(photo: while rice balls have nothing to do with personal finance, they are indeed delicious and contribute to a great quality of life!  Thanks A. Williams for sharing her Crispy coated Pesto Sausage Arancini with Mozzarella, served with Basil Pesto photo!) Welcome to the 52nd Best of Money Carnival! If you’re not familiar with the concept of a “blog carnival”, it’s simply a […]

Both of my parents were born in Southern Italy where unemployment is high and quality of life is superb. My mother, A., made it to the 7th grade and my father, T., recieved the equivalent of a technical high school diploma. Both of my parents immigrated to the US in 1975 and are currently debt free, own their own two-family […]

(photo: Many Italians are frugal, but ask an Italian what he or she loves better, a fig or money and the answer will almost always be the king of fruits, the fig) If you haven’t noticed, Scordo.com has been focusing on living the Italian Way recently.  Scordo began as a practical living and personal finance blog, but what I noticed […]

Hello Scordo.com readers and welcome to the first Best of Money Carnival for 2010!  I’m excited and honored to be hosting this week’s carnival (thanks to Free Money Finance). There was no shortage of quality content submitted (70 articles in total) from eliminating credit card debt and marital tips on dealing with money to how board games teach valuable life […]

(photo: cast from the film, American Psycho) I see it all the time, twenty and thirty somethings ingrained with the idea that they deserve what they deem desirable, whether it be a new wardrobe, apartment in a trendy city, new luxury car, a monstrous new kitchen, the latest Smartphone, and/or a 6 bedroom home in a privileged suburb.  Let me […]

(Photo courtesy of: Jupiterg) Scordo.com is on the homepage of Wisebread.com!  I recently shared 9 practical car buying tips with the Wisebread.com community, here’s a little preview (click through to to read the full article): “The process of buying a car is just not what it used to be. Gone are the days of brand loyalty, limited selection, and awkward […]

(photo: my young uncle washing his hands in an outdoor fountain in Bagnara, Calabra – Village of Pellegrina) One of the most important life skills you can teach your child is how to save or, more specifically, why it’s important to save.   My parents would often bring me to the bank as a small child and I observed my mother writing and cashing […]

I have to admit there are days when I think that a new tennis racquet or a few new books from the local Barnes and Noble would make me feel great!  However after I stop and think I realize that the two Prince racquets I own are great and I’m not going to play better tennis with a new Babolat or […]

I’ve often stated here and to many friends directly that recent immigrants have an intuitive personal finance philosophy that not only embraces the pillars associated with the American dream but also runs counter to the deeply entrenched, and ugly side, of modern American life: consumerism and materialism.   Some friends get the above point quickly and agree, while others look […]

Daniel Gross, a columnist at Newsweek and Slate, published a recent article in the NY Times Book Review that argued that today’s über rich are essentially leisure-less tycoons who need to work around the clock.  Gross goes on to argue that, “among Type-A, self-made members of the leisure class (read ultra wealthy), there’s a sort of reverse prestige associated with […]