Should You Charge Your Boomerang Kids Rent?

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Years ago, children graduated from high school, got a job and shortly thereafter got married, bought a home and had children.

This pattern may have been delayed a few years as more and more people obtained college educations, but the pattern remained basically the same.

Now, however, the number of adult children living with their parents has skyrocketed.  In fact, as recently as 2010, Calculated Risk shared that nearly 13.5% of individuals ages 24 to 35 lived at home with their parents.  This group has even been given their own name—Boomerang Children–because they leave the nest for some time but then return back home, sometimes for years.

If your adult child has moved back in, should you charge them rent?

Why Do Adult Children Move Back Home?

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Ally Bank Online Savings Account Review

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It used to be revolutionary to hold your money with a bank that didn’t have any brick and mortar locations for you to visit.

Now high yield online savings accounts are more common and the decision comes down to which online bank you should open an account with.

There are many key factors in that decision — high interest rate, customer service, and account fees — that Ally Bank’s online savings comes out on top if you compare to other accounts.

What is Ally Bank?

Ally Bank Online Savings AccountAlly Bank’s story sounds eerily familiar to the mythical firebird phoenix that is rebirthed out of its own ashes.

That might sound strange for a bank, but Ally Bank is the new edition of GMAC or General Motors Acceptance Corporation.

GMAC was originally founded in 1919 and grew over the course of time, but like many banks a few years ago, got caught up in the financial crisis due to loose mortgage lending standards.  The bank had to take on TARP funding from the government and was rebranded to shed some of the bad image associated with the financial crisis.  A significant portion of the company is still owned by the US government, although the company is actively repaying on the funds it received.  (And a majority of the problems are on the mortgage side of the business, not on the personal banking side that Ally is on.) Continue Reading

Facebook Goes Public This Week and Links

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Facebook is set to have its formal IPO this week and trading will likely begin on Friday.

It is one of the most anticipated initial public offerings in history and will make Mark Zuckerberg quite the wealthy individual.

His employees won’t turn out so bad either — although they’ll likely pay about 45% in tax on the shares they sell.  That’s okay though, since the average tax hit is anticipated to be $1.1 million per employee.  ($1.1 million is 45% of $2.44 million, which would leave the average employee with $1.34 million.  Of course we know how averages work: some employees will have much more, some will have much less.)

One interesting tactic to avoid paying taxes on the IPO?  Renounce your US citizenship.  That’s what one of Facebook’s four co-founders just did.

While most of us won’t have to worry about selling our shares of Facebook at million dollar profits, here are some tactics to help you manage the money you do have:

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Is Gold a Good Investment Right Now?

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Since reaching a high price of $1,913 back on August 23rd of 2011, gold seems to have fallen off the investment radar screen.

In fact it seems the only time gold is ever on that screen is when it’s on its way to establishing new record prices.

Now that gold has settled comfortably in the mid-$1,600 range no one seems to be paying much attention.

But how should we take that?

Will gold slowly drift its way back down below the $1,000 mark, or will it—as some claim—continue to rise to ever higher prices punctuated by periods of price stability? And should we even consider gold as an investment?

Why invest in gold at all?

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What is a Spousal IRA and How Does It Work?

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The rules surrounding your ability to contribute to an IRA generally require you to have earned income in order to contribute at all.

This prevents people trying to exploit loopholes such as parents opening and funding an IRA for a child well before the child earns any income.

However, there is one exception available for married couples that can allow for both individuals to contribute to an IRA even when both do not earn an income.

This exception allows stay at home parents and other non-working spouses the ability to still contribute to an IRA despite not earning an income.

Spousal IRA Contributions

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Use Alternative Housing Arrangements and Save on Your Next Vacation

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The family vacation is pricey.

According to Free Money Finance, in 2007, the average American spent $1,654 on their summer vacation.

If the vacation is a week long, that is approximately $236 a day, of which I am guessing accommodations are a large portion of the expense.  If you are a family of four, you may be able to stay in cheaper hotel accommodations, but if you have three or more children, hotel stays get to be tricky (and expensive) because most hotels will only sleep 4 to a room and want you to buy two rooms or a suite, both expensive options.

If you would like to minimize your expense for accommodations on your next vacation, there are several hotel alternatives.

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Education: Your Hedge Against Inflation

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Every now again, we hear about inflation, and the way it erodes your earning power.

As prices rise, you either have to earn more money, to keep pace, or you have to cut back on your spending so that you aren’t using as much of your money.

Most people prefer to look for better returns.

The right investments, or leveraging your money on low-rate loans to position yourself for the future, can help you make the most of your money now and hedge against inflation.

However, you can also hedge against inflation in a more indirect way: Get an education.

Higher Degree = Better Earning Power

You’ve heard stories about how someone with a degree makes more money than someone without one.  And, for the most part, it’s true.  If you invest in a college education, you are repaid with a higher lifetime earning power.

Take a look at the following chart from the Bureau of Labor Statistics on how education pays off:

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Berkshire Hathaway Annual Shareholders Meeting and Links

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Not every company’s shareholder meeting turns into a type of personal finance carnival, but Warren Buffett’s company is anything but normal.

What is normally a decent sized annual event for shareholders has turned into a festival of sorts where investors and media flock to see what the Oracle of Omaha will say next.

The shareholder meeting is covered heavily in the media, and a classic event is where shareholders get to ask questions to Buffett in a public forum.

The next question on investors’ minds: who will follow Buffett in running the company?

Don’t have time for shareholder meetings? These articles can help you learn more on your own time:

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The Best Airline Miles Credit Cards

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“If only there were a way to get airline miles faster,” you wonder?  ”What would be really awesome is if I could get lots of cool benefits too,” you say.

Well there is and you can.

If you fly on one favorite airline for most of your trips (or even if it isn’t your favorite but you fly it because you have to), using an airline miles credit card for the specific carrier can be a great way to maximize your airline spending.

credit card for airline miles

Finding the best credit card for airline miles can help you travel for less!

If you have that one magic carrier you always use then it’s pretty easy to find an airline miles credit card to match.  Most, if not all major airlines have a credit card.

But what if you fly different carriers and have a few choices?

If that’s you then having a great airline miles credit card can make your flights more enjoyable and you can earn miles towards free trips faster.  The right card can steer you towards a specific carrier because of the better benefits.

And if I don’t know what airline I’ll be flying next?

Don’t worry, some of the best credit cards for airline miles let you transfer their miles to a number of different rewards programs so you can earn miles without worrying about one particular carrier.

But which are the best airline miles credit cards?

Below we’ll look at some great airline miles choices and what makes each card tick.

Need more convincing?

Finding the best airline miles credit card to match your favorite airline can net you free tickets to fly, miles that can be used towards car rentals and hotels, upgrades, free bag checking, preferential check-in, and more!

Keep in mind you need to responsibly spend and pay off your credit card bill monthly in order to truly make the most of your airline miles.  Keep in mind too, most airline miles cards have an annual fee (some waive the fee the first year).  You will find that if you take advantage of the benefits of the card, the fee is well made up for.

Done right, you can turn your everyday spending into airline miles and reduce the cost of your flying and possibly take advantage of special perks as well.

Take a look at the following cards and see which is the best airline miles credit card for you.

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The Financial and Physical Toll Caused by Lack of Sleep

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Did you get up today and stumble to the coffee maker to make your coffee because you needed the caffeine to wake up?

Do you have dark circles under your eyes and yawn throughout the day?

If so, you may be part of the growing ranks of Americans who are chronically sleep-deprived.

There are many reasons for sleep deprivation ranging from staying up too late to watch tv, trying to do too many tasks, having children (who are notorious sleep robbers), having an overloaded schedule including working full-time and caring for children and a home, to more serious causes such as insomnia and sleep apnea.

Whatever the cause, chronic lack of sleep can have a high toll on your finances.

We are trained to reward those who push themselves, who stay at the office late, work hard, and short change themselves on sleep every night so they can get more done.

However, this societal norm should change because Americans’ lack of sleep has very expensive consequences.

Consider the following financial and physical tolls caused by lack of sleep:

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