finances Tag

Perhaps figuring out what an emergency fund is can best be accomplished by looking at what it is not. An emergency fund is not for a new dress or pair of shoes, it is not for a lavish vacation, and it should not be used for daily trips to the spa or golf outings. An emergency fund is a fund of money, set aside for use when your car breaks down or when your roof springs a leak. Life has a way...

Getting in debt is the easy part, but getting out is hard. Being saddled with an unbearable amount of debt can negatively impact your life though, so it is important to take control of your finances and find ways to cut back and eliminate debt. Doing things like brown bagging it, brewing your morning cup of coffee at home, and eating in more are steps in the right direction. But to become...

A common mistake most people make when developing a financial plan is to fail to include expenses for extras. The problem with leaving out the costs of things other than the basic necessities is that regardless of whether you include them in your budget, the expenses still exist. When you fail to figure an amount for your kids’ extracurricular activities, you still end up spending that money,...

Getting a tax refund can really boost your finances, and give you the opportunity to pay off debt or perform home repairs. But, not everyone gets a tax refund, some people end up owing more taxes at the end of year and so miss out on the benefit of having extra cash hit their bank account in the Spring. Then, there is that small group of people who break even, neither receiving a refund nor...

Most of us are just one catastrophic accident away from financial ruin. All it could take is a major health problem to deplete your savings and retirement funds. When serious medical issues arise though the focus should be on getting well, and not on how the bills will get paid. That said, there is a large number of bankruptcy filings that are the result of astronomical medical bills or the...