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Should You Tap Social Security Benefits Early?

March 2nd, 2015 by Alice Bryant
Social Security (SS) benefits belong to the workers who paid into the system. The United States government has given the citizens the ability to choose when they retire. Should you tap your Social Security benefits early?
 
In many ways, it seems like everyone would want to tap their government benefits as early as possible. So why don't they? Choosing when to retire is a very complex decision.
 

How Expensive is Your City?

February 26th, 2015 by Alice Bryant

Many individuals today are struggling with high expenses and may be having trouble making ends meet. For some, it is a regular battle each month to find funds available to pay all of the bills that pile up in a mailbox. Others may be falling farther behind each month because their spending exceeds their take-home income. If you can relate to these financial challenges, it may have crossed your mind that your city may simply be too expensive for you to live in. 

They Know What You’ve Been Buying: How Insurance Gets Your Spending Data

February 20th, 2015 by Alice Bryant
As news reports started coming out last year that insurers and healthcare providers were tracking and analyzing individual's spending data, a lot of people were immensely shocked. This personal data is accumulated from various sources, oftentimes without prior knowledge or permission. Knowing that our personal spending behaviors are used to assess health concerns, risks, and more seems invasive and intrusive in our freedom and rights to privacy. The truth is that some privacy laws will protect us, but our information is out there.
 

How Much Is Your New Year’s Resolution Costing You?

January 16th, 2015 by Alice Bryant

Every year once the bills start coming in, the New Year's resolutions to save money, put money away for retirement and/or pay down your debt start to fall by the wayside. New bills, unexpected expenses and temptations are everywhere. Yes, you may want to "throw in the towel" and break your New Year's resolution. You may even be asking yourself why you made the resolution in the first place. The very first thing you should do before deciding to break your resolution is to ask yourself the following questions.

How to Organize Your Finances for the New Year

December 19th, 2014 by Alice Bryant
A new year is imminent, and well-planned individuals are now considering their new year’s resolutions for 2015. All over the country, consumers will quickly be signing up for gym memberships, purchasing self-help books and swearing off their wicked behaviors.
 

How Much Should You Save for Retirement?

December 11th, 2014 by Alice Bryant

Anyone that has begun to consider their options for retirement has no doubt asked themselves when they can retire and how much they will need to save up. These are two tricky questions for a variety of reasons, including the fact that the future is always unpredictable. Any number of twists can take place ranging from a dramatic shift in the economy to a serious illness, but this does not mean planning is not essential.

How Will You Manage Your Money in the Future?

December 5th, 2014 by Alice Bryant
It doesn't take a financial analyst to see that the checkbook is virtually useless anymore. In fact, card readers are also on their way out. Consumers are not to worry if they're still afraid of using ATM machines or being charged outrageous fees associated with transferring money. It's forecasted that by 2020, these problems will be a thing of the past and the way people use and handle money will be vastly different. Some of the forecasted changes are already under way.
 

Do You Have an Emergency Fund?

December 4th, 2014 by Alice Bryant
The emergency fund is a crucial part of anyone’s financial portfolio. It exists to cushion you from a heavy financial blow from something like a hospital bill. Because of this weight, many of us want to take a large sum and invest it into something that will produce more returns than a regular savings account. However, doing so could greatly endanger your emergency savings. After all, the greater the yield, the higher the risk involved.
 

How to Save Money this Winter

November 14th, 2014 by Alice Bryant

As winter begins its inevitable descent onto the country, many homeowners brace themselves for the annual spike in utility costs. Some homeowners, however, don’t take the cold weather onslaught lying down beneath a pile of comforters. Rather than shiver through the cold or accept higher bills, they take action to save money. They use some tried and true winterization techniques on their homes to keep the cold out and the utility costs down.

What Are the Best Things to Buy this November?

November 7th, 2014 by Alice Bryant

Each month has its holidays and shopping opportunities. An important aspect of November is the number of important consumer goods offered at the lowest possible price points. This happens throughout the month, but especially around Black Friday. It's important to carefully budget holiday spending to take advantage of all the deals offered in November. This is a time when some of the best online coupons of the year will be made available. Here are some of the top things you can get this November.

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