On behalf of the government I’d like to thank you for your generous taxes. Thank you for paying too much in taxes every paycheck. We love the interest free loan! We’re trillions in debt and every bit helps. When we borrow from other countries by selling Treasuries we have to offer them interest for the loan. Can you imagine what the interest on trillions in loans comes out to?!? But by not adjusting your W-4′s you help to keep the United States afloat, if only a little bit.
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The Government Thanks You For Your Taxes
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New Financial Tools Make It Easier to Plan for Retirement
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If you’re like most people, you find the process of retirement planning somewhat intimidating. There are lots of numbers, calculations and assumptions to make before you can decide how much you need for to save each year, how much you’ll ultimately need to retire, how big a mortgage you can handle and what type of insurance to buy.
But there’s an easier way to plan that allows you to focus on some very clear and simple goals. Professional investors have for years been using financial ratios as shortcuts to evaluating the financial health of large companies. By looking at a few key ratios, investors can get a quick and comprehensive assessment of what sort of shape a company is in. The beauty of the ratios is that they compress mountains of data into one simple number that conveys a great deal of information.
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What Will The Next Ten Years Be For You Financially?
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Do you remember 2000? I do. Technology stocks were all the rage, the US had a bitter, close election between George Bush and Al Gore, and the word terrorism meant nothing to the average person. These past ten years have flown by and these next ten years will fly by just as quickly. If you truly devote yourself to sound financial values you will be amazed at where you will be in 2020, just ten years from now.
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Make More Money and Live Your Passion: Become a Cre8tor
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Your financial life has a certain trajectory—similar to a train on a track.
There will be twists and turns, but you can easily determine where you will end up if you stay on the financial track you’re currently on.
What if the traditional methods of working hard, cutting expenses, and saving don’t work for you?
Brown bagging it every day won’t cause you to jump tracks and end up somewhere completely different. The guy living in the mansion overlooking the ocean didn’t buy that house by clipping coupons, and the chick passing you in a $400,000 Maybach didn’t get that way by eliminating her morning latte.
For most of us, the gap between where we are and where want to be is so wide that we’ll never be able to close it by following traditional financial advice.
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How I Love Thee ING Direct, Let Me Count the Ways – Savings, Checking, and More
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I’ve had a high interest savings account with ING Direct going back to 2003.
I was at my parent’s house doing my taxes on their computer with Turbo Tax. At the end of the session an ad popped up with an offer to sign up to ING Direct’s online savings account and get what I recall a $50 bonus. I had heard of them before but being 2003 I was skeptical of online banking. But since ING Direct required only a dollar to sign up I figured it was worth doing for nothing more than the $50 bonus.
Haiti Relief – Doctors Without Borders/Medecins Sans Frontieres
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As you know a brutal earthquake reading 7.0 on the Richter scale struck Haiti on January 12th. The quake struck about ten miles southeast of the nations capital, Port-au-Prince. From what I’ve last heard there are up to 200,000 dead and many more whose whereabouts are unknown. The area is left without electricity or communication. My understanding is many of the hospitals were destroyed. Relief efforts have been underway but with all of the destruction it has been difficult getting those in need the help they need.
Is Shopping Online For Insurance A Myth?
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I’m sure most of you remember what the internet used to be like. My family got our first computer in the mid-1990’s – and it was slow… and heavy… and expensive. Now I carry more than 10x the computing power in my pocket for less than 1/10th the cost.
Perhaps more importantly, my tiny, relatively inexpensive computer is connected to others like it (and the people on the other end). The internet has changed the way most of us think about communication.
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10 Free Investment Credits From ShareBuilder (And $50 Signup Bonus)
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Online investment company ShareBuilder (owned by ING Direct) is offering up 10 free investment credits to new and existing customers who set up an Automatic Investment Plan before January 31st. This is a great way to start investing for the New Year! Normally automatic investments are $4 per trade.
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The Credit Card Accountability, Responsibility, And Disclosure (CARD) Act Of 2009- Effect On Credit Card Holders
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In the last year or more, credit cards and the laws that govern the industry have come under serious scrutiny due to the large amounts of individuals and families facing serious debt problems involving credit cards. Card holders have been subjected to stiff fees and increasing interest rates for seemingly no reason, leaving many so far behind in payments, they had no where to turn. As the credit card industry began to spiral seriously out of control, Congress finally began to take action on behalf of the affected consumers.
Credit card practices have been unfair and deceptive for quite some time and changes need to be made to continue a healthy economy. In May 2009, President Obama signed into law the Credit Card Accountability, Responsibility, and Disclosure (CARD) Act of 2009. The action was meant to create more protection for consumers and halt unfair and hidden fees they were being charged for being a credit card holder.
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Savings Goals In The New Year And Beyond
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Making just one goal with regards to your savings can make a real difference. Here are savings goals which can help you have a financially secure and less financially stressful 2010, so know your situation and choose one which best suits you.
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