Having a separate fund for the things in life that happen, helps keep the emergency fund in tact in case you lose your job or income.

I use my financial values to set my limitations. I have three children I want to put through college debt free. So that means I can't spend wildly or with disregard.

My experience may be different than theirs, readers can identify with trying to save for retirement or their own kid's college fund. In truth, the name of the column, "The Color of Money," has less to do with my race than the fact that the color of money is green and it's green we all need to live a good life.

Money may not be able to buy you love, but conflicts about it can certainly bankrupt your relationship.

The number of those 19 to 25 with private insurance increased from 51 to 55.8 percent, and the percentage of uninsured fell from 33.9 percent in 2010 to 28.8 percent during the first half of 2011.

Sometimes your gut is right. And sometimes not.

If we aren't careful, our children will come down with 'affluenza,' a disease that causes them to confuse wants and needs. We need to teach our children what my grandmother taught me: Think twice about spending money you don't have on things you don't need to impress people you don't like anyway.