5 Common Budgeting Mistakes to Avoid
Budget Accurate budgeting starts by identifying every category of expense, no matter how small the annual expenditure on the item might be. Underestimating your expenses means that, at the end of the month, you’ll have less money than projected in your budget, and you won’t…
How to Establish a Realistic Budget
Include All Expenses Your budget should account for all the money that you spend, not just the big categories or the ones that you have on a consistent basis. Danny Payne, a certified financial planner practicing in Southern California says that, “miscellaneous expenses, such as…
5 Reasons Bill Paying Software Helps Your Budget
Utility bills, cell phone bills, medical bills, credit card bills — the bills just keep on coming, and getting them paid and off your desk is a never-ending battle. The threat of late fees and friendly reminder calls from your creditors adds some time stress to the monthly bill-paying hassle, and it might often occur to you that “there has to be a better way.” In fact, bill-paying software has been around since the 1990s to automate the process. It also makes budgeting easier and saves on those troublesome fees and expenses.
Financial Planning 101: Essential Tips for Beginners
Financial planning is unique to each person because everyone has different priorities in life. While some may gain enjoyment for seeing how much wealth they can attain, many people aren’t focused on making the list of wealthiest individuals: after all, the person who dies with the most toys is still dead.
Tips for Creating a Moving Budget
The much-dreaded moving day looms on your calendar. You know what it means: pulling together an entire household of stuff, an exhausting day or two getting it from point A to point B, and setting it all down — hopefully undamaged — in the brand-new…
Teaching Your Teen How to Budget
Whether you give your children an allowance, make them do chores for what they get, or have them earn their spending money from paying jobs, kids need to know how to budget what they have. Instilling good financial skills while your kids are still relatively…
Small Ways to Save Big Money
Often, the biggest budget-busters aren’t things like your mortgage. They’re the smaller expenditures that add up at month’s end, and required expenses such as insurance premiums that seem carved in stone. Both can usually be reduced if you’re determined to save a lot of money,…
Reasons to Keep a Rainy Day Fund
As much as we may try to predict the future, life always comes up with a way to throw us a curveball. Although you might not know what form your next unanticipated expense is going to take, rest assured that it’s going to come at…
How to Save for Holiday Spending
Along with the joy of the holiday season come increases in spending. According to Danny Payne, a certified financial planner practicing in southern California, “Gifts or holiday spending is quite possibly the most overlooked expense that can derail a budget.” Therefore, nailing this budget item…
Financial Planning Tips All Travelers Should Consider
When you travel, you don’t want to be distracted by money problems. You definitely don’t want to miss a great event or experience because you didn’t plan your finances well. Nora Dunn, a financial planner turned full-time world traveler, knows firsthand that planning travel costs…