You CAN Reach Retirement! Avoid These Top 5 Retirement Mistakes

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retirement mistakes

Wondering what retirement mistakes will ruin your retirement? Here are the biggest retirement mistakes we all make.

Have you ever checked in to see if you are on track for retirement? I know this can feel like a daunting task, but preparing yourself for retirement can help you save more and avoid common retirement mistakes.

For some, retirement means quitting their job after 40+ years, but it can also mean working towards early retirement, in your 20’s, 30’s, 40’s, and so on.

I know that’s not for the “average” American, but by avoiding some of the retirement mistakes I will talk about today, you can start preparing for retirement at any age.

Related: How To Save For Retirement

The thing about retirement is that sadly many out there are not saving enough money. In fact, according to Zacks Investment Research, 72% do not save enough for retirement each month.

Also, according to surveys done by Bankrate, 20% of people aren’t saving any money, and 61% of Americans have no idea what they will need to save for retirement.

These numbers are very alarming.

Saving money in general is an important thing to do, but if you don’t want to work for the rest of your life, saving for retirement should be something that you are thinking about. And, I believe that saving for retirement is possible if you start working towards it and avoid retirement mistakes when it comes to planning and saving.

While many believe the economy ruins their chances for retirement, in reality most retirement mistakes come from specific beliefs people have about retirement. Some of these beliefs come from expectations of what their budget will be during retirement, that they can rely on their pension or social security, and more.

There are many reasons for why a person might not be saving for retirement, and by looking at the various retirement mistakes you might be making, I feel that more people can be aware of and overcome their retirement preparation problems.

Here are five retirement mistakes and how they might be hurting your chances for retirement:

 

1. You ignore saving for retirement altogether.

Many people skip out on saving for retirement for several reasons, including:

  • Believing you don’t have enough money to save for retirement.
  • Thinking that you’re too young to care about retirement or that it’s too late to start.
  • Relying too much on pensions and social security.

No matter how young or how old you are, you should be saving and preparing for retirement. You never know when you will need it, and I am all for a person being in charge of their own retirement plan instead of relying too much on other sources of retirement (such as relying on social security 100%).

Millennials are especially at risk and according to an article by Business Insider, a shocking 40% of millennials have nothing saved for retirement. This is a scary number because these people will all have to retire one day and I’m not sure what they will do when the time comes.

But, it isn’t just young people who aren’t saving for retirement. Bankrate found that only 60% of people aged 45-54 have some type of retirement savings. You can read more crazy retirement statistics here.

It is important to realize that part of the reason for these low savings rates is that many are currently living paycheck to paycheck, which makes it hard to even approach saving for retirement. Fortunately, you can start investing with very little money, and you can learn how to start investing for beginners if you are wanting to start planning for retirement.

There is never a bad time to start saving for retirement, and you can correct this retirement mistake by starting today.

Side note: I highly recommend that you check out Personal Capital if you are interested in gaining control of your financial situation. Personal Capital allows you to aggregate your financial accounts so that you can easily see your financial situation. You can connect your mortgage, bank accounts, credit card accounts, investment accounts, retirement accounts, and more. And, it’s FREE!

 

2. You take on debt for others and don’t think about your future.

I talked about this topic in the post Should I Ruin My Retirement By Helping My Child Through College? This is a hard thing for a lot of parents especially as student loans are out of control, and I am hearing from parents nearly every week saying that they cannot afford to retire because they are paying for their child to go to college.

If this is your situation, I want you to STOP making this one of your retirement mistakes. Unless you are on track for retirement, I honestly think you need to seriously start prioritizing your future. Your child will be fine without your monetary support.

There are lots of ways to support your child through school that don’t involve leveraging your future for their education. You can help them find a job, find scholarships, be an emotional support, and more.

You can take out loans for college, but you cannot take out loans for retirement.

 

3. You think you’ll never have to retire.

Recently, I read an article about someone who made hundreds of thousands of dollars a year, had a monthly budget of around $30,000 (yes, MONTHLY!), and yet hardly saved anything. This person said they didn’t really feel the need to save for retirement because they enjoyed their job so much. That’s just crazy!

See, even wealthy people make retirement mistakes.

Assuming you will love your job forever can be a huge mistake. While it’s great that you love your job now, it’s hard to judge what you will love decades down the line.

Also, you never know if something will come up in the future that will completely prevent you from working, such as a medical issue or some sort of major life change. Beyond realizing that you will need to prepare for retirement, an emergency fund should be something you already have or are working on – emergency funds are there to protect you from the what-ifs.

Related articles:

  • Everything You Need To Know About Emergency Funds
  • Is A Credit Card Emergency Fund A Smart Idea?

 

4. You miscalculate how much money you’ll spend in retirement.

For some reason, many people just assume they will spend less money in retirement, but that is not always the case.

While you might find some ways to save money on things like commuting expenses, work clothes, lunch if you weren’t bringing it, you will probably experience a very similar budget to the one you had while working.

You are still going to spend money on housing (even if you pay off your home completely, you will still need to pay property taxes, utility bills, etc.), food, clothing, entertainment, and so on.

Many retirees also take up new hobbies or activities. And, some retirees just have more time to pursue things they’ve already been doing, which can add up to a lot of extra expenses.

Plus, medical expenses may come up, you might decide to travel more, and like I said, the truth is that retirement spending is not usually much different than what you are currently spending.

Some make plans to become super frugal after they enter retirement, but life doesn’t always work out so perfectly. To make sure this isn’t one of the retirement mistakes you are making, I recommend starting to cut down your budget now.

By living frugally before you retire, you will be able to save more, will have less expenses going into retirement (the less money you spend, the less you need in the future), and you might even reach retirement sooner. Really, if you cut your spending now and become more frugal, you will be used to living with less. I’ve been living a more frugal and minimalist lifestyle since we moved onto our boat, and it can be a life changing thing.

 

5. You use your retirement funds for expenses other than retirement.

This is one of the worst money mistakes out there, and unfortunately many young people are making it. I’ve actually heard far too many stories about people taking money out of their retirement funds in order to pay for a vacation, a timeshare, pay off low interest debt, and more.

When preparing for retirement, this is a HUGE mistake.

While I don’t know everything about taking money out of retirement funds, I do know that this can usually hurt you more in the long run. Taking funds out of a retirement account can lead to large penalties and paying extra towards taxes.

The other thing about saving for retirement is that the longer you have funds invested, the more you will have for retirement. Compound interest is a powerful thing, and if you are taking money out of your retirement account it means that you don’t get the full benefit of it.

You should always just use your retirement funds purely for retirement. If you are struggling with debt or need help differentiating between wants and needs, it’s time to make a change. Don’t wreck your future by making this huge retirement mistake.

What retirement mistakes have you seen? Do you think you will have enough money to retire and how are you preparing for retirement? What age do you expect to retire?

The post You CAN Reach Retirement! Avoid These Top 5 Retirement Mistakes appeared first on Making Sense Of Cents.

Source: makingsenseofcents.com

How to Cancel A Trip or Vacation

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No matter how thoroughly you plan your trip, last-minute changes to your personal schedule can still happen. If you need to alter or cancel your travel plans it can be a serious headache—and a lot of lost money might be next. Still, in many cases, cancelling a trip is unavoidable. A sudden family emergency may come up, your work may need you for a huge assignment, or you or your travel companion might unexpectedly fall ill. Life happens — coronavirus pandemics happen. While some cancellation fees are unavoidable, there are a few simple things to keep in mind when these things happen. 

If you need to cancel an upcoming trip, don’t panic. There are steps you can take to mitigate your losses, reduce your money stress, or even secure a rescheduled vacation. Check out these tips that can help you avoid paying full cancellation fees the next time you need to cancel a trip.

  • Know the policies
    • Cancelling a Hotel or Rental
    • Cancelling a Flight
    • Cancelling a Rental Car
    • Cancelling a Tour or Excursion
  • Cancellation Tips: Boosting Your Chances of a Refund
    • Cancel as Early as Possible
    • Just Ask, You Never Know
    • Call, Don’t Email
    • Seek Alternatives to Money
    • Keep that Code
  • Booking Travel Insurance

Know the Policies

First things first: when booking big ticket items for travel, it’s important to make sure you read the fine print. Ideally, you should make sure you know the ins and outs of the airline, hotel, or travel agency’s policies before you enter any credit card info. This includes their cancellation policy. 

Cancelling a Hotel or Rental

For hotels, I usually book with Hotels.com or a similar service—that’s because their cancellation policy often includes general refunds at most hotels if you cancel before a certain date, and sometimes a voucher for a future stay for cases where refunds might not be available. 

If you’ve rented a vacation home from a site like Airbnb, always check the trip cancellation policy listed on the rental profile. While the service might have its own general cancellation policies, individual property managers likely have their own set of requirements and deadlines for cancellation too. 

I also usually go a step further and always make a note on my calendar on the last day it is free to cancel.

Cancelling a Flight

For flights, you should know that federal law states you have 24 hours to cancel your trip from the time you book your flight if you book it at least seven days before the departure date without having to pay a fee—you can check Transportation.gov for further details. Bear in mind that this only applies to flights booked through the carrier itself, not flights booked through third-party websites. Some airlines, like Southwest, have much more generous cancellation policies than others. Though, in many cases, you’ll at least be able to put the money you spent on your flight toward a trip in the future. This varies significantly from airline to airline, so checking trip cancellation policies ahead of time is a must whenever you book a flight.

Cancelling a Rental Car

If you have booked a prepaid rental car at your destination, you should be able to find their cancellation policy on their company website. Most—like Avis and Hertz, two common rental car companies—will charge a fee for cancellations more than 24 hours after you’ve made the booking, and might charge even greater fees if you cancel your tip within 24 hours of the day you’re scheduled to pick up the car.

Cancelling a Tour or Excursion

Tours and excursions that you’ve booked in advance can also be cancelled, but whether you get a full, partial, or no refund will largely depend on the company you’ve booked through. It’s a good idea to pick up the phone and call the agency to see whether there is any flexibility in their trip cancellation policy.

Cancellation tips: boosting your chances of a refund

Cancellation policies imposed by large companies can sometimes be set in stone—but sometimes they might not be. Especially for smaller companies and hospitality services, there might be a bit of wiggle room you can take advantage of if you need your vacation cancelled. Here’s what I usually do to increase my odds of a refund when I need to cancel a trip. 

Cancel As Early As Possible

Just like most industries, time is money in hospitality—so if you do suddenly find out that your trip must be cancelled, don’t put it off. The minute you know you can’t go, start making calls to cancel all your plans. Begin with the big-ticket items, like flights and hotel reservations, and work your way down to smaller things like tours and restaurant reservations.

Often, travel services are hesitant to offer refunds because they might not have time to sell your spot to a new customer. That makes it important to start early because if the hotel, resort, or cruise line has time to resell your tickets, you have a higher chance of receiving a refund.

Just Ask, You Never Know

Even if you think a reservation is hopeless, it doesn’t hurt to ask. Once, I had to cancel a trip due to a vaccination error (that was completely my fault). I had to cancel my entire trip and found out the night before! Instead of giving up, I called and explained the situation. 

The hotel gave me a full refund because they received tons of walk in service and, since it was high season, they knew they would find a new customer for the room immediately. That was a pleasant surprise that I didn’t see coming! Not bad for cancelling a vacation last minute. Ultimately, you don’t know what kind of customer service and travel deals are available unless you actively seek them out.

Call, Don’t Email

Notice I said start making calls, not sending emails. Talking to a person, and especially the right person, can make a huge difference in getting a partial or even full refund. Often, it helps to speak to someone in management, as high up as possible. Remember, a manager is much more likely to waive a cancellation fee or refund your money than an hourly employee. 

When you first call it’s likely someone at the front desk will answer the phone. You can then ask to speak to managers and slowly move your way up the chain of command—just be sure that you’re polite. It’s not the front desk employee’s fault that they have to enforce whatever vacation cancellation policy the hotel or airline has in place. 

Seek Alternatives to Money

If a vendor can’t refund your cash, your next inquiry should be about any sort of alternatives they can offer other than money. This is often something like a voucher for future service, or some portion of your money put toward a later booking. On the trip I mentioned before, where I had to cancel because of missing vaccinations, I had tons of tours booked. Although I wasn’t able to get a refund for them, they did promise to reschedule all the tours when I did get a chance to take my trip. 

If you do get any offer for future service, be sure to have them send it to you in writing. I kept the emails from the tour companies, and when I finally did go a couple of months later, I conveniently rebooked all the tours!

Keep That Code

If you manage to score any sort of refund or voucher for a future booking, write down any confirmation code they send you and keep it somewhere safe. It’s also a good idea to keep an eye on your bank accounts or credit card statement and make sure that the money has been refunded after a couple of days. If it’s not, you’ll have their confirmation email and code in writing so you can call and inquire after your refund. It’s also wise to look into using a travel card, which might be able to offer you some protection against difficult refund situations.

Booking Travel Insurance

One of the best ways to avoid the hassle of travel cancellations is to purchase a travel insurance policy. Travel insurance is generally fairly inexpensive—around 5% to 10% of the total cost of your trip, depending on a few details like your age, the kind of trip you’re taking, and how many people you plan on adding to the policy.

Travel insurance can also be helpful to have even if you do end up going on the trip, but something goes wrong, like an airline losing your luggage, or getting injured while abroad and needing emergency medical insurance. The expense might seem like a hassle on top of all your other bookings, but the more you stand to lose from a sudden cancellation, the smarter it usually is to invest in protection for your plans. And even budget-friendly vacations might benefit from being insured. After all, you never know what might happen.

When traveling, you want to make every dollar count. Make sure you know your travel companies policies, you’re diligent about calling and speaking with managers, and you insure trips if you can. With the right planning and foresight, even an unexpected trip cancellation doesn’t have to be a disaster. 

The post How to Cancel A Trip or Vacation appeared first on MintLife Blog.

Source: mint.intuit.com

9 Apps That Will Help You Manage Your Debt

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A hand holds an iphone, open to the home screen with debt management app icons.

Debt can feel like a terrible thing, but paying off your debts is how you demonstrate that you can successfully manage your finances. Whether you make your debt payments on time makes up 35% of your credit score. Making on-time payments is one of the smartest ways to use your debt to your advantage.

If you need a little help, debt management apps can help you organize and manage all of your debts in one place. Just input all debt data into your phone and manage them there. Here are a few options to consider.

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App Best Used For Price Platform
Tally Credit card management Free to download iOS and Android
Debt Book Borrow/lender communication Free Android
Debt Manager Snowball Method, debt summary and tracking, progress bar $0.99 iOS
Pay Off Debt Motivation to make your debt payments $4.99 iOS and Android
Mint Budgeting for debt payments   Web, iOS, and Android
ChangEd Student loan repayments $1/month iOS and Android
Unbury.me Quick payoff calculator Free Web only
Digit Savings to apply to debt $5/month iOS and Android
Credit Report Card All-around financial wellness and credit score tracking free Web, iOS and Android

Tally

Tally is a debt management app that makes it easy to save money by automating your credit card payments to help you reduce your debt faster. The app is free to download, but the real value of Tally comes if you are approved for a Tally Line of Credit that consolidates your credit card debt with a lower APR. You’ll owe interest on that loan, but Tally will automate your credit card payments and determine the best way to save you money based on your credit card rates.  

>> See our full review

Debt Book 

Debt Book is an app for borrowers as well as lenders. It allows you to track and update your debt in a “Master Book,” which shows your borrowed/lent amount, how much has been paid/collected, and how much remains. The app also gives you options to view this data in a statistical chart for a visual representation of your current debt situation. And if the borrower and lender are both on the app, they can communicate and send payments through the app. This makes it easier to stay in contact with one another and to stay on top of existing debt.

Debt Manager 

Debt Manager uses your debt information to create progress bar graphs to help you see how far along you are in paying off each debt, how much debt is remaining, and your interest rate. The application specifically focuses on the Snowball Method to track and pay off all debts quickly and efficiently. The interactive app gives hints and tips based on your debt situation. You can also track monthly payments within the app manually or automatically and test out different “What If?” scenarios.

Pay Off Debt

Pay Off Debt helps you choose the payoff method and order that works best for you. You can use the debt snowball method, debt avalanche method, or something else. Track your payoff progress and the interest you’ve saved. Pay Off Debt also prioritizes keeping you motivated during your debt payment journey: the app provides a burst of motivation with a PAID icon each time you pay off a debt, and you can add pictures to symbolize your “Why.”

Mint

You’ll need to budget in order to efficiently pay off your bills. Mint helps you do just that. It’s one of the best-known budgeting apps for good reason. It’s easy to use and is packed with extra features. Mint gathers everything in one place—your cash, credit cards, loans, investments, credit score, and more. Track your bill payments, budget for future payments, and get alerts when you overspend or a bill is due.

ChangEd

A round up app like Acorns, ChangEd is an easy way to automate regular extra payments to pay off your student loans early. Connect your loans and bank accounts and create an FDIC-insured ChangEd savings account. As you spend, ChangEd will roundup your purchases and transfer those roundups to your ChangEd savings account. Once you reach $100, they’ll send that money to the student loan you want to pay off first.

Unbury.me

If you want a quick and easy way to visualize your debts and how long it will take you to pay them off, Unbury.me is a great tool. You don’t need an account to use it—just start entering your information—but you can sign up for a free account to save your information. Enter the principal remaining, interest rate, and monthly payment and see how long it will take to pay off those loans based on the payment methods you choose.

Digit

In order to pay off your debts, you need money. That’s where an app like Digit comes in. It’s not a traditional debt management app, but it’s definitely a debt management tool. For $5 per month, it helps you save automatically without even thinking about it. You won’t miss the money it puts in savings for you, but you will benefit from it when it’s time to pay your bills.

Credit.com’s Free Credit Report Card

If you want to see how your debt management is improving your credit, sign up for Credit.com’s free Credit Report Card. Our Credit report Card is an easy-to-understand breakdown of your credit report information that uses letter grades so you can track —plus you get a free credit score updated every 14 days. 

Sign Up Now

Get Your Debt Under Control

Regardless of what approach you prefer to manage your debt, these apps have options for everyone. We suggest taking a look at which app works best for you and personalizing it to fit your needs.

Ready to take your finances to the next level? Sign up for ExtraCredit. This five-in-one financial tool will help you build, track, protect, and restore your credit profile—and reward you while you’re at it! Learn more about all the amazing benefits of an ExtraCredit account at Credit.com/Extracredit.

The post 9 Apps That Will Help You Manage Your Debt appeared first on Credit.com.

Source: credit.com

16 Easy Ways to Make $1,000 Quickly

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This page may include affiliate links. Please see the disclosure page for more information. Sometimes you need to have cash and have it now. But if you need to make $1,000 quickly? According to this Gobanking Rates survey, 69% of people don’t have $1,000 in their bank accounts, so your not alone. Fortunately, you’ve got a lot…

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The post 16 Easy Ways to Make $1,000 Quickly appeared first on Debt Discipline.

16 Easy Ways to Make $1,000 Quickly was first posted on December 11, 2020 at 8:13 am.
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How I Paid Off $38,000 In Student Loan Debt In 7 Months

by Posted in Debt, FHA Loans, Student Loans Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

How I Paid Off $38,000 In Student Loan Debt In 7 MonthsLately, I have received many questions asking how I was able to pay off my student loans so quickly. I haven’t talked much about my student loans since I paid them off in July of 2013, but I know many struggle with their student loan repayment plan each and every day.

Due to this, it is a topic I am always happy to cover. Paying off your student loans is a wonderful feeling and I want to help everyone else experience the same.

 

Background on my student loans.

To start off, I am going to provide a quick background on my student loans.

I worked full-time all throughout college. I worked as a retail manager from when I was a teenager until I graduated with my two undergraduate degrees (I was a double major). Then, I was lucky and found a financial analyst position right when I graduated. I took around six months off from college, then I went back to get my Finance MBA, all while still working full-time and building my business.

Even though I worked full-time, I didn’t really put any money towards my student loan debt while I was in college.

Instead, I spent money on ridiculous things like going to my favorite Mexican restaurant WAY too many times each week and spending money on clothing that I didn’t need.

I didn’t have a realistic budget back then, at least not a good one. I didn’t think about my student loan repayment plan at all either!

So, when I finished my Finance MBA, I finally came to terms with the fact that I needed to start getting real about my student loans. I had six months after the day I graduated with my Finance MBA until my student loans would come out of deferment.

I knew I had to create an action plan to get rid of my student loans.

And that’s when I took a HUGE gulp and decided to add up the total of what I owed.

After adding all of my student loans together, I realized I had $38,000 in student loan debt. No, this might not be as much as some of the crazy stories you hear out there where others have hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of student loan debt, but I wasn’t exactly near the average of what others owed either. I also wasn’t happy because I kept thinking about how I had been working full-time for many years, yet I didn’t even put a dent on my student loans.

After totaling what I owed, I decided to buckle down and start my debt payoff near the end of 2012.

I ended up finishing paying off my student loans in early July of 2013, which means it took right around seven months for me to pay them off completely.

It’s still something I cannot believe is true. I always thought I would have student loans hanging over my head for years, so I am extremely grateful that I was able to eliminate them so quickly.

Now, you may be wondering “Well, how do I do the same?” Or you might even be thinking that it’s not possible for you.

However, I believe you CAN do the same and that it IS possible for you.

For some, it might take longer to pay off your student loans or it might even take less. It depends on how much you owe, how much time you can spend on making more money, and honestly, it also depends on how bad you want it.

Related tip: I highly recommend SoFi for student loan refinancing. You can lower the interest rate on your student loans significantly by using SoFi which may help you shave thousands off your student loan bill over time.

Related content: How Do Student Loans Work?

Here are my tips to pay off your student loans quickly:

 

Do you know how much student loan debt you have?

Like I said above, the first thing that made me jumpstart my student loan repayment plan was the fact that I took the time to add up how much student loan debt I had.

It shocked me so much that I probably wanted to throw up. That’s good though because it can be a good source of motivation for most people. I know it was for me!

When you add up your student loans, do not just take a guess. Actually pull up each student loan and tally everything down to the exact penny.

I highly recommend that you check out Personal Capital (a free service) if you are interested in gaining control of your financial situation. Personal Capital is very similar to Mint.com, but 100 times better as it allows you to gain control of your investment and retirement accounts, whereas Mint.com does not. Personal Capital allows you to aggregate your financial accounts so that you can easily see your financial situation, your cash flow, detailed graphs, and more. You can connect accounts such as your mortgage, bank accounts, credit card accounts, investment accounts, retirement accounts, and more, and it is FREE.

 

Understand your student loans.

There are many people out there who do not fully understand their student loans. There are many things you should do your research on so that you can create the best student loan repayment plan.

This mainly includes:

  • Your interest rate. Some student loans have fixed interest rates, whereas others might have variable rates. You’ll want to figure out what the interest rate on your loans are because that may impact the student loan repayment plan you decide on. For example, you might choose to pay off your student loans that have the highest interest rates first so that you can pay less money over time.
  • Student loan reimbursements. Some employers will give you money to put towards your student loans, but you should always do your research when it comes to this area. Some employers will require that you work for them for a certain amount of time, you have great grades, good attendance, and they might have other requirements as well. There are many employers out there who will pay your student loans back (fully or partially), so definitely look into this option.
  • Auto-payments. For most student loans, you can probably auto-pay them and receive a discount. Always look into this as you may be able to lower your interest rate by 0.25% on each of your student loans.

 

Create a budget.

If you don’t have one already, then you should create a budget immediately.

First, include your actual income and expenses for each month. This will help show you how much money you have left over each month and how much money should be going towards your student loan debt each month.

 

Cut your budget to create a quicker student loan repayment plan.

The next step is to cut your budget so that you can have a better student loan repayment plan. Even though you may have just created a budget, you should go through it line by line and see what you really do not need to be spending money on.

There’s probably SOMETHING that can be cut.

You might not have even realized it until after you wrote down exactly how much money you were shoveling towards nonsense until now. However, now is better than never!

We worked towards cutting our budget as much as we could. I can’t remember exactly how much we cut it by, but I know that it was enough to where I felt like I was putting a dent in my student loans.

Even if all you can cut is $100 each month, that is much better than nothing. That’s $1,200 a year right there!

Side note: If you are still in college, I highly recommend that you check out Campus Book Rentals. It allows you to get your text books for cheap. I almost ALWAYS rented my text books and it saved me a ton of money!

 

Earn more money as a part of your student loan repayment plan.

The month I paid off my student loans was a month where I earned over $11,000 in extra income. While this does sound crazy, I did start off by making just $0 in extra income. Everyone has to start somewhere.

Even if $11,000 a month isn’t possible for you, I’m sure something is. If you can make an extra $1,000 a month in extra income, that can help you knock out your student loans in no time.

Related articles:

  • 75+ Ways To Make Extra Money
  • 10 Ways To Make Money Online From The Comfort of Your Home
  • 10 Things I’ve Done To Make Extra Money
  • Ways To Make An Extra $1,000 A Month
  • How to Earn Extra Income Part 1

 

Pay more than the minimum payment each month.

The point of all of the above is to help you pay off your student loans. However, you can always go a little bit further and pay off your student loans more quickly. The key to this is that you will need to pay more than the minimum each month for you to speed up your student loan repayment plan process.

It may sound hard, but it really doesn’t have to be. Whatever extra you can afford, you should think about putting it towards your student loans. You may be able to shave years of your student loans!

How much student loan debt do you have? What’s your student loan repayment plan?

The post How I Paid Off $38,000 In Student Loan Debt In 7 Months appeared first on Making Sense Of Cents.

Source: makingsenseofcents.com

Expert Interview with Tiffany Aliche of The Budgetnista on Financial Planning

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Financial Eduation is important for everybody regardless of their demographic, and yet it is frequently overlooked by both the young and those who are just trying to get get by.

Tiffany Aliche is passionate about financial planning, and shares that passion, as well as a lifetime of information and practice, on her blog, The Budgetnista.

Tiffany took a moment to tell us about The Budgetnista, how anyone can benefit from sound financial education, and how that education can enrich your life.

Can you briefly describe The Budgetnista for people who aren’t familiar with the site? How did you get started? What differentiates you from the other financial blogs out there?

The Budgetnista is an award-winning financial education firm established in 2008. We specialize in the delivery of financial literacy through seminars, workshops, curricula and trainings. The Budgetnista has been a brand ambassador and spokesperson for a number of organizations, and has served as the personal finance education expert for City National Bank.

I’m happy to say that I’m quickly becoming America’s favorite financial educator. I authored the #1 Amazon bestseller, The One Week Budget and created the LIVE RICHER Challenge.

My love for financial education began at at home. I grew up in a financially-literate household, receiving weekly financial lessons from my CFO father. These lessons paired with my fun personality helped me create a fun, financial blog that resonates with thousands of women.

Who is your regular audience? What are some specific challenges they face, and how do they inform the things that you write about?

The Budgetnista’s audience is women aged 25-45. Their biggest financial issues are debt management, credit, and budgeting. When writing my blog, I focus on offering step-by-step guidance for these specific financial issues. In addition to women needing assistance, they also need encouragement. I try to not only be a source of information, but a source of inspiration as well.

What are some of the financial services The Budgetnista offers? Who is likely to utilize your services?

The financial services offered by The Budgetnista are keynotes, workshops and seminars on the following personal finance topics: money mindset, budgeting, savings, debt and credit. Many colleges, non-profits, and corporate entities utilize these services.

Each year, The Budgetnista also offers the LIVE RICHER Challenge; a FREE, online financial challenge created by The Budgetnista to help 10,000 women achieve seven specific financial goals in 36 days.

Your motto is “Live richer. To create a measurable lifestyle shift, through financial education.” First of all, can you briefly define financial education, and relate why it is so important? Secondly, how much of a noticeable shift has there been in your own lifestyle since you implemented this education?

Financial education through The Budgetnista provides participants with the tools they need to make sound financial decisions. It is essential because it grants people the power of choice, not just with their finances, but in other aspects of their lives as well.

In my own life, I’ve seen the power of financial education first hand. After a devastating job loss during the recession, I was able to create a business (The Budgetnista) and design the life I always dreamed of.

In the long version of your bio, you’ve written, “By beginning to educate yourself, you’ve taken the first step towards financial empowerment.” How does that information translate into daily life? If this is the first step, what’s the next?

Education is the first step on your financial journey. The next step is to take action. Once you know how to manage your money – budget, save, reduce debt, and fix credit – you can use these skills to navigate your daily life.

One of the goals of The Budgetnista is to give someone a clearer understanding of how to more skillfully manage their money. What are a few basic tips people can use to get started?

Here are The Budgetnista’s top 3 tips to get started on managing your money.

  • 3) Open a Bills Account: This is a FREE checking account (if possible), where you allocate your bill money each month. Separating your funds will help you to avoid “accidentally” spending money designated for bills.
  • 2) Give and get an allowance: I bet you never thought you’d get one again. After creating your budget, decide which items you can pay for with cash each month and add the amounts up; then divide the total by four. That’s how much your new weekly allowance is. If you take weekly cash allowances, it will help to curb your spending. Also, give yourself a CASH allowance when shopping and leave the cards at home. This way when the cash is done, so are you.
  • 1) Automate: By taking out the “flawed” human element (aka you), you’re more likely to stick to your budget. I’ve automated EVERYTHING; payments, bills, saving, investing, even giving to charity.

You recently wrote a blog post about how to start planning for retirement now. First of all, why is this important? Secondly, does it seem like this is something that young adults are neglecting?

Retirement is critical for anyone who wants to maintain their lifestyle after they stop working. Many young adults neglect this because there is a disconnect between their present self and their future self.

You also recently wrote about a budget trip to Jamaica you get to take. What are some fun things that you’ve gotten to do simply by getting your finances in order?

My favorite thing to do, as a result of getting my finances in order, is travel. In the past few years, I’ve been to 16 different countries. Learning to master my money has given me the freedom to actively design and live my life.

You’ve talked about how to make a budget for people who don’t have a regular paycheck. What were some of the basics of that article, and do you feel this is a reflection of the changing economy we’re living in, and if so, how?

Budgeting on an irregular income can be difficult. Here are some tricks to help you.

  • Calculate your Financial Baseline: Your financial baseline is how much your life costs you each month without the bells and whistles.
  • Be Like the Squirrel: Squirrels are super-smart savers. When acorns are plentiful, they work their hardest and gather as many as possible. Squirrel away your money when times are good, and live off of your stash when things aren’t.
  • Pay Yourself: Once you identify how much you spend each month, pay it to yourself from your business/savings account. Your clients/income provider should “pay” your savings account, then you pay yourself a regular income from the money that sits in that account.
  • Live by Percentages: Those that receive a regular paycheck can live by exact amounts; but for those of us with irregular incomes, we have to live by percentages. Allocate a percentage of your income to different categories: bills, savings, investing, spending, etc.
  • Separate to See: The best way to gauge how close you are to achieving your financial goals is to house your money in different bank accounts.
  • Systemize: Automate everything: transfers, bills, saving, giving and investing.

You’ve also offered some travel tips for traveling on a budget. What are some ways people can save while they’re traveling? How possible is it to have fun on the cheap?

My top 3 Budgetnista travel tips are:

  • Be flexible: Sometimes travel deals spring up on sites. The more flexible you are about your travel destination and timeframe, the more likely you’ll be able to take advantage of those deals.
  • The right sites: My favorite deal sites are: theflightdeal.com, jetradar.com, europeandestinations.com and airfarwatchdog.com
  • When to book: The best day to book a domestic flight is Tuesday at 3pm (this is when the sales hit). The cheapest day to fly domestically is Wednesday.

Financial education is not a one-off event; it is an ongoing process that requires practice to perfect. For more education and inspiration, like The Budgetnista on Facebook , connect on LinkedIn, follow her on Twitter, and subscribe to The Budgetnista YouTube Channel.

The post Expert Interview with Tiffany Aliche of The Budgetnista on Financial Planning appeared first on MintLife Blog.

Source: mint.intuit.com

The Top Financial Resolutions for 2021

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Having an emergency fund is important; you know that. But it’s easy to deprioritize it when things are going fine. And as 2020 showed us, you can lose your job at the drop of a hat, meaning a full emergency fund can be what keeps your lights on.

1. Make A Realistic Budget And Stick To It

You can make up to an hour, according to data from Intuit, the creator of QuickBooks, and you have no commute. It’s a great opportunity for parents who want a part-time job, recent college grads or anyone who wants to bring in real money working from home.
Robinson shares what it takes to be a virtual bookkeeper, plus tips for making this career work for you in his free class at Bookkeepers.com. If you stick with the classes, you could be running your own business in just a few months.
We recommend the 50/30/20 method. It’s simple, yet effective, and has a bit of a cult following, too! Here’s how it shakes out:
If you’re under the age of 54 and want to get a fast life insurance quote without a medical exam or even getting up from the couch, get a free quote from Bestow.

2. Look For A Better Job: Make up to $69/Hour

But what if you could create that higher-paying and more rewarding job? There’s an idea…
Did your credit score take a dive this year? Or is still stuck at a “fair” grade? Then monitoring any changes on your credit reporting and working to improve your score should be one of your financial resolutions for this year, too.
When it comes to your credit score, it’s important to stay organized and keep tabs on it. After all, it’ll play an essential role in any big purchase you want to make — whether that’s a home or a car.
It means you can avoid late fees on your utilities, which can really add up and destroy your budget. You can pay off your credit card debt without mounting interest charges. And you can prevent any hiccups that would dock your credit score a few points.
Rates start at just a month. The peace of mind knowing your family is taken care of is priceless.
Credit Sesame does not guarantee any of these results, and some may even see a decrease in their credit score. Any score improvement is the result of many factors, including paying bills on time, keeping credit balances low, avoiding unnecessary inquiries, appropriate financial planning and developing better credit habits.
You’re probably thinking: I don’t have the time or money for that. But your application can take minutes — and you could leave your family up to million with a company called Bestow.
Those are the perks of working as a bookkeeper, says Ben Robinson, a CPA and business owner who teaches others to become virtual bookkeepers through online courses called Bookkeepers.com.

3. Pay Off Credit Card Debt: Wipe Out All Your Debt by Tomorrow

It’s easy to get swept up in the joy that is payday and immediately start buying things you don’t need. But as the final financial resolution on this list, paying your bills right away can help keep the rest of your goals on track.
Enter your email address here to get a free Aspiration Spend and Save account. After you confirm your email, securely link your bank account so they can start helping you get extra cash. Your money is FDIC insured and they use a military-grade encryption which is nerd talk for “this is totally safe.”
You don’t have to be an accountant or even really good at math to be successful in this business. In fact, all you need are decent computer skills and a passion for helping business owners tackle real-world problems. The ability to stay moderately organized is helpful, too.
It’s easy to slip away from our good financial habits as the year goes on, so it’s particularly important to find a budgeting system that works for your lifestyle and won’t be hard to maintain.
This one sounds familiar, right? Oft-regarded as Old Faithful when it comes to New Years’ resolutions, it holds that title for good reason. Having a budget you can actually stick to will set you up for financial success, no matter what your goals are.
Can you open an excel spreadsheet? Does earning an hour sound appealing? How about the freedom to work remotely while helping others succeed?

4. Monitor Your Credit Report

But there’s still work to be done, which is why paying off credit card debt is one of the top financial resolutions this year.  Because if you still have credit card debt, you know. The anxiety, the interest rates, the fear you’re never going to escape…
The most surefire way to achieve your financial resolutions and stay within that budget you made is to earn more money.
Whatever your financial goals are this year, we know you can achieve them! Here’s to making 2021 your best financial year yet.
If you owe your credit card companies ,000 or less, AmOne will match you with a low-interest loan you can use to pay off every single one of your balances.
2020 made that really hard for most people. Which is why finding a better job, that you actually enjoy — and will pay you more — is a top resolution for 2021.
Want to check for yourself? It’s free and only takes about 90 seconds to sign up.

5. Get Insured In Case Of A Catastrophe. You Could Give Your Family up to $1 Million

2020 was actually a good year for paying down credit card debt — Americans did more of it this year than they ever have.
***Like Cooper, 60% of Credit Sesame members see an increase in their credit score; 50% see at least a 10-point increase, and 20% see at least a 50-point increase after 180 days.
Source: thepennyhoarder.com
Within two minutes, you’ll get access to your credit score, any debt-carrying accounts and a handful of personalized tips to improve your score. You’ll even be able to spot any errors holding you back (one in five reports have one).
Not too shabby!

6. Add A Month To Your Emergency Fund

This was originally published on The Penny Hoarder, which helps millions of readers worldwide earn and save money by sharing unique job opportunities, personal stories, freebies and more. The Inc. 5000 ranked The Penny Hoarder as the fastest-growing private media company in the U.S. in 2017.
And the truth is, your credit card company doesn’t really care. It’s just getting rich by ripping you off with high interest rates. But a website called AmOne wants to help.
50% of your take-home income every month covers your fixed expenses — rent, utilities, groceries, minimum debt payments, etc. 30% goes towards the things you can live without, but don’t want to (like food delivery, a Netflix subscription and travel). Finally, the last 20% of your monthly income is dedicated to your financial goals.
Kari Faber is a staff writer at The Penny Hoarder.
So prioritize your emergency fund this year. If you don’t have one yet, start by opening an account that will help you grow your money.

7. Pay Bills Right After Payday

Talk about a scary year. If a global pandemic didn’t have you thinking about your own mortality, what else could? With that thought in mind, people are adding “buy life insurance” to their list of 2021 to-dos.
AmOne won’t make you stand in line or call your bank, either. And if you’re worried you won’t qualify, it’s free to check online. It takes just two minutes, and it could help you pay off your debt years faster.
One way to do that is with a company called Aspiration. It lets you earn up to 16 times the average interest on the money in your account.
James Cooper, of Atlanta, used Credit Sesame to raise his credit score nearly 300 points in six months.*** “They showed me the ins and outs — how to dot the I’s and cross the T’s,” he said.
Have you made your resolutions yet? It can feel a little daunting trying to figure out what you need to focus on, so we made it easy: These are the resolutions everyone else is taking on in 2021, according to a survey by Wallethub, and you should, too. Plus — how to accomplish them.

The benefit? You’ll be left with one bill to pay each month. And because personal loans have lower interest rates (AmOne rates start at 3.49% APR), you’ll get out of debt that much faster. Plus: No credit card payment this month.
Have you thought about how your family would manage without your income if something happened to you? How they’ll pay the bills? Send the kids through school? Now’s a good time to start planning for the future by looking into a term life insurance policy.
So if you’re looking to get your credit score back on track — or even if it is on track and you want to bump it up — try using a free website called Credit Sesame.