When I read that 49% of Americans are not contributing to any retirement plan at all, I was not surprised to find out that the biggest offender group were people between the ages of 18 to 34. My guess is that it's not that they don't want to do it, but rather that they don't know how to save for retirement. The last time there was a round of 401k sign-up at work, my younger colleagues seemed hopelessly lost. They were given a nice big folder of papers containing numbers of charts, and told the old “you should probably contribute 10% of your paycheck” advice. But when it came down to, they really just had had no idea how to save for retirement. When I'd ask them if they felt 10% would be enough, I was met with blank stares like … [Read more...] about Six Easy Steps for Figuring Out How to Save for Retirement
Weekend Wind Down 5/12/2012
I’ve felt like a VERY delinquent blogger this week. My apologies to all of you who I normally visit and comment upon. Work has been extra demanding this week (with one of the big projects nearing a close), so my time has been spoken for. We’re looking forward to the weekend! Tomorrow, the boys are going to see “The Avengers” while the girls are going to get their nails done. And we’ve got all Sunday to do whatever Mrs. MMD wants to do for Mother’s Day (including catching up on all our shows that keep piling up on our DVR). Speaking of TV shows, is anyone watching “Don’t Trust the B”? That show is hilarious! Posts You Should Check Out: In case you didn’t already, give these posts a read this weekend: … [Read more...] about Weekend Wind Down 5/12/2012
What Results Are You Getting From Learning?
Do you love to learn? Even though you finished your degree and are proficient in your field, do you still find yourself searching for new information? Years ago when I finished college, I had a hole – a big black void that I used to fill with homework, writing papers, and studying for exams. That sounds ridiculous right? When you’re in school, the one thing you can’t wait for is to finally be done! … [Read more...] about What Results Are You Getting From Learning?
Yes, People Still Fall for Pyramid Schemes
I stumbled upon a very strange thing this week when I was traveling for business through a rural part of Ohio … Setting the Scene: I had finished work, ate some dinner, and was looking for a place to chill out on my laptop. With limited options, I found a local Tim Horton’s Coffee & Bakery shop and decided to hang out there. When I entered, the first thing I noticed was the place was packed! “Perhaps this was the happening place to be on a Wednesday night” I thought. So I ordered my coffee, took a seat, and got on my computer. The majority of the people that were there looked slightly less than well-off. But among them were a few very well (and overly dressed) young women. Preying Upon the Ignorant: I got on my phone to have my … [Read more...] about Yes, People Still Fall for Pyramid Schemes
Weekend Wind Down 5/06/2012
What’s this? Am I on a boat?? Nope! That’s just me driving through my neighborhood and what it looked like after a massive rainstorm came out of nowhere! When I initially drove out of my driveway, the water was just a little deep. But the further I went along, it got deeper and deeper! I was getting a little worried and didn’t want to stop. I’m glad I didn’t stall out! This was kind of a busy week (as you can tell since I’m a day late on my normal schedule). I was on a business trip through OH when I stumbled upon something VERY interesting! More on that to follow in Monday’s post …. I think you'll enjoy! Blog News: In Blog news, I was finally bestowed a Google PageRank of 2! Although I’m not 100% sure how I obtained this, but I’m … [Read more...] about Weekend Wind Down 5/06/2012
Adding Your Children’s College Savings to the Budget
Please don’t hate me. I’m very proud that you’ve been following my advice (and the advice of my PF blog constituents) to start saving for retirement, etc. But now we’re going to talk about something that may require you to dig just a little deeper into those pockets of yours: • College “I Don’t Even Have Kids Yet!” Why Do I Care? I know some of you are pretty young and just graduating college yourself, while others of you may have recently got married and just had children. These are all great positions to be because, like most savings strategies, “more time” is our friend. However, this post is going to assume that someday when or if you already DO have kids, that you’ll want to send your little Princess or Jedi (… there’s a Star … [Read more...] about Adding Your Children’s College Savings to the Budget
What Did You Learn From Working as a Teenager?
Did you have a job when you were younger? Of course you did – we all pretty much had to! How else were you going to fill your gas tank, be able to take your date to the movies, or hang out with our friends? (Unless you were one of those kids with the rich parents ….) What do you remember the most about working as a teen? The crappy hours? The repulsive tasks that no one else wanted to do? The impossible and un-pleaseable customers? Working ALL week long to make a few hundred dollars? One of my first jobs ever was working in a restaurant. I started off as a bus-boy running lighting speed from table to table, clearing and cleaning it so that the customers could get seated faster. After a few years I worked my way up to take-out and … [Read more...] about What Did You Learn From Working as a Teenager?
Weekend Wind Down 4/28/2012
Following the last post “The Value of What You Know”, I found a hilarious example to use as a follow-up and lighten the mood. What is it that this guy “knows” and is using to draw value from others? … Fighting Zombies of course!!! That’s right! There is a place in South Jersey that is offering a “Zombie Survival Course”. The program prepares you for the “upcoming zombie apocalypse” through teaching you to shoot guns, hot wire cars, perform first aid, and even the martial arts of “Zombitsu”. So how much does it cost to learn these life-saving survival skills? Packages run anywhere from $149 to $425 per person! Click on the video to see some great footage (I apologize in advance for the advertisement in the beginning). … [Read more...] about Weekend Wind Down 4/28/2012
