Category: Financial & Investment Tips
5 Things You Should Do When You Get Your First Job
You’ve nabbed your first big job! Congrats! It’s a huge milestone that calls for celebration. You’re finally earning “real” money – what a thrill! Getting hired for your first job after college is a big deal. But don’t be foolish now that you’re making the big bucks. Setting yourself up for long-term success is essential. Here are five things you should do to get into tip-top financial shape so you can prosper and enjoy that hard-earned cash. Make A Financial Plan The first big step to take once you’ve landed that first “real” job: make a plan for your life and your finances. I know, BORING. But we all know people who float through life and don’t pay attention to their finances. They don’t
5 Reasons Why You Need a Budget!
If I asked you to tell me how much you spend eating out or buying gas each month, could you tell me? What about your household’s true cost of living? This is the most basic reason you need a budget: To be able to plan and track where your money goes! Most people who I speak to about their finances have no clue how much they spend on a monthly basis. All they know is that by the end of the month, their bank accounts are nearly empty and they are waiting for their next paycheck. Even if you don’t find yourself scraping together pennies at the end of the month, you still need to have a budget in place. In order to take control
3 Ways to Honor the Lord with Your Wealth
There is clear instruction to honor the Lord with your wealth in the scriptures. In Proverbs 3:9-10 we find this command: “Honor the Lord from your wealth and from the first of all your produce; so your barns will be filled with plenty and your vats will overflow with new wine.” In our finances, we are expected to give our BEST and FIRST to God! God commanded the nation of Israel saying, “You shall bring the choice first fruits of your soil into the house of the Lord your God” (Exodus 23:19a) and when detailing the offerings that went toward supporting the priests He says, “You shall give him the first fruits of your grain, your new wine, and your oil, and the first
Setting Our Goals Based On God’s Word
Since we are at the beginning of a new year, many of us will take the time to reflect on the past year to look on our accomplishments and failures, as well as make plans and set goals for the next year. For the Christian however, we must not only consider the goal but we must look at what motivates us. Setting Our Goals Based On God’s Word The Bible makes it clear that it is not enough to think about what we do, but we are to think about who we are – our character, our desires, and our passions. God is much more interested in who we are than what we do; because who we are should ultimately control our actions. Many times when
7 Ways Single Parents Can Save Money
Raising children is expensive and when you’re a single parent, it can seem downright impossible. Figuring out how to pay your bills while still ensuring that your child’s (or children’s) needs are met can be difficult. It is possible with a bit of planning. You can pay your bills, take care of your kids and still have some money left over at the end of the month. Here are 7 ways in which you can save money. Create a Budget If you have no idea how much of your money is going where every month, your spending can quickly get out of hand. Sit down and create a monthly budget. Figure out how much you pay for fixed expenditures (such as rent and car insurance) and how much
Reverse Mortgage FAQs
As more and more people are choosing reverse mortgages, there are several questions which come up. While many of these questions will be specific to your case, there are others which apply to almost every reverse mortgage application out there. With that in mind, here are the more important reverse mortgage faqs you should ask. Reverse Mortgage Faqs 1) What a Reverse Mortgage? Reverse mortgages are loans for seniors which allow them to tap into the equity they have built up in their homes. Unlike traditional mortgages or home equity lines, the borrower does not need to make a monthly payment. Instead, all they need to do is to pay the property taxes, insurance, and utility costs for the home. Another condition of a reverse mortgage is
4 Creative Ways of Financing Your Startup
Every time I run into an old acquaintance or even look on social media, I see someone else who has decided to start a business. There are around 1 million people every year who decide to take their skills, talents, and passions and jump into the scary world of entrepreneurship. If you find yourself becoming a part-time or full-time business owner, you may find yourself in need of financing. The Necessity of Financing Your Startup Not everyone who starts a business will need to raise a lot of capital before getting started. For some, the nature & structure of the business will mean that little investment is needed – many people are able to “set up shop” virtually and use profits to fuel growth. However,
There’s an interesting theory going around that Apple is prepping the way for Jony Ive’s retirement
Monday was a bank holiday in both the U.K. and the U.S. Markets were closed in both countries. The Telegraph chose that day to publish comedian Stephen Fry’s interview with Apple design guru Jony Ive, in which he revealed that Ive was getting a new title: Chief Design Officer. It was portrayed as a promotion. But a theory is rumbling around that Ive is actually preparing to retire or step way back from daily duty, and Apple has been orchestrating a careful public relations campaign to ensure this news doesn’t spook investors. Stratechery analyst Ben Thompson was the first we saw float the theory. He noticed that a recent profile of Ive in The New Yorker took pains to mention Ive’s lieutenant Richard Howarth, calling
Today’s FIFA arrests show how far Qatar has fallen in the past 5 years
The US Department of Justice’s charging documents against 14 individuals accused of bribery and racketeering in conjunction with their roles at FIFA, soccer’s international governing body barely mention Qatar. Nevertheless, the accusations don’t reflect well on the oil and gas-rich Persian Gulf monarchy that won the rights to host the 2022 World Cup. If the allegations made by DOJ prosecutors are accurate, the hosting rights for the 2010 World Cup, the 2011 FIFA presidential election, and a number of South American soccer tournaments were tainted by nearly $150 million in bribery. It’s difficult to believe that Qatar’s World Cup bid was any cleaner than the rest of FIFA’s typically sordid day-to-day business. Indeed, a 2014 report from former US federal prosecutor Michael J. Garcia found certain FIFA officials were
A ‘Point Break’ remake is on the way — but it has nothing on the 1991 cult classic
Warner Brothers just released a trailer for its upcoming remake of the 1991 action classic “Point Break.” While the new take on the story seems to promise some impressive action sequences, some fans might find it a little sacrilegious to remake a movie that is widely perceived to have gotten it right the first time. The original “Point Break” has everything: surfing, skydiving, bank robberies… and Gary Busey!Produced by James Cameron and directed by Academy Award-winner Kathryn Bigelow (“The Hurt Locker” and “Zero Dark Thirty”), the R-rated 1991 original didn’t do blockbuster business at the box office; its total take was a serviceable $83.5 million. But thanks to home video and cable, the movie is widely revered as 90s action-classic with stunt-heavy set
Trolls cast pall over US spelling bee
National Harbor (United States) (AFP) – Racist trolling on social media is casting an ugly pall over, of all things, the world’s foremost spelling bee.For seven years in a row, and for 11 of the past 15 years, the $30,000 Scripps National Spelling Bee championship has been won by American youngsters of Indian heritage.Chances are as good as ever that another one will follow suit at this year’s finals Thursday at the Gaylord National convention resort by the Potomac River outside Washington.They make up one in five of the 285 spellers, aged nine through 15, from all 50 states and seven foreign countries, who ran a gauntlet of local and regional contests to qualify for the big event.One of them, Vanya Shivashankar, 13, who lives in Kansas, is back for
