Doh. My career isn’t even close to the top of the list of best jobs in 2010.
Most of us do something to earn a living. Some call it a job, some a career and others claim it’s a passion. That’s important, because our classification denotes how we feel about it. But have you ever wondered how others think your “job” fairs among the thousands of careers out there? Now you can. According to CareerCast, the top 10 jobs of 2010, along with their respective starting salaries are:
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The start of the year is a great time to think about SMART goals, but it’s not enough to blindly follow this widely popular approach.
SMART goals. You know, specific, measurable, agreed upon, realistic and time-based. There are slight variations floating around (as listed below), which gives it a more comprehensive definition:
- S – specific, significant, stretching
- M – measurable, meaningful, motivational
- A – agreed upon, attainable, achievable, acceptable, action-oriented
- R – realistic, relevant, reasonable, rewarding, results-oriented
- T – time-based, timely, tangible, trackable
But something is missing. Consider these examples that fit the definition:
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Buying a car is a huge purchase and an investment meant to last for years. Don’t let yourself get talked into spending more than you can afford. There are some basic strategies that will help you make good choices and get the best deal you can.
The Biggest Markup
The easiest place to save the most money has nothing to do with the car itself. Financing is where most car dealerships make their biggest payoffs. It can’t be stressed enough that when you go to purchase a car, optimally, you will have the money in hand.
Taking a loan is a tremendous waste of money, no matter what the terms are. Of course, if you have to take a loan, fight for the lowest interest rate, and shortest term you can afford. Shop around for the loan, check your bank, other banks, credit unions, your job, family, and the dealership before you commit to anything.
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Hindsight is 20… Okay, we know that saying so let’s skip the crap. Today is the last day of the year decade. Is there anything you wish you did this decade that you didn’t? If you could turn back time, how will your goals be different?
I read somewhere before that most of us overestimate our short term goals but severely underestimate what we can achieve long term (long term being five years or more).
Today marks the end of another decade. If you could restart year 2000, is there anything significant that you could have done to make your life a little better in 2010?
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Meet Mr Hiroshi, who makes $600k a year and is much farther from financial freedom than you and me.
Mr Hiroshi lives in Tokyo, and is currently married with two kids. When Lehman failed, he was one of the the employees who lost his job. He made $600k a year, but with Lehman stock being worthless and his high expenses, he wasn’t as wealthy as you might think.
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This time of year, it is common to receive a rather friendly suggestion that you can skip a debt payment. Some lenders will let you do this just for the month of December (“use the money to ease your holiday budget crunch”), and others will let you skip payments in January as well (“start your year out right”). Some institutions will even make this offer at different times of the year if you like, and these offers are very tempting. It sure seems kind of your lenders to provide you with this convenience, but are these institutional programs really all that helpful from a personal finance standpoint?
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