Contractors Aren’t Employees, so if You’re a Contractor or Freelancer, Don’t Count on Your Clients to Look Out for You She wrote with exquisite, even painful, candor and vulnerability of how she was betrayed, when her direct client failed to pay what she was owed. “…all came crashing to a halt when the money I was […]
The Definitive Answer on Buying vs. Renting I was in my late 30s and still renting. I’d completely bought into the American Dream, so I knew I was throwing away money each month. I knew I had to do something about it, but somehow just thinking of scraping together a down payment, and worse, committing […]
Social Security benefit rules seem to be designed for maximum complexity and confusion. With multiple benefits, requirements, and amounts depending on specific scenarios, it’s impossible to cover all of it in one go. Since the information on SSA.gov leaves something to be desired, here’s how to maximize your spouse’s benefits. First, the Obvious – Retirement […]
Saving Now Saves Your Future Self Twice You’ve heard before that you have to set money aside — money for emergencies, for buying a car or house, for a kid’s college education, and for retirement. This is hardly news. What you may not have heard before is that setting that money aside helps your future self […]
Most people hate taxes, but if we’re honest, they’re important. Crucial even. Why Taxes Are a Necessary Evil Without taxes, the government wouldn’t be able to fund the military that keeps us safe and protects our national security interests. It couldn’t provide the bare minimum (less actually, but at least something) to the poor, the […]
Financial literacy is simply the ability to understand and apply good financial management skills. You’re financially literate when you understand basic personal finance principles and terms and are able to manage your day-to-day finances successfully. This includes things like being able to make a budget, track spending, calculate interest on savings and loans, manage credit […]
Except for the very top one-tenth of one percent of us, it’s the rare person who can afford it all at once. If you’re in that rarefied group, you don’t need to read any further. If you’re not, this one’s for you. Your Big Financial Goals For most of us, here are the typical big […]
Talking with a friend who has four kids, I suggested he look into using 529 plans for their college savings. I’m not sure if he ended up following the advice, but my guesstimate is that it would have saved him tens of thousands of dollars over more than a decade. What Are 529 Plans? These […]
Money. It may make the world go ‘round, but for most of us, it also triggers negative feelings. Shame. Guilt. Obsession. Blame. Fear. It’s no wonder more than two-thirds of couples regularly argue about it and it’s one of the main contributing causes to divorce. Partners accuse each other of frivolous spending, out-of-control credit card […]