One Couple's Cost Cutting Tips

posted by hitched @ 2:49 PM  0 Comments

What to Do With Your Money

Are you a deer in headlights when it comes to your money in the market? You probably feel like the rodent that's been run over. Regardless, Newsweek offers some advice. It says to put your money back into the market--as much as you can--really. Their logic is that over the long haul, the market will go up. Here are some more specific bits of advice:

Put your money in a Roth IRA
"You'll pay income taxes on the amount you convert, but that amount is probably a lot lower than it would have been without the recent market rout. And given the astronomical deficits that Washington will have to fix sooner or later, your tax rate may be at an all-time low. Once your money is in a Roth, you'll be able to reap all the future earnings without paying taxes on them."

Invest for income.
"High-yield stocks and corporate bonds have been among the hardest hit in recent market sell-offs, but they are exactly what you want in your portfolio as you head into retirement"

Use a health savings account.
The theory behind these is that they enable you to save up to your deductible without paying taxes on it... For 2008, you can contribute $5,800 and an additional $900 in catch-up contributions if you're 55 or older."

What have you done with your money, anything?

Labels: advice, money

posted by hitched @ 10:37 PM  0 Comments

Don't Count on Holiday Bonuses

It may be a little early talking about the holidays, but they are just around the corner. And with the economy going crazy like it has, it's worth planning now than get stuck on December 24th with no bonus check for relief. The AP just came out with a story saying that many who are expecting and have received year-end or holiday bonuses in the past shouldn't expect to get them this year. Obviously if the company you work for is doing well and has been doing well, you may not have anything to worry about. Then again, they may be planning for rougher waters ahead. Either way, here's your friendly reminder that it's not wise to plan on non-guaranteed money.

Labels: advice, holidays, money, news

posted by hitched @ 4:48 PM  0 Comments

60 Minutes Explains Wall Street Crash

posted by hitched @ 4:52 PM  0 Comments

Women Rule the Home

A new study from the Pew Research Center found that when it comes to the home, women are in control and that's fine by men. When it comes to planning weekend activities, household finances, major home purchases and TV watching, women not men are the ones pulling the strings--making 43 percent of the decisions. That's more than double who said the man makes the decision (26 percent). The other 31 percent said the decisions we equally divided. In the scenario where women make the decision, men don't have the final say and say they either consult or just defer to what the woman wants. What's interesting is that older couples who were surveyed said they were more likely to share in the decision-making process than their younger counterparts. Who makes the decisions in your home?

Labels: money, study, women

posted by hitched @ 4:14 PM  0 Comments

Do You Pay Your Kids for Good Grades?

USA Today interviewed several CEOs asking them their thoughts on giving their kids cash for grades and whether or not they thought it was a good idea. In the end, the majority of CEOs interviewed did think it was a good idea while half actually did pay their kids for good grades. In contrast, only 15% of 450 high school principals surveyed thought paying for grades was a good idea. CEOs see pay for performance as more art than science, much like keeping employees motivated to do good work.

What are your thoughts? Do you pay your kids for grades? Are there any teachers out there? What are your thoughts on this subject?

Labels: kids, money, study, work

posted by hitched @ 2:35 PM  0 Comments

Young Workers Aren't Good With Savings

Fidelity Investments released a survey that says half of Gen X and Gen Y workers said saving for retirement is an obligation or a goal, but 51 percent said other financial priorities prevent them from setting aside money. The survey also suggests that these two groups of workers will switch jobs around seven times and many of them cash out their 401(k)s when the change jobs. The survey says a whopping 56 percent cashed out their work place savings plans and 41 percent said they didn’t seek financial advice when changing jobs. Are you comfortable with the way your financial retirement is heading? Any questions you want our experts to answer?

Labels: money, study

posted by hitched @ 5:25 PM  0 Comments

The Value of Your Life has Dropped Nearly $1 Million

The Environmental Protection Agency dropped the "value of a statistical life" to $6.9 million -- a drop of $900,000 from five years ago. So why would the U.S. government devalue the life of Americans? The AP summates that "government agencies put a value on human life and then weigh the costs versus the lifesaving benefits of a proposed rule. The less a life is worth to the government, the less the need for a regulation, such as tighter restrictions on pollution." The article also goes on to say that "the value based on what people are willing to pay to avoid certain risks, and on how much extra employers pay their workers to take on additional risks. Most of the data is drawn from payroll statistics; some comes from opinion surveys.

If you had to put a price tag on your life and where you are today compared to five years ago, would you be worth more?

Labels: health, money, study

posted by hitched @ 2:26 PM  0 Comments

Home Sale Can Put Strain on Marriage

posted by hitched @ 1:23 PM  0 Comments

Business With Your Spouse: A Test

CNBC show The Big Idea hosted by Donny Deutsch ran a segment the other day on running a business with your spouse. On their website, they've posted a seven question test that grades how well you and your spouse would do in business. Some of the questions it asks are: Is your spouse a momentum builder? Does your spouse respect your time? and Is your spouse a good interrogator? Each question is weighted from 1-5 and the results range from: "Your Husband or wife is standing in the way of your success" to "Your relationship fosters success and your spouse gives you an entrepreneurial edge!"

Would you ever run a business with your spouse or are you currently doing so? Running a business together is one of those things that could bring you closer together or tear you apart. What's your story?

Labels: entertainment, money, work

posted by hitched @ 9:31 AM  0 Comments

Marriage Counseling May Hurt Your Credit!

On June 10, the Federal Trade Commission has sued credit card issuer CompuCredit for deceptive marketing practices. The reason is that while many credit card companies have their formula for how they adjust the interest rate or credit score, CompuCredit makes its decision on purchasing behavior, not just payment history--and does so without telling the consumer.

The suit, for the most part focuses on CompuCredit's Aspire Visa, a subprime credit card for risky borrowers. The FTC claims that CompuCredit didn't properly disclose that it monitored spending and cut credit lines if consumers used their cards at certain places. Among them: tire and retreading shops, massage parlors, bars, billiard halls, and marriage counseling offices. According to this article from BusinessWeek, CompuCredit maintains that the FTC's lawsuit is without merit, and defends its practices. "Every time a consumer accesses their credit, a new decision to extend a loan is being made," says Rohit H. Kirpalani, CompuCredit's general counsel. "These scoring models are commonplace across the industry."

Doesn't it seem odd that taking steps to improve or salvage your marriage would hurt your credit score? You'd think it would improve your score since married couples statistically have a higher household income. We'll keep you posted as this story develops.

Labels: money, news

posted by hitched @ 11:25 AM  0 Comments

Why We Divorce

We know that budgets are getting pinched tighter every day in this economy with food prices rising, gas prices rising, the dollar value depreciating and so on. That's why it's more important than ever for you and your spouse to bond together and don't start a blame game for any financial hardship that may be rearing its head. A study by divorce360.com found that financial woes were the second most common reason for divorce behind only abuse. Just behind financial issues were sexual issues. Now may be a good time to make an appointment with your financial advisor to help weather the current economic conditions. It's better to see a financial advisor than a judge in divorce court.

Labels: money, sex, study

posted by hitched @ 8:56 PM  0 Comments

How to Beat New Luggage Charge

American Airlines announced today that they'll begin charging travelers for their luggage. No, not starting with their second bag, but the first bag that travelers check-in. American Airlines will impose a $15 fee beginning June 15th. This article from MSNBC offers a few tips for how to beat the new charge. First, read your contract and make sure that AA doesn't try to charge you before June 15th. Second, carry your bag on. Obviously you'd have to pack lighter so that you could carry it on, but for a short trip it'll do. Third, flash your frequent flier card--they're exempt from the new charge. Finally, MSNBC recommends notifying the Transportation Department of your displeasure and ask them to act. Geez, as if traveling in the summer wasn't tough enough.

Labels: advice, money, travel

posted by hitched @ 9:48 PM  0 Comments

Shoe Prices Going Up

With Sex and the City about to hit big screens, which will surely put high fashion shoes back in the spotlight, this article from the Wall Street Journal says shoe makers are raising the price tag, bucking a decade-long trend of declining prices. So why the increase? For one, the article says higher costs in China, which make about 85 percent of the shoes sold in the U.S.. Another reason is the weak dollar, which affects the price of shoes coming from European makers. It only makes sense then that the article suggests that price increases would follow suit for handbags, belts and other leather accessories coming from China. Overall, the rising shoe prices high- and low-end brands.

Labels: fashion, money

posted by hitched @ 9:48 PM  0 Comments

Why These Couples Won't Get Tax Rebates

An AP article has highlighted a segment of the married population that won't be getting their stimulus check from Uncle Sam. So who is this married group? They are couples where one spouse is not a U.S. citizen. So even if you are a U.S. citizen, if you filed your taxes jointly, you won't receive a stimulus check because both have to have a Social Security card. It's estimated that hundreds of thousands of married couples fall into this category, and this article highlights soldiers who have married foreigners as part of that group. The article goes on to discuss how the IRS didn't clarify this rule on it's website until April 14th. The couples could have filed individually, but as the article points out, the benefits of filing jointly would most likely outweigh the $600 a qualifying individual would receive. Read the full article here.

Labels: money, news, real people

posted by hitched @ 7:05 PM  0 Comments

Financial Risk Taking Linked to Sex

A new study by a Northwestern University finance professor found that when men were shown erotic images, they were more likely to make a large financial gamble than when they were shown scary or neutral images--like a snake or stapler. The study took brain scans of the participants and found the brain was stimulated in the same area with both money and sex.

A former commodities floor trader says the connection makes a lot of sense considering the euphemisms used on the trading floor, such as "massaging the market." Vegas makes so much sense, doesn't it?

Labels: money, sex, study

posted by hitched @ 7:32 PM  0 Comments

How Much Does a Pregnancy Cost?

The numbers are a few years old, but interesting nonetheless. In 2004, the average uncomplicated pregnancy cost was $7,539 according to numbers from the Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project. So where is the money going to? 77 percent went to pay for the hospital delivery ($5,819), 16 percent went to prenatal visits ($1,178), 5 percent went to prescribed drugs ($392), and 2 percent went to other prenatal stuff ($151). Have you found that your pregnancy cost more or less than what they're reporting. Again, this data is going on four years old.

Labels: money, pregnancy, study

posted by hitched @ 11:12 AM  0 Comments

10 Destinations Where the Dollar is Strong

The economy is struggling, haven't heard a thing about it. Okay, you know that's a lie. If you've glanced at a news website or newspaper in that last month or so, you'd know that the U.S. dollar is getting its butt kicked when compared to the Euro and other currency. However, there are some places in this world where couples can go and still get a good bang for their buck. Concierge.com put together a list of 10 destinations where the dollar is still strong, including Barbados; Ho An, Vietnam; Warsaw, Poland; Jordan and others. If you want to stay out of foreign territory look to Santa Ynez Valley, California according to the website. Click here to read the complete list, with pictures.

Labels: money, travel

posted by hitched @ 6:07 PM  0 Comments

Preparing For a Layoff

You can't ignore that the economy is struggling and if you know you're in an industry that's being hit hard, it wouldn't be a bad idea to prepare for a layoff. According to this MSNBC article, 63,000 jobs were cut in February. Is yours next? The article offers 10 steps to help prepare for a layoff. FIrst is to establish an emergency fund. Second, live within your means. Third, use credit cards with caution. Fourth, talk about money with your spouse. Fifth, tackle your high-interest debt. The article offers more details for each of these, plus the final five tips.

Have you been laid off or are you preparing to be laid off? How is that affecting your relationship?

Labels: advice, money, news, work

posted by hitched @ 9:41 PM  0 Comments

Power In Marriage Unrelated to Economics

A study conducted by Ariel University Center of Samaria says that a spouse who is more satisfied with the relationship is more likely to give in to the demands of his or her partner, regardless of their respective economic or educational backgrounds. The study looked at the decision-making process of 192 Israeli couples from varied religious and socioeconomic backgrounds who were planning their annual vacations. This study debunks the thought that the person who makes the money in the relationship, which most of the time could also correlate to the person with higher education is the one who holds the power in marriage. You can read the full article at the The Jerusalem Post, click here.

Labels: money, study

posted by hitched @ 11:38 PM  0 Comments

Couple Needs $225,000 for Retirement Healthcare

Fidelity Investments says that couples retiring today would need $225,000 to cover medical costs. That figure is up 4.7% from the $215,000 estimate for 2007 by Fidelity. A separate study by the Center for Retirement Research at Boston College estimates that couples would need $206,000 to cover medical costs. I guess it's safe to say that you'll need a little over $100k a piece to cover just your medical costs. To really put things into perspective, in 2002 Fidelity projected that a couple would need $160,000. Whoa. To read the complete article, click here.

Labels: advice, money, study

posted by hitched @ 11:42 PM  0 Comments

Money, Sex and Love Survey

Elle and msnbc.com are asking people to participate in an anonymous survey. It's not a survey exclusively for married couples, but it does ask some interesting questions about satisfaction with your sex life and how money may be playing a role. It also asks a lot about the woman's role in money matters and how the man feels about it. The results don't come out until next March so we'll keep an eye on things and give you an update on the results when they're available. In the meantime, if you want your relationship and opinion to be represented in this survey, click here to take it yourself.

Labels: money, sex, study

posted by hitched @ 9:59 PM  0 Comments

Holiday Tipping Tip Sheet

Kiplinger.com has put together a nice tip sheet on, well, tipping. We've broken out a couple of the tipping guidelines for you. If you want to read all of them, click here.

CLEANING PERSON
How much to tip: The cost of one visit if he or she visits weekly or bi-weekly, says protocol adviser Rosanne Thomas. Up the tip amount for a cleaning person who works more often.
Exceptions: If you use a cleaning service that works in a team, a box of chocolates for the team is customary.

HAIRSTYLIST
How much to tip: The normal cost of a visit for a stylist you've used all year.
Exceptions: If your stylist doubles as a confidante, include a small personal gift that speaks to his or her interests as well as a monetary gift. If you don't require as much attention from your stylist or barber, you may prefer to give only about $20 as a tip during your December visit.

PERSONAL TRAINER
How much to tip: $50.
Exceptions: The key question to ask yourself is whether you have an ongoing, above-average relationship with the professional, says etiquette expert Charlotte Ford. Tip at year end if you feel you've gotten above-average service year-round.

BABY SITTER
How much to tip: Nanny or au pair -- one week's pay and a small gift from the child; regular sitter -- one to two nights' pay; day-care provider -- $25 to $70.
Exceptions: Only give a holiday tip if you've frequently used the sitter during the year or you had to call on them in an 11th hour emergency, advises Thomas Blaikie, etiquette expert and author of "To the Manner Born."

Labels: advice, holidays, money, work

posted by hitched @ 2:04 PM  0 Comments

"The 12 Days of Christmas"... Not So Cheap

Think you could afford the cost of the 364 items in the holiday song " The 12 Days of Christmas"? Not unless you have $78,100 dollars to spend. Research conducted by PNC Wealth Management says the prices are up 4 percent from last year. "What's really surprising is that our index follows overall Consumer Price Index trends," Rebekah McCahan, a PNC senior vice president, says in a news release. "To think that the cost of a partridge in a pear tree would mirror what's going on at Target, for example, is pretty interesting." Here is a breakdown of the list:

Partridge, $15
Pear Tree, $150
Two Turtle Doves, $40
Three French Hens, $45
Four Calling Birds (canaries), $600
Five Gold Rings, $395
Six Geese a-Laying, $360
Seven Swans a-Swimming, $4,200
Eight Maids a-Milking, $47
Nine Ladies Dancing (per performance), $4,759
10 Lords a-Leaping (per performance), $4,285
11 Pipers Piping (per performance), $2,213
12 Drummers Drumming (per performance), $2,398

Merry Christmas, Right?

Labels: commentary, holidays, money, study

posted by hitched @ 2:19 PM  0 Comments

Woman Sues Husband for Share of Lottery Winnings

In my most recent Editor's Note (only found in the newsletter, by the way) I mentioned the results of our recent polls. One revealed that 83 percent of our readers have thought their spouse was cheating on them at one time. I find this statistic startling. In Florida, one woman was right--kind of. Donna Campbell is suing her husband Arnim because he won a cut of $10 million dollars in Florida's Lottery and never told her about it. Now, Donna cant find him to deliver the suit papers. Donna became suspicious when Arnim disconnected the phone and kept turning off the TV. She got more curious when she found out that he had purchased another home. She went online and that's when she found out that he had won.

What's the biggest secret you've kept from your spouse? Read the whole story here.

Labels: money, real people

posted by hitched @ 10:22 PM  0 Comments

Coming Clean With Your Partner

Ruth Hayden, author of "For Richer, Not Poorer: The Money Book for Couples" says that couples should always divulge their financial information to their partner, because the truth of the matter will always rear its head at the wrong time. In the book she reminds couples that, "You're more than money-there are so many more facets to a relationship. Plus, everyone has some kind of a downside. And money baggage is easier to deal with than others." For more click here

Labels: advice, money, resource

posted by hitched @ 4:19 PM  0 Comments

Housing Market Gets Worse

It's hard to believe, but new numbers coming in have confirmed that the month of July saw that steepest price drop in homes in 16 years. This information is according to S&P/Case-Shiller home price index. This article from MSNBC says sales of existing single-family homes dropped by 4.3 percent in August from July according to the National Association of Realtors. And sales dropped to a seasonally adjusted rate 5.5 million units a year, the slowest pace since August 2002. With all this negative talk, there is some silver lining for some. According the the S&P data, five cities witnessed prices rising--Atlanta, Charlotte, N.C., Dallas, Portland, Ore., and Seattle. Even with this news, however, it was also revealed that growth is slowing. Atlanta and Dallas are close to moving into negative territory, S&P said.

Labels: money, news

posted by hitched @ 10:53 PM  0 Comments

How to Retire With $1 million

Yeah, yeah, we know, $1 million isn't what it used to be. But heck, I think I could still live comfortably from that. Shoot, if you pulled $50,000 from that every year (not taking into account interest, yada, yada) that money would last 20 years. Not too shabby. Anyway, this article from USA Today says the earlier you start saving, the better. For example, if you're 10 years from retirement, you'll need to save $3,500 per month. However, if you're 40 years away, you only need to save $400 per month. You can see that saving early offers substantial benefit and your money goes farther.

I know, this isn't earth shattering news. The article mentions that many people know they should save, they just don't. Furthermore, the article gives advice on investment, taxes and expenses, and more to get you to that realistic retirement threshold of $1 million.

Labels: advice, money

posted by hitched @ 10:21 PM  0 Comments

AuWerter: It's Best To Disclose All Financial Information

On CBS's "The Early Show," Stephanie AuWerter, Editor of SmartMoney.com, says that it's best to disclose all financial information to your spouse saying it's a major pitfall that tears marriages apart. "Now is the time to come clean. It's better to own up to the problem than to have your spouse find out another way." Paging Mrs. Shaquille Oneil. Another topic AuWerter hits on is the question of whether couples should merge their finances. She suggest creating three accounts: a "his" account, a "her" account and an "our" account. For more subjects and articles like this and other related topics visit our "Money"/ "Advice" section at hitchedmag.com

Labels: advice, money

posted by hitched @ 3:20 PM  0 Comments

Wife's Education Improves Marriage

A new study from the Australian National University (ANU) says that the more education that a wife has, the happier the husband and happier the marriage. Shane Worner conducted the study and found that "for every extra year of education that a spouse has, a male is more likely to report a high... life satisfaction level, but for females, once we account for marriage we don't seem to see any effect of spousal education," he said. If you were to slap a dollar figure on the happiness of a highly educated married couple, Worner suggests a single person would have to earn an extra $100,000. I guess if you're highly educated, it would be tough to catch up to that dollar amount.

Labels: advice, money, news, study

posted by hitched @ 10:35 PM  0 Comments

How Newlyweds Find Financial Bliss

This article from MSNBC offers many tips for newlyweds to focus more on the "richer" rather than "poorer" part of their new vows. Some the tips include developing a system that works for you, prioritizing your budget, conducting credit checks, coordinating employer benefits, plan for future expenses (like car, kids, house, etc.) and make sure to continue your dialogue in regards to your money. This article is definitely worth taking a peek at for couples who are just beginning to mix their money. It also serves as a good reminder for those who have more experience. Read the full article here.

Labels: advice, money

posted by hitched @ 12:03 AM  0 Comments

Study Says Women Should Use Social Security First

According to writers Alicia Munnell, director of the Center for Retirement Research at Boston College, and Mauricio Soto, senior research associate at the center, married couples thinking of taking out their Social Security should make the decision which allows the woman to do so first based on the fact that the woman has a longer life expectancy and the additional money a women can receive due to Social Security and spousal benefits. For more click here

Labels: advice, money, news

posted by hitched @ 3:40 PM  0 Comments

Lingerie Wars

A recent article from the Wall Street Journal (subscription required) says that lingerie wars are starting. For the last 20 years, it says Victoria's Secret has owned the market, but apparently the secret is out and other retailers are ready to fight for the rising demand. For husbands wanting to treat their wives or wives wanting to surprise their husbands the prices have dramatically come down. For example, Target says prices or lingerie in their stores have come down from a high of $21.99 and now start as low as $7.99. So men, no more excuses about feeling goofy walking into a Victoria's Secret. There are new players in the game and here's a list of some of them:

- Target
- JC Penny
- Khol's
- Lane Bryant
- Sears
- DIllard's
- Macy's
- Kmart

Labels: fashion, money, sex

posted by hitched @ 9:29 AM  0 Comments

Real Estate Roller Coaster

posted by hitched @ 8:12 PM  0 Comments

Invest In Your Wife

If you were worth billions of dollars, would you give your wife a couple million to help her start a business? Sergey Brin, a co-founder of Google has married Anne Wojcicki and according to SEC filings invested $3.9 million in her business 23andMe. 23andMe's website says by encouraging individuals to learn about their own genetic information, the company will create a common, standardized resource that has the potential to accelerate drug discovery and bring personalized medicine to the public. Sounds like a worthwile cause for the new, ultimate power couple! Click here to read the article in NY Times.

Labels: money, news, resource, romance

posted by hitched @ 11:43 PM  0 Comments

Subprime Rates Hurt Minorities

Black and Hispanic borrowers helped fuel a multiyear housing boom, accounting for 49% of the increase in homeowners from 1995 to 2005, according to this USA Today article. But Hispanics and African-Americans were far more likely to use subprime loans--higher-cost products for buyers with impaired credit--that are now going bad at an alarming rate. In fact, we just wrote about this (click here) because we're, well, awesome! Our expert Brian Brogan explores if now is a good time to take advantage of this sluggish market. The answer is yes in some areas, but we're going to make you read the article to find out where.

Labels: advice, money, news

posted by hitched @ 10:04 PM  0 Comments

Pinkett Will Ditch Career For Marriage

It's not uncommon in today's society for a marriage to have dual careers. But, how far would you go if you had to choose between what you loved and who you loved? For film actress Jada Pinkett-Smith, she would rather salvage her marriage saying, "I'm aware how busy careers can quickly lead to divorce, but I'm not going to let that happen to us. I made it clear to Will [Smith] that I'd throw it away completely, which is what I'm doing to a certain extent." Now, this is nice but, again, they could both give up their careers and still be OK. Nonetheless, is this something you would do? Could you still survive financially if you or your spouse gave up their career? We would love to know.

Labels: celebrity, money, news

posted by hitched @ 3:01 PM  0 Comments

Foreclosures Hit Record High

As we blogged yesterday, the mortgage industry is in serious trouble. So are the tenants. According to the lastest data from the Mortgage Bankers Association, foreclosures in the final quarter of last year were at an all time high. A lot of people saw this coming, right. Scroll down to the bottom of this link (click here) to view a chart of all 50 states listing the percentage of delinquencies. We hope you're not on the list. If you're a buyer, there are some good deals to be had.

Labels: money, news, resource

posted by hitched @ 1:46 PM  0 Comments

The High-Risk Housing Market

You've heard the commercials on TV and radio: low, low "teaser rates" and easy credit. Well, that was then and this is now. According to this article in the The Christian Science Monitor, the housing boom and its creditors have pushed more than 20 companies into bankruptcy and advocates are saying that all the easy credit given over the past six years is on the brink of creating one of the worst mortgage crisis since the 1980s. Why is this happening? Quite simply: people can no longer afford it. Across the nation these teaser rates, which first made the loan possible, have baited people into higher interest rates, thus pushing people into foreclosure. Are you one of these people? Let us know.

Labels: advice, money, news, resource

posted by hitched @ 2:58 PM  0 Comments

Marriage Change & The Ripple Effect

Two professors at Wharton conducted a study and found that marriage rates, divorce rates and birth rates are all on the decline in the U.S. The study also notes how these things are affecting the environment around them and visa versa. For example, the advent of the birth control pill has made it so women can get their careers established before deciding if/when they want kids. Because of this, more romances are started in the workplace.

The rise of labor-saving devices (dishwashers, electric scrubbers, etc.) in the home have also made it so women don't have to spend as much time working on the home as before and can spend more time at the workplace. Not mentioned in this synopsis (click here) is the fact that men are doing more home labor and it's becoming more common for household duties to be divided equally.

The bottom line is that marriage is changing and these changes affect the economy, the work environment and have ripple effects on other social arenas. We always knew marriage was changing, that's why we continue to offer new original content on a regular basis. Did you think your grandmother had to worry about internet infidelity? Didn't think so. We're here for you.

Labels: kids, money, news, parenting

posted by hitched @ 2:03 PM  0 Comments

Materialism, Bad for Marriage

This might seem like a "no, duh" report, but it's worth mentioning. A new report came out saying very materialistic couples had a 40 percent higher risk of having financial problems than other couples--this in turn had an impact on their marital happiness. It comes down to how a couple thinks about money and how they spend money. Some think they don't have a good life/marriage if they aren't able to afford the big vacation. It becomes a major issue in their relationship. Less materialistic couples don't see this as a big problem. For the full story, click here.

Labels: advice, money, news

posted by hitched @ 4:57 PM  0 Comments

He Told You So

Hitchedmag.com's own Brian Brogan of The Brogan Group of H.G. Wellington and company, Inc. hit a bulls eye with this January column titled "Bring on '07." According to Brogan, the VIX (volatility index) hit an all time low and now has spiked, while the AGG (Lehman Aggregate Bond I-Share) is hitting all time highs. "This is the correction I have been calling for with our clients," said Brogan. "People need to get defensive because this economy is going to slow quicker than most portfolio managers are calling for." In a rather ecstatic e-mail today Brogan professed, "Your readers are making money from my call if they followed the article." Hopefully they did Brian. Keep up the good work. Mr. Brogan can be reached at bdb@signalreport.com or 610-896-8823.

Labels: advice, money, news, resource

posted by hitched @ 2:55 PM  0 Comments

Valentine's Spending

On average, men and women will shell out $120 on Valentine's day. What may be surprising is that men spend an average of $70 more than women. When BIGresearh crunched the numbers, men spend an average of $156, while women spend $85. So what are they dropping the coin on? 63% purchase cards, 48% buy candy and 45% spend a their money on a night out. Unless it's an expensive card or candy, that sounds like a great night out! We hope you're having a great Valentine's Day.

Labels: holidays, money

posted by hitched @ 4:49 PM  0 Comments

Be A Celebrity For Your Cause

You know that Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon game? So does Kevin Bacon. But rather than run and hide from it, he's decided to embrace it and turn the game into a charitable venture. Bacon has just launched www.sixdegrees.org, a new website that lets visitors create only one degree of seperation by donating to a variety of charitable causes, many already endorsed by varying celebrities. It's social networking for a social cause. Aside from B