advice - DollarVersity

When Do You Ask For Help With Finances?

Filed under Personal Finance by Eric J. Nisall on December 7, 2011 at 8:45 am {25 comments}

Times are tough. The stock market appears to be regressing on an almost daily basis. Oil prices continue to hover near all-time highs. Foreclosures and job cuts are still haven’t fallen much. Talks of recession are an almost daily occurrence. You start to notice that while your expenses are increasing, your paychecks (if you are lucky) are staying the same and bills are starting to mount. Do you seek help now in the hopes of avoiding financial disaster, or do you wait until the phone starts ringing off the hook with people looking to collect their money, or do you do nothing at all?

Keep going »

20 Ways to Waste Your Money…According to Who?

Filed under Personal Finance by Eric J. Nisall on November 9, 2011 at 7:37 am {12 comments}

A couple of days ago, I found an article from Kiplinger Online called “20 Ways to Waste Your Money” which outlines a variety of ways in which people “waste” money. My question is, these are “wastes” according to whose ideals and beliefs? There are obviously people who have enough money to spend on anything they want, and those who don’t have the money to buy anything extra above the absolute necessities. But what about the people who fall in the middle, who make a moderate amount of money and with proper planning can afford to make the purchases that the article “wastes”? I am not going to run through the whole list, but rather, I am just going to touch on a couple of the points which I agree and disagree with the most.

Keep going »

The Truth Behind Tax Deduction Advice

Filed under Personal Finance by Eric J. Nisall on October 28, 2011 at 6:45 am {13 comments}

While it may be a little early in the year for tax talk for some, I personally believe that it is never a bad time to plan or even talk about taxes. Today, I happened to see a link to an article on Kiplinger’s Website for a section called 10 Ways To Lower Your Taxes. I read it and was left wondering, first if the editors fact check this information since the author, Kimberly Lankford does not have anything regarding an accounting or tax background on her mini-bio (and no, I am not taking a shot at her personally) and secondly, why the entire story is not told about such deductions. Articles like these, whether in financial magazines or on blogs geared toward personal financial topics seem to be guilty of stating a deduction, and then summarizing them without going into full detail including the drawbacks and limitations. Below, I will mention just a few of the most common deductions that are mentioned which I feel need to be explained a bit further, and not all simply from a tax standpoint .

Keep going »

If You Don’t Think Like Me You Are An Idiot

Filed under Personal Finance by Eric J. Nisall on September 25, 2011 at 9:30 am {11 comments}

Catchy title, huh? I thought it might catch your eye, and that’s a good thing. But, in this case it is simply that…a title aimed at getting attention. You see, those aren’t my words exactly, but it is the feeling that many writers and bloggers have left me with recently. I have noticed an increasing trend when it comes to journalists, personal finance blogs and many comments posted on such blogs, which inspired my choice of words. You see, there are a great many blogs and articles dedicated to what people call “frugal living” and a great deal that also promote the “cash-only” lifestyle and it seems that many of the messages regarding these lifestyle choices are being interpreted (by me at least) as if each is the be all end all of personal finances and how people should behave when it comes to money. It often times feels like authors and commentators are saying something to the effect of “This is what works for me, and it’s what I believe in, so you should too or else you’re an idiot”.

Keep going »

Failure is a Necessary Step Along the Road to Success

Filed under Business/Entrepreneurship by Eric J. Nisall on September 15, 2011 at 7:27 am {8 comments}

Nobody sets out to fail at any task in which they undertake, success is the ultimate goal. The problem is that if you are afraid to fail, success is difficult to come by. Many great entrepreneurial minds as well as inventors understood and embraced that concept, and so should you if you are truly dedicated to doing whatever it takes to succeed. The key is recognizing what those past failures and mistakes were and learning from them in order to avoid repeating them.

Keep going »

Don’t Let Yourself Become a Victim: A (Fairly) Comprehensive Guide to Protecting Your Identity

Filed under Personal Finance by Eric J. Nisall on June 30, 2011 at 3:28 pm {2 comments}

In light of some recent discoveries on my part, as well as the numerous media reports and first-hand accounts I’ve heard over the years, I figured that I would bring over some information that I compiled for the GreenBridge Advisors website. The original idea was to make the information readily accessible rather than try to create some kind of e-book as a lure-in to subscribe, or even charge for any related services. But I began to realize that is would be much better as content here, where a broader audience can find and apply the resources to their own situations There is no reason for anyone to have to pay to keep their identity their own, plain and simple. So, let’s get to it:

Keep going »