by Allison W. on 2012-05-1513
Not that long ago, I was pretty fastidious about how I had my financial accounts set up, so much so that I was bent on consolidating everything from bank accounts to mutual fund accounts to credit card accounts. Little did I know that there are consequences to being so gung-ho about organizing, simplifying and downsizing everything. This is because credit card accounts shouldn’t be treated like clutter. You can’t just think about doing away with them without giving it some careful thought.
At one point, I was in a situation where I pondered about what to do with a particular card. I carried a MasterCard credit card that I’d had for several years and which had an outstanding balance on it (it had been there for some time). But I eventually managed to completely pay it off. I then decided I no longer wanted to use it. So I found myself having no intention of using the card again and thus, I got ready to cancel it with the issuing company.
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by Silicon Valley Blogger on 2012-05-146
Is there more to investing than putting your money into stocks, bonds and cash? Find out some ways to spice up your portfolio with alternative investments.
For most regular investors, a portfolio of index stock funds, bonds and savings accounts are sufficient to achieve some reasonable level of diversification. But those who are seeking the potential for greater rewards or who want to address other investment categories that can lend additional diversification to a standard portfolio may want to consider some other interesting options.
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by Silicon Valley Blogger on 2012-05-1214
In every household, somebody’s got to handle the finances — whether it’s the Mister, the Missus, or both, running things as a team. And in our case it’s moi. We figured long ago that it’s easiest that way so that we don’t get into each other’s nerves by sharing custody of the finances, though knowledge of what goes is always shared and large decisions are mutual. I’m also a bit more of a control and order type of person who has a bit more skill with organization and multi-tasking, and has a bit more patience with numbers tracking, recording and even following market figures as they jump around and fluctuate each day. So it was more of fitting the task to the strength.
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by Silicon Valley Blogger on 2012-05-0914
How much are you willing to pay for sentiment?
What do you do for Mother’s Day? As the day approaches, I receive junk mail (for flowers, jewelry, figurines(?)) and see the commercials, which strongly encourage me to do my share of giving and gifting for yet another celebratory opportunity that involves nice, sweet and sometimes fancy gifts. But see here… I’m actually the target of this special day as I am also a mom, but the truth is, this advertising ploy is not going to work on me. I’m simply not going to buy into sentiment.
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by Silicon Valley Blogger on 2012-05-076
The only person I know who isn’t interested in their credit is someone who doesn’t want to buy a house or car, doesn’t have any credit cards, and has no worries about identity theft. However, if you’re well over the age of eighteen and use a credit card, then you may have a fairly sizable credit report. If you’re in this position, then it’s a good idea to monitor your credit effectively.
Sure, you can pay for a credit monitoring service, but you can save a bundle and do it on your own (with a few caveats). There are a few ways you can get your credit report for free. The basic gist here is that you can either:
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by Silicon Valley Blogger on 2012-05-0610
Are you frugal? If so, you’re probably conditioned to visit a shopping warehouse like Costco or Sam’s Club in order to try to save on groceries. But before you go on a money saving trip to these stores, check out some of the exceptions to the rule that supports buying in bulk. Apparently, bulk buying is not always the most frugal option. Here are some of those interesting exceptions I’ve explored.
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by Jacques Sprenger on 2012-05-0323
Why earn a college degree abroad? Have you considered sending your kids (or yourself) to study in a different country? Besides some relatively cheaper options for schooling, studying abroad may also offer a lot of rich and new experiences. In this article, we explore Mexico as a potential place to get an education, but the ideas here are simply representative of what to consider when you decide to pursue your studies overseas.
When I was living in Mexico, teaching English to Mexican university students in Monterrey, a doctor friend of mine launched a bold program to attract dollars to the School of Medicine via American students who either were unable to enter a school due to the high costs, or who were simply rejected because their SAT scores were too low. He was quite successful and I helped him welcome the first batch of 20 students from various states north of the border.
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by Jacques Sprenger on 2012-05-0115
Find out what people are doing to increase their chances of snagging the job they want.
We live in a society in which most people fear being different, fear making waves and thus fail to exhibit their unique qualities. In this jobless era, however, the few and the bold (to paraphrase a military slogan) are the ones who will get the good positions available. For let’s not forget a very important fact: Companies are hiring, albeit not as much as usual. For every open job, there are 250 people (OK, I exaggerate; it’s more like 4 per opening) asking for an interview and/or plopping their resumes in the company’s inbox at a job fair. So how can one differentiate oneself from all the other applicants?
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