Category Archives: Financial Illiteracy

Why Do Famous Folks Make So Many Financial Flubs?

Broke professional sports stars are nothing new, but ever wonder why athletes — with their outsize salaries — seem so much more prone to bankruptcy than Average Joes? The New York Times took a shot at answering that question in a recent “Your Money” column by interviewing Hall of Fame quarterback Steve Young: Steve Young has [...]

Personal-Finance Tips for the Non-Braindead

Being a personal-finance aficionado, I always click on those articles that promise to help cut the fat from your budget. Most recently, I was intrigued by the idea of RealSimple.com’s “24 Hours of Savings” article for finding ways to trim your spending throughout the day. However, it’s disappointing that the bulk of the advice seems [...]

Famous Financial Flubs: Broke NFL Stars

News has broken that there will be a 2011 pro football season after all (woohoo!). Under the deal, veteran NFL players will still be paid millions for doing what they do best. However, the ability to earn an outsize paycheck doesn’t mean that all NFL stars are financially secure. The Wall Street Journal reports this [...]

Famous Financial Flubs (and Fixes!): Debbie Reynolds

Actress and dancer Debbie Reynolds, who’s perhaps best known for starring in Singin’ in the Rain, spent much of her career collecting an estimated 3,500 costumes and thousands more props to create a museum of Hollywood memorabilia. Unfortunately, sinking so much money into her hobby landed her in more than $4 million worth of debt, [...]

Famous Financial Flubs: Real Housewives Edition

The Real Housewives reality-television franchise has spawned more bankruptcy filings than pro sports and celebrity accountant Kenneth Starr combined. We wondered why, so we reviewed the most notorious examples of the “real housewives” living beyond their means. Teresa Giudice is one of the most combative Real Housewives of New Jersey, and with this group, that’s [...]

Famous Financial Flubs: The Osbournes

As you undoubtedly already know, the deadline for filing your 2010 taxes was yesterday. But if you’re reality-television rockers Ozzy and Sharon Osbourne, it was also a good day to pay taxes for 2008 and 2009. Better late than never! On April 4, the IRS put liens on the Osbournes’ two Los Angeles-area mansions to [...]

Do Affordable-Housing Calculators Give Good Advice?

In the home-buying process, the first question you must answer is “how much house can I afford?” And in an effort to determine that amount responsibly, you may have googled for a calculator like this one on CNNMoney.com, which will tell you that you can spend between 28% and 36% of your gross income on [...]

Do Celebrities Have Legit Reasons to Make Famous Financial Flubs?

Here at Econ4U, when I catch a celebrity screwing up in a major financial way, I recap the story in our Famous Financial Flubs section. Not because I’m gleeful at someone else’s misfortune, but because it can serve as a valuable lesson for everyday people and help everyone handle their money better. However, WalletPop columnist [...]

Famous Financial Flubs: Basketball Legend Tim Hardaway

Just when you think playing for the NBA couldn’t get any better between the insane paychecks and adoring fans, here’s a new perk: If you’re a big enough star, your employer will even pay your way out of trouble with the Internal Revenue Service. That’s what former Miami Heat point guard Tim Hardaway found out [...]

Homeowners Gamble by Not Paying Their Mortgages

Last summer, we touched on whether refusing to pay your debt at some point becomes a moral issue. In this week’s New York Times, the topic proves timely still. The article follows the Pemberton family in St. Petersburg, Fla., who have stopped paying their mortgage so they can put their money to more fun use, such as trips [...]