The goal here is to provide a wide range of perspectives on the concepts of money and finance. We want to provide you with information on not only the typical topics you’d expect, but some things you might not expect as well. We want to create a community where members from all backgrounds and walks of life can get together and engage. We hope you’ll come back on a daily basis to see what’s new and participate.
Of those that filed tax returns this year, an average of 75% received refunds. What’s not average is the amount of the refunds Uncle Sam is mailing out--an amount that has surged over the past decade. The growth of the tax refund is far surpassing inflation, with this year’s average refund beating last year’s--a new high of $3,003.
For a brief and inglorious period during the most recent nerve-pummeling recession, I switched careers and became a financial adviser with a large wealth management firm in Southern California. It was at once the most foolhardy and savvy career move I ever made.
With consumers paying more these days for their typical household goods, it’s no wonder they’re in search of money-saving coupons that can ease their financial burden. Couple that with the onslaught of websites offering discounts, coupons and online promotions and you have a lot of confused shoppers.
The notion of giving your child an allowance and then mandating some division of those funds into Spending, Saving, and Donating is hardly a new one. But if you're on the fence about implementing such a system---or have one, but feel like it's not working---here's a quick rundown on how to make it a learning experience for your kid(s).
The words "kids" and "efficiency" seem to be worlds apart, but that's precisely how my financially-inclined mind tends to think. When it comes to budgeting for kids, expenses fall into two categories: one-time expenses, "capital investments,” and ongoing expenses, or "maintenance."
Most of us are acquainted with financial mistakes in life--getting too deep in debt, not saving money, failing to prepare for retirement and so on. But money mistakes are often complicated when we’re married and there are two people involved in the process.
Back in college, my idea of "art" was to get a few posters of flowers and stick them on the wall with tape. This was so that when I moved out, I could remove the wall coverings without incurring any room damage charges.
Regardless of whether or not this year goes down in history as being the time in which the recession officially ended, our economy is still feeling its effects. According to the American Bankruptcy Institute, more than 1.6 million people are expected to have filed for personal bankruptcy by the end of the year.
The premise is a simple one: it will always cost you more money to run out and buy a gift on short notice than it costs to stock up on "giftables" when you find them on sale.
Participating in the birth process (whether you're pushing, assisting, observing, or visiting) is amazing. But it seems that no matter how well prepared you are, the experience takes over your life for a while, and it's difficult to remember your other responsibilities.