Financial goals are usually among the top resolutions people make for the New Year, but this time around even more people have finances on their minds. In a story summarizing the findings of numerous New Year’s resolution surveys, CNBC noted that one-third of people who make resolutions usually have a financial goal on their list. […]
Archive | Budgeting/Planning
Getting Started With a Budget
Using a budget is one of the smartest money management moves you could make. For guidance on using a paper & pencil system, read the Budget Quick Start Guide and make use of the Cash Flow Plan, Cash Flow Tracker, and Recommended Spending Guidelines, all found in the Resources section. For help using the online tool Mint.com, watch my tutorials here, here, and here. And for help with the Envelope system, read this article.
Remember, “The plans of the diligent lead to profit as surely as haste leads to poverty.” – Proverbs 21:5
Extreme Makeover: Budget Edition
Can you think of any financial tool that is more universally disdained than a budget? Just mention the word and people conjure up images of a ball and chain. They talk about it as something one goes on like a diet. “Poor John and Sue; they’re on a budget.” Budgets even seem to be a […]
Disability Insurance Disconnect
Your ability to earn income is among your most valuable assets, and yet very few people have disability insurance. According to a recent survey by Northwestern Mutual, less than half of all adults age 21 or older have disability insurance. The non-profit Life and Health Insurance Foundation for Education provides helpful information about disability insurance, […]
A Lesson from Tiger’s Tale
What Went Wrong? I’m not usually much of a celebrity gawker. But I have to admit that I have been completely drawn in to the sad story of Tiger Woods’ “transgressions.” Golf is my favorite sport and I have spent many a Sunday afternoon watching Tiger achieve yet another impressive victory. He is unlike any […]
Rethinking the Net Worth Statement
“Be sure you know the condition of your flocks, give careful attention to your herds.” – Proverbs 27:23 I’m going to go way out on a limb and guess that you may not have any sheep or cattle to look after. But you probably do have investments, a home, a car, and other stuff. All […]
Rethinking Retirement
According to Businessweek, the Age of Retirement is “over.” The magazine summed up its stark “vision” of our later years in four words: “Forget retirement. Keep working.” For many older workers there is simply no other choice than to continue working in their later years. According to the Employee Benefit Research Institute (EBRI), half of […]
What I Believe
By Matt Bell on November 18, 2009 in Faith & Finances, Budgeting/Planning, Generosity, Saving, Credit/Debt, Spending Smart, Money & Marriage
I am very excited about the launch of this new web site and blog. Switching from the eNewsletters I’ve been writing for the past three years to a blog will allow for more of a two-way dialogue with readers and will free me to write about more money-related topics. Since this marks the beginning of […]
The Fragile State of Our Finances
If you faced an unexpected $2,000 expense, how confident are you that you’d be able to come up with the money? According to a recent survey from the market research firm TNS, less than half of us believe we could find the funds. Of those who said they could, about half said they would tap […]
Three Documents You Can’t Do Without
MSN’s Liz Pulliam Weston makes a strong case that everyone should have a durable power of attorney for health care, a durable power of attorney for finances, and a living will. Should you become incapacitated, these documents will name someone to make decisions about your medical care and finances (you don’t need to choose the […]
Budget Software Going the Way of the Dinosaur
Microsoft Money, a longtime player in the budget software space, will no longer be available for sale after this month. In a news release, Microsoft cited the “range of options for managing personal finances” now available–from free online tools like Mint.com to those offered by banks. The makers of Quicken, the other main budget software […]