One Cent At A Time

A Personal finance blog to get rich

Archives for June 2015

Finding and Achieving Financial Goals

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For many people, I’ll even say most people, financial goals are very amorphous. Some people just want enough money to cover bills. Other people want to be rich. But if you ask them to be a little more specific, or to describe specific plans with which they are in the process of achieving these ends, they come up short. Personal finance is one of those things in life that needs careful planning and perseverance.

Finding and Achieving Financial Goals

Like fitness, career, family, your financial life won’t get where you want it to be without a solid goal. But even a goal isn’t enough. You’ve also got to have actionable steps to get you there. Finding the goal is the first part, and it may not be as easy as you think. The second part is to plan for achieving those goals. Here are some things to consider when you are solving both parts of this equation.

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Things To Know About Inflation

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One of the most important factors in regards to the financial health of a nation is its currency’s inflation. While most people do know inflation is what happens when goods and services rise in price, their knowledge of the complex and evolving issue usually ends there. To help expand your understanding of inflation, below are a few things you may have not known about it.

US Historical Inflation Rate

As shown in the above picture, US inflation is now historically low. We do not feel the pressure of rising prices, at least not as much as people from other countries face. But we need to be careful and should take steps that can protect our money and wealth during those high inflation days.

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What to Do When Your Finances Go Out of Control

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As much as we don’t like to think about money, or how little there always seems to be, the truth remains: money matters. Even the best-intentioned budgets can quickly spiral out of control if unexpected extra expenses begin to pile up such as car repairs, emergency home improvements, or overdue taxes. It can begin to feel overwhelming, but there are ways to arm yourself so that you don’t feel like you’re losing your grasp on your finances.

What to Do When Your Finances Go Out of Control

If you’re already thinking about how to get a hold on your financial situation or get things back on track, then you’ve already taken a step in the right direction. Facing the problem head on may seem like a difficult thing to do, but ignoring the problem is much worse. Here are a few action items to get you motivated and make you feel more in control.

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Visa and MasterCard: The Railroads of Money

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This is a guest post from John Smith. He blogs about long term investment options. He talked about identifying moats of the economy to invest for long term, in his previous guest post. Enjoy another thought-provoking post!

Earlier, we discussed moats, and how to identify them. Throughout the article, I used Visa (NYSE:V) and MasterCard (NYSE:MA) as examples of moats. In this article, we will discuss why they are fit for a long-term investor, and find Visa and MasterCard’s moats (along with the moats of railroads).

Before examining the moats of the two companies, we must first understand their business. According to the Yahoo Finance business summary of Visa, “The company facilitates commerce through the transfer of value and information among financial institutions, merchants, consumers, businesses, and government entities.” (MasterCard’s description is practically the same).

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Reducing Your Student Loan The Smart Way

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No one wants to graduate with a huge student loan, so why not think about reducing it whilst you’re still at college, and/or immediately after you graduate. That way, it’s not hanging over you for years?

Reducing Your Student Loan The Smart Way

Reducing Your Student Loan The Smart Way

The burden of student loans is much heavier than it was a decade ago. On average, a college graduate today has about $25,000 in student loan debt. In 2005 that figure was a mere $10,000. Education is going to be costlier over the years. So, what should a student do?

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Money Saving Tips from Legendary Coach John Wooden

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I have always admired legendary basketball coach John Wooden. However, the older I get, the more I look up to Wooden for his contributions off the basketball court. He was an amazing person: hardworking, charitable, gracious, wise.

Money Saving Tips from Legendary Coach John Wooden

He was also frugal, living simply in the same modest Encino condo until his death in 2010. He has inspired me to find joy in the simple things in life that don’t cost much money: a beautiful sunrise, a hot mug of tea, a good book, the happy thump of my dog’s tail against the carpet.

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Why It’s Worth Renting Power Tools To Save Money

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Since buying our home last year the stuff inside our garage is ever-growing. still we have not more than 20% of the stuff our neighbors (on both sides) have. Though I am trying hard to catch up. Every time I visit Home Depot or Lowes, I come out with a new tool. When I look at the garages of our neighbors, I wonder how often they use some of the tools they have.  I think some of them were needed only once. Is it prudent to buy tools even if you need to use it once in your life time? Antoine is a tools enthusiast, who makes a case for renting out some of the tools today. Enjoy this guest post from Antoine.

Rent Power Tools to Save Money

You might find it surprising, but according to some research studies, it seems that an average tool (including power tools) are used for about 30 to 60 minutes in their lifetime. Sure, you can use a tool for a whole day or perhaps a whole week, but this study was based on the continual usage. Using these things is only a matter of seconds that keep adding up. What happens during the rest of their lifetime? Nothing spectacular. In fact, tools spend more time stored than used, whether they make it to some random toolboxes, garages or workshops.

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Using Medicaid for Your Long Term Care Needs

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There comes a point in anyone’s life when they start to realize they’re not as young as they used to be, and as they get older they become increasingly aware of their own mortality. None of us have very long on this Earth, and we may be closer to the grave than we would care to admit.

Using Medicaid for Your Long Term Care Needs

Using Medicaid for Your Long Term Care Needs

People are more likely to need long-term care services when they’re in their 70’s or 80’s, and some may need it when they are even younger. Maybe you’re in your fifties, and you might be thinking about where you’re going to be in the next twenty years. Will you still be in the same state of good health that you might be in right now, or will you still be alive? But you’re not rich, and you don’t know if you’ll be able to afford a long-term care policy.

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Top Tips for Negotiation

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We negotiate every day, throughout our life. Be it the work your manager assigns to you or the price of a jam at local farmer’s market. A child negotiating with parents for a toy and an old man negotiating for a discounted rate, we negotiating at every age. Negotiation is such an important thing. Have you ever negotiated your salary with your manager?

Top Tips for Negotiation

When it comes to negotiating, there are things that we can all improve. In fact, the key to successful negotiation is effective communication. How can we get better at becoming effective communicators? Below are some tips to help you do just that. If you follow the tips suggested you will be a better negotiator in no time at all.

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