There are a lot of reasons people get married. And while we might not want to admit it, “financial reasons” often make that list. There are a number of ways in which getting married will impact your personal finances. First and foremost, they will change your taxes. While most common wisdom assumes that a married… Read More
Human Brains are Bad at Managing Money (as reported by Eshe Nelson on www.qz.com)
It would be great if one could improve the human brain to optimize it for handling money. As it is, there are a lot of things about the way we see the world that make managing our finances more difficult. For example, human beings have a present bias. That means that we have a tendency… Read More
Raiding Your Retirement Savings (as reported by Allison Schrager on www.qz.com)
A 401k, pension account, or IRA are all built to help people save for retirement. However, what about saving for emergencies or other needs that crop up earlier in life. Often, those retirement savings can’t help you, because if you withdraw from them early, you are left to pay expensive penalties. That leads to a… Read More
6 Stages of Financial Freedom (as reported by J. D. Roth on www.getrichslowly.org)
How close you are to achieving your financial goals depends a lot on what those goals are. For most of us, just having enough money to pay the bills each month is a step in the right direction. But if you don’t know where you currently stand, or don’t have any plans for how you’re… Read More
The Guide to Debt-Free Living (as reported by Catherine Alford on www.frugalrules.com)
Many Americans struggle to avoid debt for much of their lives. The goal for all of us, however, should be debt-free living. One way to learn how to live a debt-free life is to take a cue from those people who are already doing it. When we examine the lives of people who don’t take… Read More
How to Save on the Costs of Raising a Child (as reported by Holly Johnson on www.thesimpledollar.com)
All of us want the best for our children. Sometimes, however, money gets in the way. Raising a kid to the age of 18 now costs an average of over $230,000. This figure includes everything from food to healthcare, education to clothing, and all the costs in between. But it’s just an average, and there… Read More
Save Money by Switching to Solar Power (as reported by Andy Bowen on www.thesimpledollar.com)
The benefits of switching to solar energy to power your home now far outweigh the costs almost anywhere in the United States today. On average, you will save approximately $23,000 on electricity costs over 25 years. And after subtracting the installation costs, that means an extra $6,000-7,000 in your pocket. In fact, many experts say… Read More
Big Paychecks Don’t Guarantee Success (as reported by Holly Johnson on www.thesimpledollar.com)
The two sides of the equation for how to grow your wealth that we always talk about are: Make more money Spend less money Often, we take aim at the first goal. But a bigger paycheck does not necessarily set you up for financial success. And it’s important that we understand the reasons why so… Read More
Financial Repercussions of a New Baby (as reported by Connie Mei on www.moneyning.com)
The day you find out you are pregnant, a lot of things change. One of those things includes figuring out how you are going to pay for the expenses that accompany a new child. Every child comes with new costs, but the first one is likely to have the biggest impact. You and your partner… Read More
Retirement Planning for Singles (as reported by Emily Guy Birken on www.wisebread.com)
In the United States today, it is far more common for adults to be single than it used to be. Marriage rates have been steadily dropping over the last 50 years. But most financial advice still assumes adults are married. Writing for Wise Bread, Emily Guy Birken tells us what changes for retirement planning when… Read More