I have a confession to make. I wrote this blog post for me, not you. Okay, that's not exactly true of course. I wrote it for both of us. I recently read where my buddy J. Money from Budgets Are Sexy wrote about his New Year's resolutions, and of course it got me thinking. I typically do not make New Year's resolutions. I always fail to keep them. In fact, I hardly make it out of January before I ditch them or forget about them. It is not because I wanted to. It just happens. I really want to keep them. Every year I want to keep my New … [Read more...] about Ten Ways To Actually Keep Your New Years Resolutions This Year
Archives for December 2011
Eight Easy Ways To Save Money On Car Repairs Right Now
I hate taking my car to the mechanic to get repairs. I always worry that I’m going to be overcharged for the repairs needed to fix my car. I have to admit that I am not mechanically inclined in the least little bit. My best friend and I tried to change my oil one time in high school, and we quickly gave up after accidentally dumping several quarts of oil on his parents’ driveway. Even if you are not knowledgeable about taking your car to the mechanic, there are several ways that you can save money on car repairs. If you educate yourself a … [Read more...] about Eight Easy Ways To Save Money On Car Repairs Right Now
The Fine Line Between Too Much Insurance And Not Enough
A few weeks ago I wrote a guest post on one of the biggest personal finance blogs around, Free Money Finance, about the ten insurance policies that everyone should own. There is a fine line with having too much insurance. I took some heat in the comment section of the post from people who said that the ten different types of insurance policies I listed would leave me insurance poor. Maybe they would do that, but maybe they wouldn’t. How many insurance policies are too many? How Many Insurance Policies Do You Need? Do you need ten … [Read more...] about The Fine Line Between Too Much Insurance And Not Enough
The Little Expenses Incurred Can Quickly Add Up
I have to admit that when I stand in line at the grocery store (or any store for that matter) that I am always tempted by the impulse purchases in the racks by the checkout counter. What’s the harm in those little expenses incurred? It is only a dollar or two, right? But, those dollars add up. It is the little expenses in our lives that can really get us into trouble and knock our family’s monthly budget out of whack if we are not careful. The little expenses add up over time. We Study Large Expenses Incurred We bend over backwards to find … [Read more...] about The Little Expenses Incurred Can Quickly Add Up
Have You Been Scammed or Ripped Off? How to Get Help and Get The Problem Resolved.
If you feel like a company you paid for a service has not delivered the best place to start to attempt to resolve the issue is to contact the company directly. If you've tried repeatedly to get your issue resolved by sending an email or leaving voicemail and that's not getting any attention, send a letter by some traceable means that provides you with proof of delivery. A signature or name of who signed for it is even more beneficial. The least expensive service to use of to send your letter through the post office by certified mail, … [Read more...] about Have You Been Scammed or Ripped Off? How to Get Help and Get The Problem Resolved.
Do Your Investments Suffer From Mutual Fund Overlap?
How many mutual funds do you invest in? Do you have several spread out between Roth IRAs, or do you invest in several mutual funds through your company’s 401k retirement plan? Do you know which stocks those funds invest in? You may suffer from mutual fund overlap. You may be surprised to learn that many of these mutual funds overlap. There can be a real danger in mutual fund overlap, and you may not as diversified as you think. What Is Mutual Fund Overlap? When a mutual fund does well, investors pile into the investment. Eventually, you … [Read more...] about Do Your Investments Suffer From Mutual Fund Overlap?
Spend Or Save With Your Personal Finances
Spend or save? For those who fall into the 27%, a significant £322 is paid off per month, while the number of people taking out personal loans has fallen for 25 months in a row. Nonetheless, we seem to be suffering a national post-recession hangover as far as loans go. They're not necessarily bad news, after all. Low interest rates mean that banks are offering better rates for example on, personal loans from Santander than they have done for well over a decade. … [Read more...] about Spend Or Save With Your Personal Finances
Should I Get My Teen a Prepaid Debit Card?
This is a guest post from Janet who writes for CreditCardsCanada.ca Should you get your teen prepaid debit card to spend money and curb their use of credit cards? It may not be a bad idea to help keep them out of debt. Increasingly, it seems as thought the prepaid debit card is the way to go for teens. After all, it is a very convenient way to pay an allowance. Just add the agreed-upon amount to the prepaid debit card. You can usually do it electronically, transferring the money easily from your account. … [Read more...] about Should I Get My Teen a Prepaid Debit Card?
How Long To Keep Financial Records And Documents
If you are like me, you have a mountain of paperwork from your stock transactions, mutual fund statements, credit card bills, and a host of other financial records and financial documents. But, now that you have collected so much, the real question is how long to keep financial records and documents? There are several lengths of time and factors that you should consider how long to keep financial records. How Long To Keep Financial Records Financial Records To Keep Forever… There are several very important financial documents and records … [Read more...] about How Long To Keep Financial Records And Documents
Top 5 Tips For Cutting Insurance Costs
In a recent survey, 80% of Brits said they would be looking to save money in the coming year by trimming the amount they spend on financial products, despite the fact that a similar proportion have never changed providers. Thankfully, the home insurance market is already very competitive, with big banks squaring off against smaller providers and driving down prices such as home insurance products from Santander. That's not to say, however, that there isn't always a way to save a few more pennies, and here are some useful tips. … [Read more...] about Top 5 Tips For Cutting Insurance Costs