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
Top 4 Investments Every New Parent Should Make
When you’re preparing to have a baby, long-term considerations like paying for college tuition seem relatively unimportant compared to more immediate concerns. Instead, you're likely thinking about nursery room furniture, diapers, formula, and childcare. However, the earlier you begin saving for the future, the better off your child will be in their teens and twenties. Here are investments new parents should make... Top 4 Investments New Parent Should Make 529 College Savings Plan There are two types of 529 plans, prepaid tuition … [Read more...] about
How Do Credit Card Reward Programs Work?
Have you ever wondered what a rewards credit card is and how it works? Read on to learn the basics about rewards cards, their benefits and things to be aware of when selecting or using a rewards credit card. Rewards credit cards simply refer to credit cards that offer rewards and incentives for using the credit card for purchases. These rewards can come in many forms, but they generally include earning reward points or discounts for using the credit card, and depending on the credit card, these rewards points can be redeemed for flights, … [Read more...] about How Do Credit Card Reward Programs Work?
How to Save Money by Quitting Your Vices – Alcohol, Cigarettes, Gambling
When you’re in the midst of budgeting, you might hit a point where you think there’s nothing left to trim from your budget. However, this plateau usually happens because we’re unwilling to compromise on our favorite vices or make genuine progress towards quitting our addictions, such as smoking, caffeine or even technology. How to Save Money by Quitting Your Vices If you’re ready to make some real progress with your financial goals, then here are some strategies for saving hundreds (or thousands) of dollars per year by quitting these … [Read more...] about How to Save Money by Quitting Your Vices – Alcohol, Cigarettes, Gambling
5 Things You Need to Know About Deducting Health-Related Expenses When You’re Self-Employed
Health insurance and medical expenses are complicated. Having to navigate both your own taxes and own health insurance premiums without much external help can be a nightmare if you’re disorganized. Fortunately, the IRS offers many advantages for self-employed folks when it comes to paying for your own health policies instead of having an employer subsidize these expenses for you. While the federal government is currently debating how to overhaul both the U.S. tax code and health insurance legalities, here are the most-recent guidelines on … [Read more...] about 5 Things You Need to Know About Deducting Health-Related Expenses When You’re Self-Employed
Review of Lending Club’s New Car Refinancing Loans
There aren’t too many things in life that are more expensive than owning a car. At least homes and other types of properties are appreciating assets, while a car is a depreciating asset that presumably loses 20% or more of its sale value the moment you drive away from the dealership. Fortunately, Lending Club wants to make car ownership easier with its new auto loan-refinancing program. Say goodbye to application fees, origination fees, and those annoying prepayment fees that other lenders charge to punish borrowers from paying off their … [Read more...] about
7 Simple Ways to Cut the Cost of Your Coffee Addiction Today
If you buy Starbucks every day of the workweek, then you could be missing out on the opportunity to save thousands of dollars per year by switching to cheaper alternatives. Worried about the quality or time-intensiveness of these alternatives? Do you know how to stop coffee addiction? Don’t let these concerns prevent you from saving money because you might be surprised by how similar generic and brand-name coffee varieties taste, and how easy it is to start making coffee for less than $1 per day, instead of shelling out $4+ per … [Read more...] about 7 Simple Ways to Cut the Cost of Your Coffee Addiction Today
How to Start Filing Quarterly Taxes as a Freelancer
Taxes are complicated for just about anyone. But, for contracted workers, freelancers, and self-employed individuals, filing taxes can be downright nightmarish. While it helps that income taxes are changing and the standard deduction is increasing for 2018, there are still multiple hurdles to filing and paying taxes each year. If you or your accountant realize you might need to start making quarterly payments, also known as “estimated payments”, on your taxes due to income not being withheld, then here are a few crucial things to know … [Read more...] about How to Start Filing Quarterly Taxes as a Freelancer
The Ultimate Guide to the Dave Ramsey Baby Steps You Need to Know
Here is the ultimate guide to truly understanding the Dave Ramsey baby steps he talks about in his best selling book, Total Money Makeover. Learn how to build an emergency fund, get out of debt, invest, and start to gain financial independence. I’m always asked about how to start or where to start if you are struggling with your finances. If you have a mountain of credit card or student loan debt or a slew of other financial problems, it can be very intimidating where to start. That is why I always recommend that people start with Dave … [Read more...] about The Ultimate Guide to the Dave Ramsey Baby Steps You Need to Know
Credit Sesame Review – Get Your Free Credit Score & More?
It’s important for all consumers to keep their credit scores as high as possible, but a vast majority of Americans don’t even check their credit report on an annual basis, let alone weekly or monthly. Although there are laws and regulations in place to help consumers protect themselves from thieves and cyber-hackers, you could lose quite a bit of money or watch your credit score plummet if you don’t act quickly when you see fraudulent activity on your credit report. In 2017 alone, 1.1 million consumers reported incidents of finance-related … [Read more...] about Credit Sesame Review – Get Your Free Credit Score & More?
How to Save for Retirement on a Limited Budget
The following is a guest post by Ramona, a freelance web designer and personal finance blogger with PF Today. If you'd like more information about submitting a guest post on Money Q&A, check out our Guest Posting Guidelines. Retirement was easy decades ago. At least that's what my grandmother used to tell me: You worked until you were 55, then retired. The state would pay a pension that was enough to live off. And you were also paid that pension for as long as you were alive. Guaranteed. Times have changed now. We can't … [Read more...] about How to Save for Retirement on a Limited Budget