Dave Ramsey recommends term life insurance policies because they offer the most money after death as well as the lowest monthly payments. Dave Ramsey also recommends a 20 or 30 year term. If you have “savings plan” type policy (Universal Life, etc) cash it in and get a Term Life policy. Life insurance policies are not a good savings plan.

You might be thinking, what happens after the twenty or thirty years? The idea behind using a term life insurance policy verses other types is that with in the 20 or 30 years you should be gaining financial freedom. You should be out of debt, have a retirement plan, house paid off and gaining monetary wealth by long term investing.

Visit lifeinsure.com for quote on term life insurance policies. LifeInsure.com offers an easy to use life insurance quotes calculator. You can get a full explanation of term life insurance or you can watch the video they have available. Don’t waist your time with any other type of life insurance policy, term life is the best.

There are the group of people that are so dedicated to saving for retirement that ignore getting out of debt. The problem with this type of thinking is that you will end up with a retirement income that is used for paying off debt, and back to work you go to pay for basic needs.  A well rounded person seeking true financial freedom will get out of debt first (excluding the house) and then start planning for retirement.  The only exception to this order might be if your job offers a good retirement plan.

Planning for retirement is something that many lower-middle income families don’t think about. This is probably largely due to the fact that they are spending more than they make and don’t have “enough” money to set aside. It is important for all people to plan for retirement if they want to eventually not have to work to survive. Dave Ramsey has talked a lot about Walmart greeters and the fact that most of them are at retirement age. Some may be working and don’t need to but those that do need the income probably got there due to lack of planning.

NewRetirement is a website dedicated to helping people plan for retirement. They offer some very useful information on how to plan for retirement. A few articles that I recommend reading are Retiring Too Soon, Rising Medical Costs, Debt ( this article has some shocking statistics on retired age people acquiring debt). This site is very easy to navigate, clean layout and useful tools.

NewRetirement also has a free retirement calculator that could offer you some help in planning for retirement. Though this website has some very useful information I would caution against using techniques like reverse mortgage in your retirement plan. I have to say I don’t know a lot about reverse mortgages but from what I have read it just doesn’t sound like a good option.

Remember to seek the advice of a sound financial adviser before making any long term financial decisions.

1. Read and complete our online application form (remember, there’s never an application fee). It’s important that you answer each required question accurately to expedite the approval process.

2. Your loan representative will contact you within a few minutes to confirm your details and complete the processing of your application. In some cases, it may be necessary to fax in certain documents to support the information you submit online.

3. Once approved, your payday loan is directly deposited into your account overnight.

4. On your due date, the loan amount plus the loan fee will be automatically withdrawn from your account.

So according to this site a payday loan is fairly easy to get but is it wise to choose a payday loan service when you are out of cash? In my opinion it is not a wise choice if you are planning to make it a regular habit. If you don’t have a handle on your money then a service like a Payday loan will probably cause you to frequently use the service which is like taxing yourself due to lack of control.

This ’stupid tax’ ,as Dave Ramsey calls it, is something that happens to different people in different ways. I recently made a huge mistake that costs use a large amount of ’stupid tax’. It’s never fun to throw away money but if you choose to use a service like a cash advance be sure it’s few and far between. Borrowing money should be something you decide will not be part of your financial plan. It can be difficult to stop borrowing money but it should be something you are actively seeking.
This post is also a review of a payday loan site called PersonalCashAdvance.com . I chose to do this review because I feel that my readers can make up their own minds. I am not promoting payday loans or suggesting that they are completely useless either.

PersonalCashAdvance.com offers up to $500 in cash advances. There is no application fee and they offer a fast and easy approval process with no credit check. Website is easy to navigate and offer easy to understand information.

Now with online banking we can have access to our funds from comfort of a home or office. Online savings accounts are perfect for those interested in taking money management seriously. How do you know which online savings account to choose? SavingsAccounts.com is a new site offering information on high yield savings accounts. There are many companies to choose from and having the top companies and their rates listed makes choosing the right one easier. It is also a quick easy comparison of the different online savings accounts.

SavingsAccount.com also has a great Savings Account resource center. I found the article, 7 tips to boost savings interesting as well.

Tags: online+savings+accounts, debt+freedom, manage+money, income

It seems many of us just expect the realtor to tell us what we should and should not do. People will take more time into finding the right digital camera that only costs a few hundreds dollars but when it comes to buying a home that costs hundreds of thousands of dollars we are not nearly as in control. Why is this?

It could be that we are overwhelmed with the realtor and mortgage jargon that it is easier to take the back seat and let those with the ‘knowledge’ plan how we are going to live the next 30 years??? Let’s stop having a passive control of our finances and step into the drivers seat.

There is no excuse for not being educated these days. The Internet net has a wealth of information that we can access instantly. MortgageLowDown.com.com is one of those free resources that will educate you on all things related to home buying. As mention before the information available in the 43 Must-Know Tips (and Resources) for Every First-time Home Buyer would have been very helpful to us before we bought our first home. The first 3 tips in the section titled ‘Plan of Action’ would have been extremely helpful. I have listed the first three tips below. I’ll give an ‘amen’ to number one.

1. First things first – You need a budget if you ever hope to save for that home you want to own

The media, along with the illusion of abundance created by our credit cards have led to a culture where impulsive spending has become the norm. We don’t think twice about picking up that fancy outfit or those cool shades. And of course we have to have those latest CDs and DVDs. And we end up losing out on the opportunity to save for things that are really important – such as saving for that home we want to own.

2. Educate Yourself – Knowledge is Power

Use resources such as the U.S. Dept. of Housing and Urban Development’s (HUD) first time home buyer programs. “These programs are designed to help first time home buyers weigh the benefits of renting vs. buying. The programs teach first time home buyers about the different mortgage programs that are available, the value of a home inspection, and what to expect at closing, including calculating your closing costs.”

3. Know Your Rights

As a home buyer, and as a mortgage borrower, you have certain rights – don’t let anyone intimidate you into believing otherwise. “You have the RIGHT to know the reason if your loan was turned down.” Read the complete list.

You hear me stress a lot on this site about ‘taking control and change the way you handle your money’ well for all you potential homebuyers remember this means you too. Don’t let your self be strapped to a mortgage your couldn’t afford because you didn’t plan ahead. A place to start – Mortgage LowDown – offering useful home buying and mortgage news . Just be sure you educate yourself before buying your next home.

There has been a lot of controversy regarding paid blogging. When PayPerPost first started they didn’t require bloggers to disclose that they were getting paid to blog. It is now a requirement to disclose on the posts and/or have a disclosure policy visibly on the blog. The decision to require disclosure seems to have been a good choice because since then there are better offers to choose from.

In my opinion paid blogging is here to stay and those that have a problem with it will (probably) eventually come around. Since I started with PPP (July of 2006) I have earned a total of $2,180. I would have made more but I had taken some time off from the paid blogging scene to focus on building better blogs. The top earner at PPP is Colleen (PPP Poster Girl) and she is up to $8,517. The income potential is much higher for those that have higher pagerank and traffic.

PayPerPost implemented segmentation a few months ago which basically means that bloggers can only take offers that fit certain requirements the advertiser want. Since segmentation there have been higher offers for those with higher pagerank. But the average offer is about $8-$10. Right now with a pagerank of at least 3 you could make $20 – $30 a day with one blog.

Most of my earning from PayPerPost as well as the other paid blogging companies I have been working with have gone to bills. My hope is to get a good schedule set for myself so I can once again take offers once a day. Right now I average about one or two offers a week. Of course I only take offers that interest me and that I can some how fit into the topic of this blog and others.

The point here is there are hundreds of search engine marketing terms floating around the net that we either are pretending we know or choosing to be ignorant about. For example, two terms I had the hardest time with were RSS and backlinks. I of course now know what they mean but before I was deciding to let the meanings of these terms reveal themselves to me instead of searching for the definition.

Don’t be like me. You will end up in the dark when you could have been in the light. Instead of giving a nod of ‘pretend understanding’ while communicating with fellow search engine marketing peers, you could actually give educated responses. Find all the internet jargon you will need on the Apogee Search site. Find hundreds of terms in the search engine marketing glossary.

Check it out and tell me what a Link Condom is but please remember this is a family friendly site

Update : Ok, I couldn’t resist. A link condom is a nickname for the NoFollow tag.

 

I am no different. I go through times when I look at things and wish, wish, wish  I could have them. Not all of my wants are really unreasonable. Some of the things I want could make my life so much easier. Actually most of my wants are for my husband and children. But wants are still just wants.

Dwelling on the things we can not afford will only make us miserable and unthankful. We should be thankful for the fact that our needs are being met. Not only is this type of attitude good for us adults, it’s good for our kids. The children around us, whether they be our own, nephews and nieces or grandchildren are watching us. They are observing our reactions to financial stress, our ability to reject or give in to purchasing tempations and our willingness to give as much as we can.

So instead of the question being “To spend or not To Sspend?” maybe it should instead be “Am I thankful for what I have?”.

This post was sponsored by Thrifty Scot – A place to find great home insurance rates (Remortgages)
. “There are still too many people that use one insurance company and do not shop around. These people lose hundreds of pounds each year on expensive insurance policies. Make sure you are not one of them.”

Tags: home+insurance, spending+money

For instance Care on Credit has a number of good articles on the subject of budgeting. One article that can be particularly helpful to people seeking good advice on budgeting is  “How Much is Too Much When It Comes To Planning Your Budget” and “Map Out Your Financial Future“. These two articles have some great tips for budgeting.

Though I am not crazy about debt consolidation companies I do realize it is a choice that many people make. Some feel it is their last resort before filing bankruptcy (though it is my understanding using debt consolidation companies is a type of bankruptcy). I am of the belief that in most cases people can handle their own debt without the aid of a consolidation company. Though I have had people tell me that they would rather have a debt consolidation company deal with the nasty creditors.

What ever decision you make regarding debt consolidation I hope you seek the advice of a sound financial counselor. You know who I would recommend.

101 Ways to Cut Your Daily Costs is an excellent article found on the Debt Consolidation News site on ways to cut spending. I have found from this large list that we have already implemented most of these tips. I also found some other tips that I would like to start implementing.
At the time of our financial low I had to use just about everyone of the ‘Honey I shrunk the grocery bill.’ tips. I the list of tips for saving on your grocery bill from the Debt Consolidation News site and added a few of my thoughts in bold letters.

Planning your grocery shopping carefully may help you save up to 20% or more.

1. Don’t shop from only one store. Pricing and sales vary widely on any given day from one store to the next. Of course, balance the savings from shopping around against the price of gas to get there. I don’t normally shop around unless I happen to see a great sale on meat or produce. Otherwise I usually end up spending more money than I intended.

2. Plan your weekly menu and shop accordingly. Avoid ‘crisis shopping’ for food items after work; you are likely to spend much more. Very, very good tip. Planning ahead can make a world of difference.

3. Be aware of the grocery store product placement strategy. Items that have highest markup are generally placed at chest level where they stand a better chance of being picked up. Stand to your toes or kneel down to have access to cheaper house or generic brands. I usually look for the sale tags first whether up high, down low or in between. Then I look for what prices are lower than the sale tags, if there is anything lower. Be sure you compare prices with the weight or count. Stores will often make one item look better with price when it fact is costing you more because your paying more per amount. Also if you are buying a generic brand for the first time be sure not to go overboard because it’s cheap. Sometimes the generic brands aren’t as good as name brands because of taste or usability. You will end up wasting instead of saving. Try buying one item the first time and then if the family likes it you can go back and buy more.

4. Try to follow your shopping list strictly and avoid stopping by attractive impulse purchase items on your way to the destination shelf. Agreed. Saving money often requires focus and sacrifice. Remember also that making things from scratch is not always cheapest. Example would be making a homemade apple pie might be more expensive than buying one. Things like produce and baked goods are often high prices especially “off season” (meaning not during holiday season). Plan your grocery list around what’s on sale instead of what you want you are craving.

5. Try shopping without your kids in tow. They help you buy those things that you never wanted to buy in the first place. Great tip. I can’t tell you how many times my kids say “Can I have?” while shopping. Though I do think you need to bring them along some of the time so they can learn about shopping and spending. It might be a good idea to give your child (if old enough of course) his own list so that he/she can stay occupied. I would also add that you need to include “treats” on your grocery trip. The treats don’t have to be candy or sweets. It could be the families favorite drink, fruit, meal or even a movie rental. I think it’s important to include these “treats” because being on a tight budget can be difficult at times especially for the kids. Plan your “treats” based on what you can afford but be sure the family recognizes that it is a treat.

6. Try not to be picky about brands. Try out new brands and you may get a fabulous ‘introductory’ discount. Flexibility is essential to sticking to a budget (yes I know that may sound odd). You can have a few of your favorite brands but overall you need to be flexible by using brands that are cheapest. I have found some great introductory discounted items and I have found some awful ones. Like I said before don’t go overboard because it’s a great price. Buy one or two items and if you like it then go back and buy more before the sale is over.

7. Don’t shop when you are hungry. Research says that you are likely to buy more when your stomach is growling. True. You will end up buying things that look good instead of staying focused on your list.

8. Scan your local newspaper daily for the best grocery sales. I usually use the grocery store flyer to make my grocery list. I start buy looking at what’s on sale and then I look in my recipe book for things I can make with the sale items.

9. Don’t be embarrassed to clip coupons from news papers and other periodicals and use them while paying your grocery bills. You could even visit your super-mall’s website and see if they provide online coupons. Oh! Let me tell you about coupons! At a time I was the self appointed Coupon Queen. Coupons are wonderful things if you use them right. It is important to stay focused on saving money though. Another important time to plan ahead is when using coupons. If you have a number of coupons it’s very important to categorize them. Otherwise you will be spending way to much time in the store trying to find that coupon “you know you have somewhere”. Eventually you will just get so frustrated you will just stop using them. Also don’t forget to shop for the best price. Don’t become obsessed with using the coupon just because you have one. Buy the way, the only thing you should be embarrassed about is not controlling your spending. If you are saving money clipping coupons then be proud that you are doing something to change your financial future.

10. Pay for coupons if you have to; it helps you trim your monthly grocery bill. There are a lot of national-brands coupon-offering services on the Web. Make use of them and order coupons for products that are relevant to you and see your grocery bill shrink. I have never heard of buying coupons from nation brands services on the Web but I have bought coupons from eBay (not sure if they still allow this). You can usually buy lots of 10-20 of the same coupon. If there is a great sale going on that won’t expire for at least the amount of time it takes to have them mailed to you.

11. Items such as painkillers and contact lens solutions cost more when you buy it from your grocer. Therefore avoid purchasing non-grocery items from these places. Most discount stores like Kmart and Walmart have much better prices on drug store items. Though sometimes grocery stores have some really good sales so be sure to check all the grocery store isles.

12. Look out for opportunities when the grocery shop lowers the price of items simply because they are approaching their expiration date. Buy and use them quickly. If you don’t know what to make for dinner tonight check out the “for quick sale” items.

13. Keep a calculator handy while shopping. This way you will be able to know if buying a case is significantly cheaper than buying stand alone items. Great tip! Be an active consumer. Don’t just believe it’s cheaper because it says it’s cheaper.

14. Check and total the items on the receipts before leaving the store. Sometimes you may be able to catch that error and save your self a lot of dollars and not to forget loads of hassle. I usually try and watch the items as they go through the scanner.

The other 87 tips are just as good as these fourteen. Some of the other tip topics include Trim your utility bill, Pay less at the hospital, Clothe yourself without killing your wallet, Limit phone expenses, Cut down while dinning out and more. Saving money is actually like making money. If you are saving the money you would have normally spent without planning then that is money that has stayed in your pocket. As a stay-at-home mom I have given myself the responsibility of ‘earning an income’ through savings. Keeping a budget requires being actively involved in where your money goes. By planning ahead and cutting costs you are doing more for your family than you may think.

Find more debt relief tips at Debt Consolidation News.

Tags: debt, relief, tips