Black Friday. Say those two words together, and people will either get a rapturous look and crazed smile on their face or they'll shudder in horror. Typically, you're either for it or against it. For years, when I worked retail, I was in the shudder category. Now, years removed from punching a cash register, I embrace it with a glass-half-full glee.

When beginning to invest, terms like Cyclical Industry Investing can be a little off-putting to the unseasoned investor. However, the big term is not actually as difficult to understand as it may seem at first glance. Let’s take a look a little more closely at cyclical industry investing.

What is a Cyclical Industry?

As Thanksgiving approaches, many people become more cognizant of the wonderful things and people in our lives. The sun may seem a little brighter and the air a little more crisp (partially in thanks to that cold weather rolling in!). A feast with family and friends is just days away, and all may seem good with life.

I’m sure everyone’s seen “The Money Pit”. If not, definitely go check it out; it’s an oldie but goody that many people can relate to. If you haven’t seen it, here’s the rundown: Walter Fielding (Tom Hanks) and his girlfriend Anna Crowley (Shelley Long) purchase a “distressed” mansion with plans to renovate. The plans go awry through a series of housing issues, from muddy plumbing to raccoon infestation, and the couple must sink into complete debt to repair (shall I say entirely reconstruct?) the home.

We're slowly but steadily heading east as we continue our series on the United States' 529 plans. Up to the plate this week: Colorado. The state that his home to the Rockies and Mile High's Tim Tebow has an impressive four 529 college savings plans to choose from. It's worth noting an internet search for plans in this state will yield results for a fifth plan, the Prepaid Tuition Fund; however, this plan is no longer open and is being allowed to phase out.

Love is a wonderful thing. Really, it is. Of course, everyone who’s ever been in a relationship knows that that love often comes with a lot of compromise…and one of the biggest places for compromise is in finances. This is completely understandable when you think about it: people are different and they want to purchase different things. Makes sense. But what do you do if your spending habits are worlds apart from one another? How do you accept your differences and skip off into the sunset?

Talk About It

Bankruptcy. Just seeing the word might induce a shudder at its implications. It's a topic that might not be on the top of your list to discuss, but it makes up a significant part of our financial culture. In an effort to keep financial terms in a simple, easy-to-digest format, we'll give bankruptcy and all of its connected points the "simple does it" treatment.

Debtor and Creditor

Last weekend was leaf cleanup weekend in my household, and I made an unplanned purchase. I bought a leaf blower. Many people (including my former self) consider this contraption an unnecessary tool. But for me on this particular weekend, it made my job a little easier.

You see, with the toothache of a few weeks ago, I wasn’t feeling 100%. Okay, I was barely feeling 50%. In any case, I was not on top of my puppy cleanup duty, and the backyard was littered with horse-sized presents. All which were buried under leaves.

There’s a lot of talk these days about foreclosures and short sales in our poor housing market, and it can seem at first like these two words are interchangeable. Overall, both mean that the seller cannot afford payments on the house, and the home must be sold; so it’s tempting to lump them together. However, foreclosures and short sales are actually more different than they appear. Let’s look at both definitions in more detail.

Foreclosure

When my girls were babies, we would attract a lot of attention going about the store in our double stroller. Strangers would often stop us, asking if they were identical, commenting on them in general. And always there was at least one kind soul who thought they’d give us a pearl of parenting wisdom.