Self Help Articles

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Eleven Simple Ways to Organize Your Finances

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	Avoid Financial Foibles Even if you think you are a careful spender, you could be making basic financial mistakes that are common to almost all of us. To steer clear of these mistakes, follow these simple steps and be in better control of your bank account…
	Choosing a Financial Planner The first step to choosing a financial planner is deciding whether or not you need one. The easy answer? If you have goals such as planning a retirement, funding college for your kids, or growing your investments, and you are uncomfortable with the financial planning needed to make these things happen, you may want to consider hiring financial planner…
	Eight Great Ways to Save Money If you are constantly on a shoestring budget and are always out of cash, take a good look at your spending and lifestyle habits. You will find that by making a few minor changes, you can both fatten your wallet and have a savings account to fall back on…
	Family Financial Planning Money Doesn’t Grow On Trees, But You Can Still Cultivate A Fortune. Have you ever figured out how much money you will make in your lifetime? Looking at the total numbers can be both exciting and sobering. If you are 25 and make $40,000 a year, by the time you are 65, you could have earned over 1.6 million dollars--and that’s assuming you never get a raise. That’s quite a fortune…
	Free Credit Reports Are Available Now Enacted in 2004 the Fair and Accurate Credit Transactions Act stipulates that each American consumer is entitled to a yearly review of their credit report, one provided by each of the three main credit bureaus: Experian, TransUnion, and Exquifax…
	Free-Up 10% to 15% of Your Income Would you be interested in freeing up 10% to 15% of your current income? Just imagine what you could do with this money. You could pay down your debts, increase your savings, or work toward that next important purchase that you have in mind. Wouldn’t it be exciting to actually have money left over at the end of the month?
	Fuel for Thought: Conserving Gas and Saving Money This summer people will be desperate to conserve gas, foregoing even short car trips to the ball game or farmer’s market and skipping the Great American Road Trip altogether. You may have to shell out big bucks for gasoline over the next few months, but you can make that tank of gas stretch further (and save some money!) if you follow a few simple tips…
	Grocery Shopping as a Tactical Excursion How to save big dollars on little items. We all have to eat, and as they say, there’s no such thing as a free lunch. A large portion of our budget has to go towards food. But you don’t have to spend as much as you think…
	How Do I Get Out of Debt? It’s a question we’ve all asked ourselves; anyone who’s ever owned a credit card, taken out a student loan, financed a car, or paid a mortgage has accumulated debt. Debt can feel overwhelming, but you don’t have to be a slave to it. You just need a little common sense and some budgeting savvy. Remember, you own the debt—not the other way around…
	How To Avoid Financial Foibles Even if you think you are a careful spender, you could be making basic financial mistakes that are common to almost all of us. To steer clear of these mistakes, follow these simple steps and be in better control of your bank account…
	How To Become Debt Free In 1/2 The Time (Or Less) With consumer debt at an all time high it's time we take control of our finances and get out of the "debt trap". Do you realize that if you owe $2,000 on a credit card with a 21% interest rate, and you only make the minimum payment each month that you will owe on this account for approximately 19 years and pay a total of $6725.64 in principle and interest?
	How To Get More Than You Pay For Do you always wish you could have more but spend less? Well, you may not be able to get that sports car for a steal, but there are ways to make your dollars go further and perhaps get some items you wouldn’t otherwise be able to afford. Or you can use a little chutzpah and bargain down prices on items you can already afford, and save a little extra. Pay for what you get, but get more than you pay for…
	How To Retire a Millionaire: 9 Habits of the Wealthy Do you want to live like the young, rich, flashy millionaires who live fast and die young? Or do you want to build a stable fortune? Sure the life of fast cars and expensive toys is fun, but does it last? Only until the next bear market…
	How To Teach Your Children The Value Of Money Children seem to be born with an insatiable desire to spend. Dealing with the barrage of purchase requests becomes a part-time job. What’s the best way to give your child a deeper understanding of where money really comes from? Reducing greed, instilling awareness, and teaching good work habits in children will go a long way to creating financially successful adults...
	How to Make Credit Cards to Work for You “You Have Been Pre-Approved…” The familiar first words of the credit card offer. If you’re over 18, chances are you’ve had your share of the nearly 3 billion pieces of direct mail sent out each year to possible credit card customers. Credit card companies want you, and they want to get you early, while you’re still in college if possible. They know, chances are, you’ll be loyal to your first credit card brand—and that means a lifetime customer for them...
	Live Simply, Be Wealthy Who is wealthier: The man who drives a fast car, eats at expensive restaurants, has all the latest gadgets, and lives paycheck-to-paycheck? Or the man who drives an older model, reserves dining out for special occasions, doesn’t bother with expensive toys, and has enough money accumulated in the bank and in investments to live for the rest of his life?
	Newlywed Finances Ah, being a newlywed. Life is beautiful, your loved one is beautiful, and everything is peaches and cream. Well, in your mind and heart it may be, but the honeymoon has to end sometime. Two hearts are now joined as one, and so are your assets. It is time to start sorting out your finances as a couple…
	Nine Money Saving Idea’s For Dining Out Going out to dinner is a fun, relaxing, even exciting experience. It’s a shame that it can be such a hardship on your pocketbook. But you can still enjoy all the perks and treats of being waited on at a nice restaurant while still being money savvy. You don’t have splurge to eat out if you know how to cut the right corners…
	Pay It Forward: Paying Yourself Back . . . In The Future Remember when you were a kid and you had a piggy bank? You would drop pennies and nickels into it just to hear that pleasing “plink” sound. You didn’t spend that money on candy or tickets to the movies, and eventually, all those pennies and nickels added up. Now you are grown up, and your piggy bank has turned into a real bank. But you can still treat your grown-up bank like your childhood piggy bank by setting aside some money for yourself each month…
	Say "Bah, Humbug!" To Holiday Debt Avoid the "Holiday Hangover" Ah, the holiday season! Turkey and dressing, pumpkin pie, Santa hats, jingle bells, and lots and lots of eggnog make the season a delight. But all fun and reindeer games aside, you have to be careful to make sure you don’t wind up as poor as Tiny Tim! Americans can spend as much as $1,000 a year on gifts for family and friends. That is a big chunk of money that can hit you pretty hard come January, but only if you don’t plan ahead. There are some tips and tricks you can do to keep your holidays bright and debt-free this year…
	Send Your Child to College on Pennies a Day Your grandmother used to say: "A penny saved is a penny earned," but these days a penny doesn't seem to be worth much. If you drop one, it's barely worth the trouble to pick it up. While it's true that a single penny won't get you far, it's not true that a penny has no value. Pennies add up…
	Seven Smart Ways to Use Your Tax Refund The final rush to file your taxes is over, and now you can sit back and dream about a refund. Eighty percent of you who filed by mid-March will get a sizeable refund. In fact, according to the IRS, refund checks are averaging $2,380 this year. That’s quite a chunk of change. So, if you’ve got some money headed to you from the government, sealed with a kiss, what are you going to do with it?
	Ten Secrets to Frugal Family Fun Today, four tickets to a professional ball game, four hot dogs, and four sodas can run you over $100. The same goes for a trip to a theme park, and the food there may cost even more. Fortunately, family fun can be found for a lot cheaper than you might think, and your kids won’t know the difference. What matters most is the memories you make together, and here are a few great ideas for having some very special times as a family...
	The Basics of Retirement We're all concerned about how to save money for the future. Whether you're a Baby Boomer who's been hit hard by the bear market or a young adult looking to retire in 35 years, there are simple ways to start organizing your ideal retirement plan…
	Variable Expense Funds: How to Avoid Suprise Bills Dinner at your favorite restaurant, or the dentist bill for next month’s cleaning. That technical gadget you’ve been drooling over, or your home owner’s insurance which isn’t due for 120 days. The new fall fashion, or the car inspection sticker that expires in 32 weeks. Which ones are you most likely to spend money on today?
	What Does My Credit Score Mean? Do you know what your credit score means? Really, do you? You may want to make sure you are perfectly clear on that, because The Consumer Federation of America reported in September of 2004 that of 1,000 Americans they surveyed, only one third understood that their credit score measured their likeliness to pay off a loan…
	What You Need To Know When a Debt Collector Comes Calling If you have credits cards, chances are you may run into some debt at some point. And if you run up considerable debt, an official debt collector may contact you. Do not be afraid. Debt collectors are not evil, and there are rules that they have to follow…
	Which Credit Card Fits Your Wallet Many of us are bombarded on a daily basis with low-rate and no-rate credit card offers. Several a day can be seen stacked in mailboxes everywhere. But, the real question is, what do we do with these? Deciding whether to file them in the recycle bin or actually consider signing up is a chore in itself. Knowing what to look for and why you need the card is the first step in making smart choices when it comes to credit cards…