The decision to rent vs buy is a timeless issue. Every renter and every homeowner has probably considered it at some point.

A lot of thought goes into this decision. I would not recommend basing your whole decision on just what the numbers dictate. As with anything financial, there are emotional and personal factors that will influence your decision, even if that means deciding against what “makes sense.”

With that being said, this is an issue that I am in the process of figuring out right now. My g/f and I pay about $1,000/month in rent right now. There are plenty of $200,000 houses around where I live, which would equate to about the same monthly payment.

I was having a philosophical argument with myself (completely sane, right?) about the moral righteousness of someone giving to charity while receiving government aid. This came about after reading a letter to a columnist in the New York Times Magazine.

The letter goes on to state:

I helped prepare a tax return for a man with a low income, about half from unemployment compensation. He had donated 10 percent of the total to his church. If he didn’t need this taxpayer-provided money, he should have refused it or saved it in case his benefits expire. Isn’t there an obligation not to be a burden to others before giving away money?

A lot of companies are adding healthcare advocates to the list of benefits for employees. A health advocate offers you personalized guidance to get through the healthcare maze. Say goodbye to the red tape and stress!

Advocates support and promote the rights of the patient in the health care arena, help build capacity to improve community health and enhance health policy initiatives focused on available, safe and quality care. (wiki)

If you haven’t used a health advocate before, they really are great (in my experience). They offer one-on-one guidance anytime you have a healthcare or insurance question or issue. The person on the other end of the phone is often a past or current nurse, medical director, or insurance expert.

Winter is one of those double-edged swords that we must endure in life. We know we’ll have to endure mind-numbing coldness, but on the bright-side, this allows us to finish all of the DIY-warrior projects we have been putting off. (If you live someplace where the winter means it’s as “cold” as 70, I hate you.)

Any time the weather gets below your tipping point, think about starting one of these weekend projects to save money on heating, electricity, and/or water. Keep in mind: These projects are not necessarily quickies, so we must rope off more time than we would normally in order to ensure we get the job done entirely and effectively.

I won’t lie, I am a Mint user. I love Mint’s simplicity, functionality, and, well, prettiness. There, I said it. However, I wanted to see what all of the Quicken hype is about. And not to mention, I got it for free from work as part of a drive towards “Financial Literacy” in the workplace.

A lot of people tell me that Quicken is much more comprehensive when it comes to investment tracking and budgeting. So, are they right?