Getting Started With Savings
I recommend maintaining three distinct types of savings accounts: an emergency fund (with 3-6 months’ worth of essential living expenses), a big-ticket item replacement fund (where you save for your next vehicle or to pay for a new furnace), and a periodic bills and expenses fund (where you save each month for bills and expenses that you’ll have to pay sometime in the year, such as an annual life insurance premium or Christmas gifts). You could open 3 separate accounts. Or, I use Capital One 360, where one account can be set up with numerous sub-accounts.
Weekly roundup of some of the best personal finance articles from around the web. Money really can buy happiness if you spend it these 4 ways, according to science (Inc.). What uses of money have brought you the most joy and how do they line up with these four suggestions? The more money you make, […]
Waiting can be tough. We seem to be hardwired to resist it. And our culture does us no favors here. Whatever we’re interested in buying, there are ways — and we’re strongly encouraged — to have it now. Paying for it? That can wait until later. But there are great rewards for those who learn […]
There’s a new report out that says very few Americans are financially healthy. Working with researchers at the University of Southern California, the Center for Financial Services Innovation (CFSI) developed an eight-question survey that was taken by a representative sample of U.S. adults, leading to what it calls the U.S. Financial Health Pulse. Its results […]
A weekly roundup of some of the best personal finance articles from around the web. Here’s how money really can buy you happiness (Time). After decades of searching for a connection between money and happiness, here’s what’s been learned. Buy it for life: Choosing quality over price (Get Rich Slowly). Spending a little more is often the […]
If you’re really paying attention, life can be a very odd experience. Especially when it comes to money. For example, in troubled economic times, front-page newspaper stories regularly quote economists expressing concern that the personal savings rate is going up. I still vividly remember reading one such story during a previous recession. I had to […]
Those of us who write about money for a living can get a little carried away by some of the nitty-gritty details. That seemed to be the case in a surprisingly impassioned debate that sprang up recently over what a person’s higher priority should be—controlling spending or controlling saving. At first, it seemed kind of […]
A weekly roundup of some of the best personal finance articles from around the web. Protecting your child from identity theft (Independence Advisors). It often goes undetected for years, and by then a lot of damage will have been done. It’s an emergency (fund)! (Monevator). If you’ve ever wondered whether it’s really necessary. Estate planning essentials (Retirement Field […]
A weekly roundup of some of the best personal finance articles from around the web. Why the next bear market may feel more painful (A Wealth of Common Sense). With more money in your portfolio, thanks to a nine-year bull market, the next downturn may be tougher to take. The wisdom of frugality: What is simplicity? (The […]
A weekly roundup of some of the best personal finance articles from around the web. Get sentimental about saving (Chicago Tribune). Advertisers know all about preying on our emotions. Here’s some interesting research about turning the tables and using emotion to do the right thing financially. More homebuyers are taking out mortgages that stretch them thin (Clark […]
We make lots of financial decisions every day. However, over the course of our lives, there are about 10-15 decisions that really matter. How well we navigate them will make an especially big difference in whether we struggle with money or live with financial freedom and joy. As I describe the decisions, please keep a […]
