Spending Wisely

Did you get a nice Christmas basket of fruit, nuts, or other goodies last year from your financial advisor?

The bigger the basket, the more likely it is you're paying your advisor far too much...

Once a year, millions of Americans "practice" for a currency crisis...

It's like what folks in Argentina experienced during the last currency crisis. And what Greek citizens had to do this summer.

They wake at 4 a.m... stand in line for hours... shuffle past security goons at the door... and hope that no one tries to "rush in" at the last minute...

But instead of trying to stock up on pesos or euros, Americans are waiting for the opportunity to save a few bucks on a big-screen TV on Black Friday, the day after Thanksgiving.

For years, you could save hundreds of dollars by standing in line. The tradeoff of time-to-value was worth it.

Thankfully, there's no point anymore. Now, there's only one place worth going on Black Friday...

Home.

Last year was the first time that I did all my Black Friday shopping on the Internet, mostly on Amazon (the world's largest retailer). The deals at your local brick-and-mortar store are simply not good enough to justify losing sleep and spending hours waiting in line.

More stores now offer online-only deals starting on Black Friday. And even better is the Monday after Thanksgiving – Cyber Monday. That's the day Internet retailers designate for their biggest deals.

Amazon even announced it's starting a "countdown" week of sales from Friday, November 20 through Black Friday. And it's not the only one starting early. Several websites – like www.theblackfriday.com and www.blackfriday.com – track the best deals.

But cyber-deal enthusiasts beware: You need to stay safe when you shop online...

I am a fan of credit cards – particularly with all of the rewards you can get. We've put together a list of cards we recommend based on personal use, research, and reader endorsements. Have a card you love? Send it in to us at [email protected].

For millions of Americans, Christmas will go on long past midnight on December 25... with potentially crippling consequences.

According to the Gallup polling company, the average American plans to spend $812 on Christmas gifts this year. If they put it all on their credit cards... they'll have to add about $68 a month to their regular payments to pay it off in a year.

What if I told you that you could save $21,000 on your mortgage – and pay it off four years sooner – without spending an extra dime?

Before we dive into our list of ways to pay off your mortgage early and save on interest, let's set up an example.

One of our faithful Retirement Millionaire readers pointed out to us that cord-cutting only works if you have reliable Internet. If you live in an area without a high-quality Internet stream, you will need to consider other options.

Satellite providers account for about 41% of the cable market. Big players like DISH and DirecTV often offer cheaper plans than "corded" providers. That includes discounted bundles for television and Internet.

If you don't want to give up cable, here are three tips to help reduce your monthly bill...

Tip No. 1: Negotiate. This is the best and most tried-and-true method to save money on cable. Call up your cable company and tell them you're ready to cancel. They will put you in touch with a "retention specialist" – someone who will try different tactics to get you to stay. But don't ask specifically for a retention specialist. That's a red flag you want a discount. Make sure to threaten cancellation and if they don't help you, try calling again later.

We hate cable companies…

Cable companies consistently rank near the tops of lists of the most hated industries in the U.S. And it's no wonder…