Financially

If you've ever wondered how your friend's pay cheques measure up to yours, you can take a peek at The all-Canadian wealth test on the Canadian Business site. Showing age, gender and provincial averages you can get a good idea of who is earning what where.Alberta looks to have the highest salaries across the board.My biggest question is the gender salary divide really that great?One other good read that my lead you to your millions is 10 laws of building wealth simple advice that makes a lot of "cents".

-Avoid credit card debt-Start a Business/side hustle/extra income stream-Invest the 90% of the profits from the extra income in an investment or savings account. Have fun with 10%.-Save 30% of your paycheck from work.That's it :)No one is responsible in fixing your money problems except you! Now, I know all this is easy if you don't have massive debt. But you have to start somewhere. We all have made mistakes with our money at one time or another. But people that get ahead usually don't stay in the pile of mess.Anything decent takes time !!!Seize the day and accept responsibility for your future-Howard Schultz

I used to think that if I had a large sum of money to invest that I would hire an investment management services. I have more confidence in myself now and I think I “might” be able to do a better job I have often dreamed of what I might be able to do [...]

Mark Hebert reports from an AP story:The AP is reporting that the Lexington Herald-Leader will be offering a ... buyout plan to its employees in an effort to cut costs.LEXINGTON, Ky. (AP) -- With circulation declining, the Lexington Herald-Leader has told employees it will offer voluntary buyout packages this month to reduce its work force.Publisher Timothy M. Kelly told employees Tuesday that the company expectsto accept about 4 percent of the paper's 385 full-time employees and managersfor the program. That would be about 15 employees, but the newspaper says theactual total could be different...

By Monday my anger and doubt were gone and I was back to being happily married. When I think about leaving him I see a flashing red neon sign with white letters saying: “Hello Maya, down to earth: You’re 47 and financially dependent on your husband!” Not a place I’ve ever planned to be by [...]

Well here are some questions listed below to check the health of your finances. You need to answer them in all honesty to exactly know how what is your financial health. 1. How much percentage of your income do you save monthly? a. > then 10% b. < then 10% c. Nothing 2. How often do you adjust and review your retirement plan? a. Atleast once a year b. Only once in five years c. You dont have

Book Description ISBN-0470117788 PRE- AND POST-RETIREMENT PLANNING THAT MAKES SENSE GETTING STARTED IN A FINANCIALLY SECURE RETIREMENT If you want to make the most of your retirement years, you have to seriously think about the retirement lifestyle you want and the path that will get you there. In order to do this, you need reliable retirement information that will [...]

Many older adults are not financially prepared for unexpected health care expenses during retirement and often look to children or other family members to provide financial or personal support. By preparing early you can avoid being placed in this situation. More: continued here

Every two years, the Jump$tart Coalition issues a "personal finance" exam to high school seniors.The test highlights the importance of personal financial literacy among America's youth and comes at an especially important juncture.  Many experts -- including Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke -- believe that basic financial knowledge is essential for (and lacking in) teenagers.  Jump$tart's exam did little to disprove this.This year, 12th graders answered 48.3% correct on average and posted the lowest scores since Jump$tart first issued the test in 1996.A sample question from the 31-question test:Which of the following types of investment would best protect the purchasing power of a family's savings in the event of a sudden increase in inflation?A twenty-five ye

Every two years, the Jump$tart Coalition issues a "personal finance" exam to high school seniors. The test highlights the importance of personal financial literacy among America's youth and comes at an especially important juncture.  Many experts -- including Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke -- believe that basic financial knowledge is essential for (and lacking in) teenagers.  Jump$tart's exam did little to disprove this. This year, 12th graders answered 48.3% correct on average and posted the lowest scores since Jump$tart first issued the test in 1996. A sample question from the 31-question test: Which of the following types of investment would best protect the purchasing power of a family’s savings in the event of a sudden increase in inflation? A twenty-five year corporate

Submitted By: Rony Walker Vroom! Vroom! Nestled in the driver’s seat, you feel like you are at home in your favorite recliner. With a firm grip at 10:00 and 2:00 on the steering wheel, you bolt down the German Autobahn with no other cars in sight. The wind whips through your hair as sunrays melt off [...]

Since women are the ones who undergo a lot of emotional turmoil during and after the divorce process, they are at a bigger risk of settling for an unfair financial settlement. As a woman, you may be tempted to get over and done with the divorce No Tags

You’re danged if you do, and you’re danged if you don’t. At least that’s how it seems when it comes to college student credit cards. On the one hand, many young people seem to look at a credit card as a “free money” stream, having not broken out of the habit of living at home and [...]

Let's take the typical middle class couple, Pedro and Aiesha. They both have college degrees, student loan debt, car debt and maybe a few credit cards. They have a combine income of $85K.So Aiesha says to her husband we make too much money to be staying in a one bedroom apartment, We should buy a house. (it's almost goes hand in hand that when you get your first real job, we rush out to consume stuff). So they go to their local neighborhood mortgage company and apply for a loan. Guess what, THEY"RE APPROVED! This is the time to capture their smiles because it will be the last time they will both smile together. LOLTheir loan agent gets them approved for $212,000 (2 and 1/2x their gross income). Pedro gets excited and calls his family members to tell them the good news. Now he feels like a

David, I love your blog and I’d just like to share with you that my husband and I have just retired. 30 years ago when we were in our 20s, we bought our first house and made it (our) number one priority to pay off our mortgage. 10 years later, with one more mortgage [...]

Do you have what it takes to retire? Is there money in the bank? Do you have a plan? Most Americans have no plan for retirement. Frugal living may not be enough, see investment options here. More: continued here

Canada is getting a lot of first prizes among the G8 countries. We rank first in quality of life, have the lowest cost of living, and the lowest unemployment rate. Canada has diverse resource driven economy that, less than a decade ago saw significant proportions of all exports heading for our neighbours to the south. Due to Canadian government's tireless support of businesses diversifying their exporting focus and incredible foresight, now, nearly a quarter of all exports are destined for non U.S locations which has helped us to avoid the economic slump now prevalent in the U.S.Canada’s economy has often trailed the US economy, however today it is leading the US - as is the Canadian dollar which has seen the most gains since at least 1971 because of a surge in investor interest and con

"Lifestyle Shrinkage" is a very real problem and it is going to get much worse in the coming years. What causes Lifestyle Shrinkage? A number of factors contribute to this growing epidemic, including:• Rising Energy/Food Costs• Stagnant Wage Growth• Outsourcing• Job Flight• Globalization• Rising Healthcare/Health Insurance Expenses• High Debt on Personal, Business, and Government LevelsAll of the problems listed above are conspiring to lower your purchasing power and ultimately diminish your standard of living. The symptoms of Lifestyle Shrinkage do not all appear at the same time and may include any or all of the following:Insomnia: As debt begins to grow because our wage growth is not keeping pace with the cost of living, we start having problems sleeping through the night.Endless Cycle of "Tightening Belt': One of the most natural responses to Lifestyle Shrinkage is cutting back on purchases of so-called "luxury items". Next, we will start buying cheaper cu

Attorney Max Gardner who runs the Bankruptcy Boot Camp, a training ground for attorneys on spotting loan servicing fraud, was quoted recently on ABC’s Nightline as saying that it’s a common practice for loan service companies to charge illegal hidden fees so benign that most never even notice them. He enlists the aid of specialized accountants to search for these illegal fees and he says they have found bogus fees in every account they have investigated so far. Gardner says “The fees are unreasonable fees, they’re unnecessary fees, they’re improper fees, and I’m saying they’re illegal fees because they’re not approved by the bankruptcy courts. The problem with these fees is that, you know, they’re secret fees, they’re secret charges. These guys are smart and they are playing the odds, And the odds are that 95 percent of the people will have no idea exactly what’s going on. That 95 percent will just go ahead and pay it&r

Ebay is Perhaps the easiest and fastest way to start a home based online business. Here are 10 Tips to starting a Successful Ebay Business1 - Become an Ebay ShopperBuy a Few things on Ebay. Learn your way around. Pay for your winning Bids Promptly and get positive Feedback2 - Register as a ResellerGo to the EBay Web Page and Register as a Reseller3 - Take a ClassEbay Offers online Classes starting at $19.95 and uphttp://pages.ebay.com/education/ebayuniversityonline/ Ebay also Offers Classes in a Live Seminar Format http://pages.ebay.com/university/4 - PracticeFind something around the house you no longer want. Some Old Jewelery, a Game your child outgrew, that Gown you bought on sale and never wore, the Special addition Rubik's Cube. One man's junk is another man's Treasure.5 - What to SellSell something you enjoy. If you enjoy what you are doing you more then likely will be more successful. Sell what you know. If you couldn't spot a Rolex from a Timex you don't want to be

There is no time like the Holiday Season to really instill some monetary values into our children. As soon as those letters to Santa start getting drawn up, we know we haven't got a chance. Ponies, Xbox, Plasma TVs, whatever big ticket item that the kids want, we can never get, so how do we teach them about this? How can this be a learning experience? The best defense is to start with your kids early on, by 3 or 4, they are ready to start understanding money and costs, but even if you are starting later, all kids can benefit from an understanding of finance and money.Most kids will understand money better if they have some of there own. If your kids aren't already getting an allowance, start now. A good rule of thumb is .50$ for each year of age per week. Please, make your kids do SOMETHING for that money, they need to understand that it is EARNED. Make them save a portion of it in a piggy bank or in a real bank savings account, so they can learn that it will grow over time. The idea

We are all aware that the rising cost of crude oil in the market is nearing the $100 mark. Ideally, we would all say that this would not matter since alternative fuel sources are here to save the day. Apparently that was what we thought. While we are all focused on the alternative fuel towards ever increasing oil prices in the world today, we have forgotten to take note that even the raw materials needed to produce biofuels have also been affected as well. Raw materials needed to produce biofuel, made from farm crops such as soybean oil and palm oil, have been increasing in cost as well, making them go in line with the increasing trend of crude oil today. A sad development but true. Looks like we are left at a standstill until something concrete and feasible comes out from these efforts. Read more: Biofuel Costs Hurt Effort To Curb Oil Price alternative energy, alternative fuel sources, biodiesel, biofuel, biofuels, crude oil, farm crops, Green News, Green Transportation, oil price

Do not ever ignore the fact that you have been neglectful by letting yourself get into to so much debt. Do not dwell on it, accept it and begin your journey into a new life, a healthy life, both mentally and physically. Learning asset management will give you the power to know that you can accomplish anything that you set your mind to. (more…)

It is very important for people to understand how dramatically credit card debt can affect your financial standing, or lack thereof. Credit card debt is one of the leading causes why an individual would end up having to file for bankruptcy or take out mortgage loans on their homes or other drastic things such as that. People become so caught up with trying to make purchases that are just not feasible, never considering how much it is going to cost them down the road, because of the enormous interest rates. As a result of that, they end up with debts and established a bad credit history with banks and financial institutions. Bad credit offers website was created to provide information and resources for those with bad credit. They can read about credit card offers for bad credit individuals, home loans, car loans options and credit repair information.

This is a guest post by Dough Roller - a happily married, father of two, on a path to achieving financial independence. Want to know how people fight their way out of $55,000 in debt? … head over to his inspiring blog to read all about it. Earlier this month, this blog published a reader comment that sparked some controversy - it seemed to imply that most personal finance bloggers were rich and didn’t have any major financial obstacles in their life. [Editor’s note: the comment author wanted me to remove the quoted part of the comment - so that’s gone now.] I read this and thought the reader was describing me. My wife and I have gone from a negative net worth 15 years ago to substantial savings today. Although none of what we have was inherited or handed to us, a high salary has allowed us to max out our 401(k) and save a little extra. Add in real estate appreciation and no major financial setbacks, and you have two “middle-class millionaires.” But if

What you say and do about money has a profound influence on your child. There are money moments every day that you can use to teach your children important skills and lessons about life. But what to say or do isn't always obvious. Is it a good idea to pay for chores or grades? How do you help your child develop a work ethic? How do you structure an allowance to help your child learn to make choices? Why is involving your children in charity so important? Jon and Eileen Gallo, experts in the fields of children, psychology and money,provide parents with eight key behaviors that will help them raise financially responsible children:1. Encourage a work ethic Work ethic is a learned behavior, and parents are the best models to teach kids to acquire it. If you want your children to work hard and

How many times have you replied "We don't have the money for that" when your child asks you to buy him something? His innocent reply is "Get some from the machine or the bank". You think to yourself, "If only it were that easy". Managing money is a tough concept for children to grasp, and sometimes equally as challenging for parents. In order for your children to develop healthy money habits to take with them into adulthood, you, as their parent, must manage your money wisely and be diligent about teaching the concept of money to your children.So what are the secrets to having a financially healthy family? I had the pleasure of talking with my dear friend Thea, who happens to be a financial planner for A.G. Edwards, and an expert at managing money. Together we compiled 7 secrets to having

Please pray for my family and I as we become debt free. We would like to start a family but need both of our incomes to pay debt. Please pray that all our financial obligations will be paid in full and that we can finally have a baby. - Autumn from CA

It happens to the best of us. Sometimes, economic factors beyond your control cause a company to downsize. Sometimes, a merger or a buyout means that a company’s employees will be laid off. What do you do now?For purposes of this article, we will assume that our fictional, laid off worker did not have any savings, or money set aside in order to “weather the storm,” so to speak. To tell somebody that has been laid off to tap into their savings assumes that the person has savings. One cannot give advice about what to do AFTER one has been laid off based on assumptions of what one should have done BEFORE one was laid off. Do you see the problem with that?First and foremost, you cannot stay discouraged for long. Being discouraged makes you doubt yourself and, therefore, takes away your motivation to find a new career. If you are feeling discouraged, remember that statistics show that people now-a-days change career three or four times throughout their work lives. At this poi

There are a lot of people who are getting online to start their own home base business. There are many opportunities that you can check into when you are trying to find the right one for you. High Speed Income holds the top position. High Speed Income has these three things going for it that [...]

People like us care about money.  Let’s face it, many of us read financial websites most days of the week, if not everyday.  We spend so much time thinking and reading about money and money advices that we almost know how the piece will be structured after reading just the title of the article.  We feel that by reading, thinking and talking about money, we can somehow become wealthier. To be honest though, this is not good enough. It is not good enough to just be reading and thinking about money advices because we also need to apply it.  Who doesn’t know that eating out costs much more than cooking and bringing a brown bag?  Who doesn’t know that the person who takes on big debt to buy the fancy car is not doing him/herself good financially? On paper, everything is easy.  Live below your means, invest wisely and let time take care of itself.  In reality however, it takes motivation to live below your means.  It takes motivation to invest and stay invested th

FOREX Trading The Most Lucrative Part-time Job or Home Based Business EverThe Forex market is relatively new when compared to the traditionalstock market. The Forex or Foreign Exchange Currency Market was open to the public in 1998. In a year it will be a decade old. This is oneof the major reasons most people do not know about the Forex.The first reason why you should take a closer look at theopportunities in the forex market is because of its liquidityestimated at $2 trillion daily. The other reason is that it istraded 24 hours of the day and 6 days in a week and participation isopen to all, from individuals like you and me to very large financialinstitutions.With the economic situation of our day worldwide, where there are nomore job guarantees it is not unusual to wake up one morning a

Last week, the stock market took a plunge and there were lots of movements and transactions in the trading scene. DH saw it as an opportunity to embark on some crisis investment and was actively trading on the local and US markets. (more…)

DO YOU HAVE A BURNING DESIRE TO BECOME FINANCIALLY INDEPENDENT? Are you serious about achieving life changing goals? Ever heard of The Secret, Think and Grow Rich,The Millionaire Mind, The Law Of Attraction, Deepak Chopra, Bob Proctor, Oprah Winfrey, Jack Canfield…..to name just a few? The Personal Growth Industry Is A Global Phenomena! Do you have dreams you’d like to fulfill, a passion that’s unexpressed, energy that isn’t yet focused? The difference between people who live the life they imagine and deserve, and those who don’t is this…..The People Who DO Have The Mindset, Attitudes, and Skills to actualize their dreams. On our team, we are all “products of the product” We use the personal growth principals to get results in every are of our lives. We all have one thing in common….we are students of personal development. Do I Need This In My Life? Check the boxes that apply to you: I would like to have work/life balance. I would like to provi

Maybe I sound like a broken record in saying this but I do enjoy shopping! I know alot of you do but whatever you do, just don’t get carried away with shopping that you start to live by your credit cards or having problems with making ends meet. Sad to say, I have come across many people who are faced with serious financial difficulties and much were the result of poor financial management. (more…)

  Going away means personal freedom to many college students but it is also a delicate time when teens become financially independent of parents on their day to day expenses. Financial planners say this is the ideal time to start healthy money habits. According to Mari Adam, the president of Adam Financial Associates, “It’s the first time [...]

Do The Financially Wealthy Suffer Less?Some people seem to think so, or at least wish so in their pursuit of financial wealth believing it to be a solution to problems. And some of those who do possess some degree of financial wealthy would certainly like you to believe so.Well, if you think the financially wealthy do not have financial, mental, emotional, physical & spiritual challenges, read the following extracts from various recent articles as an sample and think again. As you do so, please keep in mind this is not true of all with great financial wealth but speak volumes for the need for great mental, emotional, physical and spiritual wealth to complement great financial wealth. -- Manoj SharmaProblems of Financially Wealthy Family # 1"...killed by the IRA while fishing with his grandson...""...died of cancer in 1991, at the age of five...""...an epic struggle with drink and drugs...""...dropped out of Edinburgh University after just six weeks...""...arrested and cautioned b

This is a guest post by Tehn Yit Chin over at @ Cheap as Chips, “a personal finance blog with an Australian spin”. Lend him some support by checking out his site.   We, as parents, have an enormous responsibility to our children. As soon as they are born, we are responsible for their well being. Initially, we give them care and ensure that they are healthy. As they grow, our responsibility shifts to their behavioral development, and one aspect of this is the way our children see financial matters being handled. One of the ways that children learn is by copying. The child observes our actions again and again over a period of time, and they will start to copy our actions. When our children are in their toddler age, development of simple actions like learning to walk and talk are usually accelerated when there are other kids around for our child to copy. The children also learn by repetition. Something that is performed over and over again will be ingrained in our childr

Ray,Since I moved to Florida I have become aware of many retired parents that tell the same sad story of their abusive children.In my case, I have covertly and overtly been terrorized and abused physically, mentally and financially by my x-wife my children and the ethnic group that I married into. Some have committed more abuse than others but all are complicit.I would love to tell my story because it would read like a novel, however my son who is now a multimillionaire because of the theft of my business and my other son who is married to a lawyer puts me in a position of being put through a nuisance law suit that I can't afford to fight.Also my wife who came to this country as a DP from Estonia in 1950 raised my children to be more Estonian than US citizens. These people are fiercely nationalistic. There actions against me and my wife at family affairs and weddings are atrocious. It borders on Mafia.There is a saying, "The hand that rocks the cradle", my wife raise a bunch of entitl

Sometimes you need extra money to get by and stay ahead of the game financially. Maybe your rent is due, your utilities need to be paid, or you need groceries. Even with great financial planning, things happen all the time that are not in your budget. You can stay ahead and have some cash left over when you apply for a cash advance offered online. You can easily find the loan you want and apply from the comfort of home. Not only will the online cash advance save you time, but it is also less of a hassle. With online approval and fast cash transfer to your banking account, you’ll be able to avoid late charges or other fees associated with a late on a payment. While a cash advance is a good way to help you take care of immediate financial stressors, such as avoiding late fees or NSF charges, you should only borrow what you need and what you know you can pay back on your next payday.

In my first post, I said I was financially conservative. What does that mean with respect to financing a home purchase? It occurred to me that exotic financing terms are not exotic anymore. Interest-only, adjustable rates, and negative amortization have become so ubiquitous that nobody seems to remember why 30-year fixed-rate mortgages are used (or were used, they aren’t common in OC anymore). That is the focus of this post. To be financially conservative is to be risk adverse. A fixed-rate conventionally-amortized mortgage is the least risky kind of mortgage obligation. If you can make the payment – a payment that will not change over time – you get to keep your home. A 30-year term is most common, but if you make bi-weekly payments (makes two extra per year), you can pay the loan off in 22 years. If you can afford a larger payment in the future, you can increase your payment and amortize over 15 years and pay off your mortgage quickly. The best insurance you can have to de

When it comes to health, you go for a medical checkup to see if you're physically fit. The medical report will tell everything about your health. But when it comes to wealth, it's as important that you do a regular checkup for your financial health. You need to know where you are financially before you decide what you want to achieve financially. What do you do to ascertain your level of