The Ultimate Personal Finance Blog Rankings from MoneyCrashers!

Do you have a blog about personal finance blog and want to know how your competing?

Moneycrashers.com, a very popular personal finance blog, has launched the ultimate tool for ranking your blog and comparing it to others in your particular niche. The top personal finance blogs can be found here. As a blogger, you probably have a ton of ways to notch the competitiveness of your site, so what makes this tool the best?  Read more...

SmarterSpend Wins Award for Being a TOP Business Blog in Living Smart Category

Dear readers,

After a long absence I am glad to say that I have finally returned to blogging and Smarter Spend. The finally touches of my move to Arizona were finally completed and I will be posting regularly.

I have read some quality articles from around the blogosphere and my favorite financial bloggers to get back on track on what’s going on in cyberspace, the financial world, and more. I also got a new subscription to the Wall Street Journal so I can find some exciting content to write about.  Read more...

Taking a Short Break from SmarterSpend while I move!

Dear readers,

First of all…. Happy Memorial Day! I have been receiving a few e-mails a day asking me if I had disappeared and if my site had gone inactive. The answer is no. I just wanted to let everyone know that I am moving (from CA to AZ) and have been up to my neck in work, remodeling, and getting everything together. Buying, fixing, and furnishing a new house took a lot of effort. The new house doesn’t even have Internet yet 🙁  Read more...

4 Real Reasons the Economy Won’t Recover Until 2011

The Economy Stinks

Let’s face it guys – the economy is not really recovering. Sure, Dow Jones was up for like 9 straight weeks (before yesterday’s selling Bonanza) and some economic indicators were pointing to recovery, but has there really been a change in consumer spending, unemployment and easing of credit? The answer is a loud no.

In this article, I will prove to you that no matter what you hear – we are still in a recession and have not started to recover. Usual economic graphs would have a bottom. In this case, our bottom is a plateau. The same is true around the world. There is way too much uncertainty, risk factors, and negative reports to leave any hope of recovering from the worldwide economic downturn.  Read more...

10 Things You Must Know About a House Before Purchasing

Have You Decided to Buy a House

Buying a house means that you might be risking years and years of hard earned money and possibly putting yourself into debt that could take decades to pay off. There are lots of factors to take into consideration before you make your purchase in order to ensure you have a pleasant experience and come out financially healthy.

The rules are different if you are buying a house as an investment property than if you’re buying to live in it. In this article I will share some of the important things to consider about the property in question before you sign the contract and change your financial future.  Read more...

7 Beautiful Vacation Spots for Traveling on a Budget in 2010

How To Vacation for Less without Compromising Luxury

In the past couple of years, people have been concocting innovative techniques in order to save money while enjoying their vacations. This has led to the rise in popularity of staycations, local trips, and more emphasis on the quality of time spent rather than the city with great things like road trips, family picnics, and nature journeys.

However, there are still great places to vacation at a fraction of the cost. In this article, I will include some national and international vacation spots that will offer you the most luxurious and enjoyable vacation memories without leaving you with a hole in your pocket. To help you further,  Read more...

Free Excel Spreadsheets for Budgeting your Finances

Excel Spreadsheets Organize Your Finances

Personal finances can be very hard to manage without the use of spreadsheets for simplification, organization, and error reduction. However, designing a spreadsheet takes a lot of time and often requires the expert hand of an accountant. This is true especially for business spreadsheets, which take into account lots of expenses and income.

I have selected the finest spreadsheets from around the Internet for your use. Enjoy!

1) 401K Planner

Take into account all the variables of your 401k saving to see your retirement amount. Change the amount saved per check or the age of retirement and even the expected annual return. Comes with a cool graph to visualize your earnings.  Read more...

Tips on Saving Money on Your Las Vegas Vacation

Why Las Vegas?

Las Vegas is one of the largest tourist destinations in the world – attracting over 40 million tourists a year from every country. Each tourist spends, on average, about $1000 dollars each visit, a whopping sum that contributes to the many high rise casino hotels in the city. Las Vegas is a capitalist bastion. Around every corner, large advertisements beckon and people try selling you things you don’t need.

When traveling to Vegas, it often feels like money is wasted left and right. However, if you plan ahead of time, have a well – defined itinerary, and follow some of these steps, you can save a lot of money.  Read more...

7 Tips on How to Build Your Online Business

30 Ways to Save Money in College

College can be a difficult time financially for many students. Most students have heavy course loads which make it difficult to work and maintain good grades.  Almost every successful college graduate can look back and remember the time when they were “starving students.” If you have looked through all the available loans, grants, and scholarships and are still finding it difficult to save money, this list may be for you.

Money Management Tips:
 Read more...

1. Get a free checking and savings account. Make sure you shop for a bank that can cater to student and doesn’t have any hidden fees. Also, be sure you can check your account online for additional charge.