-
How is your financial health?
Are you overdue for a financial health checkup? Do you dream about being financially independent, but struggle to believe that it’s actually possible for you? Are the bills piling up in your household? Are you afraid of the financial obligations that come with the next thing to go wrong in your life? Thankfully, there is hope. According to USA Today, nearly 2/3 of Americans are in debt. Of those, nearly half have stopped paying one or more of their credit cards. I don’t doubt the numbers are similar in Canada and around the world. If this is you, you might feel like your situation is hopeless. But there is always…
-
Building a Budget for Financial Health
Budget Basics Have you been talking about building a family budget, but aren’t sure where to start? Sometimes it’s good to start with the basics, such as the basic outline for a budget and the categories you want to include. Here are some tips to help you when building a budget for your family. Income The first place to start in the outline of your budget is with your income. There will be some estimating here, no doubt; but make sure it’s estimation, not dreaming, say experts. The income area of your budget is not the place to write down ideals. Simply take a look at your net income over…
-
Managing Your Time Effectively
Are you managing your time effectively? If you’re working online, it can be easy to fall into the trap of counting every hour at the computer as “work time”. Be honest with yourself here for a minute. How much of that time is spent browsing through Facebook, checking the latest Reddit posts or going down the rabbit hole of “research”? We’re all guilty of it, but to be more profitable and productive we have to manage our time effectively. While the ideas below will take some getting used to, the end result will be to spend less time at your desk and more time away from your computer doing the…
-
Tips to Balance Your Money and Your Life
One of the biggest stressors for families is that of financial stress. When your financial house is in order, then the rest of your life falls into place much more easily. If you are like most, financial planning was not a part of high school or college curriculum – much less balancing a checkbook or concentrating on a 401k or emergency expenditures. Without a balance of financial issues in your life, it is very difficult to have balance in other areas of your life. Unfortunately, money controls much of our thought patterns, time, and worries. Figure Out Your Spending Habits Before you can sit with your partner to discuss finances,…
-
Living Paycheck to Paycheck? Tweak Your Cash Flow to Get Ahead
If you’re living paycheck to paycheck then you know it’s an incredibly stressful way to live. And chances are, some months you have to go into debt to manage your expenses. This debt can snowball and before you know it you’re in over your head. You might be surprised to know that a few tweaks to your cash flow can make a huge difference in your life. Make a Budget with Dates and Deadlines If you don’t have a budget, make one. Right now. Today. A budget will quickly show you where you’re spending your money and where you might be able to save. And instead of making a traditional…
-
How to Kick-Start Your Savings Plan
Every time you turn on the news or read a newspaper or magazine, there are money experts telling you to save more money. In a perfect world it’d be easy to save money. Yet if you’re like most people, you spend your time playing catch up and trying to stay out of debt. Saving money is a luxury. As it often is with goals, if you can get a head start and some momentum it’s much easier to follow through. The following tips will help you kick-start your savings plan and get the momentum you need to achieve your financial goals. Before you get started, establish a savings goal and…
-
Budget Ideas for Lazy People
A budget is a necessary evil, even for lazy people. If you are one of those individuals that would rather pay a late fee or use a credit card to buy gas and incur the extra dollar amount, there is good news. Lazy people can really have and stick to a budget and it does not have to be painful at all. Keep It Simple If you consider yourself lazy, perhaps that is part of the problem when it comes to budgeting. Changing your perception of money and how you should or should not budget your finances may make all the difference between incurring debt and keeping it at bay.…
-
Tips for Handling Debt
If you’re looking for the coming year to be a better one for you financially, make the decision to let 2016 be the time you choose to get out of debt for good and stay out. Here are some tips for handling debt: Knowledge is power. Don’t avoid knowing where you stand with your debts. Write them down in order of balance owed. You can use a simple spreadsheet with columns of the debt name, amount owed, interest rate that you’re paying, and minimum amount due each month to keep it current. Decide how to pay off your bills. Write down how long it’ll take you to pay off them…
-
Fresh Content for Your Blog or eZine
When it comes to running a blog or website, one of the toughest things to do is to keep adding content on a regular basis. There are basically three options for providing fresh content for your blog. 1) Write it Yourself The best content for your blog is likely going to be the content you write yourself. You want your blog or website to reflect who you are, your views, and your unique style. This can be rather time consuming, especially if your content needs to be up-to-date and well-researched. 2) Hire Somebody to Write Your Content As an alternative to writing yourself, you can hire someone to write your…
-
Living Without Credit – Financial Health
Living Without Credit Can Change Your Life These days, most people’s lives revolve around credit and keeping the credit score high enough to buy things such as houses, cars, insurance, cell phones, and rent. Even utilities can use credit reports to determine the interest rate you’ll pay and in some cases whether you can even get the item you want. Living without credit is possible, but be aware that some things might be a bit more difficult. If you have no credit, you will still be able to function in today’s society, but it might cost you an added one or two percentage points in interest or require a larger…
