Spending

During more than two decades of helping people learn to manage their money, Jean Chatzky has picked up a host of financial maxims that she falls back on over and over again. Why? Because they make sense. They're funny. They're memorable. And they work.

Retailers and consumer products companies are on charging downfield toward a touchdown on Super Bowl Sunday. Consumer spending related to the big game is expected to reach an all-time high this year, with the average watcher projected to shell out $63.87 on Super Bowl-related merchandise.

While the high rollers are hitting the stores and the financially shaky are pinching pennies to pay the bills, many people in between are struggling with another seasonal debate: How to handle holiday tipping this year.

Halloween can get ghoulishly expensive for parents. Between decorating, candy, pumpkin-picking and costumes, and the holiday price tag can get almost scary. But many of the biggest spenders on Halloween don't even have kids: Young professionals now spend the most of anyone.

The world of personal finance is a lot like Halloween: Filled with treats if you're good (and clever), but rife with tricks if you're not careful. Here's some advice that will keep your money tree from getting TPed, and help you bring home a pumpkin full of sweet rewards.

Multimillionaire businesswoman and business coach Dani Johnson made plenty of mistakes and hit more than a few speed bumps on the road to her success. But those difficulties taught her a few things about how to make money, how to keep it, and how to turn it into your slave.

It's a contentious personal finance debate: To stay out of debt and get rich, should we focus on controlling our small purchases, or put most of our effort into making the big gains in areas like earnings? DailyFinance asks three of the Web's most popular personal finance bloggers for their views.

On New Year's Day, you had plans -- promises to get your finances in order in 2011. Today, check your financial pulse: Where do all those good intentions stand? Ask yourself tough questions then take action. The experts tell you where to begin.

Guess what the recession hath wrought: A little teen sobriety. According to a new survey, nine out of 10 teens say they were "affected by the recession," causing major shifts in perspective that include a greater appreciation for what they have and an increased awareness of financial hardship.

The origins of Memorial Day date to the aftermath of the Civil War, when people would decorate the graves of fallen soldiers to honor their service. The holiday still retains its reverential and patriotic spirit, but its economic consequences, though smaller than those of other holidays, cannot be overlooked.