Archive for the ‘Money’

  • Budgeted Encounters>
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    Budgeted Encounters
    And as the umbrella swung in the air, I took pride in myself with the lovely target that I could achieve. Yes, monetary benefits are best when you achieve what you target for. I had targeted to get a silver umbrella for the Ganesha idol that I have in my house. And I got it – at my budgeted price. Nothing more nothing less. With the rate of gold and silver increasing by the day, it had become out of reach for me. I had thought of buying it five years back but I kept procrastinating . This is the first rule Never ever procrastinate when it comes to monetary matters. You could postpone buying a designer dress or even a good piece of furniture. But never ever compromise on money matters. I did , I procrastinated and I paid a heavy price. What I could get at a much lower rate five years back,  [...]
    at September 12th, 2011 at 12:09 am
  • Prenup agreements are such a niggling detail>
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    Prenup agreements are such a niggling detail
    Picture this; you’re looking to get married to that significant other of yours but have one last thing to sign off on before it does happen…that prenup agreement. It’s not meant to be a heck of a deal, but it is. Money always is; how do you be little or talk down something of such consequence? It’s like an elephant in the room that no one wants to talk about…no matter how reasonable you are, it’s still a big deal to sign a prenup agreement and it’s even more disconcerting if the friends and family of your significant other are applying pressure for you to do so. It’s obvious that such arm twisting can end up leaving you feeling more than a little miffed. It doesn’t matter that you make less money than your to be better half. After all, money isn’t what brought the two of  [...]
    at February 16th, 2011 at 12:02 am
  • Financial advisors need to be fired too…>
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    Financial advisors need to be fired too…
    You’ve probably gone to great lengths to screen through several financial advisors before settling for one, but your responsibility and role doesn’t end when you end up hiring one. If you feel that Johnny (let’s assume his name is Johnny) isn’t up to the mark, you should simply cut him loose and get someone new. There are, after all, several fish in the pond and picking a new one from several financial advisors is not that difficult. But how do you know the time has come to go your separate ways? Perhaps when you feel that the advisor is looking out for his interests more than he is yours, it’s time to say adios and do a Trump by screaming “you’re fired!!” All too often, we end up giving money to people without running a background check first. What’s worse is the fact that  [...]
    at February 14th, 2011 at 03:02 am
  • Money savings tips: I wish someone had talked to me in college>
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    Money savings tips: I wish someone had talked to me in college
    When the bottom fell out of the real estate market and mortgages started to be defaulted on, no one quite knew what was happening. Perhaps the system itself was to blame for everything and perhaps the individuals at the heart of that system, us consumers, were to blame. But I do know one thing for sure; the generation (and generations) prior to our own had no such problems since theirs was a more frugal generation while we are more consumerist by nature. Perhaps they had someone to pass on money savings tips to them, perhaps they didn’t. But I know I wish that someone had passed on some knowledge to me back when I was in college. It sure would have helped. Of course, many got suckered into buying mortgages that they couldn’t really afford, but mortgage brokers are as much to blame as  [...]
    at January 12th, 2011 at 04:01 am
  • Money matters shouldn’t matter that much to you>
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    Money matters shouldn’t matter that much to you
    Sometimes, I must admit, I am guilty of thinking too much about money and how to make the most of it. It took me some time, but I realized that fixating on money matters as much as I used to is not healthy. When I say it’s unhealthy, it’s not as if it affected my health, but it did affect my social health if you know what I mean. Look, I know I write about money matters full-time. And yes, I do have money on my mind more often than not. But there is such a thing as over-indulging in something and perhaps I crossed that line. Perhaps. Just because I know my nuts and bolts when it comes to money matters doesn’t mean I will never ever make a money mistake. I too will goof up at some point or the other and come to think of it, I’ve made several errors that I look back at and realize I could  [...]
    at January 10th, 2011 at 03:01 am
  • Personal finances are a lot like combat training>
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    Personal finances are a lot like combat training
    My friends that have served in Iraq and returned tell me stories of their experiences, of how their Humvees felt like little more than tin cans and they felt like sardines in it. They tell me stories of violence, of camaraderie, of humanity. But in many ways, I see similarities in the way we manage our personal finances and the way in which soldiers have been trained to perform in combat situations. Both require you to be able to react swiftly when put under pressure and many times we find ourselves in situations that we never foresaw or don’t like. Now I’m not saying that enlisting in the army is exactly like managing personal finances, far from it. But I do feel lessons can be learned for the latter from the former. Let me explain that further, soldiers do battle and combat drills to  [...]
    at December 29th, 2010 at 12:12 am
  • Passive income is something everyone needs>
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    Passive income is something everyone needs
    I am a firm believer in the qualities of passive income. At its heart, tapping into passive income means that you can cut back on doing extra hours at the office for a few dollars more. And these streams of passive income can be established no matter what your expertise or professional skill-set. But it’s all about having the mindset to be open to the presentation of these opportunities. Hopefully, when it pops up you will recognize it and do a carpe diem, Spanish style! It is important that you have the right mindset for this today. My favored technique for getting passive income is to establish sites with niche content that attracts a steady stream of traffic over time. With time, this traffic can generate revenues for you by way of advertisements, leads and referrals as also affiliate  [...]
    at December 15th, 2010 at 06:12 am
  • Stock broker fraud: maybe it’s time for you to change brokers>
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    Stock broker fraud: maybe it’s time for you to change brokers
    As people go, I think it’s pretty fair to say that I am quite the paranoid person. I’m not so paranoid as to look back over my shoulder with wide eyes every time I walk down a quiet street. I only do that sometimes. But yes, I am a naturally skeptic person. I take absolutely nothing on face value, even if someone I’ve known for years says it to me. If something sounds too good to be true, it always is for me. I look for the lie behind every smile and every sign of deception in that firm handshake that might just be looking to grab my money and run. So, as an investor, you can perhaps gauge how I feel about stock brokers and stock broker fraud. To say it gives me the jitters is like saying the pope is Catholic; it’s a major understatement. I’m not a conspiracy theorist; I don’t  [...]
    at December 13th, 2010 at 05:12 am
  • Groupon deals are not for everyone>
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    Groupon deals are not for everyone
    There have been so many success stories of retailers enhancing their businesses by using groupon deals that it is hard to ignore their success stories. . If you are not familiar with groupon, it is a web-based company that ties up with local businesses and sends off daily coupons to its members that can be availed of at these businesses. If members do buy these coupons, they end up getting discounts in the region of 50 to 70% on the regular price, so it’s a win-win situation for these buyers. As for the retailers and businesses, Groupon splits the sales value with them. That generally leaves retailers with something in the region of 20 to 25 cents per dollar of retail. It might sound good on paper, but it only takes a few minutes of digging for you to realize that Groupon, and by extension  [...]
    at November 29th, 2010 at 01:11 am
  • Income distribution is skewed>
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    Income distribution is skewed
    The year was 1915, the place the University of Wisconsin. A statistician named Willford King had released a publication that was lengthily titled ‘The Wealth and Income of the People of the United States’. It was the single most comprehensive study of its kind conducted till date and the results of that study were enlightening, to say the least. The United States was overtaking Britain as the wealthiest nation in the world, if you were to believe it. But more in-depth information about the economy was not yet available off hand. That’s not because King lacked the will. It was simply because the government wouldn’t collect any such data until the 1930′s. That was a disappointment since one of King’s aims was to show that there was an equitable income distribution  [...]
    at November 22nd, 2010 at 01:11 am
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