Friday, May 20th, 2011
So you are ready to invest. You’ve done the research, understand the risks and the upside and, perhaps, have even picked out a fund or stock.
But you still don’t have quite the cash flow necessary to dive in. Lack of disposable income is one of the biggest barriers to investing. Most of us have plenty of money we could invest—if only we would do the proper personal inventory and find it.
Here are a few tips on how to find that “missing” money you can use to invest.
But first, a couple of caveats. (more…)
Tags: frugality, household spending, INVESTING, PERSONAL FINANCE, savings
Posted in
PERSONAL FINANCE |
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Thursday, March 24th, 2011
Dear Dave: I noticed that your Baby Steps list puts saving for retirement before saving for your children’s college fund. Sending your kids to college would come first on the timeline, so why do you suggest this? —Jen
Dear Jen: I advise this approach because everyone is going to retire someday, unless, of course, they happen to die before reaching retirement age. Retiring and eating are necessities. College is a luxury. Lots of people succeed in life without going to college, and thousands have worked their way through college. I worked 40 to 60 hours a week in college, and I still graduated in four years. (more…)
Tags: budget, college, debt, divorce, emotions, financial freedom, financial planning, goal setting, retirement planning, savings
Posted in
PERSONAL FINANCE |
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Saturday, March 19th, 2011
During the halcyon years preceding the Great Recession, many investors were lulled into believing that if they only contributed regularly to a retirement account, they reasonably could expect a materially comfortable life in their golden years.
Much has changed. IRA and 401(k) savings were sliced in half during the stock-market free fall of 2008 and early 2009. Despite a rebound, the market’s recovery has come in fits with frequent setbacks.
Equity investments, like the age-indexed mutual funds that became widely popular early in the last decade, have lost their luster. (more…)
Tags: 401(k), bonds, exchange traded funds, financial planning, goals, INVESTING, retirement planning, savings, stocks
Posted in
INVESTING |
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Wednesday, March 16th, 2011
The most popular states to which professionals choose to retire are Florida and Texas. During the past two decades, 9 percent of all Americans over age 60—some 4.4 million people total—relocated, according to an AARP Aging and Migration report.
“Each state has a different taxing system, so find out what tax benefits individual states offer by contacting the municipal office in the city of your dreams,” advises Steven Gershman, a certified public accountant with KatzAbosch in Timonium, Md. “Do your research before deciding on a state to relocate to.” (more…)
Tags: relocation, RETIREMENT, retirement planning, savings, state taxes
Posted in
RETIREMENT |
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Wednesday, January 12th, 2011
Let’s discuss some tips that will help you save money right away, and all year long.
Everyone wants to save money, right? Unfortunately, most of the messages we receive about saving money actually involve SPENDING money — that is, advertisements that promise more for less, if only you buy something.
But there are plenty of ways to save money that DON’T involve purchasing something you don’t need, didn’t want and won’t likely use. (more…)
Tags: credit cards, debt, financial freedom, goal setting, savings, spending
Posted in
PERSONAL FINANCE |
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Friday, November 19th, 2010
If you’re reading this, you obviously are interested in building wealth. Investing can be an excellent way to do that. But before you start buying stocks, take a moment to consider the following common investment errors—and make sure you avoid them.
The first error is the most basic: the failure to invest at all. Some people think their money is safest while sitting in a bank account. But let’s look at the fallacy of that argument. It’s true that money in a bank is at virtually no risk of being lost. At the same time, most savings accounts pay little interest. (more…)
Tags: budget, debt, financial adviser, financial planning, INVESTING, retirement planning, savings, stocks
Posted in
INVESTING |
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Wednesday, September 22nd, 2010
Your initial reaction may be: Retirement? I’m YEARS away from retirement. I don’t have to think about that now.
Think again.
If you’re more than a decade away from retirement, now is the best time to begin preparing. Younger workers, of course, can use the power of compound interest to ensure a smooth financial picture in retirement. (more…)
Tags: debt, financial freedom, goals, interest rates, INVESTING, RETIREMENT, savings, STOCK MARKET, wealth
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RETIREMENT |
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Tuesday, September 21st, 2010
Americans are a staggering $6.6 trillion shy of the savings they need for retirement. That’s the figure arrived at by Boston College’s Center for Retirement Research in a report published Monday, Sept. 20, 2010.
To get there, the researchers made an interesting and highly optimistic set of assumptions: All retirees will take out a reverse mortgage. And they’ll put (more…)
Tags: debt, financial freedom, health care, INVESTING, RETIREMENT, retirement planning, reverse mortgage, savings, STOCK MARKET
Posted in
BLOG, RETIREMENT |
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Wednesday, September 1st, 2010
Dear Dave: My husband was laid off three months ago, and I’m afraid we’re about to lose our home. I’ve been working three part-time jobs to help keep our heads above water, but he says the economy’s bad, and he’s waiting for the “right” job. The bills are piling up, and I don’t know what to do. —Paula
Dear Paula: When a guy loses a job, it’s a devastating blow. Many guys are task-oriented, and define themselves by what they do rather than who they are. That’s not a good thing.
When I went broke several years ago, (more…)
Tags: entrepreneur, financial planning, goal setting, jobless, mortgage, savings, unemployed
Posted in
PERSONAL FINANCE |
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Tuesday, August 31st, 2010
To live the rich life expresses a goal for most of us, but unfortunately it has become an elusive dream for many modern-day retirees.
Today’s retirement living involves more than just leaving a job; it’s the beginning of a new chapter of life. Many baby boomers have hit their retirement target age and are eager to say goodbye to the employment ball and chain and hello to leisurely pursuits of travel and recreation. Others have been forced into early retirement by business restructuring and budget cuts but are none too optimistic about reemployment prospects. (more…)
Tags: debt, entrepreneur, expatriate, financial freedom, foreign destinations, foreign visa, health, lifestyle redesign, mortgage, REAL ESTATE, RETIREMENT, retirement planning, savings, wealth
Posted in
RETIREMENT |
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