Sharing insights since 2007 on carefully saving money, investing, frugal living, coupons, promo codes because the little things matter in achieving financial freedom!
Just as you thought you had everything together financially, something unexpected happens that reminds you to keep looking for improvements.
A few weeks ago, we got a mailing from a 401k custodian claiming that they are holding Emma’s 401k that was rolled over to them years ago. My first thought was that this was some type of a scam, but then they have my wife’s name, the old employer where she worked, and other personal details. The crazy thing was that Emma hasn’t worked for a corporation other than our own company in over 10 years. In fact, the employer that supposedly transferred the money went out of business more than a decade ago too.
The other thing I thought was incredible is how they even found our address. After 10+ years, we’ve moved three different times. What kind of automated systems do they use to track the current address of their clients? None of this matters though. You don’t say no to money, especially when it’s yours. And who knows? Emma might have set aside a sizable amount years ago, or she might have luckily picked some investment that went ballistic. Thinking of either possibility got me a little excited. I logged onto their website, figured out how to create an ID, and looked at the account balance – a little under $1,000. Not incredible, but decent.
I realized then that the amount might have been quite a bit higher if we actually had that money rolled into our other investments and invested all this time. But that’s water under a bridge now. What I need to focus on is to transfer the sum out and combine the amount to the rest of our retirement assets. I haven’t done a rollover in years, but I remember there were a few gotchas, so I did a little research to refresh my memory. If you’re in the same position and need to deal with a 401K, here are a few tips to get you started on the process to transfer your old 401K. [ continue reading… ]
You have a lot of stuff going on, and spending time on your finances seems like another huge responsibility to add to your already full plate.
But whenever you take a look at your wallet, you wonder where all of your money went. You haven’t looked at the details of your credit card bill in months, and you have a pile of unopened bills lying on the kitchen table.
You keep telling yourself that you’ll get around to creating a budget, but you never do it.
You want to dig yourself out of the financial mess you’ve created, but you feel like you’ve lost all control. Maybe next year, you tell yourself.
By failing to plan, you have planned to fail. You’ve gambled with your money by not telling it where to go. If this sounds like you, you can regain control by following these tips. [ continue reading… ]
January is well known as the month consumers tighten their proverbial belts and go on spending freezes. But let’s face it: we still spend money. After all, who can resist 75% off Christmas decorations and wrapping paper for next year? Our family, for example, is planning to get a bigger Christmas tree when the holidays are over to use for the following year. And plus, this year is slightly different with Congress passing the stimulus bill and many people getting a few hundred or more sent their way. Even if you’re not quitting your shopping habit cold-turkey this month, there’s still reason to be careful about what you buy to get the most out of your money. Here are a few things that are typically best to purchase in January.
#1: Linens
“White sales” is a tradition that started in 1878, when a salesman by the name of Wanamaker decided to do something about the slump in his household good sales every January. At the time, all linen came in one color (it may have also had something to do with the fluffy white stuff on the ground), hence the name. Modern retailers sell bedding in many different colors these days, but you’ll still find “white sales” that offer all types of household linen at 30-60% off. [ continue reading… ]
I got a part-time job recently writing for a friend who is building out his website. I was trying to help my friend out, but all I can think of is how much I wish I would’ve found a freelance writing gig on the side sooner.
I kid you not, but it’s literally been life-changing. And this is coming from someone who doesn’t actually need any of the extra cash to secure a financial future.
Here’s why…
The Part Time Income Has Been AMAAAAAAAAAAZINGGG!!
Unlike here at MoneyNing.com where how much I make on a given day isn’t directly proportional to how much work I put into my own site during those 24 hours, I’m paid per article I write on his site. My friend needed quite a few articles before he is launching his site, so it’s so far been a “write as many as you want” type of arrangement. In other words, it’s “eat what you kill and the whole forest is open to you and you only”.
This also means that I can directly put a dollar amount to the work I’m putting in for my friend. I honestly haven’t felt this excited about writing an article in a long time. Feeling greedy? Just go write an article. Feeling nervous about the market ups and downs? Write another one. See someone on the street and you felt really bad for him? Go give him some cash and some love, and then go back home to write one more piece. [ continue reading… ]
I’m a work-at-home-mom with two kids under the age of four. I’ve been doing the freelancing-from-home gig since my eldest was two months old. And despite nearly four years of evidence to the contrary, I still wake up every single morning believing that today will be the day I cross off every item on my to-do list – from paid work to exercise to housekeeping to errands to childcare.
And every evening, when I look sadly over the long list of things left undone, I shake my head and wonder if I’ll ever achieve that elusive “work/life balance” I’ve been striving for.
As it turns out, however, I’m probably worrying about work/life balance unnecessarily and making myself a little crazy to boot. That’s because our concept of work/life balance doesn’t really exist.
Teaching kids to develop intrinsic motivation can be difficult. Many people resort to paying for effort and performance, but it’s not pleasant to be treated like a universal vending machine where kids put in a completed task and you spit out money. And once they hit the teen years, this connection between money and household tasks can easily get out of control. That’s unless your teens have learned the value of pitching in without getting paid by then.
So what’s a parent to do? Here are a few ideas to help you teach your kids the value of helping out.
How to Motivate Your Kids Without Paying Them
1. Trade time for chores. This is one of the best ways to teach younger kids about the value of helping out without getting paid. Saying “If we pick up all your toys right now, we can play catch in the yard for half an hour,” is an example of trading fun time for chores. This also teaches kids that time is valuable, which is an important life lesson that isn’t always grasped unless they are intentionally taught. [ continue reading… ]
Free signup to get a free ebook on How to Save Money on Everything! Constantly expanding, it will be the biggest money saving ebook available, and it's FREE! →
(I hate spam and promise that your information will never be shared.)
