Welcome to the New Year’s edition of Carnival of Personal Finance; aka the last one of the year!
New Year’s is always an exciting time to be able to reflect on all your accomplishments (and shortfalls) of the previous year and then strategize how you are going to kick next year’s butt!
Get out your party hats and a bottle of champagne and ring in the New Year with some great personal finance articles.
Eric from Narrow Bridge Finance presents What Does a Share of Stock Represent?, and says, “Almost everyone knows that you can buy and sell stock in a company, but a lot of people don’t fully understand what a share of stock represents.”
Looks like Good Financial Cents get the pleasure of hosting two blog carnivals this week!
Welcome to the Carnival of Money Pros.
Here’s some of my favorite picks this week:
Lance @ Money Life and More writes Prepare Your Finances for Next Year – Know Your Net Worth – Now that the year is coming to a close and a new year is about to begin I always want to know how I’ve progressed over the last year and how much I’d like to progress over the next year. Financially, I use my net worth to measure how I’ve been doing.
Kyle @ The Penny Hoarder writes 3 Ways to Save on Car Insurance That You Haven’t Thought Of – Most people get car insurance and then forget all about it. For years they may stick with the same company without any thought as to whether they are getting the best price for their coverage.
Jon the Saver @ Free Money Wisdom writes First Steps in January to Sorting Out Your Debt – January is a time of reflection. Use this time to look back on the past year and analyze your spending patterns. It’s amazing what one can learn!
Investor Junkie @ Investor Junkie writes Where Do You Think the Stock Markets are Heading in 2013? – The start of the new year brings all kinds of predictions for the stock market. Most of them tend to be bold – after all, no one gets noticed for predicting small changes. But all predictions aside, no one has any idea whether the stock market will rise, fall or just drift sideways. All we can do is speculate, so let’s have at it! [click to continue…]
There are reasons for relief in some quarters since the IRS release its official 2012 regulations for 401k, 403b, and other retirement plan contribution limits.
This information is renewed annually based the 2012 cost of living adjustment figures.
The good news is that the cost of living adjustment (COLA) numbers have increased a bit.
This makes an increase after a three year period of relative stability in contribution limits. Back in 2011 there were some fears circulating that the limits were supposed to be lowered.
Those fears never came into fruition as 401k limits remained flat.
Each October the limits are re-calculated using a formula that is based on the inflation rate (which is connected to the COLA figures) in the third quarter versus the previous year’s quarter performance. [click to continue…]
The last time I went to get blood work done, I nearly fainted.
Those words came from a prospective client that was looking to buy life insurance from me.
Just hearing the word needle made her feel faint.
The thought of seeing blood would literally make her pass out.
This is just one example of an individual who should consider buying no exam life insurance.
The web is currently plastered with promises of getting cheap life insurance with no medical exam.
If you’ve wondered if it’s really possible to get cheap life insurance without having to go through a physical, let’s see if we can dispel some of the myths.
First, let’s look at the types of no medical exam life insurance: [click to continue…]
When I was researching what would be the best retirement plan to set up for myself when I first became self-employed, I narrowed it down between the SEP IRA and the Solo 401k.
Both allowed very favorable contribution limits, but the administrative costs and ease of setting up made the SEP IRA the easy answer.
If you are considering opening a SEP IRA for your business, here’s what you need to know about the SEP IRA rules and contribution limits and how easy it is to open one.
Recently, there has been a lot of interest surrounding the United States Postal Service (USPS).
The Second Continental Congress, on July 26, 1775, provided for the appointment of a Postmaster General, and marked the formation of the Post Office Department, which was the forerunner to today’s postal service. Since then, the United States has had consistent, affordable mail service.
Even as competitors arise, the USPS remains. Of course, one of the reasons that there is a great deal of focus on the USPS is that operating expenses are on the rise, thanks in part to operating hours, as well as pension plan commitments and generous compensation for many employees.
The price of stamps has been rising for years, and we are set to see a one-cent increase on letters on January 27, 2013, bringing the cost to mail a one-ounce letter from 45 cents to 46 cents.
I remember when it cost 25 cents to mail a letter. That was when I first really started paying attention to postage rates, because I actually had a penpal! I remember when postage rose in 1991, and when it broke the 30-cent barrier in 1995, jumping from 29 cents for a letter to 32 cents per letter.
Since then, postage increases have become more common. Indeed, I wonder if it will become a common thing for the USPS to raise letter prices by one cent each year. [click to continue…]
When you’re at the point in your life where you are adding to your Roth IRA in order to help plan for a stable and enjoyable retirement, it makes sense to have all of the current information regarding the current IRS regulations concerning the Roth.
Plus, you want to have a grasp of the current IRA rules for a given year. At this point, people are looking forward to 2013.
In some cases, you might have taken the maximum contribution amount into your Roth for 2012 and you’re thinking about saving for next year’s contribution.
Perhaps, you’ve got your eye on the tax season. No matter what, you want to know enough before you start making decisions about your IRA. Here’s a look at the Roth IRA rules for 2013. [click to continue…]
With the holiday soon approaching, you are probably scrambling trying to find the perfect gift.
Before you buy Dad another tie, Mom another picture frame, or your kid another Apple device that they absolutely doe not need, consider the following options.
As a financial advisor, I see families waste this perfect opportunity to give a gift that keeps on giving.
Below are some gifts for the holidays that make “good financial cents” that this financial advisor approves of. [click to continue…]
Welcome to the New Year’s edition of Carnival of Personal Finance; aka the last one of the year!
