Generation X Finance has been around since 2006 which means over the years I’ve written hundreds of pieces of content. Obviously, some are better than others, but if you’re new here you may want to start with some of the most popular items. By all means, feel free to browse the archives as you’ll be sure to find something worth reading, but below are some of my personal picks to get you started.
How to Become a Millionaire – Originally created as part of a Problogger.net group writing project, this post rapidly gained traction to become one of the most visited pages on the site. Just a word of warning, there’s no secret to becoming a millionaire. Instead, I highlight five of the most important steps anyone can take to put themselves on track to becoming a millionaire. Also check out my video on how to become a millionaire.
Maximum 401k Contribution for 2013 – We all need to be saving for retirement, are you doing the most you can to save towards yours?
How to Save Money Fast – We all need to be saving money but it is easier said than done sometimes. Here are some tips and ideas to help you really get going in your money saving endeavors.
How to Improve Your Credit Score – Where it is because you are just starting out and establishing your credit or if it is because you did not make the best of decisions and hurt your credit, here are some good ideas to help you improve your credit and get back on track.
What is a Good Credit Score – We we know we need to have a good credit score but what is a good credit score. Here I went ahead and defined it for you so you know where you stand.
What is a Trust Fund? – I had a close friend who was a trust fund baby and had everything. I didn’t come from a family that had things like that, but if you have the money it is a great financial tool to help your children.
20 Books That Will Change Your Life and How You Think About Retirement – While retirement for most of Generation X may be 20-30 years away, it is never too early to seriously begin planning for it. We have the benefit of time on our side. Careful planning ahead a few decades can allow a plan to develop and assets to grow so that when the time does come to retire, we can realize our dreams. Here are 20 of the best books on this subject.
Are You Saving Too Much for Retirement? – Most people are quick to point out that most people aren’t saving nearly enough, but one economics professor claims otherwise. So, I took a look at his view and his software to see if that accusation has any merit.
What is 403b? – This is another great investment tool, but not as many people get to us it. It is basically a 401k but you can only use it if you are in a few sectors.
The Lost Decade of Investing – The 2000s were rough for stocks. As a whole the broad markets were flat in the 10 years ending in 2009 leading many people to believe they would have been better off keeping their money in the bank. It makes for a great headline, but if you invested properly over this entire period you actually made money. I explain it all with the help of some charts.
How to Roll Over Your 401k – When you change jobs and have a 401k with the old employer you’ll usually want to roll it over into an IRA. This gives you full control over your money and will likely save you money in fees. So, I walk you through the process to make it as easy as possible.
10 Tips for Dealing With Car Salesmen so You Don’t Get Hosed – While I pick on the car salesmen in this post, this concept is true for almost any salesperson. It is their job to sell, and they will use a number of tactics to try and sell you something so that they can earn a living. There is nothing wrong with that, but if you don’t go into the car buying experience with some knowledge you’re bound to become overpowered by their sales tactics and spend more than you probably needed to.
The 401k Loan – When times are tough, people are often quick to tap into their retirement plans if they can. The 401k loan is a good example of this. It may be better than some options, but it can really stifle your retirement goals. Here’s what you need to know before taking a loan out on your retirement.
You Need a Budget Review – Hopefully you have set up a budget for yourself. If you have you most likely have not looked at it in a while and lifestyle creep has set in. Be sure to review your budget.
The 7 Biggest Money Problems Most People Have – When you break down financial problems it usually points to just a handful of issues. Very rarely are financial hardships or loads of debt attributable to a financial catastrophe. Instead, it’s usually just a few bad habits or way of thinking that sparks the trouble. Here’s my list of the seven most common problems.
5 Reasons You Will Retire Broke and Unhappy – Just like the seven common money problems, there are a few common retirement issues that lead people to an unsatisfying retirement. So, if you’re looking to retire with money and do something meaningful, here are five things to avoid.
Don’t be Fooled Into Thinking an Oil Change Every 3,000 Miles is Necessary – How long has this recommendation been going around? You’ve heard it before, that you should change your oil every 3,000 miles or three months, whichever comes first. Well, if you own a vehicle that was built in 1990 that might be true. Technology has done wonderful things to the modern automobile and motor oil. You might want to think twice before getting an oil change based on what the mechanic wrote on your reminder sticker.
How to Avoid Fund Overlap in Your Portfolio – A common believe is that the more investments you have, the more diversified you are. Unfortunately, this isn’t really the case. In fact, you may own ten different index or mutual funds yet still largely hold just a core collection of investments. Here’s how you can use Morningstar’s free tools to check on your own fund overlap.
Use the Right Benchmark to Accurately Measure Investment Performance – Unless your entire portfolio is invested in a single index fund, chances are you need to do a little work to determine how well your investments actually did relative to an appropriate benchmark. Using the assistance of Morningstar yet again, I provide some tips that can help you establish an accurate benchmark to track your investments against.
Here are some great reviews.
Credit Karma Review – We all have different times in our life we need to check our credit report. Credit Karma is a great way to do that, read more of my review to see why.
TradeKing Review – I use TradeKing for most all of my online trading. They are the cheapest place to go with.
If food is your thing, I’ve put together some very popular recipes. Most are also ways to save money, but chances are once you make them you won’t care about the savings because the food is just that good.
