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21st Century Retirement Strategies That Will Make You Secure, Part 1

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Having reached the age of 67, it’s only now that the realities of retirement have actually sunk into my brain. After all, like most of us, that kind of event always seems like it’s far off in the distant future. It’s a lot like thinking about your long term health prospects in that you seem invincible in some respects and working every day fortifies that feeling.

In the 21st century, retirement strategies are changing. In Part 1 of this series, I discuss how health and Social Security will impact your retirement.

Realistically, we all know that retirement is coming whether it is in a far distant future or just peaking over the horizon. But even knowing that, we sometimes don’t paint a realistic color to what it will actually be like. Will it be a time of exploration, fun, and peace of mind? Or will it be a time of struggle, difficulties, and a less comfortable lifestyle? The way your retirement unfolds is never 100% under your control but the ways you prepare for it are for sure. That’s why you need some solid retirement strategies. Continue reading

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7 Easy Ways to Ramp Up Your Savings

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For today’s guest post on increasing your savings, please welcome back fellow blogger Anum Yoon.

In today’s world, there are endless opportunities to make money, but not all of them are the definition of reliable. Unless you have a sizable, stable income, it can be difficult to build a hefty savings account. It can be intimidating to start putting your money away for the future, especially if you aren’t sure what’s the right way to do so. Thankfully, there isn’t just one way to save!

It's important to maximize your savings to increase your overall wealth. Guest blogger Anum Yoon shares seven easy ways to build up your savings.

Increase Automatic Savings Just a Bit

Don’t attempt to save money in big chunks at first. It will be discouraging to see the money drain from your account so fast when you’re not sure what your new budget will be. Give yourself a small goal, and let it grow bigger with time. For example, start saving 1% of your monthly income, and, after six months, increase it to 2%. The time frame can be whatever you need it to be, but the gradual saving will build your account quickly. Continue reading

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Financial Freedom and the 4th of July

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Today, on its 241st birthday, the United States of America is a completely different place than any of our founding fathers might have ever imagined. Back in 1776 on this day, the world was just beginning to expand for America, stepping outside of the shadow of Britain and King George III to develop their very own path to independence. That path included political freedom and economic freedom that ultimately links to what financial freedom is all about!

Today is the 4th of July, the anniversary of America's independence. It's a day when we celebrate our freedoms, including goals of financial freedom.

When you seriously think about the road that we have traveled over the past two centuries (I’m a history major so I can’t help doing that), you will see the sacrifices that were made over and over again by people who started this great experiment in “freedom”. They have kept that process alive over every generation. It makes us proud to be a part of that process. Continue reading

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Kids Can Invest in the Market: The Stockpile Experience

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Please note this post contains affiliate links which help to fund this blog at no cost to you. Thanks for your support!

Have you ever purchased stocks for your children or grandchildren? Better yet, would you like your kids to learn about the market at a young age and develop some lifetime skills that just might be the best road to building financial wealth? Well, now you can introduce them to Stockpile, an online discount brokerage firm that will allow you and your kids to buy “fractional” shares of over 1,000 stocks and funds (ETFs) with a relatively new and simple, easy and straightforward access to the stock market.

If you want to buy stocks for kids, Stockpile is a great way to do it. Not only can you buy fractional shares, but kids can track their stocks too.

The idea of buying stock fractions isn’t totally brand new, it’s been around for a couple of years. However, Stockpile is just a little bit different. For the first time ever, you can now set up a custodial account that your kids can use and learn all about the market and even make trades (with your approval of course)! It even gives you the ability to reinvest any dividends automatically for free, unlike any other of these types of accounts. Continue reading

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…And The Savings Awards Go To: The 2017 SST Awards

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I really value my free time these days. Truth be told, almost all of my time is free and since I retired, I say “every day is Sunday” these days. That’s how it really feels most of the time. So having that time means my mind often wanders to thoughts that otherwise may never come into my head. Like, oh say, writing about the SST Awards (Super Saving Tips Awards).

The SST Awards are my attempt to give savings awards to the businesses and products that save you money and provide you with the best quality and service.

These are the savings awards that I give to the businesses and products that save you, the consumer, the most money or offer the best deals that will earn you the most in cash and rewards! Oh, you haven’t heard about them? Hmmm, that’s strange. It was in all the papers. 😉 Continue reading

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Why Senior Citizens Want to Stay in the Workplace

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Most people think of a “senior” or a retired person as someone who sits around in the back yard snoozing on and off or perhaps hitting the golf course for a round with his retired friends. After all, most retirees have spent decades rising and shining every day and working there as$$es off to provide for themselves and their families and deserve some time to relax and have some fun in their “golden years”. And in most cases, they really do deserve a chance to just hang out and not carry the weight on their shoulders they have had for most of their lives.

Senior citizen jobs are becoming more important & prevalent as retirees go back to work. Here's some of the reasons why they want to stay in the workplace.

But a not-so-funny thing has happened to many older people these days. Many of them have found out that sitting around in retirement isn’t all that it was cracked up to be. There are a lot of reasons for that, so today’s post is something I can write about firsthand and with absolute certainty: why senior citizens want to stay in the workplace. Continue reading

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How to Invest in Real Estate When You Don’t Have a Lot of Time

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Today’s guest post on maximizing your time when investing in real estate is from fellow blogger Kayla Sloan. 

I don’t know about you, but time is something I never seem to have enough of.

There’s always at least one more thing on my “To Do” list at the end of each day than I have the time to accomplish. Maybe it’s because my goals and optimism of how much I can accomplish each day are too lofty.

If you don't have much time, there are still ways you can invest in real estate. Here are 3 different ways to maximize your time with real estate investing.

If this sounds all too similar to what you experience in your own daily life you should know that one thing not to put off until tomorrow is investing.

Perhaps you’ve considered investing in the past and ruled out putting money into real estate investments due to a lack time in your busy schedule to flip houses or manage rentals. But the good news is, those are not the only ways to invest in real estate and it is possible to do even when you don’t have a lot of time. Continue reading

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How Bad Credit Makes Your Life Miserable

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I am constantly surprised at how many among us don’t know or fully understand bad credit and how it can affect us all in our everyday lives. There are some who think that having and using credit is evil or dangerous and so they avoid it at all costs. In fact, there are people who have no credit rating at all who have never had a credit card or loan for anything in their life. Rare, but true, and those folks may wake up one day and find that was a really huge mistake.

Bad credit can make your life miserable in ways you probably haven't even thought of. Here are some ways credit affects you and how to improve it.

When it comes to credit, one of the biggest mistakes you can make is to underestimate how much your credit rating may affect you and your lifestyle. In many areas, besides the amount of money you can borrow when you really need to, and the interest rate you will have to pay, mismanaging your credit can affect whether you can qualify for loans for a mortgage, car, or personal loan. Having no credit history means a lender just doesn’t know if you are a good risk and probably won’t lend you money or will charge you a higher interest rate and offer a lower amount if they do. Continue reading

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What Dad Really Wants for Father’s Day

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Last year I wrote a post about my thoughts on Father’s Day and it came from my heart. I think the message in it says what every Dad (and Mom too) thinks and feels about a day like this, even though the environment we live in makes us feel like honoring our Dads and Moms is only about buying gifts and making a big deal out of just one single day a year in our lives. I can tell you from personal experience, that’s not what Dads (and Moms) really want from their kids.

So today, in anticipation of Father’s Day 2017, I am republishing last year’s post. If you didn’t see it last time, I hope it says what you are feeling like it does for me. Here’s hoping all the “kids” of any age out there read and get the message I am conveying. Have a great Father’s Day all year long!

It’s just around the corner: another Father’s Day arrives on Sunday, June 18th.  If you’re like most people, you’ve already begun thinking about what you’re looking to give Dad this year—checking the Sunday papers, looking online, and talking to Mom and your siblings about what Dad really wants this year.

Father's Day is coming on June 18th. I'll share with you the secret of what Dad really wants for his special day and you won't need to spend the big bucks.

I’m a Dad of two (they’re grown now and out on their own) and I’m sure they are thinking those same thoughts and hoping to surprise me with something I’m just dying for but would never go out and buy for myself. That’s probably how they think. Continue reading

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7 Lifestyle Changes That Don’t Cost Much But Have Big Benefits

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For today’s guest post on affordable lifestyle changes, please welcome back fellow blogger Anum Yoon.

We all want to change our lives for the better, but it’s hard to know how to do that without spending a bunch of money. Eating organic and having gym memberships is great, but it starts to add up. Consider the following lifestyle changes. They might seem small, but they have major benefits. The best part? They’re affordable.

If you want to improve your health, you don't necessarily have to spend a lot. Check out these 7 affordable lifestyle changes to boost your well-being.

1. Drink More Water

You probably hear this all the time, but it seriously does make a difference. Drinking it from the tap is insanely cheap. Even if your water isn’t the best, an investment in a Brita filter or pitcher is an infrequent buy that pays for itself in the long run. Bottled water creates too much waste, and they’re way more expensive. Continue reading