One of the biggest strains on many relationships is money.  Moving in with a partner comes with a lot of changes and one of those is how to handle your financial situation.  I've been reading quite a bit about the subject over the past few weeks, and here are some suggestions I've learned for couples moving in together who aren't married. Sharing a Rented Home If you are sharing a rented house or apartment (meaning that no one is earning equity … [Read more...]

Should you lend money to your friends or family? Short answer?  No.Okay, okay, that's probably not the best way to answer the question.  But in general, my policy is that no, I will not lend money to friends or family.  Why?  Because anytime you lend money, you're taking a risk.  Do you really want to mix personal relationships and financial relationships?  What happens if the person can't pay you back?  Has your friendship just been … [Read more...]

For a long time, it seemed like PayPal was the primary way to electronically transfer money to your friends.  Nowadays, there are a lot of different companies offering what seems like a similar service.  So which one should you use? PayPal PayPal is sort of the old standard, the money transfer system that lots of people are familiar with.  PayPal gives you a couple different ways to transfer money, which is what makes PayPal a smart choice for … [Read more...]

In researching MLMs, Multi-Level Marketing companies, I've come across a very concerning trend: sellers encouraging purchasers to hide their purchases from their spouses.  (Typically, women hiding purchases from their husbands.)  Obviously, this benefits the seller - get the purchaser to spend a whole bunch of money. Who cares if it doesn't fit the family budget?  The seller doesn't care - they just want to make more money.Sellers will offer … [Read more...]