Category Archive for: ‘Money’
Five Things Not To Do At The Mall This Holiday Season
Retailers have their red mark-down pens out earlier than usual this year, meaning that many consumers will begin taking advantage of bargains in advance of the traditional Black Friday rush. As consumers hit the malls this holiday season, some are experienced shoppers, having weathered many …
Flexible Spending Accounts Slash Your Taxes
Admit it: You probably spend more time comparison shopping online than you do reviewing your annual benefits enrollment materials. That’s a big mistake, though, because the money you could save by choosing the right employee benefits package probably far exceeds any savings you could get …
Energy-Efficiency Tax Credits Expire Soon
If you haven’t already jumped on the home energy-efficiency bandwagon, the good news is that several federal energy tax credits originally slated to end in 2010 were extended through December 31, 2011; but the not-so-good news is that these credits are worth significantly less and …
Medicare Open Enrollment Comes Early
If you’re enrolled in Medicare, mark these dates on your calendar: October 15, 2011 – December 7, 2011. That’s Medicare’s 2012 Open Enrollment period – and you should note that it occurs a month earlier this year than in the past. Aside from exceptions made …
Financial Tips for Recent College Graduates and Their Parents
This post comes from partner site lowcards.com. If you are saving for your child’s college education, you may need to save a little more for financial support after graduation. According to a new study by American Express, 80% of graduates move in with their parents …
Poll Reveals One in Four Americans Would Not Inform Spouse of Financial Difficulties
The National Foundation for Credit Counseling (NFCC) September online poll revealed that twenty-four percent of more than 1,400 respondents would not tell their spouse if experiencing financial difficulties. Reasons given for withholding the information included the fear that it would worry the spouse (nine percent); …
The Power of Compounding Interest
I wish I had learned about the power of compounding a long time ago. As a kid I walked dogs in the neighborhood, earning $5 a week. If I’d started investing that weekly $5 from age nine until 65, it would have grown to $254,000, …
Financial Literacy Includes Planning for the Future
At Springboard we promote financial literacy and education. Our credit, debt and budget counseling service is designed to help people who are struggling with too much revolving credit debt. That means a lot of our financial education materials focus on helping people repay debts, create …
Financial Planners Are Not Just For The Wealthy
It’s not uncommon to feel overwhelmed by the sheer number of important decisions we need to make concerning retirement accounts, investments, college savings and other complicated financial issues. That’s one reason more and more people turn to professional financial advisors to help them navigate an …
5 Expenses You Shouldn’t Trim and What to Do Instead
1. Car maintenance Bad idea: Skipping an oil change. You could save $30 now, but that’s little consolation when you see smoke under the hood because your engine seized up, leaving you with a $5,000 bill. Better idea: If your car’s running well, cut back …
