JoeTaxpayer

This is a tough one. The private sector has seen the demise of the pension system, most companies have dismantled their plans, freezing values, no longer adding to working pensions, and for some, letting them cash out and transfer those funds to IRAs. So, while I sympathize a bit with anyone whose benefits are cut, for most public workers, they’ve had it pretty good till now.

Joe

Today, I’d like to give the soapbox to a fellow blogger who has started a new project with great potential. You see, part of the cash/credit discussion often turns to (a) the fact that many get some kind of rewards back for running charges through their account. Our card puts 2% cash into a 529 account, and I’m expecting that account to pay for a semester of college, and (b) there’s no motivation to pay cash and ignore the reward. Now JM introduces Discount With Cash, which I hope gains some traction:

Credit cards are the highest tax on goods and services you have never heard of.  Merchants pay fees every time they swipe your credit card and of course they increase the price of what you buy to cover that cost. You are paying extra for the convenience to use your credit card. Is it worth it? Sometimes it is, but most times it is not. Especially with some businesses offering a discount when you pay with cash. That idea is the basis behind a new website, Discount With Cash. Discount With Cash aims to provide customers with a list of local businesses that offer a discount for paying with cash. Since Discount With Cash is in its infancy they are currently looking for anyone out there that knows of businesses that offer the discount. So next time you are at the register, ask for a discount for using cash. If you get one, make sure to share it over at Discount With Cash.

Interesting idea, JM, thanks for introducing it on my blog.
Joe

They say puns are the lowest form of humor, yet puns go way back, well before Shakespeare. So today’s post title is my way of saying this is a roundup of my fellow Money Mavens, some of the best and brightest PF bloggers I know.

Let’s start this week with a chapter from Financial Terms 101 – Do you know what a Professional LLC is? If you are starting or already have a small business, you might want to know and my friend Neil Frankle will explain it all in terms you can understand.

If instead of looking to start your own business you are about to interview for a job, Tom Drake offers you How To Answer Interview Questions With a Story. There are times on my blog I hear from a reader that I just saved her X$ on her taxes or on a deal I suggest, Tom’s post goes beyond that, you may very well pass the interview and land a job for having read it. If you are job hunting, it’s a must read.

We all have our phobias, my favorite is triskaidekaphobia, fear of the number 13, I don’t suffer from it, but have you noticed that buildings usually don’t even have a 13th floor? The elevator buttons skip 13. Take a look. With all the crazy fears that we have, why would I want to add to your list? Well, maybe because your fears are mostly irrational (as are mine) and because Monevator offers one you should actually prepare for: Great expectations: How much should you fear inflation?

Craig Ford takes us back to the basics in How to start investing. This is not a read and walk away post. Craig topped 1000 words (most bloggers are at 400-500 tops per post) and offers you a roadmap of how to get started on the path to a lifetime of successful investing. If you are a new investor or need to educate yourself a bit more, this is a great read.

Len Penzo offers us 100 Words On: Why Excessive Debt Leads to Indentured Servitude. Maybe not, I did a cut/paste into Word and it reported 99. I just didn’t have the heart to tell him. Aside from the 1% shortchanging, it’s a fast reminder of why debt is bad, in plain and simple terms.

At The Military Wallet we’re offered a guest post by the prolific Miranda Marquit, Is It Practical to Live Life Without Debt? There are times when debt is a necessary tool, needed to achieve one’s goals. Want a house? That’s the classic “tough to buy with cash” purchase.

A tough week to chose my favorite political cartoon. Egypt still making the news, Trump considering an election bid, Huffington selling to AOL. All that and this one struck my fancy most.