Plan YOUR Work!

Work YOUR Plan!

Don't tell me where your priorities are.

Show me where you spend your money and I'll tell you what they are.

-James W. Frick

Showing posts with label Financial Crisis. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Financial Crisis. Show all posts

Thursday, December 1, 2011

49 Money Tips from Free Money Wisdom

Over at Free Wisdom, Jon the Saver reached out to some finance blogs to get their best advice on their #1 finance tip. Check out what they had to offer...

Sustainable PF- “Pay yourself first.  By saving 10% in an automated matter you can save for your retirement more easily.”
Money is the Root- ”Spend less than you earn, and you will never be broke!”
My Personal Finance Journey- “My top financial tip would be for college students to open up a Roth IRA and fund it if they have a job in college or during the summer between classes so that they can take advantage of compound interest to save for retirement.”
College Investor- ”Start investing your income from your first job to get ahead.  The power of compounding is amazing!”
Prairie EcoThrifter- “My best tip would be to make your own cleaning and personal care products. You can save a bundle and they are much healthier for you and your family.”
Net Worth Protect- “When developing a savings plan keep it simple.  As soon as you receive your paycheck allocate a percentage towards savings and immediately move the funds out of your spending account.  Out of sight, out of mind”
Funancials- ”Your child can easily get a loan for school, but you cannot get a loan for retirement. I think too many parents have the dream of paying for their child’s education (which is great) but they reduce their retirement savings to make it happen. Big no no.”
One Cent at a Time- “Do not prepare your buying list after clipping coupons rather, get your shopping list and find coupons for each of them.”
20′s Finances-  ”Start saving for your future today! Planning for retirement even in your 20′s can earn you lots of money in the long run and make life much easier.”
DollarVersity- “Failing to plan is planning to fail—you need a roadmap to achieving goals.  Paying off debt, building wealth, or running a successful business may be the goals, but you need to plan your course to reach those destinations.”
Free From Broke- “Don’t spend more money than you have.”
KrantCents- “Savings is the key to success.  I learned how to save early and it, more than anything, helped me achieve success.”
The Jenny Pincher- “Spend Less Than You Earn! It’s so simple yet so effective if we can get ourselves in that mindset!”
The Family CEO- “Be very intentional with your spending. Cut back on or eliminate the things that don’t bring you much value, so you can have in your life the things and experiences that do.”
101 Centavos- “Early is for go, late is for show.  If you want to be successful, get up early.  Getting to work while everyone else is either still asleep or just now brushing their teeth will give you a leg up on the competition.  Staying late is fine if you want to impress the boss, but your productivity decreases along with your energy levels.”
Millionaire Nurse Blog- “To prevent lifestyle creep, any raises, bonus money, and  gifts can be put into your emergency fund, or added to your retirement savings.  You will hit your savings goal faster and not increase your lifestyle costs, a twofer!”
Your Finances Simplified- “Limit your rent/mortgage payment to no more than 25% of your net income.  The reason why you want to do this is so that you are flexible when life happens or you have the opportunity to invest more money and generate wealth.  This tip alone has given me the income to invest in multiple income producing business that will have me retiring by 40 or sooner.”
The Frugal Toad- “Diversify among asset classes, re-balance quarterly, employ dollar cost averaging, and keep your hands off!”
20 and Engaged- “Don’t keep up with the Joneses. Live your own live beneath your means and you’ll prosper financially.”
Money Beagle- “When setting large goals, make sure to set smaller goals along the way.  Reaching the smaller goals (and giving yourself a small reward) will help you stay on track and minimize the chance of losing momentum and focus on the way toward your larger goals.”
Money QandA- “We spend our entire lives buying things and collecting things. Instead spend your money doing things, gaining experiences, and checking things off your bucket list. Not only is that the way to financial success, it will make your life more rewarding as well.”
Retire by 40- “My top tip is to start saving and investing as early as possible. If you start saving and investing as soon as you start making money, then you will have a lot of time to take advantage of compound interest. It will also give you more time to learn about investing and a lot of time to correct the many inevitable investing mistakes. ”
Wisebread- “Many rewards credit cards pay you a sign-up bonus only after you reach a minimum spending threshold. The best way to reach this minimum is to purchase gift cards for merchants you visit often, or even cash cards from Visa or American Express. Simply make the purchase before the deadline, and use the gift cards later. You can also buy gift cards at grocery stores in order to maximize bonus spending categories. For example, the American Express Blue Cash Preferred card gives customers 6% cash back from supermarkets.”
Free Money Finance- “Spend less than you earn.”
Money Crashers- “It’s really important to focus on cutting expenses and implementing strict budgets to allow us to live our lives to the fullest while still saving for the future. But, beyond that, one of the most overlooked strategies is creating incremental income. For example, do you have a passion or expertise you could leverage into a business? Then consider some of the many side business ideas as an avenue for you to create some valuable passive income. And if you’re lucky, this could potentially turn into a full-time job that you’re truly passionate about each and every day!”
Afford Anything- “Spend lavishly on things you love and cut ruthlessly on things you don’t care about. Money is just a stand-in for your priorities.”
Financial Highway- “Start Investing EARLY! Even at $50/month you can benefit from the power of compounding, it is better to save $50 today then $100 a year from now. ”
Christian Dollar- “Spend less than you make, make more through hard work and patience, and give more than you want to. It’s really that simple.”
Financial Samurai- “To listen to people who are wealthier and older than you.”
GenXFinance- “Don’t sweat the small stuff. So you’ve cut out the daily Starbucks, dropped cable, and clip coupons to save a couple hundred bucks a month. Who cares. You will never become wealthy by worrying about how to save the next five bucks. It is a losing game because there is only so much that can be cut, and beyond the basics you end up sacrificing your quality of life for the sake of saving what amounts to essentially nothing. Instead of spending time dreaming up ways to cut things out of your life to save ten dollars, think about how to make an extra ten dollars. Or a hundred dollars. Or a thousand dollars. Unlike the limited upside by cutting expenses, the upside of potential income is limitless. Yes, you still want to be conscious of how you spend your money, but focusing your energy on earning more has the potential to make a much greater impact on your life.”
Bucksome Boomer- “Choose your life partner well.  Divorce sets you back decades in your net worth and financial health.”
Life and my Finances- “The best tip I could ever give anyone is “put on your blinders”. Your happiness in life does not depend on how shiny your car is or how many square feet you have in your house. Be thankful for what you have and ignore the Joneses.”
Financial Success Young Adults- “Stay on top of the markets! The Wall Street Journal and CNBC are great ways to keep up with the flow of information. The economy does impact your personal finances and keeping up with help you become familiar with the language of finance and help you better manage your money. ”
Narrow Bridge Finance- “My best money tip is to know when to buy and sell stocks. Technical and fundamental analysis sound complex, but once you know the difference you will know how to buy a stock for long run value over the trends of the moment.”
Debt Eye- ”Check your bank statements every month, and make sure there are no reoccuring charges that you’re not familiar with.  These can include: identity protection, credit monitoring, and or services you hardly use.”
Ultimate Smart Money- ”Think wisely before you act.  Make your purchasing decisions based on your need instead of what you want. Don’t allow your emotion to control your decision.”
Frugal Confessions- “Create an End-of-Year Windfall for Yourself: If you max out your Roth IRA every year ($5,000) by spreading out the payments, it would be around $416 per month. Instead, pay $500 per month for ten months and create a small windfall of cash for one of the most expensive times of the year: an extra $500 cash flow for November and for December. Remember to turn the automatic withdrawals back on after the holidays.”
Fat Guy Skinny Wallet- ”Whenever we are tempted to splurge on an item, or in some other way, spend money on an item for which we haven’t budgeted, we pay that money against our debt instead. For instance, if I get tempted to order a pizza and some wings on the way home from work, what helps me refrain from wasting my money is the thought of using that money to pay off debt instead. So we will not make the purchase and instead we will sign onto our bank’s website and make a payment against our credit card in the amount of the splurge ($20 for pizza in this case). This helps us to fight the urge to spend money frivolously, and it helps us to pay down our debt faster!”
Soldier of Finance- “Find a battle buddy that shares your financial goals to keep yourself accountable (like a workout partner) and help each other succeed.”
Good Financial Cents- “Incorporate the multiple bucket approach when saving for your retirement.  Do this by incorporating Roth IRA’s, Traditional IRA’s, 401k’s, and regular investment accounts to give you plenty of options for your retirement income needs.”
Budgeting in the Fun Stuff- “Keep track of your spending.  If you don’t know where your money is going, you can’t manage it for your present or future.”
Maximizing Money- ”Always make your money work hard for you, but remember to work even harder for your money.”
Roshan Watson- “The Real Golden Rule: He Who Has the Gold Makes the Rules”
ChristianPF- ”For me I think being content with all that we have is one of the smartest things we can do financially. We all know living below our means is a key to financial success, but for many being content with what we have is the first step to living below our means.”
Digerati Life- “My #1 personal finance tip is to prioritize where your money should go.  Many people don’t use a budget or think about where their money is being spent.  But if you take the time to sit down and do some planning (even just a little), by focusing on your financial priorities and on how you intend to parcel out your money (a limited resource), you may be surprised by what you find.  For example, if you’ve got debt, you may decide to prioritize this over saving for a much longer term goal, like a house purchase.  Either way, the exercise of thinking about your income and outgo can be a good first step in making sure your finances are in order.”
DQYDJ- ”Sweat the big stuff.  Automate your retirement contributions and savings and eventually you’ll thank me.”
Thirty Six Months- “My biggest financial tip to budget for everything and don’t buy on impulse. That’s how you get in trouble.”
Frugal Wiz- Financial Tip: “Establish an emergency savings account first before paying off your debt.”

All of these tip may not be right for you, but most will be. Choose wisely!

Persona Finance 4 The People is here to help!

Tuesday, November 1, 2011

Improving Your Credit Score

Your Credit Score is probably the most important number associated with you. More important than your Social Security number, even. How can this be?

Your Credit Score tells things about you like if you are responsible, if you are a good person to loan money to, what your interest rate will be, if you will be hired for that big job. Your Credit Score is suppose to be gauge for risk factor for anyone who is going to be loaning you money, or even hiring you. Of course, there are circumstances when your score may be out of your control, but those moments are what we call life.

There are many reasons your score may not reflect you in a positive way. Medical bills and unpaid bills are 2 of the biggest reasons I have found to be an issue for most people. That, along with a lack of credit. Yup, not having "enough credit" is a bad thing too. To find that "perfect" balance, here are some tips:

- Pay your bills on time. Paying bills on time, for my clients, is often an issue because if they had the money to pay their bills on time they wouldn't need me. Paying your bills on time is important because it builds a history of being financially responsible. Even if you are only paying the minimum amount due, make sure it's on time. If you can't pay a bill on time, call and let the company know. They will probably work with you.




- Having a credit card is important in your Credit Score. Having a credit card does a couple things for you. Part of your credit score is HOW LONG you have had that card, your HISTORY of paying revolving debt, and your CREDIT-TO-DEBT RATIO. Your credit-to-debt ratio is how much avaliable credit you have compared to how much debt you have. Use your credit card for small purchases and try to pay the balance off every month. Most people carry a balance, so make sure you are paying, at least, the minimum payment due each month.



Photobucket


- Have an Emergency Fund. An emergency fund gives you room to live when life happens. An emergency fund stops the use of credit cards for emergencies. The emergency fund gives you room to breathe when something unexpected happens. A good rule is to start with a goal of $1,000 and work your way up to 6 months of BASIC expenses.





- Educate yourself. Learning the methods and tips of good financial habits is something most of us weren't taught growing up. There are too many personal finance blogs out there to use the excuse of not knowing better. There are too many people willing to help you learn the right things to do financially. You can only use the "I was never taught" excuse for so long before you have to teach yourself.





- Plan YOUR work! Work YOUR Plan! Sit down and develop a plan. Plan for things you want, for things you need, and for things you need to want. Have a plan A, B, C, even a plan Z if you need it.



Photobucket


- Check you credit report. You get one free report from each of the 3 companies once a year from the government at http://www.annualcreditreport.com/ . There are also other ways to keep an eye on your credit. Your bank might offer a service to monitor your credit, things like this usually come with a fee so keep that in mind.


Photobucket


These are small but important things you can do to make sure your credit is where you need it to be. You have a life to live, don't let your lack of financial knowledge keep you from living the life you want.

If you need assistance, contact us by email, Facebook, Twitter, Phone.

@peoplesfinance
202-431-8008


Friday, September 2, 2011

Prepare for Your Next Financial Crisis

Photobucket


Almost everyone is ONE financial crisis away from financial ruin, but we don't have to be. Being prepared financially can take a lot of stress and worry away from your life. Here are somethings you can do to be prepared for that next crisis:

Photobucket


Pay down debt and ditch the credit cards
The interest you’re paying on your debts and especially your credit cards is destroying your long term financial plan and putting you at risk if a crisis does happen. Chances are, these debts are a significant bill every month. Now think about this. What if you didn’t have any debt and could be using that same money to set aside for savings, an emergency fund, or a retirement account. Your money deserves better. Make this the month where you take initiative and destroy your debts and move on with life and secure your future.

Look for extra income streams
The fastest way to build up your cash supplies and better prepare yourself for an unfortunate event is to look for ways to make extra money. Whether it’s through a side business or as simple as holding a garage sale, making that extra cash is key to boosting your income and securing your assets.

Excellent insurance coverage
Insurance is one of those things where there is a very fine line. On one hand, you don’t want to be overpaying for insurance but you also don’t want to go cheap and have missing coverage. It’s up to you to get the research done and make sure you have excellent coverage. Shop around and compare quotes from multiple companies. And don’t forget about disability insurance.

Build an Emergency Fund
This may be the most important thing you can do to prepare for a financial crisis. You don't have to put tons of money away a month, especially if you are paying down debt, but getting an Emergency Fund started and funded is a huge key to being able to avoid a financial crisis. Start buy opening an ING account - to protect your savings from you, since it takes 3 days to transfer the money - and set up automatic deposits from your checking account. After awhile you wont even miss the money and will forget about the EF. One day you will look up and have $100's, maybe $1,000's saved.

Are you prepared?
Anything can happen in life. Being prepared will put your mind at ease in case something drastic happens. The goal of preparation is not to prevent a disaster. The goal is to take a crisis event and turn it into nothing more than a minor setback.