It’s time to sit back, relax and enjoy a little joe … Welcome to another rousing edition of Black Coffee, your off-beat weekly round-up of what’s been going on in the world of money and personal finance. I hope everybody had an enjoyable week. Without further ado, let’s get right to this week’s commentary … […] The post Black Coffee: Living on Borrowed Time appeared first on Len Penzo dot Com ..read more

The decision to pay off the mortgage early is always a hotly debated topic. Unfortunately, the question of “should I pay off my mortgage early?” can’t be answered easily because everybody’s circumstances are different. In fact, there is no right answer. With that in mind, it’s important to consider the arguments for both sides, and […] The post Should I Pay Off My Mortgage Early? appeared first on Len Penzo dot Com ..read more

When you’re interested in investing some of your funds, it’s important to consider investment risk vs reward. Of course, that depends on what your feelings are as an investor. For example, you need to consider whether you’re someone who is open to the possibility of taking on some extra risk. You should also consider whether […] The post Investment Risk vs. Reward: 3 Important Strategies to Consider appeared first on Len Penzo dot Com ..read more

Want to retire early? The fastest way to do that is to step up your savings game and make your retirement savings grow faster. With that in mind, here are some suggestions for building your retirement fund at a quicker pace. Crunch the numbers You don’t have to be a math wiz to calculate how […] The post 11 Ways to Make Retirement Savings Grow Faster appeared first on Len Penzo dot Com ..read more

The other day I came across an old article that suggested a healthy dose of skepticism was essential when you’re watching television commercials that make misleading claims for both prescription and non-prescription drugs. No, really. A study published in the Journal of General Internal Medicine found that 66% of claims made in television drug commercials […] The post 8 Misleading Claims People Often Make To Close a Deal appeared first on Len Penzo dot Com ..read more

It’s time to sit back, relax and enjoy a little joe … Welcome to another rousing edition of Black Coffee, your off-beat weekly round-up of what’s been going on in the world of money and personal finance. I’ve got another busy weekend ahead of me, so let’s get right to this week’s commentary … The […] The post Black Coffee: Lying Through Their Teeth appeared first on Len Penzo dot Com ..read more

Do you find it hard to say no when you’re out shopping? Does the urge to buy something, even when you don’t really need it, feel almost uncontrollable? If so, you might be dealing with a shopping addiction. It’s a real issue that many people face, and it can feel overwhelming at times. But the […] The post How to Break a Shopping Addiction appeared first on Len Penzo dot Com ..read more

The following was written by my late wife Elaine. She wrote a long book, a diary really, from which this is one passage: A Winter Story:  The Midwife  It was a beautiful, still, early December 1998 morning with 13 inches of new snow; the plows had not yet come around, and Dave went out to […] The post Grandfather Says: The Continuing Chronicles of Elaine, Part 57 appeared first on Len Penzo dot Com ..read more

When it comes to business, success depends on staying ahead of the competition. The know-how that helps achieve this is competitive intelligence. Whether it is planning a strategy, improving product features or providing better customer service, a company has a definite edge if it knows exactly what its competitors are planning. Here are a few […] The post How to Use Competitive Intelligence to Your Advantage appeared first on Len Penzo dot Com ..read more

Buying a home is a huge achievement, but it can leave many first-time homeowners financially scrambling. For new homeowners, this can unfortunately lead to more financial strife than they’re prepared for. Fortunately, there are plenty of ways for first-time homeowners to save money. Here are just a few saving tips for new homeowners to consider. […] The post 4 Money-Saving Tips for New Homeowners appeared first on Len Penzo dot Com ..read more