Man people find themselves asking this question at some point early in their careers: Should I take my savings and use it pay off my student loans or should I instead take that money and invest it? And if you ask ten different people, you might hear ten different answers. A common theme is that… Read More
How to Retire Early (as reported by Joe Udo on finance.yahoo.com)
Would you retire early if you could? Most people would say yes. And Joe Udo, writing for Yahoo Finance, cites five ways you can tell if you are ready to retire early. It starts with calculating your retirement cashflow. You will still need a steady stream of money coming in to support yourself during your… Read More
Bad Habits Costing You (as reported by www.dailyfinance.com)
In order to set yourself up for financial success, most people think about all the ways that they can make more money. But instead, it’s smarter to think about what you might do to save more. If you can cut out certain bad habits, you might be able to save more. Dailyfinance.com wrote about seven… Read More
401k Rollover (as reported by John Hechinger on www.bloomberg.com)
Beware financial advice, especially when it comes from someone who stands to profit from the ideas they are giving you. That’s the story in a recent investigation into sales techniques that some brokers are using to get employees to rollover their 401k plans to IRAs. Individual retirement accounts offer a wider range of investments, but… Read More
Improving Credit Scores (as reported by Brittney Castro on blog.mint.com)
We know by now that your credit score is a very important number as it relates to your personal financial success. It can mean the difference between getting a loan for home or car ownership or not. And it can affect the rates you pay when you are approved for a loan. But things happen,… Read More
Opposing Popular Money Advice (as reported by Alexa Mason on www.moneyning.com)
Just because a lot of people say something is true, doesn’t mean it will be true for you. In the world of personal financial advice, there are many common themes that you should test for yourself before subscribing to them. This was the case for Alexa Mason, as she explains writing for moneyning.com. Many personal… Read More
Post Home Purchase Expenses (as reported by April Dykman on getrichslowly.org)
When you buy your first home, there are some expenses that you don’t plan for. And a lot of them can happen after you actually close on the property. Such items include lawn maintenance, appliance replacement and repair, and upgrades to the look and feel of the home. Even when a home is in good… Read More
FAQs on 401k (as reported by Emily Brandon on finance.yahoo.com)
401k retirement plans are employer sponsored investment accounts that allow workers to save money for retirement. How do they work? In short, they allow workers to designate a portion of each paycheck to be deposited into an investment account tax free. Since you don’t have to pay income taxes on the money you invest until… Read More
Side Effects of Credit Cards (as reported by Richard Barrington on fivecentnickel.com)
Credit cards can be very useful tools if you use them the right way. But they also come with their dangers. Richard Barrington, writing for FiveCentNickel.com, lists the possible side effects of credit cards. They start with the added costs when you don’t pay off your debt on time. If you allow interest to accrue… Read More
529 Accounts Grow (as reported by Anne Flaherty on news.yahoo.com)
Saving for college is difficult. That’s why most parents have the option of opening a 529 College Savings Account, which allows you to contribute and use money for college education free of taxes. And a recent report by the College Savings Plans Network shows us that the average size of these accounts has doubled since… Read More