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  • The master information document: Preparing for your demise

    Posted Jul 18 2008, 05:35 AM by Karen Datko Rating:

    This post comes from Trent Hamm at partner blog The Simple Dollar.

    About a year ago, I wrote a lengthy article about how to start a filing system, including information about what kind of filing cabinet to buy and what sorts of things you should file. Near the end, I wrote one little paragraph that deserves to be looked at again in more detail:

    A master document explaining what all of this stuff is. This is mostly a guide to the executor of your estate, containing all important information not in the other documents and also explaining online account access and other details, like where a safety deposit box key can be found. This may also include personal letters for people to read in the event of your passing.

    Think about this scenario: If you dropped dead right after reading this article, would your survivors -- your kids, your spouse, your family -- have any idea how to access your money? Would they even know where all of your accounts are?   Read More...

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  • Needs vs. wants? Listen closely to your elders

    Posted Jul 15 2008, 04:57 PM by Karen Datko Rating:

    You know what happens when you ask Grandma and Grandpa what they want for their birthday or Christmas. They say, "I have everything I need."

    "Chances are that's exactly what you heard, probably followed by 'so don't buy me anything.' And they mean it," Blunt Money reminds us in a wise and lovely post called "Everything you need (and want)." She adds that we can learn from their example: "The thing is, many of us probably do have everything we need, right now, without even realizing it."   Read More...

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  • Note to parents: Cut the money cord to grown kids

    Posted Feb 20 2008, 12:23 PM by Karen Datko Rating:

    A recent article in Money Magazine prompted Lily at The Honest Dollar to write about  parents who don't cut the financial cord to their children. Kids are expensive to raise and  educate. Then, she writes, "you'd think that once a child graduates into the real world, the bleeding would stop. Not so."

    The number of adult children living at home has increased 50% in the last 30 years, according to a University of Michigan study. "All told, a 2007 survey by Ameriprise Financial found about nine out of 10 parents give money to their grown kids for major expenses: credit card balances, car insurance, student loans, you name it," Money Magazine says.

    Lily, a thoughtful young adult, writes that parents need to pay themselves first. She says, "I buy the conventional logic that a child can get loans for school, for a car, for a house -- a parent cannot get a loan for retirement."   Read More...

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  • She's going to give up her day job

    Posted Oct 24 2007, 04:48 PM by Karen Datko
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    Retirement is coming early to the Silicon Valley Blogger . After careful consideration, she's decided to quit the corporate world in a year. At The Digerati Life , SVB explains the thought process she used to evaluate whether she's ready to leave the social network and security of the workplace to concentrate on other priorities, including several entrepreneurial projects and, most importantly, her kids. Consider her eight-question test if you're thinking about leaving the rat race . One of the eight factors? Add up all of the expenses -- wardrobe, commuting, child care -- required to remain on the job.
    Discuss ( 2 comments) 235 Views Digg this | Email this | Link to this