Category: Personal Finance

Learn about a variety of personal finance topics, including budgeting, saving, credit, debt, taxes, insurance, retirement and more

Family & Relationships

Dating and the Single Person: How to Save Money

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They say that money makes the world go ’round. They also say that love makes the world go ’round. Perhaps it’s a bit of both. When you’re single and in dating mode, sometimes it seems like you don’t have enough of either. But don’t despair…I made it through some rough single times, and I’ll bet you can, too. It’s just a matter of knowing how to manage your money, and your expectations, while dating.

When you're single and dating, it can be difficult to meet the right person, and even more difficult to save money while doing it.

Money can be a very contentious issue when you’re working on finding or being in a relationship, and it can also be one of the main causes for a relationship breakup too. It happens when there are real disparities that the parties have in their money attitudes. Ask people like me who have been through a divorce and you will probably get an earful about it.
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Retirement

Unplanned Early Retirement Now During the Pandemic?

Let’s face facts here. Millions of people are out of work right now and despite the mantra of “we gotta get back to work” being chanted by everyone, the truth is that many jobs will be permanently lost even as we reopen the country. Businesses are closing for good all over the place and larger ones are cutting back, if not closing. Businesses are changing and becoming much more quickly tech driven and that means many older workers may no longer have the skills they need to adapt to a changing work environment. It all means that “retirement” may be the only real viable road for many after the COVID-19 pandemic. An unplanned early retirement.

One of the side effects of the pandemic is unplanned early retirement for many younger seniors. Here's what you need to consider.

This Year 2020

More people will retire this year than in any year I can recall. Some of that is because of the pandemic. The forced job loss and the mere fact that many just won’t be able to find work again, especially older workers, will push the number higher.

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Family & Relationships, More, Personal Finance

The Legal Documents That Are More Important Than Ever

The struggle with the spread of COVID-19 has many of us re-thinking whether we have all the right emergency legal documents we really need in place. No matter if you live in a coronavirus hotspot or don’t know anyone with COVID-19, there are certain documents you need to have on hand and understand how these legal documents can help protect you. Sometimes we choose not to think about those things, but during a pandemic we have to look at them, even when it may be scary to do it.

In case of emergencies, there are certain legal documents you need to have in order to protect you and your family, especially during a pandemic.

Managing important documents, especially emergency medical documents, isn’t any fun but it is important. It can and will help you and your family with essential healthcare decisions. Those decisions are especially difficult during an unexpected illness or accident so being prepared is just good personal finance management 101. Here’s what you need right now to protect you and your family!

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Family & Relationships

How and Why Money Problems Can Destroy a Relationship

Money is something that everyone has to have, at least some of it. But the problem with money, or the lack of it, is a serious one. It’s bad enough when you yourself are dealing with a money problem, but it’s even worse when it involves you and someone else. When money problems arise between you and a significant other, money problems can destroy your relationship!

Understanding how money problems in a relationship form will help you to avoid those issues. Here are suggestions to balance your relationship and money.

Are You and Your Partner Fighting About Money?

Is money something you and your partner argue about all the time? It’s often a very common issue in relationships to have extremely different opinions about money. Why? Where does that come from?

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Personal Finance

COVID-19 and 5 Important Money Challenges Right Now

It’s been five months since the first COVID-19 infections were reported in the United States and it seems like years. Stay-at-home orders may have been lifted in many areas, but life is not normal in any part of the country.

The COVID-19 pandemic has created money challenges for nearly all of us. Here are 5 important challenges and what to do to create a successful future.

Being so much more isolated these days, it can feel good to know that you’re not going through this alone. You’re not the only with financial questions or money challenges right now and there are some solutions out there that can help get you through what is going on.

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Frugality, Saving & Investing

10 “E-Z Ways to Save Money” Tips

We all understand and get that saving money can seem impossible sometimes. It’s not even worth pretending that everyone has the innate ability to save money, but that’s likely the reason the headline above drew you in, isn’t it?

If you're looking for E-Z ways to save money, I have ten tips to help you get started without a lot of work. Check it out and get started today!

While saving money may not come easy to everyone, it’s something that anyone can try to do. The idea is that as long as you actually try, there’s a chance. But it’s not all about some drastic cutting back on everything you have and want and it’s not some secret scientific formula that I’m planning to sell to you that will make me rich. It actually is way more subtle than that and that’s why I have called it E-Z. So here are my best E-Z ways and save money tips to get you started!

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Home, Retirement

When Does Having a Mortgage Really Suck?

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Let me be the first person (today at least!) to tell you that owning your own home is a great idea. If you are looking to help build your financial wealth over time, then buying a home is a great way to build equity. It also has lots of money-saving benefits for you as well.

Mortgages are great in that they let many people afford homes, but at a certain point in life, they suck. Having a mortgage in retirement should be avoided.

The alternative to owning your own home is of course renting. Renting is very much like having a big hole that you keep pouring your money into and it never gets filled up. Even in 2020, and with my 70 years on planet earth, owning a home is still a pretty desirable goal to have and a good way to build wealth.

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Taxes

Will the Pandemic Affect Your Taxes and Services?

It may be hard to think about anything but the illness and trauma that COVID-19 is causing here and around the world right now. We have just experienced a “springtime” that was at best lost and at worst only a taste of what may be coming down the pike. Outside my front window the sun is shining, but even though everything may look serene, it’s really not. Intellectually, we all know that eventually this pandemic will end. But way before it does end, we are all going to be facing several issues, and among them is this: How will the pandemic affect our local taxes? Will there be a property tax increase?

As the pandemic continues, the economic effects are troubling. How will it affect your taxes and services? Will there be a property tax increase?

Taxing Times Are Ahead of Us

Around the world and here at home, cities, states, and local governments are looking to close the massive budget shortfalls created by the coronavirus pandemic. They all have spent tons of money helping fight this disease and even though there has been money doled out by national and federal government agencies, private companies and public donations, local and state governments are considering raising taxes on homes, cigarettes, alcohol, local businesses, and even global tech giants. Why? Because local economies have seen their budgets decimated because of this virus.

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