Quick Tips for Managing Your Money

A while back I wrote about a great little podcast, "Grammar Girl's Quick and Dirty Tips for Better Writing." The people behind Grammar Girl have created other podcasts as well using the same quick-and-easy approach, and my favorite of these is one that simplifies all aspects of managing your finances.

Like the Grammar Girl podcast, "Money Girl's Quick and Dirty Tips for a Richer Life" offers easy-to-understand advice on common topics in a bite-size format, with episodes ranging from three to six minutes or so. Though each podcast is brief, it presents sounds information on a number of topics that are frequently misunderstood.

Recent episodes have covered issues such as:

• Who can take the mortgage interest deduction
• Pros and cons of a 15-year vs. a 30-year mortgage
• How to create a supercharged Roth IRA
• Getting ready for tax time
• How to set financial goals
• Ways to protect your credit score
• Telling the difference between good debt and bad debt

The Money Girl podcast is a good way to get a basic understanding of a variety of some fundamental financial concepts, from money management to taxes and retirement. It can be downloaded through iTunes and other podcast programs, or streamed from the Web site.