With credit card interest rates ranging between 11 to 22%, it’s no wonder people are looking for alternative ways to handle and pay off their credit card debt. This is where a personal loan might come into play. Using a personal loan to pay off your credit card debt can help you manage your overall debt once and for all… if you know how to navigate the pitfalls. Find out what you need to know...
Transitions… By Miles McDannald, MBA, CRPS® Our lives often are like the seasons of the year, a constant state of transition and change. Many transitions or changes are thought of as good. Others are thought of as bad. Deep analysis of our perception tells us that good/bad are often determined by whether or not we controlled the change. For example, you moved to the lake. This would be perceived as a good move, if you...
An increasing number of Americans are facing an uphill battle just trying to save enough and earn enough on their savings to be able to retire on time. Carrying much higher debt burdens than previous generations, many pre-retirees have had to put their savings on the back burner to focus on debt reduction, which, for practical purposes is smart, but it is also the primary reason why some will need to delay retirement or drastically...
The challenge for most people today is finding the right financial advisor. The sheer number of financial professionals holding themselves out as “financial advisors,” makes it a daunting task at best. It is easier if you know what to look for, but that requires an acute sense of what exactly you want from an advisory relationship. What exactly do you want? When shopping for a new car, most people know, down to the miles per...
With the proliferation of investment and personal finance websites, investors have access to a boundless number resources and tools once only available to financial professionals. And, while an increasing number of investors consider themselves to be at least somewhat self-directed in their investment decisions, the ever expanding world of investments and the increasing complexity of the financial markets require much more than a part-time approach to planning. With so much at stake, it would be...
Anyone with a family to protect understands the critical role life insurance plays in their financial plan However, in determining the actual amount of coverage to provide essential protection needs, many people tend to adhere to simplistic rules-of-thumb, such as a “multiple of income,” which may leave them wondering if they own too much or too little coverage. That’s not exactly the “peace-of-mind” we hope for when buying life insurance. With your family’s financial future...
There comes a point in life where you want to begin sharing or gifting all the things you’ve collected over the years—stories, wisdom, financial wealth. And unlike the Ancient Egyptians believed, you cannot take your worldly goods with you when your light goes out. You can share your stories wisdom in a manifesto or through funny tales to your family, but what about the money? Like most, you have (or should have) a will and...
Here’s a thought: retirement doesn’t mean the end. It doesn’t mean an end of self-importance or purpose, it just means a new chapter—a paradigm shift of what life is beyond long days and meetings and bosses. Unless you own your own business, and even then, you are not your business. You’re not solely defined by the question, “What do you do?” But, it doesn’t mean you should stop defining the answer for such an inquiry...
As the saying goes there are two things that are inevitable: death and taxes. And, out of those two sure things, you can only really plan for your taxes. It should be no surprise when tax season surely and steadily rolls around again, yet every year there are plenty of individuals who file for a tax extension (in 2014 there were approximately 12 million Americans who did so). Whether you’re one of the 36.8 percent...
If you’ve been listening to the financial media of late you have no doubt heard some of the so-called experts prognosticating on the prospect of the next big bear market. Unquestionably, the stock market is at another crossroads, and its 7 percent increase year-to-date belies the concerns that most people have over the global economy. So, gloom and doom forecasts by a media anxious to sell papers or air time, should not be at all...
Although the stock prices are trading near their all-time highs, it hasn’t exactly been a joy ride for retirees who are counting on their retirement plans for a lifetime of income. The type of unruly market action that we have seen over the last few months always unleashes a flurry of “expert” commentary that seems to be directed at those who are most vulnerable to flash declines. Specifically, the pundits are talking to those investors...
