massive

New Software to Run your Finances

11/02/2012
By
Finances

Economy seems to have been the buzz word for the last couple of years. Everyone is paying more attention to the economy, their jobs, and especially their finances. With technology on the rise, and their prices getting more affordable, many are turning towards tech to help keep their finances in order and save as much money as possible. The economy’s future is unknown, but your finances and budget don’t have to be. If you are also turning to your computer or smartphone to help manage your finances, then you should consider the software and apps you will need in order to stay organized. Here is some of the most popular software to keep you on top of your finances. You Need a Budget: YNAB is personal finance software that implores 4 rules of budgeting. Each rule is implemented in the software as well as teaches you how to look...

Read more »

The Unexpected Costs of Living

07/02/2012
By
Cost Living

Life is full of mysterious setbacks and hiccups. Especially when it comes to finances, nothing is for certain and nothing should be taken for granted. A healthy financial plan should take unexpected costs into consideration, because so many times in life we find ourselves paying money for things we didn’t expect. These are called contingencies and a fraction of your Visa debit card balance should be set aside to pay for them. The following is a short list of unexpected but common occurences that you could find yourself subsidizing and what to do should they happen: Car accident. One of the great risk/reward, promise/peril dichotomies of modern living is driving an automobile. Its usefulness to business, commerce, and personal convenience is widely established, yet within a period of just a few seconds, you can find yourself in the hole for thousands of dollars because of a single errant turn of...

Read more »

5 Ways to Be Frugal

05/01/2012
By
Being Frugal

Being frugal does not imply that you are cheap, selfish or mean. You are only being frugal because you are trying to save for something specific or clear a certain bill. To stay focused, you have to write all your goals down and know what you want to achieve. Through a lot of commitment, you will be in a good position to meet all your goals. 1. How To Be Frugal First of all, you should calculate the amount of all the cash that you have on hand, and how often you will receive more cash. Once you finish, you need to compile a list of all the things that you need. Then, go through it again to confirm that all of these things are actually necessities. Once you have made the confirmation, it is advisable that you start calculating the cost of the different commodities that you have...

Read more »

Three New Year’s Resolutions for the Fiscally Minded

20/12/2011
By
Resolutions

Tis the season my friends… At this time of year it’s customary to eat as much turkey as is physically possible, lavish each other with expensive gifts, drink large quantities of whatever happens to be left in your drinks cabinet (normally something horrible like Cointreau) and then 6 days later repent everything and promise that this year will be the year you sort your life out and get back to the gym. With Christmas soon to be here and gone it’s time to set out your agenda for 2012 and start formulating those all important New Year’s resolutions. Most people tend to stick with the same old mantras of ‘I will go to the gym at least once a week’, or ‘I’ll eat salad at least once a week’. As 2012 is looking like it’s going to be another difficult year financially, it’s time to sprinkle a little frugality...

Read more »

How to Keep Money in Your Pocket

19/12/2011
By
Save Money

The economy is forcing people to pay more attention to spending. Deciding if an item is a need or a want is hard, but necessary. Nobody likes to have to choose between paying a bill or buying a collectible, it’s just a sign of the times, so to speak. Follow these plans to keep the most money you can in your pocket! 1. Plan Your Day Taking a few minutes to plan a shopping trip can save money on gas. Decide what stores you really need to visit. If you have another appointment in the same town, try to schedule them the same day. Plan out your route to limit the amount of traveling between points. 2. Check Ads Coupons are a major craze today. Clippers accumulate dozens of the small slips of paper each week. While it seems 50 cents off a loaf of bread seems hardly worth...

Read more »

Got No Credit? Want To Build Some?

13/12/2011
By
No Credit

Building up your credit can take time – but what if you have no credit to begin with? How do you build credit when you are just starting out? If you are just beginning, you’ve probably run into the problem of being denied credit because you have no credit. How are you supposed to build credit if no one will give you a chance? It’s an age-old problem. The key is to start small, remain consistent and over time, you can develop a financial profile that will make it easy to obtain credit. For those looking to establish credit, one of the easiest ways is to obtain a secured credit card. A secured card is one that you by depositing a certain amount of money. You are then allowed to use the card up to that amount. In other words, if you get this type of card and deposit...

Read more »

Keeping Up With Gold Prices

06/12/2011
By
tracking gold prices

With the increased number of people who are choosing to invest in gold, and the ever-fluctuating prices, it’s important for you to be able to keep up with the going rates. Whether you are an investor, someone looking to invest, or simply have an interest in gold, then you can find good ways to keep yourself updated on gold prices. Gold prices are constantly changing, yes, but there are many ways of tracking those changes and learning about them so you can use them to your greatest advantage. In the past, it was up to the daily newspaper or economic journals to track gold changes. Firms dealing in gold had their own ways of tracking gold prices as well, and you would have to work with one of these to get their information. However, as times have progressed, it’s much easier to access this information and have it at...

Read more »

Three Things About My Finances I Wish I Could Tell My College Self

17/11/2011
By
College Life

As we move through life, we sometimes find ourselves thinking about what we would have done differently if given the chance to do it all over again. One area that I find I think about most is in relation to finances. Although little can be done today about the what-if’s of yesterday, if I had the opportunity to teach my college self anything, it would have to do with how to better handle finances. It really is true that the decisions we make early in life, can have a major effect on how we live in the future. Stay Out of Debt The best piece of advice I would give to my college self would be to stay out of debt. It seems that college students are prime targets for credit card companies. The lure of easy money and the ability to purchase things without actually having to have...

Read more »

5 Things You Should Know about Investing in Silver

16/11/2011
By
Investing in Silver

Everyone seems to be interested in investing in gold, but silver prices are on the rise as well. While silver may not be as expensive as gold, it’s still a valuable investment. Of course, there are a few things you need to understand about this precious metal before spending your hard earned cash. Here are just five things you should know about investing in silver. Understand the Weight of Silver Weights can be rather confusing when it comes to precious metals, but you need to understand them. Not understanding how silver is weighed can lead to a poor investment. When purchasing silver, you may see it listed by troy pound, which is 12 troy ounces. Before you make your purchase, do the math to see whether or not the troy pound price breaks down to a good troy ounce price. Shop for Assay Certified Silver An assay certification is...

Read more »

Finding the Silver Lining in your Black Friday

04/10/2011
By
black friday

Since the seventies, the day after Thanksgiving has been referred to as the biggest shopping day of the year” all over America. Black Friday marks the opening day of Christmas shopping season, and like most big horse derbies, unsurpassed amounts of people come out of the wood work with little to no patience and ready to spend all their savings in a day. In more recent years, the term Black Friday has come to be associated with early alarm clocks, tired arms from carrying heavy shopping bags and early onset BAH-HUMBUG’s. But Black Friday is not as dark and ominous as it sounds. It is an opportunists dream where in one day, you can get early access to the seasons coolest and most sought after gifts. This is also a good way to spread your holiday spending out across a 30 day period, as opposed to doing all your...

Read more »