It’s not yard sale season — so what do you do if you have a bunch of junk you need to unload? Selling your stuff online can be an easy and effective solution.
Selling your unwanted items online is definitely nothing new, but as time progresses, different platforms have popped up, while others have faded into obscurity.
If your “get rid of” items are starting to pile up, here are three websites where you could sell your stuff today. [ continue reading… ]
As technology advances, more people have access to investment opportunities than ever before. Just about anyone with $25 and an internet connection can open a brokerage account and start trading on the stock market. The next evolution in investing could very well be “securities crowdfunding,” in which ordinary people have opportunities to invest in small businesses and startups with greater ease.
“There are expectations that at some point in 2014, securities crowdfunding will become legal for all investors,” says Chris Tyrrell, the CEO of crowdfunding platform OfferBoard. He’s referring to a law passed not too long ago that allows for securities crowdfunding.
Right now, businesses looking to leverage social fundraising for their businesses use sites like Kickstarter and Indiegogo. However, this isn’t investing. Those who contribute to such campaigns receive no ownership in the business and are issued no stock. Instead, they’re offered “thank you” gifts and perks.
Securities crowdfunding would be different. Businesses could use this model to raise money and offer investors ownership in the company. In fact, certain investors already have access to this type of investment. [ continue reading… ]
You tuck away your pennies when you can, saving a little here and there. When you have some extra money left over from your paycheck, you put it into your savings account. You save when you buy generic lattes, and when you take your lunch to work. You’re proud of yourself.
You should be proud of these little habits, but they aren’t enough. They won’t lead to a quality life when there’s no work to be had and very little coming in from social security.
To have a successful retirement, we have to plan not only for having some savings — but for having enough to cover all the things that past generations used social security for. There has to be money for medical bills and the everyday costs of living, which are skyrocketing.
Planning for the future requires thought, effort, and discipline. To make sure you have enough money to live off of without sweating bills and medical needs, you need to be aggressive about putting away money now.
As a new year gets underway, many people have vowed to improve their financial situations by saving more. This includes contributions to retirement accounts, savings accounts, and emergency funds.
But if you haven’t actively saved money before, it may seem complicated and difficult.
It doesn’t have to be. Here are four easy-as-pie ways to boost your savings this year:
I used to have a savings account at the same institution as my primary checking. The accounts were linked, and it was so easy to just dip into my savings when I “needed” the money. When I moved my savings account to another financial institution (and set up a taxable investment account to serve as my emergency fund), that all changed. [ continue reading… ]
Finances, shminances. So many people don’t get them — nor do they want to. They’re HARD. There’s too much else going on to worry about something as abstract as finance.
The problem with this: if you don’t worry about “that stuff,” you’ll never have any of “that stuff” to worry about.
When we’re young, we know one time frame: NOW. As we grow older, now becomes too busy to stop for. There are, instead, families to deal with, children to raise, and jobs to complain about.
When the time comes that we need that extra money, when we’re no longer working as much, when we’re fighting to pay each bill and keep our heads above water, there’s no more time to save.
But finances don’t have to be that hard. They’re not the ghosts in your closet. They’re not the monsters under your bed. Finances are input vs. output, plain and simple. [ continue reading… ]
Winter set in fast and hard this year, with the last few weeks yielding particularly harsh conditions throughout most of the East Coast, Northwest, and even the balmy South. Many states are reaching record sub-zero temperatures and experiencing heavy snowfalls.
These conditions are blamed on a system of Arctic air from the north that’s known as the Polar Vortex. If you’re a Weather Channel junkie, all of this is extremely interesting and important to you — but for the average person, all you know is that it’s cold. Really cold. And it’s costing you.
Besides ensuring your pantry is well-stocked, make sure your budget isn’t suffering due to the extra cost of electricity, snow removal, and vehicle maintenance.
Here’s how to save on some common winter budget-busters: [ continue reading… ]
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