-
6 Easy Ways to Increase Retirement Savings
Tweet Share on Facebook November 16, 2010 Comment (2)Here’s a pop quiz: Do you know much money you need for retirement? If you’re like most people, you probably don’t. According to the Transamerica Center for Retirement Studies, most of us just guess how much money we'll need once we stop working. Only 1 in 10 people does any sort of calculation at all.
-
The Hidden Costs of City Living
Tweet Share on Facebook November 15, 2010 Comment (7)After writing about how to save one-third of your income, I heard from many readers who had their own ideas about how to live frugally. One of the main areas of debate centered around the question of where to live. Is it more affordable to live in a city, where you can often walk to stores, work, and public transportation but pay more for housing, or outside the city, where you might need to rely more on cars?
-
How to Live on $500 a Month
Tweet Share on Facebook November 12, 2010 Comment (11)After writing about how people can save at least one-quarter of their income in my book Generation Earn, I heard from people who save even more—as much as 50 percent of their take-home pay. Some strategies are extreme, such as only taking cold showers, and others are downright dangerous, such as driving a car with the engine occasionally turned off. But some of them are useful, and by my calculations, they will allow you to live on about $500 a month, depending on where you live.
-
5 Smart Ways to Use Credit Cards
Tweet Share on Facebook November 10, 2010 Comment (8)Tyler Tervooren, 26, a writer in Portland, Oregon and creator of the site Advanced Riskology, isn't embarrassed to admit he uses credit cards for almost every purchase he makes. In fact, he's proud of it. Here's why: He pays off his balance in full at the end of every month. That means he gets all of the advantages of credit cards with none of the downside.
-
Get Ready for the Return of the Estate Tax
Tweet Share on Facebook November 10, 2010 CommentBarring any last-minute congressional moves, the estate tax is on the verge of making a big comeback. After a year in which estates of any size escaped federal tax, those of people who die in 2011 will currently be allowed an exemption of only $1 million, down from $3.5 million in 2009. Holdings beyond that level will be taxed at rates of up to 55 percent or, in rare cases, 60 percent.
-
5 Ways to Create a Smart Wedding Registry
Tweet Share on Facebook November 4, 2010 Comment (3)Creating a wedding registry can be overwhelming: You want a lot of stuff, including a new set of pots and pans and a high-end blender, but you don’t want to seem too greedy, or pick items that your friends can’t afford. Here are five ways to get what you want without offending your guests.
-
How to Use Social Media to Improve Your Career
Tweet Share on Facebook November 3, 2010 Comment (6)Today's guest post is by Sharon Reed Abboud, author of All Moms Work: Short-Term Career Strategies for Long-Range Success:
Competing for a job in today’s economy can seem like a losing battle. Dozens, if not hundreds, of qualified candidates apply for most of the advertised vacancies that are posted online. Savvy job seekers at the cutting edge use social networking sites—such as Facebook, LinkedIn, and Twitter—to network, make connections, and stand out in the bustling crowd of job applicants.
-
How to Save One-Third of Your Income
Tweet Share on Facebook November 2, 2010 Comment (5)One of the main arguments in my book, Generation Earn, is that we need to drastically increase the amount of money we’re saving. On average, we should save about one-third of our income in our twenties, thirties, and forties for retirement, emergency funds, and big goals such as purchasing a home. I've gotten a lot of questions about that—how is it even possible? What did you give up to do that? Are you doing that right now? I wanted to share some of the ways I saved that much and explain why I think it's necessary.
-
How to Change the World Without Going Broke
Tweet Share on Facebook November 1, 2010 Comment (2)In her new book Do It Anyway: The New Generation of Activists, Courtney E. Martin argues that twenty-somethings have been unfairly labeled as entitled, self-absorbed, and apathetic. She says we’re just overwhelmed with all of our choices, including how to make a difference in the world. We have access to so much online, in school, and in our careers, that it’s not always easy to sort through everything. The good news, she writes, is that there are many ways to change the world, and they don’t require you to ruin your financial life in the process. I recently spoke with Martin about young activists and their options. Excerpts:
