Let’s revisit shopping at Sally Beauty Supply.  Much has changed since The Good and Not-So-Good at Sally Beauty appeared on The Money Skinny™.  Employees continue to problem solve and recommend haircare and beauty solutions.  Today’s focus is on the current shopping experience at Sally Beauty.  Other retailers in this series are Walmart, Walmart Online and JCPenney.  Recall The Money … Read more

Lose weight while saving money.  Sign me up!  Holiday weight gain can be a struggle.  It’s easy to add a couple of pounds during a single weekend of merry-making.  Will power can be fleeting.  I need good habits in my arsenal.  This is a composite of The Money Skinny™ tips to lose weight with a … Read more

Performing the heavy task of culling a deceased family member’s documents made me realize I needed a simple paperwork retention system.  An easy way to decide what to keep or toss.  My two-drawer filing cabinet had overflowed to a second.  Both tightly packed.  Plus, it is so very frustrating to waste time with a paper … Read more

Social Security child benefits can be claimed by retirees for their minor unmarried children.  Even if all parties are healthy.  Even if none are disabled.  Maybe you haven’t paid attention to Social Security other than the bite it takes from a payroll check.  Oblivious because it hasn’t been applicable.  I was reading a Miss Manners Column about a 63-year-old retiree collecting social security benefits … Read more

Transferring money between accounts you own and making electronic payments utilizes the Automated Clearing House (ACH) system.  The Money Skinny™ article Understanding the ACH Payment System details how ACH works.  Payments are either transferred out (pushed) from your account or received (pulled) by a supplier.  Individual banks and credit unions have different rules regarding when funds are available for … Read more

Today’s focus is understanding the ACH payment system.  Electronic payments primarily use the Automated Clearing House (ACH) system.  The ACH payment system is the intermediary between banks and between the payee and the payor.  It is used for Electronic Funds Transfer (EFT) in the U.S.   Individual banks and credit unions have different rules regarding when funds are available … Read more

Credit card robomail for college students needs to stop.  Commencement season starts a whole new credit card offer blizzard.  Robomail can be even worse than robocalls.  Who wants to get pounded with paper?  We are cross-checked and triangulated by Big Data, who then sells our info.  Thirsty credit card companies are replenishing aging baby boomers … Read more

This will be the only time The Money Skinny™ wants to get in the shower with you.  There’s something not quite right when clean water runs down the drain.  Time to try a Navy Shower.  The method works by turning off the water when lathering or performing other in-shower activities.  Like hair washing and conditioning, shaving, loofah’ing … Read more

Sally Beauty is like Home Depot for your hair.  Employees problem solve and recommend haircare and beauty solutions.  Company management recently announced disappointing sales results.  Queue the restructuring plan!  Today’s focus is on the good and not-so-good at Sally Beauty.  Other retailers in this series are Walmart, Walmart Online and JCPenney.  Recall The Money Skinny™ mission is to save you time and money.  We’ll review … Read more

My children have completed twenty-eight of thirty-two college semesters.  Yes, I am counting.  Learning about 529 Plans has been educational.  Knowing when and even how to make a 529 College Savings Plan withdrawal can be confusing.  The purpose of a 529 Plan is to incent saving for college costs by providing a tax-free shelter of the money.  Details can be … Read more

529 College Savings Plans provide incentive for saving for college through favorable federal and state income tax treatment.  Gains in 529 college savings plans accumulate tax-free.  529 account withdrawals are tax-free if used for qualified educational expenses.  Review this IRS 529 Plans: Q & A.  Tax benefits for education are detailed in IRS Publication 970.  Recall The Money Skinny™ mission … Read more

Should you file a property tax appeal?  Is your property value assessed too high?  A lower assessed value translates into less property taxes.  Examine the details in your property’s assessment.  Learn how the property tax appeal process works in your area.  Additionally, weigh the likelihood of success before making the decision to file a property tax appeal.  I appealed property … Read more

There are many car loan cosigning considerations.  Let’s visit The Money Skinny™ time capsule for a car loan example.  My mother cosigned a Datsun hatchback car loan for me when I graduated from college.  I stumbled through the paperwork.  Not understanding her commitment.  My math was loan docs + mother signature = car keys.  It was more complex than that.  She was guaranteeing … Read more

JCPenney shopping is both good and sometimes not-so-good.  I’m a retail industry junkie.  I retail associated in high school and college.  I was an analyst for a national department store.  The retail industry can be very interesting.  Other retailers in this series are Walmart, Walmart Online and Sally Beauty.  Recall The Money Skinny™ mission is to save … Read more

Credit card offers routinely stuff my mailbox.  We are cross-checked and triangulated by Big Data, who sells our info to thirsty credit card companies looking to replenish aging baby boomers with a fresh crop of decades-long fee generators.  The opportunity salivations that occur!  The Money Skinny™ article College Credit Card Offers details college student and first-time credit card … Read more

Walmart online shopping is both good and sometimes not-so-good.  The Money Skinny™ article Walmart Shopping – The Good and Not-So-Good details the Walmart store experience.  This focus is on Walmart online shopping experience.  Walmart’s purchase of Amazon rival Jet.com is an acknowledgement that online improvement is needed.  This investment makes the fight for online customers a bare-knuckle brawl.  Recall The Money Skinny™ mission is … Read more

Walmart shopping is both good and sometimes not-so-good.  Walmart is the most polarizing of retailers.  Either you shop there, or you don’t.   Historically, it has had a reputation for predatory pricing that wiped out Main Street retailers.  However, online shopping has changed everything about the retail industry.  Walmart is swinging both fists competing on price, convenience and … Read more

Let’s delve further into my chemical peel skin care experience to better understand this product.  Maximize chemical peel skin care savings by purchasing a bottle of glycolic peel and applying it at home.  The Money Skinny™ article Glycolic Chemical Peel Skin Care Savings has instructions on how to apply a chemical peel.  I use the Perfect Image Glycolic … Read more

Using an at-home glycolic chemical peel can save money.  Home treatments saving both time and money are fantastic!  A skin care technician suggested a glycolic chemical peel for $150.  The money, the appointment, the drive time.  I just can’t.  I found a similar product done at home for a fraction of the price.  You can help … Read more

Let’s save time and money stuffing Christmas stockings.  The children in a neighbor family of mine in the prior century got oranges in their Christmas stockings every year.  Did the oranges symbolize harvest or Tiny Tim or what?  Forget about stocking oranges unless you want to trend with an unflattering hashtag.  It’s time to up your … Read more

Who should complete a FAFSA application?  I get many of these type of questions from other parents.   The Free Application for Federal Student Aid or FAFSA is free in the sense that there is no cost to use it.  It is an aggregation of student and parent finances.  It measures the ability to pay for college.  Colleges use it for financial … Read more

The Wells Fargo Board announced a clawback of $41 million from CEO John Stumpf.  Also $19 million from retail banking manager Carrie Tolstedt.  The Wells Fargo clawback is a first for a big-bank CEO.  Ms. Tolstedt agreed not to exercise options worth $35 million pending the outcome of the board’s internal investigation.   In summary, Wells Fargo fired than 5200 … Read more

The Wells Fargo scandal includes more than 5300 Wells Fargo employees fired since 2011.  The company owes $185 million in fines.  What exactly is the Wells Fargo scandal?  Wells Fargo employees committed fraud by opening fictitious accounts in the name of customers to meet sales targets.  The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) claims as many as two million deposit and … Read more

The Money Skinny™ wants to be that voice of encouragement for you to have a garage sale.  I know, I know.  They can be a lot of work.  Sometimes brutal with patrons that haggle over a quarter.   Suck it up, Buttercup!  Be strong!  Maybe you’ve already sold items with The Money Skinny’s help using Craigslist Selling in 5 … Read more

A local charity is accused of structuring.  What is that?  Structuring money is reducing a deposit or payment into multiple, smaller amounts.  The intent is to avoid the financial institution’s reporting requirements.  It’s also called smurfing.  Laws regarding structuring came about through the Bank Secrecy Act and other laws after 9-11.  Those laws pressured banks to not … Read more

Save money on food with better purchasing and consumption strategies.  When my children are home that often means one thing.  Let’s Eat!  It’s like the chorus of “Mine!Mine!Mine!” that the seagulls make in the movie Finding Nemo.  It’s challenging to not break the bank on groceries while keeping my constituents satisfied.  Recall The Money Skinny™ … Read more

Avoiding convenience fees and other charges is sometimes difficult.  Overdraft, transaction and convenience fees are euphemisms for ways to charge the consumer.  A convenience fee is a charge to pay by credit card and must be disclosed in advance.  It can be a percentage or flat amount.  It can apply to debit card transactions, too.  Recall The … Read more

A family member was on the crew team in college.  As a person who grew up in the shadow of the Great Lakes, I was completely unfamiliar with this Old Englandish-type sport.  From photos it looks like a small person (coxswain) sits in the bow of the long, skinny boat facing the muscled people rowing … Read more

It was a beautiful Fourth of July evening in 2015 with electric pontoon boats silently drifting in circles on a small lake.  A group of revelers lit a half dozen sky lanterns.  Of the six, two misfires immediately went into the water.  Four floated away into the night while I said a silent prayer of … Read more

Overtime pay rules for salary employees are changing. Effective December 1, 2016, salary employees making less than $47,467 per year or $913 per week will be eligible for overtime pay.  Those salary workers making less than the annual or weekly salary limit must be paid time and a half for any hours worked above a … Read more

A new store opened in the town where I live that sells containers exclusively.  It is oh-so-seductive.  The advertisements look like stepping into the pages of a glossy high-end magazine.  Everything from closets to pets to all things fabulous.  Aspirational living at its finest.  Let’s take a breath.  The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up by Marie Kondo advises … Read more

College graduation means an avalanche of credit card offers to accompany that newly minted degree.  Even college freshmen receive credit card offers in today’s competitive financial environment.  College students are cross-checked and triangulated by Big Data, who sell that info to thirsty credit card companies looking to replenish aging baby boomers with a fresh crop of … Read more

Let’s trim travel expenses.  When planning a trip, many of us babysit airfare and hotel prices.  Triangulating over an area hoping to pounce at the exact right moment to save every extra dollar in travel expenses.  It seems a little nuts after all that effort to chase down savings to not take a few moments … Read more

With the 3-step Sneaker Strategy, at most three pairs of sneakers are owned at one time.  Two pairs the majority of the time.  Recall TheMoneySkinny™ mission is to save you time and money.   Let’s review what the 3-step sneaker strategy is and how to save the most money using it.  Also some ideas and encouragement to get … Read more

Spring means one thing to parents of college students.  Moving their kid’s stuff!  The unwieldy pile goes from home to dorm to apartment to home to different apartment to storage to wherever-the-heck.  During last year’s shift for one of my daughters, I rolled up to the task in a fourteen-year-old Mercury Mountaineer with 150,000+ miles … Read more

What are the treasurer duties for a club or community organization?  I have been the treasurer/bookkeeper for four different civic and community organizations.  In short, I know my way around other people’s money.  I understand that fiduciary responsibility.  Even if you are not a treasurer.  You are probably a member of an organization that has a treasurer.   … Read more

Gift card issues are so frustrating.  I chose the restaurant for lunch with a friend based upon a languishing gift card that needed purging from my wallet.  When I tried to pay the bill, the restaurant manager said the gift card wasn’t activated.  A red-faced cash scramble ensued.  I didn’t have the gift card receipt.  … Read more

The Money Skinny™ wants to be that voice of encouragement for Craigslist selling.  Let’s reduce that stuff pile!  Craigslist is a free match-making service for buyers and sellers.  Like an online garage sale with a wide audience.  Meet ups take place in a safe location.  Perhaps a police station lobby or a business with security … Read more

The Social Security File and Suspend strategy will be eliminated May 1, 2016.  The Bipartisan Budget Act of 2015 made this change.  Specifically with “Closure of Unintended Loopholes”.   File and Suspend allows you to file for retirement and claim benefits for your spouse.  At the same time you immediately suspend your own benefit until full retirement age.  Recall TheMoneySkinny™ mission is … Read more

The Free Application for Federal Student Aid or FAFSA has made a significant change to the application process beginning in 2016. For high school seniors graduating in Spring of 2016 and existing college students the application process remains the same as prior years. That means the FAFSA application for the 2016-17 school year will be … Read more

Before celebrating the start of 2016, there are four must-do to-do’s regarding 2015 income taxes. Avoid an under-payment tax penalty. Estimate 2015 earnings and taxes paid by examining paystubs combined with any other estimated income.  Pay particular attention to stock market and mutual fund gains and losses in accounts that do not withhold income taxes.  Compare the taxes paid to the … Read more