You don't have to be an economist to see that it's been harder to make and keep a dollar these days. But you can set the stage for a financial comeback. Nine of our readers share smart money moves they've made.
Sold stock, paid off the house
1 of 9
Name: Wade Bloom
Age: 40
Hometown: Fargo, N.D.
In the summer of 2008, my wife and I were sitting on about $80,000 of company stock. I had an uneasy feeling about the markets, so I sold the whole batch.
We used the proceeds to pay off the mortgage on our $300,000 house.