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Try These 5 Apps If You Need Help With Your Budget

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5 budgeting apps

Keeping your finances on track isn’t always easy. Even if you have the best of intentions and proceed strategically, coming up with a functional budget often involves some trial and error. However, you can simplify and speed up the process by turning to technology. Many amazing apps can make budgeting a breeze, allowing you to account for your bills, spending habits, and more, often with just a few taps on a screen. If you need help, here are five budget apps that can help.

1. Mint

When it comes to budgeting apps, Mint has long been a leader. It’s incredibly user-friendly, making it a solid choice for the tech-savvy and those who aren’t as comfortable with technology. Plus, it can sync with a variety of accounts. You can easily monitor your current bank account, credit card, loan, investment, and bill details, all from a single interface.

After you sync your accounts, you have a variety of budgeting tools at your disposal. Some of your spending is automatically categorized, reducing your workload. However, you can also make adjustments as you see fit.

Within the app, you have the ability to set category spending limits. Plus, you can sign up for alerts relating to the limits, ensuring you know when you’re getting close to the line. Then, you can adjust your spending accordingly.

Mint also makes it easier to achieve your goals. You can choose a target and monitor your progress, which may keep you motivated. You can also track your credit score and net worth, giving you more tools to put you on the path toward financial wellness.

Ultimately, Mint is a free app with a ton of features. Plus, it’s largely hands-off, making it a solid choice for anyone who wants to create and follow a budget without much legwork.

2. YNAB

If you prefer something a bit more hands-on, YNAB could be a better choice. This app uses a zero-based approach, ensuring you plan for every dollar of income every month.

When you get paid, you tell the app exactly where you want your money to go. Along with covering bills and expenses, you can direct money to savings and various goals. Essentially, YNAB aims to make sure you think about your finances regularly, increasing awareness and leading to more conscious spending decisions.

With YNAB, you do get the ability to connect various accounts to the app. This can simplify income and debt tracking, allowing you to allocate your money more efficiently. Plus, there is a slew of educational resources available, ensuring you have access to tips and helpful details that can improve your money management skills.

It is important to note that the learning curve is a bit steeper with YNAB. However, the time necessary to get everything set up can be a benefit. It ensures you take a close look at your financial picture, increasing the odds that you’ll make wise decisions about your money and are fully aware of your spending habits.

3. PocketGuard

If overspending is an issue for you, PocketGuard may be your best bet. The app isn’t as feature-rich as some others, aiming more for a simplified approach to money management. However, it does go the extra mile when it comes to curbing bad spending habits.

With PocketGuard, you can connect various financial accounts to make tracking your income and expenses easier. Then, the app helps you allocate how much you need to send to expenses, debts, and financial goals. Once it finishes those calculations, it factors in your spending habits and lets you know how much you have left over to spend.

Making the most of PocketGuard does mean you need to have an active plan for achieving various financial goals, such as saving for large expenses or paying down debt. That way, you can ensure they’re factored into the broader equation when the app determines what you have available to spend.

4. Goodbudget

Another hands-on option for budgeting, Goodbudget relies on a strategy that’s similar to the classic envelope system. It’s more planning-focused instead of tracking-oriented, too.

Overall, Goodbudget is far more manual. You actively portion out your income into various categories, allowing you to choose how much you want to allocate. Additionally, you’ll enter in each of your expenses and debts, as it doesn’t connect directly to your accounts.

While some may worry that the degree of work makes Goodbudget cumbersome, there are benefits to the hands-on approach. Since you’re logging every expense manually, it encourages you to think about every spending decision you make and lets you see its impact on your finances. For some, that can lead to smart financial decisions.

Additionally, for the security-minded, Goodbudget doesn’t require any connections to your other accounts. While such links are typically low-risk, having none is technically the safest option available.

5. Zeta

For couples, Zeta is a budgeting app that makes it easier for both partners to get insights into joint financial responsibilities while maintaining separation in areas they prefer to keep private. As a result, it’s a solid choice for couples in any stage of a relationship that share some expenses or bills but don’t have fully entwined financial lives.

You can reveal or hide financial data from your partner, ensuring they see what’s relevant without giving them full access to all of your information. That allows this app to work well for couples who bank separately but want to make sure that household expenses are properly covered.

Plus, you can set up joint financial goals, allowing you to work toward mutually beneficial targets together. The app will even send you reminders to have “money dates,” ensuring you sit down together regularly to discuss your financial picture, make necessary changes, and otherwise keep the lines of communication open.

Have you tried any of the apps above and want to tell others about your experience? Have you used a different budgeting app to help you get a grip on your finances and think it could help others? Share your thoughts in the comments below.

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How to Increase Your Net Worth

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Your net worth is a benchmark for your financial success. Notice that I said financial success and not just success. That was intentional because money doesn’t define your success. Money can afford you freedom, but I believe real success doesn’t involve money. That was free of charge, now let’s talk about how to increase your net worth.

What is net worth?

Net worth is assets minus liabilities. How much wealth do you have after you subtract what you owe versus what you have? It’s typically used to gauge your progress in your financial life. If you have debt, then when you pay it down, your net worth goes up. The same happens when you increase your savings.

How to increase your assets

Honestly, the only way to increase your assets is to save money. At least, that’s where it all starts. The more you save, the more you have to work with.

How do you save money? Decrease your expenses and/or make more money. That’s what it comes down to. Figure out what’s important – in terms of your budget and spending. Everything else that doesn’t fit on that list needs to either be removed or reduced.

Once you have money saved, then you can put it to work. Invest it in securities or assets that have a chance to increase in value. What kinds of things have a chance to increase in value? Stocks, bonds, mutual funds, ETFs, precious metals, real estate, certificates of deposit (CDs), and cryptocurrency/NFTs (though I would tread carefully here).

Growing your assets will help you increase your net worth.

How to decrease your liabilities

Pay down your debts. That’s it. Obviously, it’s more challenging than that. Ideally, what you’d want to do is pay down your debts before you focus on the saving aspect of it. If you have debts with high-interest rates, like credit cards, those should be your first priority.

We’ve gone into detail about the repayment methods before so we’ll only touch on them briefly, but what’s important is decreasing your expenses so you can make larger, more regular payments towards your debts.

The next step is developing a repayment strategy. The two we’ve talked about before are the debt avalanche and the debt snowball. The debt avalanche – you pay the debt with the highest interest rate off first before moving to the next one. The debt snowball – you pay the debt with the smallest balance off before moving on to the next one.

Paying down your debts will really help you increase your net worth.

Is there a net worth number you should hit?

At the end of the day, your net worth number is really a reflection of what you’ve saved for retirement. Ideally, you will not have any debts, including your mortgage. So there’s no math that needs to be done. What are your assets? Primary home, any rental properties, and then your retirement savings, with primary home and retirement savings being the two most common for everyone.

So the question becomes, how much should you save for retirement? Thankfully, we’ve created a guide for you to help answer that question (see below).

Related reading:

How much do I need to save for retirement?

Diving Deep Into Debt

3 ways to responsibly save money

Gig economy financial security

Disclaimer:

**Securities offered through Securities America, Inc., Member FINRA/SIPC. Advisory services offered through Securities America Advisors, Inc. Securities America and its representatives do not provide tax or legal advice; therefore, it is important to coordinate with your tax or legal advisor regarding your specific situation. Please see the website for full disclosures: www.crgfinancialservices.com

5 Ways to Get Financial Freedom in 2022

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5 Ways to Get Financial Freedom in 2022

Getting on the path toward financial freedom is something anyone can do. While it does take time, attention, and diligence, getting a grip on your finances and making wiser choices can help you get past a paycheck-to-paycheck existence, ensuring you can achieve financial freedom. If you aren’t sure how to begin, here are five ways to launch the journey and make real progress and have financial freedom in 2022.

1. Aggressive Budgeting

If getting financial freedom is your goal, you need to budget aggressively. This goes beyond allocating funds to handle your minimum debt payments and other expenses. It involves being a ruthless cost-cutter who prioritizes their spending based on their values and goals and puts every extra cent captured toward debt repayment or savings.

However, you don’t have to make yourself miserable to go this route. Instead, you simply want to avoid all expenses that don’t bring you legitimate value, allowing you to focus more money on debt repayment and saving.

2. Boost Your Income

Increasing your income is a straightforward way to put yourself on the path toward financial freedom. When your income rises, you can direct more money toward debt repayment, saving, and investing, allowing you to reach your target sooner.

Exactly how you pursue this could depend on your current education level and skill set. In some cases, returning to college to get on a different career path could be worth considering. In others, actively pursuing new responsibilities at work and striving to exceed expectations at every step could let you secure a promotion.

One of the biggest must-dos in this situation is avoiding lifestyle inflation. When you earn more money, it’s easy to assume that increases in your spending don’t matter as much. In reality, by keeping your lifestyle in check, you’ll make progress faster, making it easier to achieve your financial goals.

3. Invest More Than the Minimum

When it comes to investing, many people set aside 10 percent for their retirement and assume that’s enough. However, if financial freedom is your goal, then you need to take it further.

Along with maximizing your retirement savings, open a brokerage account and invest more there. Brokerage accounts don’t have the same limitations as retirement-oriented accounts, allowing you to set aside far more.

While there isn’t a specific target you need to hit, aiming for around 20 percent of your income isn’t a bad idea. If you have more money that you can direct toward investing after that, feel free to do so. As long as you’re investing wisely, any extra cash you commit will simply help you achieve financial freedom faster.

4. Focus on Your Health

While focusing on your health might not seem like a path toward financial freedom, it can play a surprisingly big role. When you keep your physical and mental health in peak condition, you may have fewer medical needs, allowing you to spend less on healthcare.

Plus, happy, healthy individuals are more productive and better equipped to handle stress. That can help you succeed professionally, making it easier to secure promotions and increase your earnings.

5. Don’t Overlook Financial Protection

For many people, a single financial emergency can significantly derail their plans. Make sure you have the right protections in place whenever possible. Along with medical insurance, you may want to explore healthcare supplements, long-term disability, and similar kinds of optional coverage. That way, if the unexpected happens, you’ll have a financial safety net.

Precisely what you’ll need and the coverage amount you’ll require depends on your situation. If you have a family and a limited amount in savings, you may need more coverage, particularly if you’re the primary earner. If you’re single and have ample amounts of savings in an emergency fund, you may be able to scale back a bit.

Consider how losing your income source, high medical costs, or similar issues might impact you. Then, look into plans and policies that offer you some level of protection. That way, a single incident won’t keep you from heading down the path toward financial freedom.

Can you think of any other ways someone can get financial freedom in 2022? Have you tried any of the approaches above and want to tell others about your experience? Share your thoughts in the comments below.

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How to Set Investing Goals

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Saving money for the future is important, but I believe it’s even more important to invest that money and make it work for you. With that said, you can’t just start investing. You need to lay some groundwork first, you need to have goals in mind, and you have to be intentional so that when things get difficult, you stick with the plan instead of abandoning it during the discomfort. Today, we’re going to talk about how to set investing goals.

What kind of goals are there?

There are typically three-goal time horizons: short-term, medium-term, and long-term. A short-term goal is something you plan on achieving in 2-10 years. Saving for a down payment is a pretty common goal that fits into that window. A medium-term goal is 10-20 years. Saving for educational expenses for a child fits into that window. A long-term goal is retirement or anything else that’s 20+ years down the road.

These time windows are my opinion, though I think they’re pretty close to conventional opinion. Also, there are more goals than the ones I listed above.

How to think through your goal-setting

There are three things to keep in mind when you set investing goals (not to mention figuring out the goal itself). How much time do you have? Is this a short-term, medium-term, or long-term goal? Do you have time to take some risks or do you have to play it safe?

Speaking of risk…what are you comfortable with? Usually, this goes hand in hand with how much time you have. A short-term goal like saving for a down payment will need to be invested conservatively, if at all. In this scenario, you’ll have a set price you’re saving for so you can’t take a chance that the market dips and your savings fall below what you need it to be at.

Conversely, when you’re saving for retirement, you’ll have an opportunity to be more aggressive (at least in the beginning) because you have time to make back the money that you’ve potentially lost.

The last part of positioning your portfolio according to your goals is your comfort level/investor psychology. Time horizon and risk tolerance are small factors here, but it’s more about how volatility affects your mind. If the market drops and you’re panicked, maybe you need to be more conservative.

How to invest based on your goals

Here are some thoughts on how to invest based on your goals. If you’re saving for a short-term goal, like a down payment, I wouldn’t even invest it. UNLESS you’re very confident and you’re an expert in the particular field (though that applies to all of the time horizons).

If you’re saving for a medium-term goal, like saving for college, here’s what I’d do. You can be a little aggressive in the beginning because you have time to earn some money back. As you get closer to the end of your window, you’ll need to be more cautious. Maybe start 50/50 (stocks/bonds) and as you get closer, either get out of the market entirely or something like 10/90 or 20/80.

For your long-term goal, you’re able to be more aggressive for a longer period of time. 90/10, 80/20, 70/30, 60/40 all work great here. It depends on what you’re comfortable with. Same as the last one, as you get closer to the end of your window, you need to shift your allocation to be more conservative.

Keep in mind, these are blanket recommendations. I don’t know your situation, so you need to talk to a professional first before you set investing goals and make investment decisions.

Related reading:

How to Invest for the Long Term

Financial Resolutions: Debt, Saving, Investing, Real Estate, Crypto

Worthy Goals for You to Set and Crush

Why Asset Allocation Matters

Disclaimer:

**Securities offered through Securities America, Inc., Member FINRA/SIPC. Advisory services offered through Securities America Advisors, Inc. Securities America and its representatives do not provide tax or legal advice; therefore, it is important to coordinate with your tax or legal advisor regarding your specific situation. Please see the website for full disclosures: www.crgfinancialservices.com

Anyone Can Become a Millionaire-Here’s How!

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become a millionaire

Many people dream of becoming millionaires but assume that it isn’t possible. In reality, practically anyone can get on the path toward a seven-figure nest egg; you just have to use the right approach. If you’re wondering how you could potentially become a millionaire, here’s what you need to do.

Say “No” to Debt

Few things can hold you back from your financial goals quite like debt. A buy-now, pay later attitude comes with consequences. Monthly debt payments will take bites out of your budget. Additionally, you spend far more overall for the things you buy if you aren’t repaying your debt right away. That’s money you could be using to improve your financial standing essentially slipping through your fingers.

If you’re hoping to become a millionaire, saying “no” to debt is essential. Instead, focus on only purchasing essentials, saving for what you want to buy, and maintaining things you own. That way, you can focus more of your money toward your goals.

Start Investing

Gathering up a seven-figure nest egg doesn’t mean you have to save a full one million dollars. Instead, you need to set aside as much as possible using an approach that lets your money grow.

By investing early and regularly, you get to take advantage of compound interest and long-term gains. With compound interest, the interest you earn also starts earning interesting, helping even modest deposits grow.

Other types of earnings can also help. For example, reinvested dividends can boost your balance, adding a bit of something extra while you continue making deposits. Even stock value increases matter, as that’s money you make without increasing how much you’re personally saving.

Now, even though your savings can grow, that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t be setting a significant amount aside. While a general rule of thumb is to save 15 percent of your income for retirement, you may want to invest beyond that if you’re hoping to become a millionaire. That way, you can stash away as much as possible, allowing you to get to a balance that makes you happy faster.

Boost Your Income

Since you need to set money aside if you want to become a millionaire, increasing your income is a good idea. That way, you’ll have more cash to stash, allowing you to grow your balance as quickly as possible.

There are several ways to boost your earnings. You could ask for a raise if you’re exceeding expectations at work or seek out a new job where you’re paid fairly for your contributions. Volunteering for overtime is an option, as well as getting a second job or launching a side hustle.

Acquiring new skills that let you qualify for a better-paying position should also be on the table. While heading back to school could potentially help, there are alternatives. Internships, apprenticeships, and other forms of on-the-job training could do the trick. Going online and using free resources may also work.

Stave Off Lifestyle Creep

One issue with boosting your income and savings is staving off lifestyle creep. If you start thinking that luxuries are suddenly affordable, you may forgo savings and start spending instead. As a result, you may not have enough set aside to reach a $1 million balance.

If you increase your income and start thinking about moving to a new home, buying a new car, or something similar, pause for a moment. Consider whether what you’re contemplating is based on needs or wants.

If what you’re thinking about doing is a legitimate need, then moving forward may be okay. However, you want to do it as frugally as possible, ensuring you don’t end up spending more than necessary to cover that requirement.

However, if it’s a want, remind yourself about your dream of being a millionaire. That way, you can focus on your goal.

Do you have any other tips that can help someone work their way toward becoming a millionaire? Share your thoughts in the comments below.

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Gambling, Smoking and Other Fun Ways To Ruin Your Budget

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Daniel Wesley is the founder and CEO of CreditLoan.com, a website that educates consumers about various personal finance issues. Among some of the topics discussed are bad credit loans, credit cards, auto financing, and many other credit and financial help issues. Connect with Daniel on Twitter and Google+. 

 

Paychecks never seem to go as far as you think they should and your piggy bank is looking pretty empty these days. Some of the choices you make every day could be hurting you financially. By identifying the extraneous items you’re spending money on and eliminating those purchases, you can make a significant difference to your finances over the course of a few months or a year. Here are five common spending habits that could be wrecking your budget:

 

5 Spending Habits Wrecking Your Budget

 

– Gambling 

It’s the thrill of a shot at winning it big, but whether it’s the lotto, casinos, or a work pool, you can waste a lot of money gambling. A few dollars here and there on scratch-off tickets when you fill up with gas start to add up quickly. Quit cold turkey, avoid situations where you might be tempted to gamble, or seek help if you think you might have an addiction. Think of it this way: you’re likely to make more money by investing than gambling it away.

 

– Smoking

 

Many people consider certain parts of their lifestyle a normal expense rather than a luxury, but cigarettes are expensive and costly to your overall health. Sit down and add up the amount you spend on cigarettes over the course of a week, month, and year. Many people will be shocked at the actual figure. Like gambling, there are ways to kick this habit. Stop on your own, seek a doctor’s assistance, or join a program. However you decide to eliminate this expense from your life, your body and wallet will thank you for it.

 

– Extraneous Spending on Beverages

 

Like most people, you probably look forward to a caffeinated pick-me-up at some point in the day, but consider how much you’re spending on extra beverages each month. From coffees in the morning to soft drinks when you’re out at dinner (which are usually the same price as a whole two-liter bottle at the store!), the cost of buying drinks at restaurants and convenience stores adds up fast. Find money-saving alternatives like refilling a sports bottle with water throughout the day or making your own coffee at home. However you work it out, if you stop buying beverages, you’ll save money at every meal.

 

– Eating Out

 

You might be surprised to learn that the average American spends approximately $2,500 per year eating away from home. Now multiply that number by the number of people in your household, and you’ll get a better idea of why eating out is not a smart move financially. This doesn’t mean you need to completely deprive yourself, but stick to going out for special occasions rather than a couple of times per week. Make more meals at home, and cook a variety of dishes to prevent boredom. Save (and use!) leftovers. Buy more store brands or stock up on items when they go on sale. Pack a lunch for work. All of these are great methods of cutting your food cost down considerably.

 

– Paying for Unnecessary Services

 

We often pay a lot for convenience, but how much of it is really necessary? Do you truly not have the time for some things, or do you simply not want to do them? If you make the effort to limit the services you pay for that you could actually do yourself, you’ll be shocked at how much you will save. Mow your own lawn. Clean your own pool and house. Change the oil in your vehicle yourself. Give yourself a pedicure. Learn how to groom your pet. It may not be as convenient, but the money you save will really add up.

 

Going On the Attack: Planning Your Future

 

Once you’ve identified and eliminated your bad spending habits, re-examine all of your monthly expenses and create a budget; the next time you go to the store, don’t allow yourself to spend money on things that will exceed that budget. Audit yourself and evaluate the true value of what you’re spending money on to find even more ways to cut back, whether it’s your cable package, your cell phone plan, or the magazines you subscribe to.

 

The last step is figuring out what to do with all the money you’re no longer throwing away. It probably goes without saying that the best thing to do is save. Having extra funds stored away is always a good idea; unforeseen expenses can quickly crumble your financial well-being, and having money saved away is the best way to protect yourself and your family.

 

Being mindful of your finances is important at every stage in life. Minimizing excess can be a difficult process, but cutting out unnecessary expenses can significantly ease financial pressure. Recognize your bad spending habits, find a way to eliminate them, and take steps to make better choices in the future. Your piggy bank will be filling up before you know it.

Photo: Stephanx80

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Budget Nightmares: What Are You Doing At 2 A.M.?

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When I left The Citadel (go Bulldogs!) to attend Michigan State (go Spartans!), I said goodbye to a lucrative track and cross country scholarship. I felt bad, but the writing was on the proverbial wall. My coach had given me “one more year” to run better at the end of year one, and I promptly pulled a quadricep muscle early into the fall campaign. I’d been a guy they thought was a (quoting the coach), “Diamond in the rough” anyway. Turns out I was pretty much just rough.

Immediately, I had money problems. My parents couldn’t afford to pay for MSU. I had this general notion that financial aid would cover everything. Imagine my bitterness  when I found out that my dad made too much money to qualify for any need-based aid.  My loan package quickly swelled as my first course of action was to get through school quickly. When I realized what a mess these loans would be, I made the tough decision to become a part time student working three jobs.

Here’s how I made that decision:

During one of my money woes, I tuned in to my favorite late night money talk show hosts on the radio: a guy named Bruce Williams. He sounded like that knowledgeable grandfather who’d give you either an arm around your shoulder or a swift kick in the butt. Maybe listening to him was the idea behind our podcast….I don’t know.

One night, drowning in my own debt and hopeless money situation, I heard a woman call in to the show. She and her husband both worked hard, but they weren’t making ends meet. Bills continually piled up and their reserves dwindled.

“What are you doing at 2 a.m.?” Bruce asked.

The woman stuttered. “What do you mean? We’re sleeping!”

“Why are you sleeping at 2 a.m. when your bills are getting further and further behind?”

The woman quickly answered, “We need all the sleep we can get so we work well at our job in the morning.”

Bruce sighed. “So you’re saying you need your job worse than your house and car? Then why don’t you sell your house or car?”

“I can’t sell my house or my car. Then I wouldn’t have any place to live!”

“My point exactly,” he said. “So, if you like your house and your car, what are you doing at 2 a.m.?”

“What are you getting at? I can’t do more than I’m doing.”

The radio host laughed. He had this chuckle that always sounded a little sad. “What I’m getting at is that you have serious money problems, but you don’t want to change anything. If you’re serious about solving your money problems, you’ll get a night job too, or you’ll find ways to make more money at your day job.”

The woman quickly interjected, “We’re both at the top of our pay scale. That’s why we need to hold on to these jobs.”

“You aren’t listening,” Bruce said. It was one of the few times I’ve ever heard him turning angry on the show. “You can’t work like you do, eat like you do and sleep like you do AND expect something to change.”

Unbelievably, she ranted at him. “I can’t believe this. I call you for serious advice and all you do is blame my job, blame my house, and blame me. We’re doing everything we can do and it isn’t getting any better.”

…and she hung up on him!

Maybe she wasn’t listening, but I sure was. I became a substitute paper boy and redoubled my efforts to advertise my disc jockey service better. I went around to fraternity houses and spoke directly with the social chairmen. I made mixed tapes with some cassettes I had laying around and brought them with me (that dates me, huh? I’m glad I didn’t say reel-to-reel tapes….). Later, I found out that my tapes were a hit around the school. More than that, extra money started to trickle into my hands, and my view of my financial situation changed.

 

Here’s what I learned:

  1. I’m in charge of my financial destiny.
  2. Sleep is overrated when you’re in over your head.
  3. Financial planning is easy. It’s either an income problem or an expense problem. If you can’t fix one, you have to fix the other by default or the plan won’t work.

If you’re reading this because you’re in broke week (a term coined by my friend Michelle over at See Debt Run), you can either fix it once today and have to fix it again next month, or you can change your money earning skills or spending habits. For short term needs, you could borrow cash, but remember that this isn’t the final solution: it’s duct tape until you’re able to get on your feet.

While we’re talking about duct tape on your financial situation, how about a cool $100 cash or Amazon money? Would that help you avoid your long term plan for a few more days? Ha! Maybe you can use it to buy a radio that’ll change your life, too….

Enter our gigantic giveaway below:

a Rafflecopter giveaway

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The Worst of the Free Financial Advisor Episode #12: Top 5 Ways to Save Money at the Gas Pump

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Word for today: Splurge.

If you save pennies at the gas tank and don’t blindly submit to brand loyalty, you’ll have extra money to splurge on whatever you please.

That’s our theme this week. Sound good? Wait until you hear it…it’s even better!

Here are the show notes:

<Open> Japanese toilets might improve Nomura…or not.

<> On the Blog: OG talks about his comparison of golf and financial prowess: here’s the piece: How Did You Golf Today? Ask Me About My Portfolio….

<> Fractured Cents: PK on Blind Loyalty…and how to score more from your favorite brands.

<> Roundtable:

We tried a new format this week. I got out of the way and let the team talk (like it’s really a roundtable!). That creates a few dead spots, but also much better interaction, I think. Let me know how you like it!

<> Giveaway! Holy cow, we can’t stop giving stuff away! This time? Larry Wingett’s financial book: You’re Broke Because You Want To Be

<> Top 5 Ways to Save at the Gas Pump

OG saw the Avengers. (thumb sorta up), Joe saw Snow White & the Huntsman (thumb way down)

 

A special thanks to our contributors. Here are their sites and some of the great stuff going on at each one. Please visit them and let them know you heard them first on our show!

PK is at DQYDJ.net – a good one last week: Things That Don’t Matter: Congressional Approval Polls

Carrie can be found at CarefulCents – a favorite: Summer Reading List: 10 Ways to Save Money on Books

Dr. Dean operates the Millionaire Nurse Blog – I think you’ll enjoy: Finding Solutions to Problems

Dom owns YourFinancesSimplified (not Carrie….) – try out – I Was Asked To Teach Two Personal Finance Classes

 And Crazy “Hockey Buff” Penzo can be found at the aptly monikered Len Penzo dot Com – you’ll love: I Just Made the Biggest Impulse Purchase of My Life (but it’s okay)

As always, more fun and surprises around every audio corner….enjoy!

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The Worst of the Free Financial Advisor: Episode #11–Julie Clow, Author of The Work Revolution, Freedom and Excellence for All

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What a great show! We’re fired up about this interview…if you’re passionate about workplace improvement and efficiency, this is the interview for you.

Not familiar with podcasts and how they work? Here’s a link to the Apple page on podcasts: Apple – iTunes – Podcasts

Hoping to subscribe to our show so this goodness is waiting on iTunes every week? Try this link to subscribe: Worst of the Free Financial Advisor iTunes page.

<Open> Quick show agenda & OG not here.

<> Author Julie Clow interview

The book: The Work Revolution: Freedom & Excellence for All

<23:25> Fractional Sense w/ PK from DQYDJ.net. Topic: Risk Modeling

<27:44> Roundtable: Ford employees are being offered retirement packages soon…what should people retiring think about that they may have overlooked?

Around the Blogosphere:

Dr. Dean @ the Millionaire Nurse blog: Retirement Investing: We’ve Got It All Wrong!

Dominique @ Your Finances Simplified: A Guide to Broke Fancy: How To Fake It Until You Make It

Len @ Len Penzo dot Com: 100 Words On: Why I Hate Slow Drivers Who Cruise in the Left Lane

Carrie @ Careful Cents: May Debt Goal Update (Auto Loan): I’m Debt Free!

<57:38> Our Giveaway! One easy step to enter….

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Worst of the Free Financial Advisor, Episode 7: Top 5 Annuity Traits

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This week we’re talking about annuities!  

Wait, don’t fall asleep yet, the episode hasn’t even started. Actually an annuity is an oft-misunderstood beast, so OG and I do our best to set the record straight.

Who knows, you might even enjoy learning a little about them!

PK from DQYDJ.net talks innumeracy. He calls his site “high on statistics and low on personality”….sure, PK. That’s what we have in common. No personality…. I still don’t know what innumeracy is…I think he’s swearing at us.

The roundtable team tackles an article by Sam from Financial Samurai on streams of income for retirement. How is your retirement vision? Is it close to Sam’s?

On the Sites (here are the articles mentioned in the segments):

Carrie Smith redesigned her site working with a friend at Careful Cents.

Dr. Dean talks coffee and tea at the Millionaire Nurse Blog.

Len Penzo made a list of 20 things he’s willing to spend more money for

Dominique Brown from Your Finances Simplified discusses how financial planning is like weight lifting

Show Notes:

<Open>  We begin the “I don’t want to say I told you so, but….” routine we often use when pretending we’re not bragging.

<14:30>  Fractional Cents with PK from DQYDJ.NET

<21:00>  Roundtable discusses Financial Samurai’s Achieving Financial Freedom One Income Slice at a Time

<51:50>  Top 5 Annuity Traits

The show continues, but as usual, if you’re still listening after the Top 5, you’re here for our general hilarity, not because you’re looking for more tips.

Thanks again to all of our contributers and listeners. I think you’re gonna love this show!

 

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