How To Avoid a Payday Loan

May 17, 2012 By Leave a Comment
Folded Dollar Bill

Payday loans have become a popular financial option for many people during the current financial downturn. They are advertised heavily and often help people who have few options when they find themselves in a financial bind. However, they are not necessarily the best option for financial emergencies. Here are a few tips for avoiding a payday loan. Tip #1 – Start a Savings Account Payday loans are often used by people during financial emergencies. They may find themselves stranded from work if their car breaks down, or they may have to pay for emergency repairs to their furnace if it breaks down during the middle of the … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Debt

Full Time Personal Finance Blogging

January 17, 2012 By Leave a Comment
bloggig-plan

I just read a blog post about becoming a full time blogger interestingly the writer in fact used the skills gained in setting up advertising for her blog to start a business which makes much more money that the actual blog produces.  A few people commenting on the closed world of personal finance bloggers, where they comment on each others blogs and generally go round in a bit of a circle. If that helps them come up with great content, then that is fine by me. Some people outside the circle are going to get pulled in. Maybe they will even improve their finances! … [Read more...]

Filed Under: News

What is a 529 College Plan?

December 5, 2011 By Leave a Comment
Formula on Blackboard

If you have decided to save for college and invest in your children’s or grandchildren’s future. A 529 college plan can be an excellent way to save and invest for future college expenses. This guide to a 529 college plan will help you to learn some things that you need to know to help make a decision if a 529 college plan is right for you. What is a 529 College Plan? Congress created 529 college plans in 1996 to encourage and help families to save and invest in their children’s and grandchildren’s college education. 529 college plans are offered by states, universities, and colleges. A 529 college plan also offers … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Savings

How to Stop Procrastinating and Start Saving

November 28, 2011 By Leave a Comment
growing-savings

Times are hard right now. Medical costs are sky-rocketing, jobs are uncertain, and the foreclosure rate is at an all-time high. Now, more than ever, you need a savings account as a safety-net to catch you during financial emergencies. With Social Security and Medicare on the rocks, you should be saving for retirement, too. You know saving is the right thing to do, so why is it so hard to get started? Prioritize If you're like most people, you have the best intentions when it comes to savings. As soon as that extra money shows up, you know you'll put it straight into the bank. The problem is, extra money never seems to show … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Personal, Savings

Safe Investments for Your Money

November 16, 2011 By Leave a Comment
goldbars

One day the DOW was up 275.56 points. That’s great, but the day before it closed down by 100.96 points. You may be looking for ways to hedge against the losses you may be taking from your stock market portfolio, and you have several options to choose from that will be extremely safe investments for your money. Every investment comes with some risk, even government bonds as is evident looking at Europe now. Some investments are more risky than others and can be like gambling in the wrong hands. So consider some of the options in light of your own circumstances and take professional advise if you need to. The Savings … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Investment, Savings

Real Estate Investing in Uncertain Times

November 11, 2011 By Leave a Comment
realestate

As recently as a decade ago, real estate was the most popular form of investment. Investors all over the country couldn’t get their hands on real estate properties fast enough. This created a huge boom in the real estate market, and people everywhere were suddenly enjoying huge returns on their investments. Unfortunately, this created a false sense of security and expertise among the investors. The problem became that, despite their lack of experience and actual knowledge, they were still finding success and earning huge profits. This, combined with severely irresponsible practices on the part of lenders, led to the huge … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Investment

How to Negotiate a Salary Raise

October 17, 2011 By Leave a Comment
growing salary

Believe it or not, bosses aren't known for playing fast and loose with their company coffers. That's why, even if you are the most valuable employee on your company staff you will, especially in these tough economic times, need to do more to negotiate a salary increase than perhaps at other time. You might also need to initiate the process of prying a raise from your company. It's not encouraging to know that according to a recent national survey, the average raise given to employees by their employer is 2-3 percent. This is easily eaten by inflation, and thus is beyond the scope of this article. Instead, this article is … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Personal

How Should I Take Money Overseas?

October 11, 2011 By Leave a Comment
venice

When traveling overseas, it is a good idea to know how to bring your finances with you. There are quite a few expenses you can incur while away from home: some expected and others unexpected. Regardless of what kind of expenses you have on the trip, you will need some means of money in order to pay for them. What is the best method of bringing your money overseas with you? Let’s take a look at some of the most popular methods. Pre-Paid Debit Cards Visa offers a pre-paid debit card that you can purchase before you begin your travels. You put the exact of money you think you will need on the card. Currency conversions are … [Read more...]

Filed Under: News

Which Bank Account Features are Actually Useful?

September 27, 2011 By Leave a Comment
safe-bank-account

When you get a new bank account, it is a good idea to sit down and see which features you think are going to be useful. You want to consider all of your options so that you can get an account that is actually helpful to you. Do not compromise on something that is very important to you. Do not get an account that does not give you what you want. There are plenty of bank account options out there, so make sure that you are happy with everything that is being offered to you before you set things up. Below are some of the features that you might want to look for.   Online Banking First of all, you need to use online … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Checks, News, Savings

What to Look for in an Auto Loan

September 22, 2011 By Leave a Comment
Man with Automobile

Buying a new car can be an exciting and exhilarating experience. There are few things finer than holding the keys to your new car for the first time and listening to the roar of the engine as you start up. Unfortunately, this experience can be dampened by the need of acquiring funding for the purchase of your new vehicle and the seemingly endless array of hoops you feel you have to jump through. But that doesn't have to be the case. Today we are going to give you the information you need to help you understand what to look for in an auto loan. 1. Do Your Budget Homework Before you begin searching for an auto loan it is … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Debt
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