We’ve got big news: We applied for a refinance! What’s New It’s been quite a while since I’ve updated this series. Since my last post in Chapter 3, a lot has happened - a lot of good things! … [Read more...] about Adventures in Refinancing, Chapter 4
Retiring on the One-Million Dollar Myth
I recently read an article on Daily Finance that posed the question of whether having one-million dollars was enough to retire. For many, one-million dollars is perceived as being the classic bench-mark of finally having enough money to retire as well as a symbolic goal for finally “being rich”. But as you can expect, the article posed several questions about whether retiring on one-million dollars had become a myth. Would it be enough to retire or stop working altogether? Where Does One-Million Dollars Get You? Perhaps it’s a sign of the times that our expenses have gotten out of control. Or maybe our society just simply “thinks” they need too much to live comfortably. Either way, we can explore this situation a little further. … [Read more...] about Retiring on the One-Million Dollar Myth
It Pays to be Assertive
Every once in a while, I’m reminded how being assertive really pays off. For me, being assertive is really just a strategic way of being aggressive. The end result is still the same – I don’t take “no” for an answer. But I accomplish it with the right mix of psychology and candor. If you’re afraid of conformation, consider these stories: … [Read more...] about It Pays to be Assertive
Browsing for Stocks – January 2012
It’s a new year and I’m optimistic that new opportunities are out there. In keeping with that enthusiasm, I’d like to add a few more individual stocks to my portfolio. Traditionally, I stick with mutual funds to stay diversified, keep my costs down, and avoid the turbulence of the market. However, last year I had a great time with Apple (AAPL) (up 26% from my initial purchase) and I’m hoping I can use the same care and attention to pick another winner. Going After Dividends As part of my ongoing initiative to add passive income streams, I’ve decided that my next set of stocks should be dividend stocks. There are a lot of reasons why to look at dividend stocks for my next purchase: … [Read more...] about Browsing for Stocks – January 2012
Is Your Job Awesome?
Does your job have outstanding perks? Fortune just released their 2012 list of the “Top 100 Best Companies to Work For”. These companies offer everything from big paychecks to free gourmet food to good-ole classic job security! Here are the Top 10 of the list and their headlining benefits. You can also checkout the entire list here. … [Read more...] about Is Your Job Awesome?
How to Budget – Download My Excel Budget Template
In the preceding chapters, we've covered quite a few strategies for successfully creating a budget that will work for you. Now enough talk! Let's put the pen to paper and get down to business! As promised, here is the last post in the series containing my free Excel budget template. If you've got Microsoft Excel installed on your computer, then you should be in good shape. The file was created in an older version of Excel so it should open with no trouble. … [Read more...] about How to Budget – Download My Excel Budget Template
How to Budget – Making It Easy with Mint
At many times throughout this series and especially in Part 2, I told you not to worry just yet about your individual credit card purchases and to treat them all as one “big category”. The reason I did this is because I didn’t want our lesson to get hung up on analyzing credit card purchases to death. You have a lot of other bills besides a credit card, and most of them are fixed each month. As we’ve already shown, knowing what you’re going to spend each month versus what you’re going to take in is extremely helpful in creating a budget. But in no way does this mean that we should ignore your credit card purchases. In fact, hitting the credit card category is the first place I usually look to cut my spending and re-direct the money … [Read more...] about How to Budget – Making It Easy with Mint
How to Budget – Step 7 – Sticking to the Plan!
Time to test the gold in fire. Earlier I told you that a well designed budget would be the key to money management and staying within your means. This is still true. If you’ve created something that is tailored for you, meets your goals, and is comfortable enough for you to live with, then you should do well. All of this would be great if “you” were the only person this budget was for. The problem is that it’s not just “you”. A budget is usually for you, your spouse, and your family. Although that doesn’t sound like a lot, there’s a lot going on inside that group. Just like how a company sets a budget, each department will likely have competing goals and agendas. Similarly, sometimes each person in the family feels differently about … [Read more...] about How to Budget – Step 7 – Sticking to the Plan!
