Father’s Day is Sunday, and it has me thinking about how I owe so much in my life to my dad. I could devote a whole post about that, but instead, I will just stick with saying I am thankful that he has passed down many important money lessons to me throughout my life.

Here is some of the financial wisdom I have gleaned from my dad:

• He is diligent about saving and investing, but he also knows how to enjoy life. He adores travel, so he goes on trips as often as he wants to, as long as all of his other financial bases are covered. He finds that perfect balance, which I also aim to achieve.

• He understands the importance of higher education. My mom and dad started a college fund for me when I was a baby.

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So how do you plan on celebrating Earth Day’s 40th anniversary? While for many it is volunteering or participating in a mass organized event, for others they will simply be “rocking out”. That is because Citi Bank wants its ThankYou Network Members to celebrate Earth Day 2010 with Green Rewards and an event known as “Playlist for Earth”.

As for creating a “Playlist for Earth” Citi has decided to invite its more than 12 million cardholders to submit their favorite music playlist. To entice its members to get involved sooner than later, they are also giving the first 500 members to submit their list five free music downloads from Sony Music Entertainment. In

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An estimated six in ten Australian shoppers will hit the shops for the Boxing Day sales, new research has found.

The Australian National Retailers Association (ANRA) and American Express annual Christmas survey also revealed that most sale shoppers will spend $250 each, with the items at the top of the wishlist including men’s and women’s clothing (47 per cent of those surveyed) and homewares and consumer electronics (both on 36 per cent).

ANRA said that Australians would part with $14.73 billion between Boxing Day and January 15th, a slight increase on last year’s figure of $14.25 billion.

Meanwhile Margy Osmond, chief executive officer of ANRA, suggested that while people were less inclined to spend big in light of continuing debt fears and rising interest rates, the attraction of Boxing Day shopping remained strong.

“There is always a buzz at the sales. Peopl

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Sunday is Mother’s Day. Did that catch any of you stragglers off guard?

Our parents are pivotal in how we learn about money and finance. We observe their spending habits, attitudes and values about money, and we often carry that to adulthood. Some of us are gifted with very financially savvy parents, while others aren’t as lucky. One of the many joys of life is becoming financially independent and discovering exactly how you and your parents differ on issues like budgeting, saving and investing.

Regardless of your parent’s spending habits, mothers deserve to be cherished this Sunday. Don’t feel like you have to break the bank to please Mom; there are plenty of inexpensive ways to celebrate her. Read full article…