Personal Finance

Why 2010 Doesn’t Matter to Your Finances

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It’s December, so it’s time for all of those lists of what you should do with your money in 2010. Do me a favor: ignore all of that advice. It doesn’t apply to you. The writers “advising” you in these lists don’t know your financial situation. They don’t know how badly you’re in debt. They […]

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Your Budget Will Always Have Unexpected Expenses

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I love the end of the month. When I can see how well we did — if our spending was less than our income, and by how much — it gets us one step closer to our financial goals. But that’s in the good months. In the bad months, it’s not as much fun to […]

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Change Your Attitudes to Change Your Finances

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As someone who works hard at self-improvement on many levels, I’m always mindful of useful aphorisms to help foster growth. One good one is that “actions dictate outcomes, but thoughts dictate actions.” In personal finance as in the rest of life, how you think determines how you act, and consequently, the results you get. Quite […]

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Money Hacks Carnival #80

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Welcome to the Money Hacks Carnival #80 — an awesome roundup of posts spanning investing, personal finance, frugality and making the most of your money. I won’t bore you with an introduction, so it’s on to the carnival! (But, if you’re new here, download the first three days of Automatic Finances for free!) Editor’s Picks […]

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Can Your House Be an Investment and a Home?

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When we bought our house back in May, we had a number of reasons pushing us toward the purchase. The biggest reason? Our daughter, born in February, was ready to move out of our bedroom and into her own. But in our two-bedroom apartment, the second bedroom was my office — which I used full-time […]

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Festival of Frugality #192

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Welcome to the Festival of Frugality #192 — the best roundup of frugal news, stories and blog posts from across the Internet. Frugality is one of the key tenants of Automatic Finances. Without the ability to keep your spending in check, even a completely automated money management system will leave you in the red. If […]

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Personal Finance on YouTube: What to Watch

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We haven’t delved too much into the world of personal finance video (besides a gem called “In This Economy“), but there are a good number worth watching online. While some personal finance podcasts are video, YouTube is host to multiple channels dedicated to improving your bottom line. Here are a few personal finance channels to […]

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Where’s Your Paycheck Going?

You may know where your money is going, but how does it compare to the average consumer? There’s a fascinating look the average U.S. Consumer unit expenditures, using figures from the Dept. of Labor. Check out the chart below (via Visual Economics). Click it for a full-size version.

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10 Personal Finance Blogs You’re Missing Out On

The personal finance blogosphere is exploding. What used to be a small niche topic has turned into a place where regular, normal people are documenting their journeys getting out of debt, saving money and growing their net worth. But there are undoubtedly a few leaders in the arena. If you have any interest in reading […]

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33 Free Personal Finance Templates for Google Docs

I’m a big fan of Google Docs — the search engine company’s cloud competitor to the Microsoft Office suite of applications — especially when it comes to managing my files or schedule or ideas when I’m using my iPhone or computer other than my standard iMac. I haven’t gotten too deep into using its spreadsheet […]

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Share Your Story With Us

You may have noticed that, in the past few weeks, we’ve had a number of posts from new authors; in addition to the weekly contributions from Fred Siegmund, there have been stories from Louis and Lee. As Automatic Finances grows, we’re looking to add even more contributors to the mix. If you’ve got something interesting […]

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5 Personal Finance Podcasts Worth Downloading

Every day, I listen to and watch a number of podcasts using iTunes, including news, technology and plenty of personal finance. While you don’t need to have an iPod (or even iTunes) to listen to the tons of podcasts available, the iTunes Store seems to have the biggest selection of content all in one place. […]

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For First-Time Homebuyers, Consider This

Does it make more sense to rent or buy? This age old question is asked by many people considering buying a house. Recent studies indicate that the cost of renting now exceeds the cost of buying in many markets. In an effort to curb the decline in real estate value, slow foreclosures, and encourage home […]

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