Most likely you have never come across this situation, you are standing in line to pay for something and your card gets declined for insufficient funds. Thankfully it has only happened to me a few times, fortunately I was paid within a day or 2 of the insufficient funds. But for some this is a reality that they have to deal with day in and day out. Having bad credit can make it very difficult to get access to a checking account. There are solutions today that will help you get back on the right track. Have you ever been...
Before we get to the good reads! Check out this beastly resource on how to get a good domain name, and let me know what you think. A Few Good Reads Here are a few of my favorite reads from the past week. 1. The psychological perks of paying off debt: Debt is a drag. Not only on your credit score, but also on your psyche. It’s a dark cloud that lurks over many corners of life, casting a shadow over your confidence, ambitions and relationships. (more…)
THE STRATEGIC RETIREMENT – ARE YOU PLANNING AHEAD? It’s madness – utter madness. What’s so maddening? Those that understand what they need to do for something to happen the way that they very much want it to, but who are putting very little effort into finding out how they need to go about making it happen. Unfortunately, this is where Americans are at with some estimates concluding that over half of the American population hasn’t even given a second thought to how much they’ll need at retirement. Sure, a great many of them have some kind of retirement plan –...
Have a budget for pets Pets are already considered as part of the family and for people who are living alone or away from their families, pets are even considered as companions. For years now, pets, especially cats and dogs, have been living in thousands of households all over the world and are being valued. When it comes to expenses for pets, this also takes a chunk off the family’s budget for the month. But as always, there are numerous ways to cut on costs and save money while dealing with the expenses for pets. From food to crates and...
For many college students, graduation is a major turning point. While they are already considered adults, graduation is a sort of arrival that marks their entrance into “the real world,” where decisions matter. As you graduate college, make sure your decisions lead you to a path of financial security with these seven steps to financial stability. 1. Live within Your Means Your financial situation may change significantly when you graduate college and enter the workforce. Make sure your spending is in line with what you are actually making after taxes by sitting down and making a budget. Budgeting doesn’t have...
Y for yakezie carnival…Well we are out on the boat today enjoying the nice weather. Here are a few great posts to tide you over until you can see me again on monday 🙂 Ahh before we start some business I want to avert your eyes to: Check out my Guide to Successfully Start a Blog Michelle @ Diversified Finances writes What Not To Do When Leaving Your Job – I know that everyone has different reasons for leaving their job, and sometimes it is a really toxic environment that you are trying to leave. Emily @ Evolving Personal Finance...
Before we get to the good reads! Check out this beastly resource on how to successfully start a blog, and let me know what you think. A Few Good Reads Here are a few of my favorite reads from the past week. 1. Debt Is Making Young People Sick: So you still can’t decide if you should empty your savings account to buy that starter home, trading a renter’s lifestyle for a 30-year mortgage? Or maybe you’re pondering an apartment you can’t really afford, or a first car you’re only kind-of convinced you need? (more…)
Wow, I cannot believe it school is right around the corner for most college students. Most students have experienced the difficulty of saving money from over the summer at their summer jobs. Usually the amount of money parents give them is just right for their needs and other school-related things and when there is something left, it is not enough for the personal purchases the students want to make. Through the years, students have resorted to various ways of getting their own money for their own needs, since their student allowance won’t suffice. These range from starting their own small business, saving monetary...
In order to determine whether you should invest in stocks, annuities, or both, it is important to understand each component and how they compliment each other in an investment portfolio. With today’s stock market at an all-time low, some experts would recommend that this is a good opportunity to invest in stocks. The “buy low, sell high” adage may yield positive results if you are willing to invest in the long term. Conversely, some would also argue that annuities are a safer bet in today’s economy. An annuity is an investment that yields a guaranteed payout. There are two types...
A Few Good Reads Here are a few of my favorite reads from the past week. 1. Which Debt Should I Pay Off First? You’ve just come into a little bit of money and you have decided that you want to pay off one or more of your debts. The problem is this…you’re not sure which one to pay off first. Conventional wisdom tells you that you should choose the debt with the highest interest rate because it’s the most expensive to service. Open this article (more…)
From the beginning of my blogging career one thing I believed which I was right about was creating a sticky blog, but still I really didn’t know the exact meaning of stickiness, like most people today I believed that a blog can be called as sticky based upon its design, but I recently found out what really a sticky blog is, its the readability and usability of a blog. Certain aspects of a blog such as bounce rate, page-view’s and avg time which are crucial for making money depend upon the stickiness of your blog. As I mentioned above, stickiness...
Doing business in the UK compared to the USA – just how easy is it? The United States is not only the world’s largest national economy but it stands out as a country that celebrates anyone who has a go at becoming an entrepreneur; echoing the pioneering attitudes of its first settlers. It can be hard to get your head around living and working in America but, for those businesses that succeed, the opportunities are as vast as the continent itself. To give you an idea, 10 of the States are larger than Britain and each of the 50 States...
Often that is one of the worst questions that you can ask yourself, but be advised you are not alone. In fact some people have made careers out of helping others in credit card debt and credit card default. When someone’s finances and debts get out of control, some outside assistance may be needed to get them back on track. Some people turn to bankruptcy to deal with their financial issues, but the damage done to your credit score can take almost a decade to repair. This is why there are so many credit counseling services out there willing to...
Misery Loves Company If you are finding it difficult to pay your bills these day, know that you are not alone. If you are worried about your home being foreclosed or your automobile being repossessed, millions of your fellow Americans are in the same boat. Most people face financial troubles at some point in their lives. The reason can range from losing your job, a serious illness in the family or simply reckless spending. Although owing a lot of money can seem overwhelming, there are steps you can take for debt relief. If you take proper action right now, your financial picture...
If your creditor has sold your debt to a 3rd party debt collector, you are undoubtedly going to be contacted by phone. Debt collectors can be ruthless in their efforts to secure the money owed to them, continuously calling and using various threats to do so. Some debtors opt to ignore these harassing phone calls, but that is almost never the best course of action to take, even if the calls are aggressive and uncomfortable. What is the best way to deal with phone harassment about my debts? Determine if the Debt is Yours The first thing you have to...
A Few Good Reads Here are a few of my favorite reads from the past week. 1. Debt ceiling drama returns: Warnings from the White House, Wall Street and the world economic community be damned: Debt ceiling drama is back. The rapidly approaching fight over lifting the nation’s borrowing limit won’t only pit Republicans against President Barack Obama but also pit Republicans against Republicans. Open this article (more…)
I thought I would write a little bit about getting behind on credit card payments or other bills that you owe. There will probably be a mini series on dealing with creditors and what you should do if they come knocking. There is no promotional material within these posts, it is just something that many of us deal with on a daily basis and can cause undue stress on relationships. Thankfully my wife and I have not had to endure any of these tactics by creditors, but others are not so lucky. If you get too far behind on some...
With so many different ways to borrow money, from credit cards to loans, it is very easy to land yourself in debt without even realising it. Reckless spending, living beyond your means or failing to read the small print isn’t wise, so it’s essential to avoid debt that will be difficult to clear. If you have credit cards, loans or any other form of borrowing, you should be keeping a close eye on your finances. If you’re in debt, you need to know that you’re in debt and by how much. So many people with debt problems run away from...
If you run a small business, but tend to be away on business trips, you might worry that certain aspects may be in jeopardy. Things like knowing the business, how to operate your payroll software, etc., these are all things that could run into problems if left unchecked. If you can’t always be there to make sure, there are still a few things you can do to make sure you’re business is running smoothly. First, consider having someone stand in for you when you’re out of town. They don’t have to be a marketing genius or a mathematician, just someone...
The other day one of my girlfriends asked me for some help with budgeting. Of course I said yes! right away. If there’s one thing I love more than money and budgeting, it’s teaching it and helping others along. I don’t get the chance to do so very often so when someone asks for help I jump at the chance! I’ve been doing a lot of thinking about what I’m going to tell her because she’s a really good friend and I definitely want to encourage her and not overwhelm her. She’s also several years younger so I want to make sure...
Anyone who runs their own business, whether this is an administration firm or building company, will know that not everything runs smoothly all of the time. A person or company’s reputation can easily be tarnished in a matter of minutes, especially in the digital age where a bad comment, poor decision or wrong move can stick around in cyberspace forever. That’s why you can never be too prepared when it comes to dealing with crisis management. It’s important to have a plan in place to control or respond to a potential situation quickly and effectively. If you do find your...
There are all kinds of insurance for all kinds of different things. If you own a business, you have undoubtedly thought about getting business insurance. Businesses need several different types of insurance to protect them from financial ruin; the decision between getting insurance or not is the decision between whether you, your company and your employees are safe or at risk of losing hard earned money. Having business insurance ensures that you will not be left out of pocket if you encounter a disaster that effects your business operation either from damage to property or loss of finances. It is...
IT infrastructure no longer scales as an internal physical presence within the four walls of any organization, however big or small that organization may be. Global communications networks intertwined with the evolution of consumerized technologies dictate that cloud computing solutions offer the best IT agility, flexibility and speed. Integrating business operations with strategic precision takes a powerful computer network, optimum hardware performance and expert resourcing. It is not possible for any company to keep up with the requirements of a global online audience, across vast Internet networks and collaborative systems, when running a physical IT infrastructure hosted in-house. However the...
