As the holiday season approaches, I thought this would be a great time to share the benefits of my favorite airfare tracking site. Last spring, MIcrosoft Corp bought out Farecast.com, a site that monitors airfares to domestic and international destinations, so that you don’t have to. [Read the rest of this entry...]
An article in the Wall Street Journal on Tuesday, October 21st titled “The ‘Trophy Kids’ Go to Work” discusses the challenges a traditional company faces with a new generation of employees. The article focuses on individuals born between 1980 - 2001, referring to this generation as “the millennials”. Before you continue, please read the article to form your own opinion.
Being a part of the millennial generation, the article discusses the couple of years I have been in the workforce. Similar to the students in the intro, I never would have guessed that the first impression my peers and I have given upper management is that we feel entitled to anything. [Read the rest of this entry...]
A reader wrote in about the benefits of investing in stable income funds. These types of funds have risk and return a little higher than your average money market fund. The fund’s goal is to maintain the principle of your investment at $1.00, no more, no less.
How does this help me?
In company sponsored 401(k) or 403(b) plans, the employee’s contributions are directly invested into a series of funds, resulting in no option to have a portion of the funds sit in a savings or money market account. A stable income fund your solution to this limitation. [Read the rest of this entry...]
Where is your emergency cash stashed?
At the beginning of September, the unemployment numbers for August were released. The number of people in the nation that were unemployed and actively seeking work was 6.1% up from 5.7% in the previous month. This level hasn’t been reached in 5 years (since 2003) and in my opinion the outlook isn’t very positive.
Considering the current economic situation of the nation, I got to thinking about my own emergency fund and the proper amount that should be stashed away. The first idea that comes to mind is my company’s severance package will take care of me.
Looking for a new career? Maybe, maybe not. There is a new service available that lets you interview with companies, even if you are not interested in making a move, solely because they are interested in you.
How interested are they?
Enough to pay you for your time.
How much do they pay you?
Your asking price. [Read the rest of this entry...]
Tax the seed or Tax the Tree?
We have already discussed the path to future financial independence involves starting to save early. The first action is to invest in a company 401(k) or 403(b) plan up to the point of the match. I’ve explained this process already in my Calculating Contributions post.
The next thing to do is take advantage of an IRA account. There are two main types of IRA accounts, a Traditional IRA and a Roth IRA. [Read the rest of this entry...]
So you are already on either Facebook, MySpace, or Friendster (or multiple). These social networking sites have helped you share your interests, pictures, videos, and events with friends (and lets admit it, people you hardly know too!). You’ve stayed up to date with the ongoing lives of the people you have connected to and even stalked a few.
Now What?
Be a DIYer when it comes to Financial Planning
This blog was intended to be about figuring out what to do with money after earning it. The idea is to work for money now so one day money will work for us. Naturally that can lead to questions about retirement preparation and the infamous 401(k) or 403(b) plans offered in many workplaces. [Read the rest of this entry...]
In F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby the title character, Jay Gatsby, lived in an area known as West Egg. He, like his neighbors, was considered ‘new money’ and worked extremely hard to achieve the riches of life. Across the water from Gatsby’s home shone a green light [Read the rest of this entry...]
