Are you getting the best rate of return on investment? Kiplinger's Personal Finance Magazine annually discusses ways to boost your investment yield in its latest issue. I have to say that I am always pretty disappointed with 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 better. … [Read more...] about Ten Ways to Earn a 10% Rate of Return on Your Investments
Want to Reduce Money Stress? Try This.
The following is a guest post by Ken Honda. Ken Honda is a best-selling self-development author, and his latest book is called “Happy Money: The Japanese Art of Making Peace with Your Money”. If you'd like to contribute a guest post to Money Q&A, be sure to check out our guest posting guidelines. We don't have to live in fear when it comes to money, yet most of us are living that way. It’s a lifestyle that we learned from our parents and grandparents, but there is another way to live – especially around money. When we feel more relaxed … [Read more...] about Want to Reduce Money Stress? Try This.
How to Save Money on Vacation with These Easy Tips
It is not always easy to put into practice how to save money on vacation. It always seems like you have to jump through a lot of hoops, plan significantly ahead, and often alter your true plans to really benefit from saving money on your vacation. But, it does not have to be that way. There are several easy and fairly painless ways on how to save money on your vacation. With the summer fast approaching, now is the time to learn how to save money on vacation before you head out the door with your towel and suntan lotion in hand. Check out ways … [Read more...] about How to Save Money on Vacation with These Easy Tips
Top 5 Frugal Tips for Taking Your Family Out to Baseball Games
Let's face it. Baseball games are expensive. It costs a lot of money to take your family to see professional baseball games. But, it doesn't have to cost a fortune if you're smart. There are tips for baseball games and ways to save money. In the good ol’ days of baseball, families could easily afford a stadium’s admission prices, enjoy crackerjacks during the game, and sometimes even run onto the field afterward to celebrate their team’s victory. Nowadays, ticket prices are more expensive than ever. Overpriced fast food franchises have … [Read more...] about Top 5 Frugal Tips for Taking Your Family Out to Baseball Games
What You Should Do With the Reward Points You’re Sitting On
You may not be fully aware of it, but you're probably sitting on your own personal treasure hoard: a stash of airline miles, hotel points or reward points you've earned through your credit cards. According to statistics compiled by Points.com and its parent Points International (PCOM), a company specializing in helping consumers trade, exchange and redeem reward points, the average American is hoarding more than 61,000 reward points through various programs. Americans have more than 2.65 billion loyalty memberships -- 21.4 per household. This … [Read more...] about What You Should Do With the Reward Points You’re Sitting On
What to Do Right Now If You Hate Your Job
It is a hard thing to get up every morning when you hate your job. Far too many Americans are stuck in jobs they hate, dead-end jobs, or work where they aren’t fulfilled. According to a recent study by the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM), only 29% of workers age 31 to 61 years-old say that they are very satisfied with their job. That’s a lot of other people in the workforce who either hate their job or just thinks that it is okay. So, what can you do if you hate your job? There are a few things you can do or moves that you can … [Read more...] about What to Do Right Now If You Hate Your Job
Top 4 Mistakes to Avoid When You Move Out of Your Parents’ Home
Moving out can be the best and worst time of your life. There are many ways that you can trip up when you are moving out on your own from your parents home for the first time. There are many financial mistakes when you are moving out on your own and moving out for the first time. On one hand, you get unparalleled levels of freedom that you never had living with your parents. Stay up until 3am playing video games? Sure! Drink a cocktail or two after work or school? Why not? But with great freedom comes great responsibility. And, if you’re not … [Read more...] about Top 4 Mistakes to Avoid When You Move Out of Your Parents’ Home
Tipping Tips – Your Excessive Tipping Causes Poor Service
My friend Greg and I were eating at a restaurant the other day when he started complaining about the amount I tipped our server. He thought that it was excessive tipping and accused me of ruining service for the rest of us who would later come into contact with that server. He said it reinforced bad service. I wasn't always excessively tipping servers at restaurants. It was quite the opposite in fact. My wife has changed the way that I tip servers at restaurants. I'll say right up front that I've never worked in the foodservice industry. I … [Read more...] about Tipping Tips – Your Excessive Tipping Causes Poor Service
The Simple Truth on How to Get the Lowest Interest Rate on a Car Loan
The interest rate you get on your car loan can have a significant impact on the amount you will pay over the life of your car. Even a change of 0ne percentage point can bring down your overall costs by thousands of dollars, depending on the terms of your loan and the price of the car. How do you get the lowest interest rate on a car loan? It is important that you do everything you can to bring down the interest rate on your car loan so that you can save money over the life of the loan. Here are a few tips for how to get the lowest interest … [Read more...] about The Simple Truth on How to Get the Lowest Interest Rate on a Car Loan
Are Buying Extended Warranties Worth It or a Waste of Money
Are extended warranties worth it? Retailers are pushing extended warranties with more fervor than ever, and consumers are buying. But in almost every case, they are a bad deal. Extended warranties are everywhere. It seems like every retailer is offering them now, even for purchases as small as a $30 toaster oven. And according to research done by Protect Your Bubble, a third-party gadget insurer, 40 percent of U.S. buyers are taking those stores up on the offers. Sales of extended warranties have seen between 15% and 20% annual growth over … [Read more...] about Are Buying Extended Warranties Worth It or a Waste of Money
How to Run a Household Like a Business and Maintaining a Budget
When you assume the responsibility of running a household, you also must take an accounting of the costs it takes to make a house a home. In effect, how to run a household can be likened to running a business if you want your home life to be successful. That is why budgeting is so important in maintaining your home for you and your family. For example, just like a business, you should take an inventory of all those items you have on hand in your home for insurance and financial purposes. How to Run a Household Like a Business The Importance of … [Read more...] about How to Run a Household Like a Business and Maintaining a Budget