Happy New Year! If you've been thinking about preparing and living on a budget this year following is how to get started immediately. With a little tracking (that can lead to some self-awareness) you can be on your way to achieving your financial goals in no time.Pen and paper v. Software and … [Read more...] about Quick and easy budgeting on paper
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How to start your career and your financial life on the right foot
Congratulations, you've ready to start your real job. Welcome to the world of work. Following are some tips you should follow to help get your career and financial life off to a good start.Even though you've graduated you may not know exactly what you want to do or you think you do but once … [Read more...] about How to start your career and your financial life on the right foot
What happens to your online life when you die?
We don't like to talk about the end of our lives, but it's something that is important to plan for, both for ourselves and for those we leave behind.These days, estate planning includes not only who will inherit our worldly goods when we die, but also what will happen to our digital … [Read more...] about What happens to your online life when you die?
Why and how to make an estate plan, even if you’re not rich
Estate planning is only for old, rich people. Estate planning is scary. Estate planning is so easy you can do it yourself. Wrong. Wrong. And, so wrong, unless you want your family duking it out in front of Judge Judy.Simply put: An estate plan is a set of legal documents that allows you to … [Read more...] about Why and how to make an estate plan, even if you’re not rich
How to make money taking online surveys
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Got an opinion on something? On everything? There are plenty of businesses that want to know what you think about anything from laundry detergent to television programs. Many are even willing to pay you for your time, if you participate in online market research surveys. But with hundreds of market … [Read more...] about How to make money taking online surveys
How to find extra money to invest this year
For many, investing is scary. Memories of the financial crisis and stock market crash of 2008 and 2009 and the tech bubble burst in the early 2000s scare many consumers away. On top of that, the myth that you need a substantial amount of capital to start investing persists. With worries … [Read more...] about How to find extra money to invest this year
How to make money renting out a room
The sharing economy has introduced all kinds of services that make being a landlord easier. Thanks in large part to these services, many Americans have found financial gains in renting out rooms or entire homes to vacationers as well as long-term tenants.If you think this might be steady source … [Read more...] about How to make money renting out a room
How to get the best deal on a mortgage
Most people will need a mortgage to buy a home. That means that not only do you need to shop for a home, you need to shop for a home loan. But a survey of 2013 borrowers by the U.S. Consumer Financial Protection Bureau found that almost half of borrowers didn’t shop around before settling on a … [Read more...] about How to get the best deal on a mortgage
Should you buy longterm care insurance?
As the baby boomers get older, they face an important question: Who is going to take care of them when they can no longer care for themselves?About 13 percent of Americans try to answer this question by buying long-term care insurance, which is a fraction of those who will need help. Yet issues … [Read more...] about Should you buy longterm care insurance?
How to avoid pesky bank fees
If you think bank fees are getting higher and more numerous, you're right. A study by WalletHub of 35 large banks found that the average consumer checking account has 25 different fees, and the average customer pays about $470 in fees every year."Bank fees are getting more expensive, and they're … [Read more...] about How to avoid pesky bank fees
12 tech tools to help sell your home
As the housing market has improved, so has another aspect of real estate: the tech tools available to help you sell your home.“Before the recession, agents were still marketing to other agents,” says Brian Balduf, co-founder and CEO of VHT Studios, which provides digital marketing services … [Read more...] about 12 tech tools to help sell your home
How to buy a home in a sellers’ market
If you’ve decided to buy a home, good luck to you. Your challenge will be not just finding a home you like, but also beating out all the other home buyers who like it and want to make an offer on it, too.The number of homes for sale is low nationwide, particularly in the price ranges desired by … [Read more...] about How to buy a home in a sellers’ market
Don’t let mutual fund fees eat up your savings
Now that taxes are out of the way, it’s time to think about paying yourself. Whether you are saving for retirement, a college education or just some random future item, you may well be using mutual funds.Mutual funds are investments that pool money from many individuals. A professional portfolio … [Read more...] about Don’t let mutual fund fees eat up your savings
Managing retirement plan rollovers
Retirement plans are supposed to be simple, but they are more complex than we'd like. That sometimes makes them seem so impossibly complicated that the best thing is just to do nothing. Doing nothing is precisely the wrong thing to do; the complexity isn't nearly as complicated as it is sometimes … [Read more...] about Managing retirement plan rollovers
How the rich get rich — and stay rich
Recently, I was having a conversation with someone who commented on how appalled they were that a friend of ours, with a high-level and high-paying job, had recently purchased a very basic car. “How can he drive that cheap car when he has such a high-level job?! It just looks bad.” Huh?The … [Read more...] about How the rich get rich — and stay rich
