By Joe Pinsker
Up and down the economic ladder, many Americans who work—and especially those raising kids—are pressed for time, wishing they had more of it to devote to leisure activities (or even just sleeping). At the same time, research has indicated that people who are busy tend to be happier than those who are idle, whether their busyness is purposeful or not.
By Tim Herrera
I have this awful, corny joke I trot out whenever I’m glossing over details for future plans with friends or brushing off something I don’t want to deal with: “That’s Future Tim’s problem. Let that chump deal with it.” Poor, poor Future Tim. Constantly set up for failure by that jerk Past Tim. As Present Tim — who, ahem, is always on top of things — I can say that Past Tim isn’t bad. He’s just wired that way. And I’m sure as you’re reading this, a few instances come to mind of when Past You has, quite inconsiderably, set up Future You for failure. Why do we do this to ourselves? What makes us act against our own self-interest, even when we are acutely aware we’re doing so? Read more…
Story by Ben Yagoda
Science suggests we’re hardwired to delude ourselves. Can we do anything about it?
By Shlomo Benartzi
People often don’t know their true preferences. Trying them out could save you a lot of money.
By Shlomo Benartzi and Hal E. Hershfield
The answer will tell you whether you suffer an ‘illusion of poverty’ or an ‘illusion of wealth.’
By Hal E. Hershfield and Cassie Mogilner Holmes
Given the choice between more time or more money, which would you pick? For a beach vacation, you might pay more for a direct flight to gain a couple of extra hours getting sand between your toes. On the other hand, you might take a better-paying job that requires late nights at the office.
By Minda Zetlin
We face this kind of decision all the time. Pitch one more customer, or go home to an early dinner with the family? Attend a career-boosting workshop or take a badly needed vacation? Apply for that high-paying job that will have you working long hours so you can pay for your children's education, or skip it for now so you can spend more time with them?
By Carolyn Bigda, Daniel Bortz, Elaine Pofeldt and Penelope Wang
In the first three installments of the series “How to Reach $1 Million,” you learned key investing strategies for millionaires-in-the making, tips for boosting your salary, and strategic ways to lower your taxes. Part Four below offers smart ideas to inspire, cajole, or even trick yourself to save and invest more efficiently.
By Christopher Ingraham
Americans who want more time in their lives are happier than those who want more money, according to new research published in the journal Social Psychological and Personality Science.
By Ana Swanson
Have you ever sat down to complete an important task — and then suddenly discovered you were up loading the dishwasher or engrossed in the Wikipedia entry about Chernobyl? Or perhaps you suddenly realize that the dog needs to be fed, emails need to be answered, your ceiling fan needs dusting — or maybe you should go ahead and have lunch, even though it’s only 11 a.m.?
By Jena McGregor
It’s that time of year when those resolutions march through: exercise more, eat better, mind the finances. And too often they bend our will for a week or two and then — poof — are forgotten.
By Anne Tergesen
When children leave home, some parents splurge on travel and home projects. They don’t increase retirement saving much on average, a new study shows.
By Anthony Mason
LOS ANGELES -- Young people don't think much about retirement. Two out of five don't think about it at all, according to a survey of adults under 30.
By Adam Waytz, Hal Hershfield, and Diana Tamir
Meditation says to focus on the present. But life may be more meaningful if you don’t.
By Lindsey Bever
The year before we age into a new decade — at 29, 39, 49 and so on — we’re more likely to back up and take a hard look at our lives. Year nine, that time leading up to a new chapter, can prompt us to take action, making us more likely to run a marathon, cheat on our partners or even take our own lives, according to research published this week in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
By Alina Tugend
I’ve been wanting to change some of my longstanding habits that I’m not so fond of. But I think I’ve discovered why this can be so difficult.
It’s how we think of our future selves.
By Jennifer Saranow Schultz
Imagine you’re 30 and trying to figure out how much to save for retirement. You consult a Web site that can show you what you will most likely look like at 65 and that shows the more you save now, the happier you will look then.
