Some personal finance sayings have been around so long, many people take them as absolutes without really thinking about what they mean and whether they apply universally. Undoubtedly, you’ve heard these nuggets: “Have six months of emergency savings in a liquid account.” “Put 20% down on your home purchase.” “Cash is king and debt is […]

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Who doesn’t want to save money? Almost no one, but sometimes we fool ourselves into thinking that “saving” is the same as spending, only in smaller increments. Or we think of saving as a punishment without considering what the reward will be down the road. Of course, we all know the basics of saving: live […]

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Key Takeaways Review your non-essential spending, and set priorities and spending limits Include your children by turning the goal-setting and savings process into a game Remember to include charitable giving in the family budget Looking to spend some meaningful family time together? How about creating a household budget? Before you recoil in horror, hear us […]

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Key Takeaways Start a retirement budget by listing mandatory expenses Aim to have your retirement income exceed all the costs in your plan  Develop a healthy emergency fund for additional confidence  Planning ahead for your retirement years can provide additional confidence and financial security. And with increased life expectancy, a retirement budget can take into […]

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Key Takeaways Pay yourself first by allocating 20% of your budget to savings  Leverage technology with an app designed to help you customize a budget Monitor your spending habits and look for ways to reduce costs Are you among the many who plan on including budget planning in your list of 2019 New Year’s resolutions? […]

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Key Takeaways Reduce the interest rate on your student loan with refinancing Leverage the power of compounding by saving more, which can help you earn money to help you pay down your loan Review your budget to minimize spending on non-necessary items and consider putting that money toward your student loan Paying off a student […]

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Key Takeaways Create a budget for paying off student loans  Include investing as a priority even as you pay off student loans Understand your choices to help you pay off debt faster Americans have $1.5 trillion in student loan debt. It’s no surprise that many of them feel overwhelmed by the debt—and want to pay […]

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It’s generally accepted that if you have the cash to make a purchase, you should use it, instead of going into debt by financing that big-ticket item. But is the cash-is-king rule universally true? It depends. Yes, broadly speaking, you’re better off paying cash than financing at high rates of interest. But if the cost […]

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Did your parents have the birds-and-the-bees talk with you when you were younger? Remember how uncomfortable it was? How you cringed at every sentence? Get ready to do it again. Only this time, the roles are reversed and you’re having “the talk” with your parents. No, it’s not about that; it’s about how they plan […]

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For 26 million millennials, parenthood has been added to their lineup of accomplishments. According to the most recent figures from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the average cost of raising a child to age 18 is $233,610. This figure takes into account the cost of food, shelter, and other necessities for raising one child through […]

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