Free Personal Finance Articles

Do you run out of money before you run out of month? Do you wonder where your money goes each month? Do you struggle to find money to invest for retirement, emergencies and other financial goals? Here are 10 tips to cut your spending and stretch your dollar to the max: 1. Consider dropping your home telephone line. Your cell phone is probably all you really need, and most likely it has free long distance. You could save $30 or more per month by dropping your ?land line?. ...

Many people today place money with financial analysts, fund managers and experts in the hope that they can grow their funds. However studies have shown that in the vast majority of cases, the individual generates the same return as the experts. But most people when confronted with this fact, usually reply that they do not know how best to invest their money themselves and it is submitted that the real reason is a lack of financial literacy. So the usual question is how som...

According to Which, the consumer watchdog, about 5 million of us have been targeted by fraudsters and have lost money as a result. Fraudsters are clearly finding rich pickings! So what are the most widespread scams and how do you steer clear of them? Here are six scams to be aware of. You've won a lottery prize Here you receive a letter, or e-mail telling you that you've won a big prize on some lottery you've never heard of. All you have to do is pay an administra...

Most of us know when we hit a financial disaster, usually we can even trace the beginning of the process that led to the financial failure, but the problem seems to be the fact that some people keep repeating the mistakes, or adapting new problematic methods of trying and solving problems. The wise financial planner would first consider his own strong and weak points before making financial decisions and would draw conclusions for the experiences he had in the past, the fe...

It may be time to consolidate bills if you find yourself struggling with debt and you are behind on your bill payments. You will reduce your monthly payments, simplify payments by dealing with only one lender, reduce the interest you pay and give yourself the relief you need from the financial stress you are going through now. In this follow-up article, you?ll find 4 more ways you can consolidate your bills and save. 1. Nobody wants to believe it can happen to them, but so...

If you provide terms for your products or services to your customers, it can be a challenge to predict how your cash flow will be from day to day. You are actually providing financing for your customers. I hope you understand that is what takes place, you are being the bank. Terms are a necessity in today's business environment and to land some accounts, it is an absolute. Even though the agreed upon terms are 30 to 60 days or more, it does not always come in on time, howe...

The buzzwords "money management" is thrown around left and right in the gambling world. Look around for advice on money management and you will find everything from grossly incomplete articles to full blown strategies for brilliant mathematicians. Today, I will share a quick and easy money management strategy that you can use each time you gamble. It's effective and takes just a minute to learn. I will give you an easy way to manage your gambling sessions. Sure, you could ...

In order to address the routine concerns of many, regarding the payment of bills post-retirement or disability, a federal benefits program was designed in the United States, in 1935, known as the Social Securities Act. The program known as the social security program provides disability, retirement, unemployment and survivor benefits and Medicare. The benefits offered aim at providing financial support to the citizens of the U.S., who fall under the categories specified withi...

Most families are spending more and more money every year (and not just because the cost of living rose) while also saving less and less. One reason is that few household managers spend much time reviewing expenses and expenditures to find ways they can save money. However almost every family has places where costs can be cut and pennies can be pinched -- and if those freed up funds are then used to pay down debt and save for the future it could have a dramatic impact on thei...

Any small business owner knows that they may live or die by the financial decisions that they make. While many cut corners by making prudent purchase decisions, few realize the opportunities that are available to them when it comes to working out the taxes for their business. In this article, we'll give you some tips to help you realize the best ways to optimize your taxes. - One interesting write-off that many small business owners fail to realize is their health insuran...

Sometimes life gets in the way and when it does you can find yourself steeped in a cash shortage. If you do there is an answer, it?s in the form of cash payday advances. These types of loans can be a lifesaver when all you need is a small amount of cash. There was a time when cash payday advances were difficult to obtain. You had to go to a ?cash payday store? and fill out a lot of paperwork and then you had to write a post dated check for your following payday so the stor...

With the dollar receiving an old fashioned beating from the euro right now, vacations to popular European destinations like England, France and Spain have become quite pricey. Not to fret though, with a little planning, you can still enjoy your European vacation without breaking the bank. Not flying across the pond for some R&R? You can still save cash by traveling smart, regardless of your vacation destination. Read on, oh wandering soul. Prevent your wallet from getti...

It?s no wonder that New York is one of the world?s greatest tourist destinations. From the emblematic skyscrapers of Manhattan to the rush of the Niagara Falls and the serenity of the state?s farms, forests, mountains, and lakes, New York appeals to people from all over the world and all walks of life. And its appeal is not only as a place to visit, but also as a place to live. Now New York homeowners can take advantage of different home finance options to maximize the value ...

Are you ready for retirement? Sure, you?re mentally prepared to leave the everyday rat race, to throw your alarm clock in the garbage, and to spend your days doing whatever you so please. The question is: are you ready financially? If you?re like most Baby Boomers, the answer is probably ?no?. A recent study by the Employee Benefits Research Institute showed that over 50 percent of workers ages 45 to 54 have less than $50,000 saved for retirement. The Center for Retirement...

There?s a group in every office. They hit the nearby watering hole for happy hour once or twice a week after work to vent shared frustrations, talk about the boss behind his back, maybe even plot future career moves. Thumbing your nose at this carousing crew? Think twice, turning down an invite to grab a post-shift drink might be hazardous to your financial future. A recent study published by The Journal of Labor Research shows that drinkers earn 10 to 14 percent more than...

What types of annuities are available? There are basically two types of annuities ? fixed and variable. A fixed annuity earns an assured interest rate in a definite period of time. If the period of times expires, there will be a new interest rate for the next period. Variable annuities have more funding options than fixed annuities since their performance depends on the option of investment of the principal and return vary. What is a tax-deferred annuity? Tax-d...

Financial institutions are located all around the world. If you are looking to open a bank account, whether that bank account is a checking account or a savings account, you have a number of banking options. In fact, you have so many options that choosing the right bank may seem like an overwhelming process. To make that process easier, you will need to know what to look for in a bank. Location is the key to many. If you are interested in having easy access to a bank, you ...

Sadly, we don?t live in a world where one can realistically be expected to save their money. It just doesn?t happen anymore! A few decades ago that could have happened but not any more. It used to be that your income was far greater than your expenses and you could put quite a bit away. But now our income is often outstripped by our expenses! Our income has not kept up with rising prices and rising taxes. So we?re forced to make due with our current income. Sure we can try...

Foreclosure is not a word that any of us wants to even hear, let alone think about the process happening to us. But, financial hardships may befall the most responsible people and the foreclosure process may look more and more like it may happen in your life or the life of someone you love. Thankfully, there are some things that you can do to stop from being foreclosed on. Foreclosure isn?t easy, and stopping foreclosure isn?t easy, but if you are well informed you can keep f...

When the weather is bad and the crowds are frightful, it?s time to head indoors, sit down at your computer and do a little online shopping. What surprises many new online shoppers is how much money can be saved by shopping from your own living room. Used judiciously, online shopping codes can save you a lot of money and time. What?s best is finding boxes at your doorstep days later. No schlepping to the mall, dealing with parking and other people, and then lugging things h...

Using a bank can really save you money, but there are also ways in which you lose a lot of money. If you are not proactive in recognising potential dangers and mistakes, then you could be caught out. Here are some of the most common personal banking mistakes and how to avoid them. Not reviewing your statements Many people get their statement each month, open it and then throw it away. If you don't look at your statements properly then you will not see mistakes on your a...

Life happens and crises occur. If we lived in a perfect world, we?d all live on beautiful beaches and never have to work! But the reality is that life is messy and sometimes our expenses are greater than our income. Here is how to deal with any negative financial situations when they arise. The first course of action is preventative: You should create a budget and stick to it. A budget is simple to create. You simply list all of your average monthly expenses on one side...

If Americans were polled about their personal concerns, at the top of the list would be finances. Finances are important in our lives, from the national budget to the family budget, and when our finances are unbalanced, it can lead to serious trouble. Not only are bad finances linked to a significant number of failed marriages, but our personal financial history becomes public record when we apply for a job or credit. Living month-to-month or buried in debt is hard, but ma...

If you are single and don't have kids this tip won't mean much to you. For the rest of us that have others to consider when making money decisions it just may make things a little easier. I guess the best knock-down, drag-out fights my wife and I ever had was about money. No, it never came to blows because she's meaner than I am. Believe me you can have a lot of fights in almost 40 years. At some point we realized that it wasn't accomplishing anything. We still didn't h...

Health Savings Accounts are an excellent way to build a second retirement account. These tax-favored accounts, which have only been available since January of 2004, can be opened by anyone with a qualifying high-deductible health insurance plan. Once you open an HSA account, you can place tax-deductible contributions into it, which grow tax-deferred like an IRA. You may withdraw money tax-free to pay for medical expenses at any time. The biggest reason more people don't re...

A quality education is one of the most important things you can give yourself in your life, and by law, the right of every person. Of course, with the skyrocketing amount of money that you have to pay to even be able to attend a post secondary education, a lot of students are despairing. Furthermore, even if you did get a degree, you have to consider that there are already plenty of people out there with the exact same degree already and, in addition, two years of experience ...

In our day of easy access to credit cards, loans, and so many things that you must have, it is almost no wonder that so many are getting themselves into financial trouble. Everywhere we turn we face some ad that tells us we cannot live happy unless we have such and such a product. The demands are frequent that tell us we just have to have the latest or the best, but do we really have to have it? Could this be the reason for the financial troubles that so many are experiencing...

A large number of individuals have a checking account. There are even some who have more than one. A checking account is similar to a savings account, but the money is usually easier to access. If you do not already have a checking account, it is likely that you may be thinking about getting one. Before you decide to open a checking account, there are a number of important things that you should take into consideration. Perhaps, the greatest thing to consider is where you ...

Over the last few decades, more and more adults have returned to college to further their education. This year adults aged 21 and older account for 35% of the hundreds of thousands of students enrolled in UK institutions of higher education. The main question on everyone's mind is "Why are so many adults returning to education/college?" Because, your education pays. Earn two-thirds more money than a person with only a normal education because research shows that a Higher N...

The banking system has also changed adequately, with the changing times. Today, you need not visit your bank to conduct most of your banking transactions. Computer technology has made virtual banking possible and it is actually becoming a very popular way of banking. In online banking, you can transfer money, get or alter your account information, pay your bills, order debit cards or checks and even apply for a bank loan at the click of a mouse. The online services would not ...