by Jackie Beck

The Millionaire Next Door famously states that “Only a minority of [millionaires] drive the current model year automobile.” And about 33% of those millionaires-next-door only buy used cars.

At a glance, it may be hard to understand why they’d choose to drive a used car, or to buy a new car and then hang onto it instead of replacing it regularly.

“If I were rich,” you might think, “I’d drive a really nice car.”

After all, you’d think a millionaire could afford a brand new car. So why not get the latest and greatest? Read the rest of this entry »

by Jackie Beck

Did you know there are five magic words that can stop procrastination in its tracks?

They’re simple, but highly effective.

Before I tell you what they are, let me tell you a little story. Read the rest of this entry »

by Jackie Beck

Those health insurance plans? Reading the fine print is a good idea.

Our plans recently changed at work, and I chose one with a $2500 deductible and a copay for prescriptions. So I was shocked when I went to refill my Adderall XR prescription and the pharmacy asked if I would prefer the $159 generic instead of the $225 brand name version. Uh, what happened to the $35 I used to pay for brand?

Turns out that prescription copay part doesn’t take effect until after I meet my deductible for the year. Whoops. Read the rest of this entry »

by Jackie Beck

If you’re a regular reader, you probably already know that the updated version of my Pay Off Debt app recently launched. (Woohoo! Check the app out if you haven’t already.)

To celebrate, my other site (The Debt Myth) is giving away one iPad Mini + a copy of the app. The giveaway is open to residents of the US, UK, Australia, and Canada. And you can enter here :)   Read the rest of this entry »

by Jackie Beck

If you’ve never done any investing before, the prospect can be scary. But I’ll tell you a little secret: Pretty much anything you do for the first time can be a little scary.

Remember the first time you drove a car or started a job? Scary, right? But you got over it. You figured out what to do, asked for help or information when you needed it, and made it through. You got more confident over time. Investing can be the same way. Read the rest of this entry »

by Jackie Beck

We all have things that we resist doing. (Cleaning the toilet comes to mind, among other things!) While it’s natural to want to avoid doing an unpleasant task, many times resistance actually points the way to what we most want or need to do, deep down inside.

Think about something that you feel a lot of resistance toward. Is the result of what you’re resisting something you would love to do or achieve? You’ll probably be a whole lot happier if you go ahead and do it. Read the rest of this entry »