The shakeup in the housing market over the past several years has brought the need and advantages of a down payment when buying a new home back into focus. In a traditional mortgage, the home buyer was required to provide a 20% down payment at the time of closing. This trend shifted during the housing [...]
When it comes to saving money, there’s no better time to get back on track than the New Year. For some miraculous reason, January gives people hope and inspires them to change their ways. That’s why New Year’s resolutions are so comical. In retrospect, everyone wishes that they had done something different the previous year. [...]
Max Out Your 2011 IRA in 2012 The calendar may have flipped to the new year, which means most tax tricks, tips, and deductions have closed the book on last year’s taxes, but that isn’t the case for your IRAs. Individual Retirement Accounts are unique in that they give you up until when you file [...]
If you’re a college student preparing to graduate, you may find that some job markets aren’t exactly hot right now. There are plenty of jobs out there, but finding your ideal job will be harder than it has been in the past. While many of these tips are helpful for someone seeking their first job [...]
When it comes to saving money, there’s no better time to get back on track than the New Year. For some miraculous reason, January gives people hope and inspires them to change their ways. That’s why New Year’s resolutions are so comical. In retrospect, everyone wishes that they had done something different the previous year. [...]
When people talk about having money for a rainy day they are usually referring to putting their money into a savings account. A rainy day or emergency fund is used to set aside money from every paycheck so that in the event of an emergency or unexpected expense there’s money readily available. Using a savings [...]
Mutual funds are one of the most common investment tools for the average investor. You’ll find them in your 401(k) plan, in your IRA, and everywhere in-between. Mutual funds are popular for good reason. They provide instant diversification without requiring a lot of money. Instead of having to pick all of the individual stocks you [...]
The word recession has investors searching for safe investments until the market rebounds. Just take a look at how the market has reacted recently. Investors want the maximum yield with the least risk involved. Luckily, options are available for investors to weather the storm until the economy improves. Mutual or index funds are a collection [...]
Max Out Your 2011 IRA in 2012 The calendar may have flipped to the new year, which means most tax tricks, tips, and deductions have closed the book on last year’s taxes, but that isn’t the case for your IRAs. Individual Retirement Accounts are unique in that they give you up until when you file [...]
You won’t believe what I’ve been hearing at work lately. Fellow employees are taking out loans against their 401k accounts and borrowing money! I don’t know if there are people out there giving advice to do this, but it’s probably one of the worst ideas I’ve ever heard of. In fact, I would peg it [...]
With Valentine’s Day fast approaching, it’s all too easy to fall into the trap of spending money you don’t have on things that you don’t need. If you’re looking for ways to make your loved ones feel special this February 14th but don’t want to go broke doing so, you’ve come to the right place. [...]
There’s such a thing as being really frugal but can you truly survive without money? How would you acquire the things that you need? Could you feed, clothe, and provide shelter for yourself without going to extreme measures? Would you find it freeing to be rid of all the material things weighing you down physically, [...]