Picture: tasty money
I saw this on Flickr and found it amusing:   Picture by oskay, CC by 2.0   The picture comes from the Evil Mad Scientist Laboratories, where you can read directions on how to make these interesting-shaped pretzels.

Video: burning a $100 bill
In light of my article on how burning money can be a strategy, I wanted to share an unrelated but fun science video about how you can burn money safely. I remember doing something like this in high school, but we certainly used $1 bills instead of $100 bills. These guys ...

Bundle roundup (4/16)
Today I wanted to share a little bit about something else I do on the web. As you may know, I am a community editor for Bundle, a site about how America spends its money. What makes Bundle unique is its tool Everybody's Money which visually illustrates how people spend money. ...

What money cannot buy
Things can get difficult when money is tight. Less money often means going to fewer movies, passing on gourmet coffee, and delaying big ticket purchases like a new car or elective surgery. Less money means fewer options, and there is a real tension about being limited and feeling powerless. In such ...

How much money do you need to be happy?
source: Joe Shlabotnik via flickr At Stanford, I heard someone say they needed to make at least $150,000 annually to be happy. I was surprised for many reasons, but most of all, I was surprised at how serious the person took the question. I was raised with values like "health is ...

Blunder: Why Smart People Make Bad Decisions
It was at Stanford that I truly understood that smart people blunder just like everyone else. To be honest, the realization came as something of a surprise during my freshman year. I was stunned how people much smarter than me were making bad decisions. There was the person that set off ...

A big reason why you should track your expenses–money flows are complex
Most of the people I discuss money with track their expenses or agree it is a good idea. But not everyone is convinced. Here is a comment I received earlier this week: Presh, I sort of see your point about tracking expenses, but isn't it overkill? I seem to do just ...

A free spreadsheet to track your expenses
(To download the file, see the "expense tracker" file in Financial Tools page) Tracking your money is perhaps the most powerful step for saving money. But what is the best way to do it? Programs like Microsoft Money and Intuit's Quicken are great but I think they are too sophisticated for beginners. ...

Die Broke: A Radical Four-Part Financial Plan
Conventional money wisdom focuses on saving. If you earn more, limit expenses, and plan properly, you'll be able to save enough for retirement and still have something to pass along to the kids. This is the philosophy on which most advisers operate. But there is just one problem-the conventional wisdom ...

The Money Book for the Young, Fabulous and Broke
What advice would you give to young people struggling with debt? I was wondering this question and decided to see what the experts had to say. I recently read The Money Book for the Young, Fabulous & Broke by financial expert Suze Orman. I have seen Orman appear on TV many ...

3 important lessons from the financial crisis
It's hard to know what to think these days. I find myself overwhelmed sorting through all the data and predictions. It's time for reflection, so here are three of my lessons during this downturn: 1. Saving for emergencies: time to revive age old wisdom Ancient societies understood the need to save for ...

Understanding the winner’s curse
Sometimes winning comes at too high a cost. In such cases, it is the winners that are the real losers. The phenomenon is known as the "winner's curse" and it affects a wide variety of situations, from baseball free agency signings to stock market IPOs. Whether you are an executive in ...

How to negotiate at your job using game theory
My underpaid friend used every trick during salary negotiations to no avail. This year she got the raise she deserved. The trick that finally worked was getting sick. My friend joked the company would only realize her value after she left. By chance, it happened much sooner. My friend became very ...

Figuring out how much your time is worth–does it make sense?
Question: What's the best way to value your time? I am trying to make a decision about whether to hire help for my house. My answer: There are many ways to figure out how much your time is worth. You can get a quick estimate of your hourly rate by taking your salary ...

Why do people make stupid money decisions?
Reader question: Presh, random question for you: why do people make stupid money decisions? Any thoughts would be appreciated. My answer: This is an interesting question. The other day I saw someone pay more for food because he ordered ala carte instead of getting the combo. I certainly scratched my head after that ...