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Saving for retirement is important – we all know that. But, according to most nationwide reports and surveys, we still aren’t doing it: the Employee Benefit Research Institute reports that one out of every four Americans currently has less than $1,000 saved for retirement. What will it take to make more of us save for the future?
More financial education?
Eliminating excuses?
Making it easier?
Making it mandatory?
California’s lawmakers have made it mandatory. Businesses with at least five employees who don’t offer their own retirement programs will be required to enroll them in the state’s retirement program. Even though enrollment will be automatic, workers can opt out at any time (basically the reverse scenario of deciding whether to enroll in the first place). California’s plan is turning heads, but the idea isn’t new. Many other nations including Australia and the U.K. have similar programs, a few other U.S. states are already doing it, and many more are watching to see how it plays out. [ continue reading… ]
My son and I had a discussion about school and grades the other day. He’s doing great in school, but sometimes we check in to see how things are going and to talk about his future education goals. It helps him stay motivated, and it’s a good way to set expectations for what financial help he can expect to get to pursue his higher education.
After our conversation, I began to wonder what would likely help my son get the best bang for his education dollar. There is an assumption that it always makes sense to move forward and get a graduate degree, but right now my son is leaning toward engineering. I’m not sure how useful an advanced degree would be, especially since there are plenty of good jobs for those with undergraduate engineering degrees. Plus, spending a couple more years studying means that he’ll be that many years behind on having relevant job experience. Is the trade off really worth it? [ continue reading… ]
One of the more interesting items I’ve read recently was a CNN Money article on how thinking about money can influence you to behave in an unethical manner. The results came from four different studies performed at the University of Utah and Harvard University.
In these studies, researchers found that thinking about money puts people into a different mindset – a mindset that results in a willingness to make morally dubious decisions.
This mindset focuses on maximizing financial gains, and doesn’t pay much attention to moral considerations. If it means that they’ll get more money, many people are willing to lie or cheat, or even steal. [ continue reading… ]
Even though I’m contributing money to an IRA on a monthly basis, and even investing in some dividend stocks in my individual investing account, I’ve always felt like real estate could be a better investment option for retirement income.
The idea started with a family member who’s doing just that: relying on a portfolio of rental properties and one small business for retirement income. This relative also has plenty of money in savings but hardly anything in the stock market.
He’s quickly approaching retirement age now and he doesn’t have a financial care in the world because he doesn’t have to think about where his income will come from. He’s already set for a comfortable life and I want that for my own retirement too.
Does it make sense to heavily rely on rental properties for retirement income?
Do you have your costume and your child’s costume yet? Halloween is only a few weeks away, and things can get expensive if you have to buy everything last minute at the store. After all, dressing up can set you back $50-100 depending on how many children you have and if you are dressing up too. Here are some easy solutions to save money on costumes this year.
Shop from What You Have
I scored two adorable dog Gymboree costumes for my two girls this Halloween on super clearance. The only problem is that I shopped while I was pregnant, and even though I bought a 6-12 month costume for my would be 8-month old, the costume is too small. Buying the same costume on eBay would cost me over $40. It then hit me that I had the perfect alternative already sitting in my children’s closet. I had a Dalmatian print dress, which is a little too big for my baby, and a homemade black tutu from last Halloween. Bam! A free alternative to my costume problem. I bought Dalmatian dog ears and a tail from a seller in China through eBay for $5.
Think about what you already have on hand before you go shopping. An old prom dress can be turned into a great costume, such as zombie prom queen. Last year, I dressed my toddler in a black dance leotard and the homemade tutu and a string of my faux pearls, and she was Audrey Hepburn. It’s Halloween, anything goes. [ continue reading… ]
I read recently that 30-year-old man was court-ordered to move out of his parents’ house. Wow.
While most people will never have to take legal action to get their adult children to leave home, this story highlights a troubling statistic from the Pew Research Center: at least one third of adults ages 18-34 live with their parents. This is the highest it’s been since the 1940s.
A full 50-60% of this age group say they receive at least some financial help from their parents too. Yikes!
So, how did we get here? Most analysts say the Great Recession accelerated the trend and then the combination of the pandemic and the rising cost of both housing plus everything else of late didn’t help either. It’s a problem. A generation that should be channeling more of their income into retirement savings are supporting their kids later in life, while young adults are failing to develop crucial financial management skills.
Look. It’s a time-honored tradition for parents to help their children get a start in life, but giving too much help for too long can set up an unhealthy pattern of dependence and expectation that’s hard to break. It also leads to emotional tension and dysfunction, as the news story illustrates.
Avoiding the financial and relational pitfalls of this scenario doesn’t call into question whether you should help your children, but how you should help. If you know you need to help your adult “kid” transition to financial independence but you aren’t sure how to do it, here are some practical tips. [ continue reading… ]
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