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The price of gasoline has been on a steady decline lately. In fact, in many parts of the country the price has reached less than $3 a gallon.
According to AAA, six months ago the national average for the price of a gallon of gasoline was $3.68. As of December 18, 2014 it was $2.47 — a decrease of $1.21. That’s quite a drop for just a six month timeframe.
What does this mean for our economy? Usually when the gas at the pump takes a nose dive, so does the stock market.
How can you best handle the fluctuating price drop, while preparing for an unknown financial future?
As the year comes to a close, many of us are looking ahead and mapping out our goals for the New Year, resolving to make it even better than the last.
Throngs of us are making lists and goals, both professional and personal, in order to improve our lives. Everyone wants to lose those last five pounds, improve their relationships, and achieve more work-life balance. But one area that’s missing from the conversation is your financial life.
Often your financial goals can be masked under professional goals like, “I want to make more money”. But there are ways you can improve your finances, with clear and simple strategies.
Here’s a month-by-month guide to improving your finances this year. Take these simple actions each month and at the end of the year you’ll be well on your way to success!
(Feel free to print off this article and keep it as a guide throughout the year.)
One of the staples of our consumer culture is the “special financing” deals. You make a large purchase that you can’t afford, and the retailer offers you a financing deal.
Usually, you pay 0% interest, or “same as cash” for anywhere between three and 12 months. It seems like an easy way to afford something you wouldn’t otherwise be able to, without having to worry about interest. But is it a smart financial move?
Before you get too excited about such an offer, it’s important to understand whether or not you are dealing with deferred interest.
According to a recent study from CardHub, a number of retailers offer deferred interest financing, and that could come back to haunt you if you don’t pay off your loan in the designated “same as cash” time period. Here’s why:
Longevity in your job position or career has always been applauded as a sign of stability and loyalty. Among the younger generation, however, this is not the trend.
Pasycale.com recently conducted surveys among older Boomer generation workers and Millennials to compare their approaches to “job hopping”, and found that while nearly half of Baby Boomers felt that they should stay in a position a minimum of five years, a mere 13% of Millennials agreed with this figure.
In fact, a significant percentage of Millennials don’t think they should be expected to keep the same job for more than a year.
Why is there such a difference in views between these generations? The obvious answer is generational differences shaped by the culture, economy, and values we were raised in.
The inability of many Millennials to keep a long-term job is often viewed by older generations as flightiness, unstable, and unwilling to put in time and effort. Millennials are also typified as opportunistic and entitlement-minded, traits that might be true of some but shouldn’t be unfairly applied to all.
Soon it will be the beginning of a new year, and everyone will be setting goals they want to achieve during 2015. Health clubs everywhere will be overrun with new people looking to join, and existing members that haven’t found their way through the doors in months.
January 1st is a line in the sand that provides us with a fresh start, and the motivation to take a run at losing a little weight, and getting in better physical condition. By the end of month, however, the club will look much like it did in December.
Why? What’s the difference between how we feel at the beginning of the year, and our lack of follow-through shortly after?
One of the ways to successfully manage your debt, and create a pay down plan, is to make use of a debt consolidation loan. It’s always important to carefully consider your options, and be careful when using debt to pay off other debt.
However, if you plan properly, and are careful to practice discipline, a balance transfer or a personal loan can be a good way to consolidate debt and make it easier to pay off. But which one is the better option? Should you only use one, or both as a way to get out of debt faster?
Jocelyn Baird, from NextAdvisor.com, points out that choosing the right method for you depends on where you stand, as well as the kind of debt you have.
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