Annie Logue has lived in Chicago for the better part of 30 years now. She loves to travel and find new things, whether around the globe or around the corner. She’s also long been fascinated with money; she teaches finance at the University of Illinois at Chicago and is the author of four books in Wiley’s . . .For Dummies series including Hedge Funds for Dummies, Day Trading for Dummies, Socially Responsible Investing for Dummies, and Emerging Markets for Dummies. She lives with her husband and son on the north side of Chicago, where she operates Chicago on the Cheap.
Should you pay off your mortgage? Doing so can save you on interest if you can’t find a better use for the money. Paying off the mortgage gives you a rent-free place to live in retirement.
Everybody hates deadlines, but they’re good for shoppers. Retailers rushing to meet quarter-end goals may drop prices to boost sales, so look out for deals.
Great sources of free — and legal! – music and audiobook downloads include Amazon MP3, emusic, rcrd lbl, Noisetrade, Last FM, The Big Read and Librivox.
Credit cards offer consumers better liability protection than debit cards, says a CardHub.com study. When using debit cards, choose the “credit” option for better protection.
Use photos you already to create simple, cheap and thoughtful craft projects such as refrigerator magnets and bookmarks. You can use them as Valentine’s Day gifts.