Feb
18
2013

Things To Consider Before Planning For Retirement

Lifestyle

A person’s Life style should be kept in mind, before planning for retirement! Life style and money are very much interrelated and interdependent. So, one need to develop the retirement plan keeping these things in mind.

Spending Ability

Everyone says, saving is an important virtue but without understanding own spending patterns, no one can save an appropriate amount of money! Knowing the spending pattern will help you in analyzing your retirement plans.  This will lead to a more efficient plan.

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Post Retirement Income

A person works all his life to earn a salary but when the person retires the secure source of income comes to a halt. But other than salary an individual can get money from various sources, but it requires planning. A perfect plan can ensure multiple sources of income after the retirement.

Stock market risks

Working people play a lot of heed to the stock market. They believe in investing in stocks and shares. But due to the decrease in share prices a person should actually invest money very wisely. Many of the people have gone back to work because of Stock market crisis.

Expected lifespan

A lot of people plan to work after the retirement age because they expect to live to 100 years of age. Due to the increase in longevity and early retirement this is becoming a greater concern for people.  You don’t want to run dry when you’re living in an old age home and end up getting kicked out into the street.

Insurance Policy

According to many, life insurance should be bought only when a person needs it. A term insurance is advisable, since an individual will likely not need insurance to take care of their loved ones once they grow up. It is definitely not advisable to cancel all the insurance just because of retirement!

Retirement is the best part of life but it can be a nightmare if sufficient arrangement in terms of money have not been done.

Feb
2
2013

The Hidden Costs of Moving

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Having an emergency fund is a great idea. I learned this fact when trying to move recently. We had to move due to our landlord selling our home to a new owner that did not want tenants. Due to this, we had to move, and I discovered a number of hidden costs.

Searching for a place to live was rather hard, as it used a great deal of time, and money in gas. Transportation and time can grow to be expensive.

Packing can be expensive due to the need for boxes, markers, and tape. Those costs can add up, so try and find free boxes at local businesses or on Craigslist.

Changing your mailing address can be rather expensive as well, as it costs 30 dollars to forward mail through Canada Post. Additionally, you can expect to waste time changing the address for all of your services such as television, internet, banks, credit cards, and other services you may use.

Moving day can be rather expensive. Hiring a moving company can cost a good bit, on top of that there are a number of last minute purchases as well. You can also expect charges to reconnect electricity, possible parking charges, and possible parking tickets. You might also need to buy a few meals to get friends to help.

Once you have moved in, you might find that your furniture no longer works. This warrants even more new purchases. So remember to plan for the unexpected.

Jan
29
2013

How My Family and I Saved Money On A Road Trip

With the rising cost of gas, and the dropping price of flights, it is becoming hard to justify taking road trips like I did when I was younger. However, I have six tips for you that can easily save you money.

Let’s start simple with bringing a cooler. This makes it much easier for you to shop in grocery stores, instead of stopping for fast food every time you or your family gets hungry. This is a much more healthy option to boot.

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Planning ahead is another great way of saving money. This cuts down on unneeded use of gas due to getting lost. It’s also a great way of estimating the amount of money the trip is going to cost you.

Entertainment books can be a great way of saving money, while they may be a bit of an investment, they typically pay for themselves by saving you money and making a trip a ton of fun.

Camping is a way of getting away from paying crazy amounts for hotel rooms, not to mention how much fun it is.

Portable BBQs can be another way of saving money, coupled with the cooler you have a versatile option for food that ensures nobody will be bored.

Finally, you can simply ask friends on your social networks if they would mind you camping in their yard or if they would want to pitch in for a cookout when you are in town.

All of these are great ways of making a road trip more economical.