Mark Henricks, Author at MintLife Blog

Saving

How to Keep Your Financial Willpower Muscle From Wearing Out

February 27, 2014 / Mark Henricks

Can trying to sit up straighter help you save more? Go ahead and laugh — humor can improve your ability to exercise willpower and self-discipline. And so can repeated small efforts to force yourself to do some small act like...

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Trends

Which States are the Most Financially Savvy?

July 3, 2013 / Mark Henricks

If you can’t tell a stock from a bond or make sense of your savings account statement, it could be something in the water. Based on 25,000 Americans’ scores on a test of financial know-how, people’s grasp of personal finance...

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Investing Advice

Gift Ideas to Help Your Grad Start Off on the Right Financial Foot

May 31, 2013 / Mark Henricks

Nearly a third of us bestow gifts on graduates during a typical commencement season, according to the National Retail Federation, averaging just under $90 per gift. The most popular item, favored by a sizable majority of givers, is the simple,...

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Trends

Why Financial Literacy Programs Fail

April 23, 2013 / Mark Henricks

Nobody is born knowing how to manage money. From simple tasks like making a household budget or balancing a checkbook, to evaluating life insurance and selecting an investment vehicle to fund a comfortable retirement, people have to learn about personal...

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Trends

How Do Americans Spend Their Tax Refunds?

February 12, 2013 / Mark Henricks

The most popular single use for the cash taxpayers get in refunds from Uncle Sam is savings, according to annual surveys conducted by the National Retail Federation. Last year’s survey found that nearly 44 percent of the people who anticipated...

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How To

Oops! How to Recover From a Financial Resolution Slip-up

February 5, 2013 / Mark Henricks

“Giving up smoking is the easiest thing in the world. I know because I’ve done it thousands of times,” Mark Twain famously said. In the same way, many of us resolve over and over to spend less, save more, reduce...

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Financial Goals

Using the Power of Benchmarks to Reach Financial Goals

January 22, 2013 / Mark Henricks

Is there a difference between planning to “save more money” and planning to “save $1,000 by June 1?” Clearly, there is. When you attempt to hold yourself to achieving a specific goal in a set amount of time, you are...

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Financial IQ

Hot Holiday Electronics: 5 Gifts for Tech Lovers

December 18, 2012 / Mark Henricks

The perfect holiday gift is extravagant, practical, and up-to-the-minute stylish while fitting into the recipient’s lifestyle like an old friend. Meeting those specifications is, obviously, as much an art as it is a science. But with these gifts from the...

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How To

7 Inexpensive and Family Friendly Holiday Activities

December 17, 2012 / Mark Henricks

Sometimes everything about the holidays seems to come with a steep price attached. But it doesn’t have to be that way. Here are seven holiday activities that range in price from free to heavily discounted and are sure to please...

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Housing Finances

Is the Condo Market Making a Comeback?

December 7, 2012 / Mark Henricks

If you purchased a condominium before the real estate crash, you may be wondering if you’ll ever be able to break even on it. While that day has not yet arrived for everyone, the condo market is improving in many...

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