After months of barely scraping by, you’ve grown tired of money dictating your every move. You don’t want to give up a healthy meal to make sure you have the electricity bill covered. You don’t want to choose between replacing your old shoes and filling your car with… Read More

Financial stress feels different than other kinds of stress, doesn’t it? It’s a fear-inducing blend of “what am I going to do?” with “I’ve completely lost control.” Have you been here before? When you go the grocery store, you feel torn between the food you want your… Read More

If you’re anything like me, you have big aspirations in life. You’re dying to visit London, Rio, Cape Town and a dozen other locations around the world. You have a list of hobbies—from skiing to gardening—you’re excited to finally master. And you can’t wait to buy a new, larger… Read More

After scanning your calendar—and counting the number of days remaining in the month—you groan, close your bank statement and slam the lid of your laptop. How have I already outspent last month? You think to yourself. I still have a week-and-a-half to go and I’m already over budget. Great. Read More

I’ve come to realize that I’ll never have complete control of my finances. I’ve set savings goals, invested my excess income and tried tirelessly to stick to my monthly budget. But no matter how much I plan, something always goes awry. And no matter how carefully I manage my… Read More

Sometimes money feels elusive, doesn’t it? One minute your bank account looks stable. You have the money you need to pay the bills and even invest in a charitable cause. But suddenly, everything changes. A gift for your spouse’s birthday, a new set of tires for your car, a phone… Read More

Will I have enough money to buy gifts for everyone? Will my gifts be good enough? What if someone gets me something “better” than I get them? I’ll make it up to them next year. These questions and thoughts have played over and over in my head as Christmas loomed… Read More

A family member once described money as a tool. “It will take you wherever you want, but it won’t replace you as the driver,” he said. While I agree with the sentiment of this quote, it provides little assurance when money is tight. Sometimes, your children need new shoes,… Read More

As you sit down at your desk, and prepare for another day in the office, you overhear a conversation between two of your coworkers. “My husband and I just closed on a house in the most perfect neighborhood,” one of them says. She names a part of town you wouldn’t… Read More

While out to dinner with a friend, you bite your lip, reach for the check and anxiously read the total on the bottom of the bill. Discouraged, you pull out your credit card, planning to charge another purchase you can’t afford. But before the server returns to your table,… Read More