We love our meat dishes. From our favorite uncle's juicy fall-off-the-bone baby back ribs, to grandma's sweet golden crispy fried chicken, to mom's succulent turkey that melts like butter between our lips, meat is the centerpiece of our diet. Yet, it's silently sending us to early graves. Heavy meat consumption has been linked to heart disease, obesity, diabetes, and … [Read more...]
Money Monday: Should You Go Out of Your Way To Support Black Businesses?
According to recent news reports, Black banks are falling on hard times, with many of them struggling to remain relevant. Of course, part of the problem is that the Great Recession has hit the Black community particularly hard. But as the Huffington Post pointed out this past week, many customers are fleeing to larger banks that offer more services and branches. And so … [Read more...]
Money Monday: The “Secrets” Big Brother Knows About You And Why You Should Care
The digital age has been both a blessing and curse. Twitter, Facebook, blogs, credit cards, and smart phones have all become an integral part of 21st century life. But all of this comes at a steep price"”our privacy. Never before have so many known so much about us, and what they know has financial ramifications. Worse yet, errors and identity theft may … [Read more...]
Money Monday: Keys to Retiring Wealthy, Even on a Meager Salary
In the Deep South, Oseola McCarty spent her working years as a washerwoman. To say she earned a meager income washing and ironing clothes for the local residents would be an understatement. But Ms. McCarty amassed enough wealth to donate $150,000 to the University of Southern Mississippi, establishing a scholarship fund for deserving students. Earl Crawley works as a … [Read more...]
Money Monday: Menu Plan Your Way To Huge Savings
Let's face it, times are tough. But savvy people know how to work money so hard that it screams "uncle." Take the typical food budget. For most families it's their fourth largest expense, behind the mortgage/rent, health insurance, and car payments. Frugal shoppers, however, understand the secrets to squeezing $1000, $2000, even $3000 or more per year from their shopping … [Read more...]
Money Monday: Are Insane Job Demands Wrecking Havoc With Your Home Life?
In the most recent issue of Time magazine, reporter Ruth Konigsberg writes: "If there was one time in my marriage when life felt the most unfair, it was during the witching hour. When our children were young and I was working from home, I would relieve our babysitter at 5 p.m. and start to feed and bathe our 3-year-old and 6-month-old and begin various pre-bedtime rituals. … [Read more...]
Money Monday: Is Excessive Consumption Dooming The Black Community?
Who among us hasn't chuckled at the money miscues of Black folk? We've all seen the brother pushing a set of rims worth more than his car, or the sister sporting the latest handbag but scrambling to make the rent. But sometimes the clowning and laughing at these miscues turns to concern, and the concern to despair. My heart actually aches when I see young brothers … [Read more...]
Money Monday: The Weight Watchers Secret to Financial Success
In a world where diet fads come and go, Weight Watchers has stood the test of time. Nearly 50 years old, the program designed to slim your waistline could hold the keys to fattening your pocketbook. Participants in Weight Watchers track their food consumption using a points system. Point values are assigned to everything the dieters eat. The number of points consumed at each … [Read more...]
Money Monday: How Even Smart People Like You And Me Get Scammed
I knew there was going to be trouble. The plain clothes officer had eyed me as soon as I stepped onto the subway platform. Slowly moving in my direction he flashed his badge, an indication a good time was about to be had by all. "What are you doing?" he asked. "What am I doing?" I thought to myself. "What does it look like I'm doing? I'm waiting for the train just … [Read more...]
Money Monday: Extravagant Christian Spending – God’s Blessing or Worldly Trap?
Perhaps you've seen Dave Ramsey's relatively new home. The 13,307-square-foot sprawling mansion sits atop a Franklin, Tennessee, mountaintop like a solitary medieval castle. The financial guru is quite literally living as "King of the Hill." At first thought, one has to wonder how someone who preaches the virtues of frugality and expounds Christian principles in his … [Read more...]
Money Monday: Should You Pay Your Kids To Get Good Grades?
Let's face it, the job market is not what it used to be. No longer is a high school education enough to set you up for life. In the global economy, today's youth are vying with peers from Shanghai, Mumbai, and Jakarta in the competition for jobs. Because of this, academic success is more important than ever. But just how far should parents go to encourage their kids to do … [Read more...]
Money Monday: Do Smaller Plates Lead To Healthier Families?
by Dr. Charles Alonzo Peters I know I'm dating myself, but I remember the days when quenching your thirst meant going to the Coke machine, inserting your money, and then listening as a can of soda slid down the inside of the machine to be dispensed below. And that 12 ounce aluminum can of soda did the job. Think about this for a second. Most vending machines now … [Read more...]
Money Monday: Should Married Women Keep A Secret Money Stash?
by Dr. Charles Alonzo Peters "Before my wedding day, my grandmother gave me this piece of advice: "Child, always keep a little something in the bank that he don't know about, just in case." This was the advice financial expert Michelle Singletary received from her grandma. Undoubtedly, many other grandmothers and mothers have said the same thing to their daughters. A … [Read more...]
Money Monday: How To Keep Your Kids From Consuming Dangerous Pesticides
by Dr. Charles Alonzo Peters Sometimes the more expensive option is the better choice. Yes, we may frown at the high prices of organic produce. That is, until we realize that much of the food we consume contains pesticides. Many of these pesticide residues remain, even after washing and peeling. The EPA warns that children may be especially susceptible to pesticides … [Read more...]
Money Monday: Do Financial Red Flags During Courtship Predict Money Problems Later In Marriage?
by Dr. Charles Alonzo Peters According to a recent Match.com poll, 50% of women say it would be okay for their date to pay with a coupon. I consider myself somewhat financially literate, but I still would never in a million years whip out a coupon on a date. But hey, that's just me. I have to ask you ladies, if your husband pulled out a coupon on your first date, … [Read more...]