No matter how tight things are financially for you; no matter how bleak you think that 2005 might be, if you are earning a paycheck then there’s extra money hiding in it. You just need to know where to look. Here are 10 ways to bring that money out into the open. Continue reading »
January and February are traditionally busy months in the financial industry as many New Year’s resolutions typically include the goal of becoming debt free or saving for a major purchase. While many of our clients understand the importance of getting professional help when managing their business bookkeeping, only a few think to ask for our services in managing their personal finances. Continue reading »
Jan 132005
For years I believed that if I only had more money all of my problems would be solved. Then I would get a raise or change to a better paying job and my money situation didn’t change. I just couldn’t understand why. Continue reading »
Jan 132005
There are literally thousands of articles about how you should or should not manage your money. Myself and other well intentioned money saving wizards bombard you with ideas of all that you should be doing. However, if you are behind two payments on your mortgage or rent, credit card debt up to your ears or there is a tow truck waiting outside to repossess your car, not much of what we say really seems to fit your situation. Continue reading »
Jan 132005
Which category do you fall in? Continue reading »
Jan 122005
This article is for those families that have sat down at a desk or the kitchen table time after time trying to develop a family budget that they can live with. Continue reading »
Jan 112005
It is extremely difficult to setup a budget, especially when you are behind on some of your bills. Even if you can make your regular bills and expenses fit neatly into your budget, what can you do if you don’t have the money to catch up? Continue reading »
Jan 112005
Are you one of those people that pay your bills no matter what? That is an admirable trait to have when managing your money. You made the bill and you feel you are responsible for paying it. Good for you. Continue reading »
Jan 112005
When you spend more money than you make each month you are bound to have money problems very quickly. The bad part is that most of us never realize we are spending that much until it’s too late. Continue reading »
Jan 112005
Let’s start by defining a “Budget Analysis”. This is simply a breakdown of your budget (income, bills & expenses) showing how much money you have coming in and how much you have going out. It will show how your budget category percentages compare with what is recoginized as the ideal percentages. The most important aspect of the Budget Analysis is the recomendations for improvement. Continue reading »
Jan 112005
What do you think of that title? Just another article about the impossible task of trying to predict the future. Not this time. This is an article that may give you some ideas on, not how to predict the future, but to be ready when it gets here. Continue reading »
Jan 112005
What is the most important aspect of getting your finances in order? In past articles I’ve written about how important discipline, organization and sacrifice are to solving your money problems, but this all comes later. Continue reading »
Jan 082005
Most of us don’t have a clue how much money we spend and what we spend it on. We spend it until it’s gone and hopefully we can find some more to spend. The conventional wisdom is that, if you want to know the details of where your money goes, you keep track of every penny in some sort of ledger. This is by far the most effective way to handle this problem. By keeping track of your purchases you will be able to make decisions that could reduce your expenses. You can cut out unnecessary expenses and put your money toward more important things. Continue reading »
Jan 082005
You’ve heard it before, “You always have to pay your bills on time or it will hurt your credit rating”. The fact is that not paying your bills on time can also cost you a bunch of money. Continue reading »
Jan 082005
I’ve had a lot of people tell me that setting up their budget was simple but when it came to living by it payday after payday they admitted losing interest in a very short time.
Let’s face it. The day to day drudgery of trying to figure out how to best spend your money isn’t the most interesting aspect of our lives.
Let me see if I can make the budget process a little more appealing to you. I don’t have any magic or secret process to tell you about but I do have a method that will show you why a budget doesn’t have to be boring. Continue reading »
