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Posted
Apr 23 2009, 07:00 AM
by
Karen Datko
Rating:
Money Blog: Smart Spending Blog - MSN Money
This post comes from Trent Hamm at partner blog The Simple Dollar.
As you read this, you're likely sitting at a computer with Internet access, or perhaps using a mobile device of some type. You have a little slice of free time, so you're seeking out some thoughts on money management or on life.
Instead, why not use this lazy hour to do something at your desk that can directly put money in your pocket? Here are nine great suggestions for doing just that:
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Posted
Mar 23 2009, 04:15 PM
by
Karen Datko
Money Blog: Smart Spending Blog - MSN Money
This guest post comes from "vh" at Funny about Money.
This month's statement from Fidelity shows another $10,000 loss in my big IRA, despite my financial advisers' having moved as much as possible into conservative investments, gold and cash.
At the age of 63 -- damn! soon to be 64! -- I'm watching my retirement investments melt away. That IRA has dropped in value from a high of $326,000 to $193,000. Total savings have dropped from more than $600,000 to less than $420,000. Meanwhile, we owe $100,000 more than the investment house is presently worth, and I took out a second on my own house to renovate said investment.
I'm wondering if it's time to do something completely, utterly, totally contrarian. Hang on to your hats, folks, because this is one scary idea:
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Posted
Mar 02 2009, 02:08 PM
by
Karen Datko
Rating:
Money Blog: Smart Spending Blog - MSN Money
This guest post comes from Frank Curmudgeon at Bad Money Advice.
Poke around the blogosphere and personal-finance punditocracy and you will find lots of positive references to Roth IRAs and virtually no nice things said about its dull older brother, the traditional IRA. If you didn't know any better (and why would you?) you might assume that the younger and hipper Roth IRA was the way to go. After all, it is the cool new thing and the latest in retirement savings technology.
Here's a rundown of the differences and why you are likely to want to go with the unhip kind after all.
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Posted
Jan 22 2009, 05:16 AM
by
Karen Datko
Rating:
Money Blog: Smart Spending Blog - MSN Money
This post comes from Debbie Dragon at partner blog Wise Bread.
Many families make a sacrifice by having one parent stay at home to raise their children. If the stay-at-home parent remains at home and unemployed for the majority of his or her working years, what happens when the stay-at-home parent reaches retirement age?
Without employment, a stay-at-home parent isn't going to have an employer-sponsored retirement plan to help him or her out during the golden years. To open an individual retirement account, the IRS requires that you earn an income, so that's out, too. Even if you're not generating an income, you need to establish retirement savings, but with the limitations on IRAs, what are your options?
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Posted
Jan 07 2009, 01:25 PM
by
Karen Datko
Money Blog: Smart Spending Blog - MSN Money
On two days this month, you can get free answers to your retirement questions from people who normally charge $150 to $300 an hour.
This wonderful opportunity -- called Jump-Start Your Retirement Plan Days -- is sponsored by Kiplinger's Personal Finance magazine and the National Association of Personal Financial Advisors -- an organization of fee-only advisers.
If you're nearing the end of your career or just starting out, you're probably worried about your dwindling retirement accounts, so this advice couldn't come at a better time. Here are the details:
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Posted
Nov 19 2008, 07:58 AM
by
Donna Freedman
Rating:
Money Blog: Smart Spending Blog - MSN Money
Two thousand dollars fell into my lap recently. A publisher that five years ago used one of my articles in a high school literature book wanted to renegotiate the contract because the textbook is being updated.
I was shocked, and delighted. And conflicted: What should I do with the money? Read More...
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Posted
Aug 25 2008, 05:46 AM
by
Karen Datko
Money Blog: Smart Spending Blog - MSN Money
This post comes from J.D. Roth at partner blog Get Rich Slowly. "The Mole" is a certified financial planner and public accountant who, in his spare time, provides a behind-the-scenes view of the financial-planning industry for Money magazine. In a recent column, the Mole explained how to deal with a bad 401(k) plan. "401(k) providers don't actually care how they make money," he writes, "just as long as they make a tidy profit." The providers can make money by:
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Posted
Jun 23 2008, 05:44 AM
by
Karen Datko
Money Blog: Smart Spending Blog - MSN Money
This post comes from J.D. Roth at partner blog Get Rich Slowly. Financial news can be dangerous to the health of your investment portfolio. I spent some time recently reading articles about the stock market. What I found was mostly hysterical hype ("Gasp! Dow Jones Industrials tumble 400 points!"). All the financial stories seemed to be written as if our investment horizons were days, not years. No wonder people panic when the stock market hits a rocky patch. But do daily market movements -- even 400-point drops -- really matter? How important is up-to-date financial news to the average investor?
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Posted
Jun 09 2008, 12:09 PM
by
Karen Datko
Money Blog: Smart Spending Blog - MSN Money
Cash is great, but consider other gifts to start the new graduate on a path to financial health that aren't so easy come, easy go. So says Money Smart Life. "The problem, as I remember it, is that cash is a hard thing to hold on to once you're out of school and thrust into the job hunt or working world," he writes in a post called "Gift ideas for college grads for a financial head start." We particularly liked his suggestion to set up an investment matching program.
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Posted
Jun 02 2008, 05:37 AM
by
Karen Datko
Rating:
Money Blog: Smart Spending Blog - MSN Money
This post comes from J.D. Roth at partner blog Get Rich Slowly. I pulled out my camera gear last night. It's been two years since I used it regularly. Before I started Get Rich Slowly, I seriously considered trying to become a professional photographer. But for a long time now, my camera stuff has been gathering dust in the corner of my office. I can't even remember the last time I used it. It's fun to look at all my equipment again. It's fun to handle it, to imagine the possibilities. I'm eager to get outside and make some images. As I sorted through my bodies and lenses, though, I had to shake my head.
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