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Kids cost. Kids cost money. They cost time. They even cost sanity at times. But have you ever wondered if they'll cost you a career? Unfortunately, in our culture, that could be the case; but it doesn't have to be. Let's take a look at how staying home to raise your children could potentially leave you out of a career path. Then we'll take a look at some great ways you can combat this difficulty.

Why Staying Home Could Leave You Staying Behind

A retirement that includes sipping mai tais on a tropical beach may sound wonderful to both you and your spouse, but are you truly financially prepared? Or are you on the other end of the spectrum, where you haven't even discussed retirement plans yet? No matter your situation, have no fear: planning a retirement together can begin at any age. Let's look at how to plan a retirement together, starting at the very beginning.

When Lovebirds Meet

There are some pairings that just go together. One would just not be the same without the other. Mickey and Minnie. Peanut butter and jelly. Captain and Tenille. Puts and calls. What? (Insert that neat little record-screeching sound they play in a movie when all activity comes to a halt here.) Okay, so they might not be the first things that come to mind when famous word pairings are mentioned, but in the world of investing, puts and calls definitely go together like peas and carrots.

Options, Options, Options

The other day, I decided to make a kid-friendly meal that was healthy, fun and low-cost. (Yes, no kids yet, but with one on the way, it's time to think up some great kid-friendly recipes!).

Since kids love chicken tenders and cheese sticks, I thought that combining the two would be a surefire family-friendly meal perfect for everyone once baby makes three. And they were a hit with my husband, a man with "kid taste," so I thought I'd share the recipe here.

Chicken Cheese Sticks

When I was young, my mother was a poor single mom. She didn't make much, so we never had much. Of course, this never bothered my brother, sister or me; we never knew we were poor. What we did know was this: money has a great power. A purchasing power. An amazing ability to buy either a large quantity of things or one item. How did we know this at seven-, six- and three-years old? Why, our mother taught us. Today I'll let you in on her secrets to teaching kids about purchasing power.

Take Every Opportunity

Have date nights with your life's love started looking a bit reminiscent of the Steve Carrell/Tina Fey flick? You know, the same old dinner at the same old restaurant with the same old stilted conversation? Let's face it: even though we want them to happen and look forward to them, date nights with our spouses can get a little stale. Here are a couple of ideas to get your creative juices flowing when it comes to spending time with your special other half.

Try a Rotten Tomato

A few weeks ago, we introduced the terms unsecured and secured credit. Melinda did a great job of defining the terms in her "Simple Does It" series, and now that we have a great definition base, it's time to put those definitions to work!

As we continue our definitions series with an in-depth look at the terms on stock balance sheets, we come to the definitions that comprise the asset turnover ratios. These include receivables turnover, inventory turnover, fixed assets turnover, and the average collection period. This long list of definitions may seem intimidating, but the asset turnover ratio definitions aren't so bad. Let's take a closer look at them.

Asset Turnover Ratios

I read a good fiction book over the weekend, “Silver Sparrow” by Tayari Jones. It’s about a man who marries really young and falls in love later in life. His affair produces a love child, and instead of divorcing his current wife to marry the woman he loves, he brilliantly decides to become a bigamist. In the meantime, his first wife becomes pregnant as well.

It's getting close to that wonderful season again. Yes, tax season. Ugh. Unless you're a CPA or secretly love to read the IRS tax code, you probably don't look forward to tax season, particularly if you're self-employed. However, if you know a few things about taxes, the season doesn't have to be all gloom and doom. The following are a few general things to keep in mind about self-employment and taxes, courtesy of the IRS.

How the IRS Defines Self-Employment