Are you getting the best rate of return on investment? Kiplinger's Personal Finance Magazine annually discusses ways to boost your investment yield in their latest issue. I have to say that I am always pretty disappointed in their recommendations. I love the magazine, but I didn't really care for a list of mutual funds and Exchange Traded Funds (ETFs). But, I wanted concrete ideas on how to earn a 10% annual rate of return on my investments. US Treasuries are earning less than 1% and money market funds are not fairing much … [Read more...] about Ten Ways To Earn A 10% Rate Of Return On Your Investments
How to Start Investing Even When You Are Almost Broke
If you’re living paycheck-to-paycheck, long-term savings and investment strategies aren’t exactly a priority. After all, you need to make sure you can afford basic human necessities like the roof over your head, utilities, and food, not to mention life necessities like car insurance and cell phone plans. Once everything is accounted for, what little is leftover from your last paycheck might be used to pay off debt or go out to dinner one night per month. Investing money in stocks, bonds, or any other option just doesn’t seem feasible, given … [Read more...] about How to Start Investing Even When You Are Almost Broke
Did Our Parents Teach Us Bad Habits About Money?
Most parents do a wonderful job of preparing their kids for academic success, future jobs, and raising families of their own, but countless studies released over the past several years indicate that parents have somewhat failed to educate their kids in one crucial category: personal finance. Younger generations are experiencing almost unprecedented financial struggles as they get into their 20s and 30s, but is it really due to them just being “lazy” like the media headlines suggest? Why else would the quality of their lives be decreasing … [Read more...] about Did Our Parents Teach Us Bad Habits About Money?
7 Tips for Living with Bad Credit
Do you have bad credit? So do millions of other Americans – I’ve been there too. Fortunately living with a poor score is not as nightmarish as it sounds. Here are 7 warnings, tips, and methods to help you come through the other side … 1. Be Prepared to Pay Deposits Lending, providing services, renting out a property; all these things are about risk and if you have bad credit, providers need reassurances that you will fulfill your obligation. One way they do this is to require deposits, which might be looked at as a form of … [Read more...] about 7 Tips for Living with Bad Credit
5 Reasons Why Investing in Your 401k Is a No-Brainer
The following is a guest post from Evan Tarver is a small business and investments writer for Fit Small Business. If you'd like to submit a guest post to Money Q&A, check out the site's Guest Posting Guidelines. A 401k lets you invest a portion of your paycheck into an investment account that can be accessed at retirement. Plan contributions are typically invested in a diversified portfolio that includes mutual funds, stocks, bonds, and other investment vehicles permitted by a 401k. 401ks are the most popular type of retirement plan … [Read more...] about 5 Reasons Why Investing in Your 401k Is a No-Brainer
Top 4 Ways to Stop Keeping Up with the Joneses
The idea of “keeping up with the Joneses” is less of a financial phenomenon than it is a psychological one. While it certainly involves spending a lot of money to mirror the life of someone you admire (or are jealous of), a lot of it boils down to psychologically-induced spending habits in a misguided race to “have it all.” How to Stop Keeping Up with the Joneses Rather than blowing your money on impulse purchases to maintain a similar lifestyle as your family members, friends, or neighbors, here are some helpful strategies to rein in your … [Read more...] about Top 4 Ways to Stop Keeping Up with the Joneses
Want to Save Money with No Extra Effort? The Honey Extension Can Help!
It’s not hard to find ways to save money while shopping online, but there is always room for improvement when it comes to efficiently finding coupons and deals for websites you regularly shop at. The Honey browser extension does just that: automatically find the best promo codes online and enter them for you during checkout so you can save money with no extra effort! The Honey browser extension is completely free and available on many different browsers (Chrome, Firefox, Safari, Opera). So, there is no reason to avoid trying out Honey during … [Read more...] about Want to Save Money with No Extra Effort? The Honey Extension Can Help!
What Are Junk Bonds? What You Need to Know to Invest
What are junk bonds? And, are junk bonds a good addition to your investment portfolio? If you are just like average investors, you're probably all that not familiar with junk bonds and how they can boost your rate of returns on your investments. Junk bonds are high-yield bonds that offer profitable prospects for investors, but they're not investment-grade bonds. They are a fixed income investment that have a credit rating of BB or lower as indicated by Standard & Poor's or a Ba rating or below from Moody's Investors Service. They are … [Read more...] about What Are Junk Bonds? What You Need to Know to Invest
5 Things You Need to Know About Bitcoins by AionNext
You may have heard about the explosive growth in the value of Bitcoin over the past several months. Fortunately, there is now a way that you can trade Bitcoin and other digital currencies just like a person trades currency or stock futures. Let's take a look at everything that you need to know about Bitcoins by AionNext. The AionNext Platform: Trading Multiple Currencies You don't have to stick to trading Bitcoin if you don't think that it offers the best return on your capital. Instead, you could opt to trade Ethereum or Litecoin. While all … [Read more...] about 5 Things You Need to Know About Bitcoins by AionNext
What Are the Benefits of a Health Savings Account?
You might have heard about the Health Savings Account (HSA) when analyzing the list of insurance options your employer has available. It’s a recent thing and shows a lot of promise in allowing people to save up for the health costs that are almost always associated with aging and retirement. There are many benefits of a Health Savings Account. In fact, more and more applicants are jumping on the bandwagon - and for very good reasons, as you shall see below. In this article, we’ll go over the cover and benefits of HSA, and the ways in which … [Read more...] about What Are the Benefits of a Health Savings Account?
Robo Advisors vs. Peer-to-Peer Lending – What’s Better for Your Portfolio?
When you’re trying to get the best return on investment, you need to think outside the box for new investment options and platforms that offer a balanced mix of risk and reward for your portfolio. The key to consistent and maximal returns is diversity. But, why limit yourself to the usual mix of stocks, bonds, and mutual funds managed by a financial planner when there are so many other options out there? Robo Advisors vs. Peer-to-Peer Lending Robo advisors and peer-to-peer lending are two awesome alternatives to the traditional financial … [Read more...] about Robo Advisors vs. Peer-to-Peer Lending – What’s Better for Your Portfolio?