Now that you’ve booked or planned your affordable summer vacation, your brain may already be in vacation-mode. Before your mind drifts too far, there are a few things you need to take care of, like bills. The last thing you want to do is come home to a missed bill and a late fee. Paying bills …
The end of the year is just over two months away, and at least three weeks of that will be gobbled up by various holidays. So, take the time now to assess what you need to do to maximize your money by the end of the year. Spend Down Your FSA If you have a flexible …
5 Financial Steps to Prepare for the End of the Year Read More »
Last year I posted a top ten financial frights list, but that was more of a general frights list. Things that could happen to anyone. This year, I’m getting more personal, and limiting my list to 5 frights, because if I had 10 I’d be sleeping off about 30 Xanax, not writing this blog. Stock Market Roller-Coaster …
At the beginning of 2007, I set ten personal goals, about half of which were financial. I’ve achieved five of those goals, three are in progress, and two were intentionally delayed because the other goals are in progress. I like to call these goals rather than financial resolutions because people don’t keep resolutions. Goals are …
Leap day comes but once every four years. In honor of this rare occasion, I propose 29 financial leaps to take. Here they are, in no particular order: Prepare your taxes now. Spend an hour preparing your taxes online. If you don’t owe, file them now and receive your rebate now. If you owe, now you’ll …
In my continued quest to find free personal finance software, I checked out Yodlee. It’s actually the software behind Mint and the online software packages at several banks. Like Mint, it’s completely secure. In fact, you travel through several identity confirmation screens before you enter your password. The only odd thing about it was how hard …
This is mostly about time management, but it also applies to personal finance. Every week, I create a To Do list in my notebook. It includes my usual weekly tasks (because I like crossing things off lists, not because I worry I’ll forget to buy groceries), the TV shows I plan to watch, events I …
Setting Priorities for Everything You Want to Do or Buy Read More »
My husband has been on surgery disability for several weeks now and we’ve learned a few surprising things about the process, the first of which is that it’s really not that much of a financial strain. Of course, we earn more than we spend, so it might be more difficult for families that are on …
It’s been a rough couple years for employees. Many lost their jobs, and those who kept their jobs were unlikely to receive raises and bonuses. However, the economy is on the mend and many employers are finally able to offer raises. If you’re among the lucky recipients, you might be tempted to resume your prior …
As you’ve no doubt seen on other personal finance blogs, the Roth IRA is a wonderful and powerful retirement savings tool. It’s also a wonderful and powerful tool for covering necessary expenses right now, tax and penalty-free. However, there are certain Roth IRA withdrawal restrictions. Here’s how to make sure you do it right. Roth …
