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.
Four Tips to Getting the Most Bang for Your Investing Buck
In recent years, there has been a lot of focus on investing and how it can help you build wealth. However, even with all of the new technological tools that make it easier than ever to start investing, many people still believe they need expensive help to get the best returns for their money. If [...]
When Should I See a Financial Planner?
How do you know if you’re ready for a financial planner? After all, it’s sort of a strange proposition: You’re spending money on someone who will tell you how to spend your money. But that’s exactly why millions of people see financial planners in the first place. “Typically, people who come to me are already [...]
How Do I Change My Name After Marriage?
So you’re getting married and you’ve opted to change your last name. Congratulations! But as you’ll soon find out, changing your name is not quite as simple as just signing the marriage license. You need to notify a number of different agencies about your name switcheroo. It’s a bit of work, but don’t worry—it’s not [...]
Five Tips to Remember When Shopping for a Home
The process of shopping for a home can be overwhelming, especially for first-time buyers. Inventories of homes for sale are still very thin in most markets and have yet to return to pre-housing bust levels. Particularly hard to come by are so-called “starter homes” because they are being scooped up by investors in addition to [...]
4 Ways You Can Go Green and Save Money
Want to go green and save money? Remodeling your home with a few key features could improve its energy efficiency and increase its value over time. http://youtu.be/zOKA81kD-vk In fact, homeowners who choose to take on green remodeling projects can lower their energy consumption by 30 to 50 percent, according to the Sustainable Building Council. [...]
How You Can Save $1 Million
Americans are living healthier and longer lives. The average life expectancy is now 79—that’s plenty of time to save more than a million dollars. The upshot is that you need to start securing an income for the 10, 20 or even 30 years after retirement right now. You don’t want to spend your golden years [...]
How You Can Save $1 Million
Planning to save your first $1 million could go a long way toward securing your retirement lifestyle. “It’s definitely a reasonable goal in today’s world,” says Paul Cordero, a Certified Financial Planner (CFP®) in California. “In fact, saving $1 million is just a starting point if you think about how long you may live.” Saving [...]
Older Americans Facing Increased Mortgage Debt
For many older homeowners, increasing mortgage debt is dulling the sheen on their golden years. Approximately 33 million Americans over the age of 65 own their homes, making them the age group with the highest homeownership rate. But according to a study by the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) released in May 2014, that asset [...]
How Much Does It Really Cost to Have a Baby?
When my husband and I were preparing for the birth of our son nearly 12 years ago, we were daunted by everything we were told we were supposed to have. It looked as though having a baby would bankrupt us. Today, costs are higher, and the list of things you should supposedly have for baby [...]
Can You Spot the Happiest Retirees?
The majority of Americans don’t enjoy their work. According to a study of workplaces in more than 140 countries from 2011 through 2012 conducted by Gallup: 30 percent of Americans are engaged at work. These people are emotionally invested in their work and focused on doing their jobs well. 52 percent of Americans are not [...]