by Libby Balke | Invest, Invest, Invest
As we sit here today, I owe roughly $14,500 in student loans. Sounds like a lot, doesn’t it? Actually, it’s a paltry sum compared to the gargantuan amount of debt I racked up during my five and a half years in college and grad school – I did go to...
by Libby Balke | Invest, Invest, Invest
2012 has come and gone… unless you’re talking about contributing to your retirement accounts. Although the IRS’s deadline for things like drawing a salary or donating to a charity is December 31, Uncle Sam is a bit of a procrastinator when it comes...
by Libby Balke | Invest, Invest, Invest
I’m starting to believe that the federal government is the stupidest organization in the world. We seem to be staring down one manufactured crisis after another: the debt ceiling crisis of 2011, the fiscal cliff of late 2012. Now, we’re looking at yet...
by Libby Balke | Invest, Invest, Invest, Save, Save, Save
What would you do with an unexpected gift of $13,000, one that came with absolutely no strings attached? That’s the question I asked you a few months ago, after my grandmother gave my husband and me $13,000 in cash as she tried to find a way to avoid a potential...
by Libby Balke | Invest, Invest, Invest
Do you remember what you were doing on August 5, 2011? Unless that date is your wedding anniversary or birthday, you probably don’t. And even though August 5, 2011 holds no special significance in my family when it comes to personal milestones, I’ll always...
by Libby Balke | Invest, Invest, Invest
There are six women at my Y who kind of rule the roost. They’re all enviably toned, have children who get together for regular play dates, and sit together at the Y’s pool, endlessly chatting and laughing about who knows what. Meanwhile, I’m sitting...