The subject of kids' allowances is a hot topic in the momosphere, as confused parents try to figure out the best way to teach their children responsible money management.  Most people would agree that hands-on experience is best, of course, but how do you navigate confusing chore charts?  Should you tie chores to payment, or are chores just part of being in the family?  And how do you know how much to pay them?

Julia Boorstin of is an entertainment and media reporter for CNBC.  Her job allows her to cover issues as varied as the projected opening box office for films like "Dark Knight" and "Mamma Mia," to interviewing the founder of Facebook, Mark Zuckerberg.  She also writes a blog called "Media Money" for CNBC's website that covers new media, old media and everything in between.  Next week I'm going to have the pleasure of doing a podcast interview with Julia about her job, her life and above all media and money. 

What do you do when you need a medication, but the cost is more than you can really afford? Even with insurance and a prescription drug plan, this has happened to me on several occasions.

One of the amazing things that happened at BlogHer 2008 was the beginning of mainstream media outreach to certain bloggers to create content for their existing web sites or new blog portals. This is not a bad thing. I repeat, it is extraordinary good thing that type of opportunity is taking place. However, there are parts of my mind that are howling like an old yappy dog. Something is amiss. I can’t see it as yet. I have the scent but I don’t have anything tangible. It nagged me on Day 2 and all the way home.

This may come as a surprise from someone who is a Contributing Editor for Business, Personal Finance and Career, but I don't like to talk about money. Truth be told, I avoid the topic at all costs. I hate money. Yes, I like to use money. But I hate what it does to people. It divides. It judges.It makes people who have great personal success feel like failures.

The New York Times recently published an article, Big Paycheck or Service? Students are Put to Test, about graduates who go into school with high ideals for changing the world, but come out working for big business. (Hat tip to Echoing Green for the link).

While Financial Infidelity Seven steps to Conquering the #1 Relationship Wrecker is not a book targeted to business partners,many of the lessons and exercises offered up in the book can be adapted to business partners --okay not the one where the author Dr. Bonnie Eaker Weil suggests that: 

How will you spend your economic stimulus check? FinancialAidPodcast suggests paying down your debt, putting it in a savings account, or donating to a charitable organization. They recommend giving to the United Nations World Food Program and America’s Second Harvest.

Money and romance, yeah, it’s tough. I’ve always been one of those people who wanted to control her own money, and didn’t feel trusting about sharing. Control issues, you know? Even when I was married, it took a while--I think we were married for 6 years before I agreed to share a bank account. Before than, as I recall, my husband and I took turns dividing the household expenses and paid out of our mutual checking accounts. Keeping your own money just seemed more honest to me, cleaner.

Do you stress over money? I do. With the way the economy is going, if you're not stressing over money now, you sure could be in the near future. Gas prices are going up, home values are going down, and what money we do have is buying less and less. The thing about stressing over money is...It doesn't pay the bills. What it can do, is make you sick.

Everyone has asked this question at least once since the marketing megahit The Secret took the world by storm. People have been mired in analyzing their thoughts, forcing themselves to think positive, and often wondering why The Law of Attraction isn't working for them the way they want it to. I for one believe it is at work, but that doesn't mean you can just will the things you want to have show up in your life to appear at the exact moment you want them to.

I was recently reading an article published by my financial planner's firm and it talks about an old saying on Wall Street that "the stock market climbs a wall of worry". Anyone who even remotely watches the financial news knows that if Chairman so and so as much as sneezes wrong the Dow and NASDAQ can plunge and investors scurry around like deranged rats in a test lab. Our system and the markets are indeed a bit odd but that's the way the economy rolls. Yet there are sound ways to not only make money over the long term but also be quiet and peaceful on the inside as you do so.