Stop buying things you don't need, to impress people you don't even like.

Like your home's closets, your financial clutter needs an overhaul every now and again, and the payoff will go far beyond the psychic satisfaction of neatening up.

I get so frustrated when people tell me it's unrealistic to create an eight-month emergency savings fund, or have money saved for a home down payment, or pay off their $5,000 credit card balance.

If you wait until your children are high school seniors to spring it on them that there's not a whole lot of money for school, they won't have too many options.

America has a broken spirit, that the people that are saying, "Please help me, please let me keep my home, please let me keep my car, please recognize me as a vital human being," they are falling on deaf ears.

Consider a 15- or 20-year fixed-rate mortgage instead of a 30-year, if you can afford the monthly payments - they may not be as high as you think.

A cash advance on a credit card is one of the worst types of borrowing because the interest rate is typically 21 percent or more.