Retirement Planning for Women: Single and Thirty

When you are just hitting your stride in your career and not thinking about marriage and kids yet, planning for retirement can seem like a waste of time. But it's important to have your retirement plan in place as early as possible to give yourself the best chance of building lasting wealth. Here are some great retirement planning tips for those thirty and single:
******************************************************

Single and 30: A Woman's Guide to Investing for Retirement

Saving for retirement is important for everyone, but no more so than for women. And, if you're single and in your 30s, it's a critical juncture in your life to ensure that you're on the right investment track.

Women need to plan for their retirement even more than men. Women still earn on average 75-80% of what men do. Women are also less likely to be in pensionable jobs and therefore have less corporate retirement support behind them. However, they also live longer. According to the National Center for Research, women retiring at age 65 are expected to live another 25 years. That's a lot of retirement to plan for.
Read more...

Taking Your Retirement Funds With You When You Leave a Job

With the mobility of labor today, many employees work for a half dozen or more employers during their career. They may leave behind small chunks of money in each company's 401(k) plan. Rolling old 401(k) money into an IRA helps you keep control over your retirement money and can provide you with a better return.
****************************************************

Leaving an Employer Means You Can Take Your Retirement Money with You

As an accountant and financial planner, I am often asked by clients for advice on what to do with their retirement funds if they change jobs or become self-employed. There are a few options, each with its own set of pros and cons. 

When you leave an employer for another or for other opportunities, you can do one of two things with your built-up 401(k) plan funds. You can leave it parked where it is (and the employer must let you do so if you have more than $5,000 vested. Alternatively, you can roll it into an Individual Retirement Plan (IRA) that you control. 
Read more...

Saving for Retirement: Do It Early and Do It Often

Saving for retirement can seem daunting when you have no idea where you are starting from and where you are headed. The old adage to save early and save often definitely applies to retirement savings. Beginning your savings plan when you are in your twenties allows you to weather many financial and economic storms and can grow quickly to allow you to have the comfortable and fun retirement you are hoping for.
**********************************************

Why It's Important to Start Saving for Retirement as Early as Possible

You have heard the standard retirement investing advice before: start saving early and save often. It is advice that I have given my clients over the years when they are first starting out on their own. I have had the opportunity to see how many of those clients who took my advice fared over the past fifteen years, especially during the recent recession. Having a large and growing retirement savings plan allowed them to remain calm when markets tanked, knowing that they could ride out the storm and that their funds still had lots of time to recover and flourish before they needed the money in retirement.

 Read more...

You Can Cut Your Expenses Without Even Noticing

Even when you think you have slashed your budget down to nothing, there are still many ways that smart budgeters can save money every month with ease. Here are the top 5 tips to cutting down on your expenses and not miss anything:
***********************************************************

Tighten Your Budget Without Feeling Deprived

The recent economic downturn has made budgeting and smart spending more important than ever. What makes this belt-tightening difficult is that many of our daily expenses are not discretionary. For example, we can't choose -- at least in the short run -- to pay less on our mortgage every month or to cut down on our property taxes. In my experience, as both a consumer and a finance professional, there are many ways to cut out expenses regularly without feeling like you are cutting back or depriving yourself. Here are my five favorite money-savers:
Read more...

Top Money-Earning Ideas for Teens and Pre-teens

Part of teaching your kids about the value of money is to let them earn some. Many families allow their children to work outside the home running micro-businesses, doing everything from lawn care to babysitting. Here are some great ideas for kids to make their own money.

***************************************************************
Teach Your Kids Financial Skills and Let Them Earn Money Doing It

Understanding money and finance is critical for children. Those who are not exposed to financial literacy when they are young grow up to be adults with poor budgeting and planning skills. A big part of teaching kids
about money is familiarizing them with how to earn it. Making money helps budding young entrepreneurs learn business skills that will be important to them later in life as they decide what they want to do when they grow up. Here are my picks for the best money-making opportunities for pre-teens:
Read more...

Retire Early and In Style

Retiring early was a mantra in the late '90s when investment returns were high and everyone wanted to live the good life. Is it still possible now? Absolutely, but it takes careful planning and honest assessments.
************************************************

Detailed Planning Now Will Help You Achieve the Dream

Retiring early from working life is a goal for many people who grind away every day for a paycheck. However, for a growing number of working people, early retirement is more of a fantasy than an achievable goal. Without
proper budgeting, projecting and planning, retirement can be a scary prospect. Here are some of the basic steps to take to ensure that you can retire early and in style:
Read more...

Cash or Debit Card When Travelling: Which is Better?

When travelling, either abroad or in the U.S., determining what kind of funds to bring is just as important as how much to bring. Here are some important considerations to mull over when deciding whether to use cash or debit cards on your next holiday.
***************************************************************

Should You Use Cash or Debit Cards when Traveling?

Most travelers need more access to funds when traveling than when going about their normal routine. Choosing whether to carry cash or a debit card involves many considerations including portability, universality, the potential for theft, and costs. The issue is further complicated when traveling internationally when foreign exchange rates are taken into consideration. For example, when I travel domestically, I often use cash for its convenience but when I travel abroad, I frequently use a debit card in countries where they are widely taken.

Read more...