According to a recent survey by WSL/Strategic Retail, most Americans believe it takes $150,000 a year to buy what they need, afford some extras, and save too. This salary is more than three times the national median salary of $49,445 in 2010, and it’s enough to put a household into the top 10% nationally....
Marrying for solely financial reasons has always been frowned upon in our moralistic culture. As much as we may idolize wealth (as seen through our love affair with spoiled reality television stars), we still frown upon the blending of money and marriage when it’s for pure financial gain.
However,...
This post is part of the Roth IRA Account Movement happening all across the personal finance blogosphere today.
If you have a child, one of the best things you can do for them is to teach them how to be financially savvy and how to save for their future. Even if the kids branch out on their own later...
Fun money, play money, blow money—whatever you want to call it, it stands for money that you and your spouse get to spend on whatever you want—no questions asked. A lot of couples with tight budgets tend to agree that each spouse should have a little bit of money to do what they please.
Perhaps one...
Managing finances in a marriage can be difficult, especially when one partner is a saver and the other is a spender. According to a recent Wall Street Journal article, though, the old adage “opposites attract” has some truth to it.
Individuals seek partners who complement the attributes they...
Is a man who gets married more responsible than a man who’s still single?
According to car insurance companies, he is. And they’re willing to bet on it by offering lower insurance premiums.
My husband’s car insurance was up for renewal this month. And as part of our effort to be more...
With the National Credit card delinquency rate the lowest it’s been in 17 years, consumers have been making a conscientious effort to be more responsible with their credit. This is made more evident by the data assembled in a recent TransUnion credit card deleveraging analysis, which shows that consumers...
Do you have a good understanding of the financial world? What about your own finances? You may be surprised at how many people will answer no to those rather basic questions.
Given this fact, it shouldn’t be a shock to anyone when we hit an economic wall and yet we were somehow surprised to suddenly...
Credit Card Protection Plans
The number of unemployed Americans hit 13.9 million in May, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. As job cuts in the United States continue and finding a new job becomes more challenging, people are fearful about their financial future. In effort to secure their...
In my last post about Wills, we discussed Why do I need a Will.
To recap,
A Will can protect your assets and helps minimize the chances of a contest over your estate. If you die without one, your estate may not be distributed as you would choose. Use Online Wills to:
Provide for your family
Specify...
A millionaire thinks quite differently. A million dollars to a millionaire is a chance to earn 10% gain – which is $100,000. In the millionaire’s mind, the first year’s gains pay off the debt, and you get to keep the million in principal to earn another $100,000 the following year. If that...
Summer break used to mean fun in the sun for many students, but the tragically high cost of college tuition means many must keep their noses to the grindstone after classes have ended. The problem is actually finding work when you only have three or four months to spare.
With any luck, a school-year...
The slow economy has brought about even greater awareness regarding personal retirement funds. More and more individuals are starting to wonder if they have planned properly, and many others are beginning to realize that they didn’t save enough to reach their initial goals. To make sure that you...
With the threat to future retirees of social security funds being exhausted in 2036, we all need to start preparing now for our retirement ourselves. It is a frightening thought, having to take more money out of our checks every week just so we can save for after we retire. But in reality, we have plenty...
Should you get a divorce? Some experts (mostly religious) would say, “No. Never.” On the other hand, in some countries, you can get a divorce simply by saying “I divorce you” three times (if you’re a man). So the range of divorce runs very extreme — from extremely...
DINKY couples are becoming more and more common in our culture. You ask yourself, what is a DINKY and the answer is a young couple with a dual income but no kids. DINKY couples face their own financial challenges and you might be surprised at how many couples have difficulty managing their finances.
Student...
