I just balanced my checkbook, and let me tell you there’s, er, a little less cash money in there than I thought. And sure, I can point a finger at Nordstrom, but I can sure point another one at planet Mercury.

Mercury rules trade and commerce, so when Mercury is retrograde it can affect our finances. And not in a good way.

Because Mercury Retrograde is all about confusion, it means you could make accounting errors, or just feel more overall stress about your financial situation. (Yeah, I know, who isn’t always stressed about money anyway, right?)

Well, trust me, finances and the stress involved with  managing money are going to be a little bit worse than usual until Mercury goes direct on November 26.

But don’t freak out! Astrologer Emily Trinkaus gave me a few tips to share with you. Here are a few financial points to keep in mind during MRx:

• Don’t start new investments, make big financial commitments or begin new business partnerships now.
• Do reconsider and restructure existing financial commitments. It’s OK to renegotiate business contracts or loans that already exist.
• Don’t make any major purchases! Things like electronics and cars bought now could be faulty or damaged, or not what you really wanted.
• Do think about your financial future, plan and do research so you’ll be ready to invest or buy when Mercury goes direct.
• Don’t take out a loan! Loans involve contracts, and signing contracts is against the rules of Mercury Retrograde.

If you take special care with your money now and follow those tips, your finances will be in better shape by the end of Mercury Retrograde. And as for me, well, I’m pretty sure I must have made a Mercury-related mistake while balancing my checkbook. There’s definitely more money in there than that. Yeah. Right?

Get more tips for surviving Mercury Retrograde at Tarot.com »