My dad raised six hardheaded kids in a small three-bedroom ranch home, in a small rural town, on a factory worker’s salary. But he did it and never complained. He was proud and didn’t ask anybody for anything. My dad never got to see me graduate from high school, go on to college or start my own family; but he did teach me five important lessons about money that will stay with me forever.  → Read More

My parents weren’t perfect, but they did a great job of raising one financially savvy kid. The money lessons my parents taught me as I was growing up have served me well in adulthood. Specifically four of these examples have helped me the most.  → Read More

December is a great time. Who doesn’t look forward to giving gifts, parties, and general festivity? But it’s also a time of lying and major financial anxiety, according to a new survey by McGraw-Hill Federal Credit Union. Egg nog, mistletoe, and lying to your significant other? Happy Holidays!  → Read More

The fact that a wage gap exists between genders is not up for debate. You already know the all-too-familiar statistic that women earn 77 cents for every dollar that men earn. But exactly why the gap persists is still being discussed. A study published in the American Sociological Review offers a new explanation. Researchers claim that it may be a matter of overtime: Men are more likely than women to put in 50 hours or more of work a week.  → Read More

You want to get things right. You want to look good. You’re smart and capable and want the world to know it. Yet, when it comes to financial decision making, you often put yourself through a financial self-interrogation that leaves you exhausted and uncertain. Here are three simple steps that will increase your comfort and confidence and help you make better financial decisions.  → Read More

I’m often asked, “Jeff, I don’t want my daughter to make the same mistakes I did, so what should she know about finances before she gets married?” and “Jeff, what’s the most important thing I should find out about my fiancé‘s finances before the Big Day?” The exact questions can vary, but my responses are generally very similar.  → Read More

I’m kidding, of course.
There is no set roadmap to success, especially in easy steps. When my 17-year-old niece Chloe, soon-to-be a high school senior, declared she wanted to follow in my footsteps and become a television director, I couldn’t have been more proud. I love what I do, so how could I not encourage her to follow her dream? I started thinking of what advice I’d give her on navigating the waters of a career in a male-dominated field, a path that can pose more than the usual challenges.  → Read More