or her money and ended up in dire financial straits, leaving parents, friends, or a spouse with the burden of bailing the individual out. But it doesn't have to be this way! Judging from what people who have ended up as such have told me, I've narrowed down the reasons why people go broke to two primary ones: 1. They want to show off : Some people have a compulsion to have the latest and greatest. Whether it's the newest car or smart phone, they're not satisfied unless their stuff has all the bells and whistles. They wouldn't be caught dead with something that doesn't have the Louis Vuitton, Coach, or Michael Kors logo on it. What these consumers fail to realize that premium brands come with a high price tag. What's more, it's easier to become more oblivious to just how much you're spending when you're using plastic rather than paper. Is it any wonder these people rack up ever-increasin...