How to Haggle With the Car Dealer

Use these strategies to get the best price on a vehicle.

By Lisa Gerstner, From Kiplinger's Personal Finance, October 2014

Everyone knows you shouldn’t pay full sticker price for a new car, but few people savor the prospect of trying to whittle down the cost. What’s more, most buyers are likely outmatched in the haggling game by salespeople with years of daily experience thrusting and parrying around the showroom floor.

Cost-Cutting Tips From Around the Web

Advice from personal finance bloggers on easy ways to spend less so you can save more.

By Cameron Huddleston, August 27, 2014

I'll be joining some of my favorite personal finance bloggers and other experts this afternoon to offer advice on how to plan and set financial goals during an Experian #CreditChat. Here's how you can join the chat at 3 p.m. ET to hear our tips. If you have a goal of spending less so you can save more, I've rounded up several tips to help you cut costs.

7 Ways You May Be Wasting Money

You can easily cut these unnecessary expenses so you can keep more cash.

By Cameron Huddleston, August 27, 2014

Our list of "Ways You Waste Your Money" is one of the most popular features on Kiplinger.com, and we've just updated it for 2014 with seven more money-wasters. The list has struck a chord with readers because it doesn't shame consumers for bad habits -- but, instead, helps identify sneaky leaks that add up to big bucks. Check out below the newest unnecessary expenses we're calling to your attention, then see our slide show for the complete list of common ways people waste money.
Not adjusting the thermostat. Don’t waste money heating or cooling an empty house or apartment. When you leave for the day, lower – or raise, depending on the season – your thermostat by several degrees. You can save 5% to 15% (about $180 a year) by adjusting your thermostat 10 degrees to 15 degrees for eight hours, according to the U.S. Department of Energy. A programmable thermostat makes setting your home’s temperature easy.

How to Cut Your Textbook Costs in Half -- or More

Don’t fall into the trap of buying all your course materials new at the campus store.
By Kathryn Moody, August 21, 2014

With a little luck and a lot of digital savvy, today’s college students may not have to lug a single hard-copy textbook around campus. But their course materials can still carry a heavy price tag.
Let us show you how to beat rising textbook prices (last year the average textbook cost $72 new, up from $68 the year before) by licensing e-books, tapping open-source course materials, and buying or renting used textbooks. These trends and tactics are paying off, with the average student actually spending less in total for their books each year, down to $638 in 2013 from $662 the year before and $702 six years ago, according to the National Association of College Stores.

How Jeopardy Champion Julia Collins Will Spend Her Windfall

A recent champ of the TV quiz show plans to play it safe with her winnings.By Sandra BlockSee my bio, plus links to all my recent stories., From Kiplinger's Personal Finance, October 2014 Follow @sandyblock

Julia Collins of Wilmette, Ill., (pictured at left) won $428,100 in 20 consecutive games on

Jeopardy. The 31-year-old is the highest-earning woman in the game show’s 50-year history, with the second-longest winning streak. Her streak ended in June. Here's an edited transcript of Kiplinger's interview with Collins.

Best Money-Saving Tips From Top Personal Finance Bloggers

Each week I round up advice from some of my favorite personal finance bloggers to share with Kip Tips readers. This past weekend I had the chance to meet many of these bloggers in New Orleans during a financial media conference. So I used the opportunity to ask them in-person what is their single best tip for saving money. Here is the advice they offered:
Downgrade your technology, says Sandy Smith of Yes, I Am Cheap. She says that we get so hooked on technology that we fail to ask ourselves whether we really need to buy the latest and greatest gadgets. We often don’t bother to add up how much we’re spending on technology. Rather than buy a new iPhone 6, she’s sticking with the $50 phone she has with a pay-as-you-go plan.

Burger King Shareholders Can Dodge a Whopper of a Tax Bill

The latest in a string of U.S. companies buying foreign firms so they can skirt the IRS marries a burger-and-fries icon (Burger King) with coffee-and-donut icon (Tim Hortons). When the new firm reconstitutes itself in Ontario, U.S. corporate tax revenues will go on diet. Normally, these so-called inversions that cut corporate taxes can trigger a painful hike in individual income tax for shareholders.

Turning 50? Catch Up on Retirement Savings

You can start contributing more cash to your IRA, 401(k) and other retirement accounts once you reach the milestone.
By Sandra BlockSee September 18, 2014

Are you afraid you haven’t saved enough for retirement? If you’re 50 or older, the tax code gives you lots of incentives to make up for lost time.

Retirement Plans for Self-Employed Workers

I started doing freelance work a few months ago and am wondering if I can contribute to a self-employed retirement account. If so, can I contribute to a Roth IRA at the same time?
Yes to both questions. You can stash money in a retirement-savings plan if you have income from self-employment, even if you have a full-time job, too.
The two best retirement-savings options for most self-employed workers are a solo 401(k) and a Simplified Employee Pension (SEP). You can make tax-deductible contributions to either plan, and the money grows tax-deferred until retirement (you usually have to pay a 10% penalty for withdrawals before age 59½). You may be able to contribute more to the solo 401(k), but it may be easier for you to find a SEP administrator.

5 Ways to Save on Video Games

Use these strategies to cut your spending on digital entertainment.

By Neal M. Sweeney, September 11, 2014





For console (Xbox, Playstation, Wii) and mobile (smart phones, tablets) gamers and their parents who empty their wallets to support them, it’s clear who’s really winning: The video game industry itself, which raked in more than $21 billion of consumers’ money in 2013. But smart shoppers can save big by practicing a little patience and comparing offers on new and used games. Consider these five strategies to cut your household spending on games