Side Hustle Series: I’m a Referee (AKA I Get Paid to Get Yelled At) + MORE

Despite all the benefits of financial independence and early retirement, it’s actually better that not everybody retires early. In every society there are rules to follow and protocols to obey. Retiring before the age of 60 is a violation of such protocols.
Some of you may think I’m doing society a service by helping people get into financial shape by writing all this free content…

Thanks to the stock market’s upward trend since the recession (if the trend hadn’t been upward, we couldn’t say “since the recession”), policy changes that allow investors to convert traditional IRAs to Roth IRAs without limit other than the income tax bill, and perhaps even younger savers inspired to plan for their retirement by saving more of their income in these particular savings vehicles, IRA balances are at five-year highs according to Fidelity…

Since making a family budget is about as much fun as having a root canal, people routinely avoid this exercise. Perhaps they are afraid that a money discussion will cause tension. Or maybe they worry that making a budget will reveal just how out of control the family finances are.Whatever the reasons for avoiding budgeting, they need to be shoved aside…

You’re looking for a new place to live, you’ve gone through your checklist, and even gone so far as to analyze the price to rent ratio in your area.
It’s time to go out and find yourself some new digs.
So, like most Americans, you look for a place that is larger than your current residence…

(Guest post by Tom as part of our Side Hustle Series)
Being a referee is hard. Let’s put that right out there. You are signing up for a job where the expectation is that you will get yelled at, often unjustifiably, and you’re supposed to not react and continue to do your job. It is the hardest job I have ever had and may ever have…

The following is an excerpt from the book Cut the Crap, Get a Job! a New Job Search Process for a New Era. I will be running a series of excerpts from this book over the next couple weeks.Lots of good tips and thoughts in this installment. I don’t agree with all of it (like the over-emphasis on the cover letter), but generally think this is good advice…

Now that I have two young ones in school (and one of them in preschool … one who likes to make sure to tell everyone that he is also in school), the annual cycle of buying school supplies and preparing for the upcoming year is now a part of our lives.
Thankfully, the past few years have taught us several useful tactics for making this annual rite pass by in a much less expensive fashion…

When it comes to careers – especially for young professionals – there is a seemingly endless number of options available: there are different industries you can work in; there are non-profits and for-profits; different companies within a given industry; different departments within a company; different certifications and credentials you can pursue; different degrees you can obtain; even different volunteer and social opportunities…

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Have you registered your Apartment’s association as the legal entity?. If you are the owner of flat / Apartment, there must be a group of people form as an Association to represent the Apartment owners if there is a common issue / improvements…

This is a guest post from Jeff Rose, CFP. Jeff is well known among bloggers for his various causes: The Debt Movement, The Roth IRA Movement and The Life Insurance Movement. He also blogs at Goodfinancialcents.com. As it stands right now, there is just over $4 trillion dollars in 401k plans. That’s Trillion with a capital “T…

One of the biggest concerns in food safety today is our intake of chemicals that are sprayed on fresh produce. Fungicides, insecticides, and other chemicals are the price we pay for, uniform, beautiful, and bountiful fruits and vegetables. (See also: Eating at the Intersection of Cheap and Healthy)
Buying organic is one way to minimize your pesticide exposure, but for the frugal among us, organic produce can often seem too costly…

A few years ago, you could walk into any bank and get a loan or go to any car dealer and get a preferred rate. Then the stock market went limp, the real estate market burst and instead of standing in line for a brand name coffee, you were in line for unemployment benefits.
Good people have fallen on hard times in every neighborhood of every town around the country…

During my years as a financial advisor and retirement planning consultant, one of the most common complaints I received from people was about being able to take money out of their employer-sponsored retirement plans such as a 401k or 403b. For more on what the 403b is check this out. They insisted that it’s their money so they should be free to do with it what they want…

Everything Goes Up.  Does Anything Go Down?
Enbridge, my natural gas supplier has sent me a notice explaining why every customers’ gas bill will increase by about $85 this year.   Lots of explanation in a glossy multi-page pamphlet about increased cost of delivery.  It just means that I have to pay more…

Investing for your retirement can be a big headache these days. With an unstable economy, stock market investments and traditional retirement options can be risky.
For those 50 and under, stock market investments may still be an option, but for those over 50, a more secure investment (at least for a portion of your portfolio) is preferable…

Last year, back-to-school shopping hit a record average $689 for families with school-age kids for items like clothing, school supplies and electronics. This year the cost won’t be nearly as high — $635 per family, the National Retail Federation predicts.”The good news is that consumers are spending, but they are doing so with cost and practicality in mind…

Big shout out to Bankrate.com for being a sponsor and awarding these well-deserved debt slayers a $2,000 Debt Scholarship. Note: you can review the original announcement post here.  Congrats to Kyle and Diana.  You earned it!

Tackling our debt has made us a more resourceful and inventive couple, so it seems only appropriate that we delight you with a fairy tale story to depict our journey thus far and the heroic adventure of how we stood up to our debt monster…

Are you feeling bogged down by your career? I’ve recently struggled a little bit with my career. Even though I’m a freelance writer and I love what I do, there are things about my career path that I’ve become a little frustrated with.
Anytime you start feeling like your career is more of a job (and perhaps a dead-end job at that), it’s time to reconsider your path…