I hate to be a broken record about mutual funds, but buy index funds instead of actively managed funds. This is one case where cheaper is actually better.

Adding to the pile of evidence that you can’t beat the market was a Standard & Poor’s study released this week. It found that over the five-year […]

I often mention magicJack as an inexpensive substitute or supplement to your landline telephone service. This small device plugs into the USB port on your computer. You plug a phone line into the other end. It uses your broadband Internet connection to make and receive phone calls – to and from regular telephones – on […]

Later this month in a Spending Smart newspaper column I’ll be writing about a new and growing way to save on electricity by switching some of your electricity use to off-peak hours.

That’s part of a broader tip about asking your power company to tell you about its energy efficiency programs. All power companies have them […]

Here are a couple of deals I ran across on LifeHacker.com, a blog that gives a wide variety of use tips – many are technology-oriented.

-BJ’s Wholesale extended trial. Get a 60-day trial membership at wholesale club BJ’s with this coupon. Warehouse clubs can offer good deals on some types of purchases. One of the best […]

The May 2009 issue of Consumer Reports has a number of interesting articles – as it always seems to.

Of interest this month was how to cut spending at the grocery store. Basically, they hit all the usual tips: use coupons, buy store brands, shop sales with the store’s loyalty card. What was interesting is quantifying […]

The May 2009 issue of Consumer Reports has a number of interesting articles – as it always seems to.

Of interest this month was how to cut spending at the grocery store. Basically, they hit all the usual tips: use coupons, buy store brands, shop sales with the store’s loyalty card. What was interesting is quantifying […]

Sunday’s Spending Smart column was about whether ID theft protection services are worth paying for. You can find that column here.

The quick answer is probably not, unless you have a reason to suspect you might be at higher-than-average risk for identity theft. And remember, someone misusing your credit card to make unauthorized purchases isn’t a […]

The Spending Smart newspaper column has again won a best-column award from the Society of American Business Editors and Writers. This is the third time in the past four years that the column has won that award. Always nice to feel appreciated.

The judges’ comments:

“Greg Karp writes personal finance the old-fashioned way, with strong reporting, useful […]