Saturday Night Live Skit – Don’t Buy Stuff You Can’t Afford
The concept seems simple and the book is free…but these two, Amy Poehler and Steve Martin, just can’t seem to figure it out. Saturday Night Live takes a humorous look any spending beyond our means.
Click the Link Below to View Video on Hulu: Continue reading “Saturday Night Live Skit – Don’t Buy Stuff You Can’t Afford” »
Gambling with Your Financial Future and Losing
Lottery and our Financial Future
We saw an interesting poll from Bankrate.com that asked how people envision themselves getting financially ahead, particularly in a difficult economy.
Not surprisingly, “Saving and Investing” was the number one answer, at 36%, followed by “Additional Education or Job Training” at 23%. Running your own business (which is actually the most common profession of millionaires in this country) was fifth at just 6%. Continue reading “Gambling with Your Financial Future and Losing” »
Looking Ahead…Way Ahead
Planning Your Long-Term Financial Needs
According to results of a Charles Schwab survey, released June 4, 2009, nearly 40% of Americans are not savings for retirement and over 60% have not adjusted their retirement needs or investment strategy in the current downturn. Continue reading “Looking Ahead…Way Ahead” »
Combating Poor Spending Behaviors | Impulse Spending
We ALL face challenges when it comes to our spending behaviors. In this country, there is a seemingly endless list of “things” that sound fun, interesting, or enjoyable, or that fit the “got-to-have-it-now” mold.
We typically lump these items into the Impulse expenditures. They might come in the form of large purchases like cars, ATVs and vacations, or they can be more mundane things we spend money on, like clothing, restaurant meals, toys for the kids, or even a new cell phone. Continue reading “Combating Poor Spending Behaviors | Impulse Spending” »
Focusing Your Financial Energies
In these unsettled economic times, we offer the following suggestions for your household finances:
- 1. Continue to make payments to your creditors if you’re in the process of paying off debt. Having fewer of the proverbial creditors “knocking on your door” means less of a likelihood of additional and unexpected fees and/or interest rate hikes. Continue reading “Focusing Your Financial Energies” »
Motivated Savings
Happy New Year to all of our clients and friends! Have you, as many people do, considered changing or creating some personal habits this year? Hopefully the development and implementation of an improved savings strategy is among your resolutions. To encourage you to save money and live debt-free, we suggest the following steps that can motivate you to build your savings in the coming year.
Holiday Shopping Tips
Saving for the Holidays
The Holidays are a time for family gatherings, gift buying, and great food, which are all great in moderation. Fitness clubs have the highest memberships in the month of January, and credit card companies love the purchases made on their cards during the holidays. This year, enjoy knowing that you have the tools necessary to pay cash for Christmas gifts, food, and travel. Here are a few tips to budgeting a “cash only” Holiday Season.
- Begin saving now for Christmas shopping and Holiday activities. Starting in July would be ideal, but now is better than later.
- Create a list of people you would like to give gifts to and assign each person a dollar amount.
Improve Your Health and Your Wallet
How Healthy is Your Wallet?
Health Challenges and financial distress have caused many of us to take a look at both our good and bad habits. Here are a few realistic tips to help the body and the wallet.
Convenience Store Smoking:
We all know the health and financial reasons to quit smoking, but if you’re like a lot of smokers, you may not have the motivation to quit yet. There is, however, something you can do right now that will save the body and the wallet. When it’s time to purchase cigarettes, keep this in mind:
Begin at the Beginning: Write Down Your Financial Goals
Bathroom mirrors. Refrigerator doors. Bedroom closet walls. Bed stands. Wallets & purses.
What do they all have in common? They are great locations to post your written financial goals. If you haven’t written down three to five financial goals, following you will find a few tips to help you get started. Continue reading “Begin at the Beginning: Write Down Your Financial Goals” »