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Get Rich Slowly

personal finance that makes cents

Bookkeeping and You: Personal-Finance Propaganda from 1947Today

“Let’s look in on a high-school bookkeeping class,” begins this short film from 1947. And when we do, we’re introduced to a variety of students who have decided that bookkeeping is just what they thing to get ahead in life.

Ask the Readers: How Do You Talk to Your Loved Ones About Money?Yesterday

What happens when you take control of your finances, but the other people in your life continue to struggle? I’ve heard this question from two people lately. During the Q&A of my talk at the library last Saturday, one audience member asked:

You mentioned during your presentation that you had two friends give you books [when you were having financial trouble]. Is that how you recommend approaching the discussion to friends and families who need that kind of advice?

Coincidentally, Jenni wrote this week with a similar dilemma:

I’m so excited about getting control over my money, and when I talk to my family and friends, they are also very happy for me. But, as I talked to my mother and my boyfriend, I’ve suggested changes I’ve read about that they each can make. The result is they get angry, defensive, or hurt. 

I’m not criticizing what they’ve done so far — just offering suggestions for what they can do now and in the future. But it touches on a sore spot. Should I just leave them alone, and only talk about my own finances? Do you have suggestions for how to talk with your loved ones about money?

Making positive changes to your financial life gives you a sense of power and control. When you’re in debt, when you spend compulsively, it feels like there’s nothing you can do stop. But as you gradually change your attitudes and behaviors, you eventually re

Daily Links: Circus Animals EditionNovember 20

I was shocked to read about another recent victim of the economic crisis. Mother’s Cookies filed for bankruptcy last month, closing its doors and turning off the ovens. Why is this sad news? Mother’s manufactured those iconic cookies: Circus Animals.

All is not lost, however. The Naked Loon did some emergency grocery shopping and located two alternatives to Circus Animals: Keebler Frosted Animal Cookies and Franz Frosted Animals. The former weren’t any good, but the latter were almost as good as the real thing.

Though comments on cookies are an added bonus, I know that you really come to Get Rich Slowly for personal finance stories. Here are some of my favorites from around the web:

There seems to be nothing but bad financial news lately. Businesses are failing. Unemployment is up. The stock market is like a roller coaster. Things haven’t seemed this grim in 25 years. But Ethan Trex at Mental Floss has posted a reminder that sometimes it

Do the Tools of Personal Finance Actually Work?November 20

New visitors to Get Rich Slowly are sometimes skeptical. “Do the things you write about actually work?” they ask. 

Absolutely they work. 

They work financially, but many of them also work psychologically. That last bit may be the most important. I frequently say that money is “more about mind than it is about math”, and I mean it. We all know the basic arithmetic behind money management — it’s the psychological stuff that gets in our way.

The techniques I write about are tools. Different tools are appropriate for different situations, for different jobs. And whereas I might use a hammer and a nail to hang a shelf, you might use a screwdriver and a screw. So it is with money. Each of us needs to assemble a toolbox appropriate for our own circumstances, for our own needs.

There are some important things to know when putting together your own personal-finance toolbox.

Not every tool works for every job
Just as it’s important to select the proper tools for a home improvement project, you need to choose the correct methods for managing your money.

All You Ever Wanted to Know About Emergency Funds (But Were Afraid to Ask)November 19

This is a guest post from Dylan Ross. Dylan is a long-time member of the Get Rich Slowly community: a frequent commenter and occasional guest author. He’s also a Certified Financial Planner. This article is an abridged version of a chapter Dylan contributed to Investing in an Uncertain Economy for Dummies, which was recently published by Wiley. See the end of this post for a chance to win a copy.

Even if you’ve never had to quickly come up with money for something you weren’t expecting, you always face the possibility of needing money in an emergency. Emergencies are unplanned expenses that require more money than