Finance Solution

Archive for September, 2009

How that is some people can retire at 50? Or not lose their shirt when there’s a stock market “crash”?

Why are some people able to earn high incomes or even have “multiple streams of income?

How come some people retire to a life of luxury and world travel, while others barely have enough to feed and house themselves?

Of course, one part of it the answer is that some people are more intelligent and industrious than others. No matter what anyone says, we are not all the same. We may have been created equal, but no one has ever guaranteed us equality of results. That depends on our own efforts.

Another part of the answer is that some people consider the risks they will face and do something before  they occur to mitigate the damages. One obvious way of doing this is by buying the proper kinds and amount of insurance to protect your home, health and life – if you have an income stream to protect.

Less obvious, but still a very helpful plan is to become an expert at whatever you choose to do  –  to make yourself indispensable to your employer.

If you work for yourself, you want to be the best at whatever it is you’re doing, from practicing medicine to baking bread. You also have to have the will to persevere and work long hours at making yourself a success.

Yet another part of the answer is having a plan. Some people get up in the morning and let events carry them along through their day. Others plan what they will do with their life and stick to it.

They will learn about investments and how to diversify, so that when one asset goes down another holds its own or goes up. Or they will hire financial profesionals to do the work for them.

They save as much money as possible, using every tax sheltered vehicle allowed, including 401-K’s, IRA’s, Health Savings Plans and 529 educational savings plans. And then they will invest even more in taxable accounts.

They live well within their means. Some like Warren Buffet, one of the world’s richest men, lives well under theirs. They will use credit judiciously or not at all.

Successful people will invest in businesses, rental real estate or work part time, while maintaining their full time job  just so they have many streams of income. If one is lost, their world does not come to an end.

Many people play the lottery and hope they will strike it rich. The sad fact is that many think this is the only way get rich. But anybody with the will can find the way.

Our public libraries are filled with books on how to invest, how to insure yourself, how to set up a financial plan or how to open and run a business.

Many employers have tuition reimbursement plans – they will pay your way if you want to better yourself. Or community colleges offer free adult education courses to help you learn new skills or improve on the old.

The internet now makes it easy to set up an online business while you continue with your day job.

The bottom line is you have to rely on yourself to earn and save as much as possible. If you do you can be one of the “lucky” ones who retire young with lots of money to spend.

If you don’t you’ll be living hand to mouth on your Social Security check.

The choice is yours.

Here you’re going to learn several ways to save money every month by lowering your monthly bills.

There are lots of ways to save money, no matter how much of it you have – or don’t have!

Having struggled for many years paying my own bills, I learned many ways to save money. From simple things like food, gas, and clothing, to bigger expenses, like insurance and your mortgage.

All you need to know is where to look to find the savings.

Several Ways To Save Money

The first thing you need to do is eliminate ALL of your unnecessary expenses:

• eating out on the weekends
• buying lunch at work every day
• magazine and newspaper subscriptions (especially those you can get online and at the local library)
• cable TV (you’d be amazed at how many other ways you’ll find to spend your time once you get rid of cable TV)
• groceries (you can save lots of money with coupons and specials.)

It’s OK to reward yourself once in a while, but if you are really looking to get out of debt faster, you owe it to yourself to save every single penny you can!

To find other ways to reduce your expenses, take a close look at your checkbook and credit card statements. You should also call your credit card companies to see if they will lower your interest rates, even if it is only for a short time.

You’ll be amazed at how many ways you can save money, especially once you start looking carefully at how you spend your money every month.

Shop Around For The Lowest Prices

For those expenses you can’t eliminate, it’s time to start shopping around for the best prices.

Once I realized you can shop around for just about ANYTHING you spend money on every month, I learned how to save myself SEVERAL HUNDRED DOLLARS each and every month!

In fact, by shopping around I ended up saving myself more than $750 a year on car insurance alone!

The same is true of many of your monthly expenses – like long distance telephone service, internet service, all types of insurance, mortgages, and in some places even your utility bills.

It DOESN’T take any special skills. All it takes is a few clicks and you can save yourself a bunch of money in no time at all!

So, if you’d like to save yourself lots of money every month – and who doesn’t – start shopping around and looking for ways to lower your monthly bills right away!

Most experts on the subject believe that the Social Security system will be bankrupt in about 15 years. However, some new studies have offered a ray of hope. They seem to indicate that the assumption that the boomer generation will retire at 65 or 67 and sit back to collect their social security checks is incorrect.

They believe a sufficient percentage – some estimates are as high as 80% – will continue to work in some capacity or another, relieving much of the pressure on the system.

This is probably the only ray of hope for many who have visited financial planners or bought personal finance software to see how much they need for retirement. These usually show you need a million or more dollars to retire with your current lifestyle. But again, they don’t take continuing earnings into account.

Many in the baby boomer generation plan to retire at around 65, but then start a second career, doing something they enjoy. Most don’t want to continue on in their present jobs or move to low paying work at fast food restaurants or supermarkets.

Rather they would rather make their accumulated knowledge work and, if possible, also give something back to society at the same time.

Health experts say this trend will be beneficial in that by staying involved, those past retirement age will stay healthier and will be happier with their life.

So it seems that several trends are converging. Those in their 60’s, 70’s and early eighties are healthier than ever. Because of their increased longevity and the shortfall in their retirement savings, they need to continue to earn. And many companies who once looked on older workers with distain, now seem to realize the value they can contribute to the company and to society in general.

There is speculation that colleges and universities may allow retirees to earn fast track degrees, taking into account their prior education and work experience. Also some states are already loosening license requirements for teachers to allow those with degrees in fields other than education to become teachers with little if any further training.

Another way to continue to earn in retirement is by making wise investment choices now.

Buy rental properties, learn how to manage money effectively or start your own business now in your part time so that you have something up and running by the time you retire.

The internet has opened up new ways to earn, be it drop shipping, affiliate marketing or selling goods on Bay.

If you always wanted to be an author or if you can write software programs, it is simple to self publish and sell electronic goods through services such as Clickbank.

Or you could just do something you’ve always wanted, like baking breading or making shoes. If you’re good at whatever you choose, you should have little trouble finding a clientele.

But if you are depressed because you have to continue to work after 65, don’t. You’ll have a lot of company and you’ll will also be healthier and happier for it.

For more advice on retirement planning and personal finance, visit http://www.credit-yourself.com/financial-planning.html