A budget is one way to consistently manage your money. A budget usually allocates a certain amount of money to each of your expenses such as rent, student loans, car loans, mortgage loans and credit card debt. Learn tips to create an effective budget and what to include in a budget as well as when it’s appropriate to start children on a budget.
Before You Retire: 90 Days Away
You’ve prepared for retirement for decades, saving money, and making plans, and now the big day is just three months away. With only 90 days left until retirement, you may still have questions—and preparations that need to be made. Here are some steps to consider taking three months prior to retirement. Practice living within your [...]
What Size Retirement Is Right for You?
You might already have plans for your golden years, but finding the right size retirement for you is crucial to make them a reality. Unexpected health and other costs are bound to come up, so the sooner you know what you want retirement to look like, the faster you’ll be able to adjust your plans [...]
9 Ways to Save $7,000 in 2016
Maybe you wish you could save more money for a rainy day or to spend on a nice vacation, but the thought of giving up free time to work a second job doesn’t sound attractive to you. If so, it might be time to make some minor course corrections with your budget. You may be [...]
Five Things to Consider When Comparing Health Insurance Plans
Whether you’re in good health naturally or you rely on medication and specialists to stay that way, finding the right health insurance plan is key—and you could pay a penalty if you don’t have it. If you’re self-employed, your employer doesn’t offer health insurance, or even if you simply think you might be better off [...]
How to Adjust to Spending in Retirement
After years of working and saving, retirement can sometimes be a difficult adjustment, especially when it comes to how you spend your money. Once you’re no longer bringing in a paycheck from an employer, you’ll have to rely on Social Security, your pension (if you’re lucky enough to have one) and your retirement savings as [...]
Back-to-School Tax Holidays and More Tax Holidays
When it comes to taxes, every little break helps, which may be why tax holidays are so popular. Each year, a number of states give consumers a break on paying sales tax, for a couple of days or up to a week, on items like clothing, footwear, school supplies, and even computers. In 2015, sixteen [...]
Tax Deductions and Travel: Mixing Business with Pleasure
If you travel regularly for business, there may be times when you decide to bring the family along. After satisfying your work commitments, you have the opportunity to enjoy some quality family time even when you’re on the road, and, as an added bonus, a portion of your vacation might lower your tax liability. While [...]
Retirement Savings or Emergency Fund? How to Prioritize When Saving Money
As you work to build your retirement savings account, you might wonder whether you should fund other accounts as well. After all, if your end goal is to retire on a tropical island, shouldn’t you put every dime you can into your retirement savings? While saving for retirement is important—it’s one of my “big three” [...]
Millennials and Money, Why It’s Cheaper to Own Than Rent, and What to Do When HELOCs Reset
Why are Millennials more confident than other generations that they’ll reach their financial goals? Why are house payments more affordable than fair market rents in 76 percent of U.S. housing markets? Get answers to these questions by listening to this week's Ilyce Glink Show. You can click the audio link below to listen to the full show, or download [...]