As I noted in a recent review of our 2011 financial goals, we’re going to have some big upcoming expenses that we need to prepare for. It’s happy news – we’re expecting our first child!
Of course, aside from the emotional, mental, and physical preparations, we’re also looking at our finances so we can be ready [...]

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Many of us are starting 2011 with every intention of reaching big financial milestones such as getting out of debt, saving up for a house, or getting serious about retirement. For many couples, however, it might be hard to reach your goals if you’re depending on two incomes to support your lifestyle.
It is possible to [...]

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While you don’t have to wait for January to start working on your finances, this is often a great time to try a new approach. If you’re thinking of making some changes, you may be wondering where to start. Here are some ideas for optimizing your finances.
Clean up your bank accounts
If you have multiple bank [...]

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After I wrote about doing a year end financial review, a reader shared a problem that they were having:
Briefly, here’s the situation. I “inherited” a vehicle from my ex-wife through divorce. She declared bankruptcy and, rather than have the vehicle included in that (it had my name on the lien as well as hers), I [...]

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One of our goals in 2011 is to increase our charitable contributions throughout the year. We’ve been getting a better handle of our finances and our monthly budget has enough room to accomodate increased charitable giving.
Have you thought about which charities you’d like to support during the coming year? Or maybe you’ve wondered how you [...]

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Last week, I mentioned that now would be a good time to take care of any financial task you needed to do before the end of the year. One of these tasks was creating reasonable financial goals for next year. We’ve done that for the last few years, and it’s helped us have a general [...]

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The year is quickly winding down, and soon we’ll be starting 2011. It’s gone by incredibly fast, and so many things have happened. Fortunately, we’ve been doing well so far and are hoping to end the year on a good note. We’re thus working through our end-of-year checklist to make sure we have everything taken [...]

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No one wants to lose money, especially money that they’ve worked hard to earn and save. At the same time, just about everyone is trying to increase their portfolio’s value and make as much money as they can.
Some people subscribe to investment newsletters to learn the ’secrets’ of investing, while others are constantly on the [...]

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Have you ever thought about buying mortgage protection insurance? Do you even know what it is? My husband and I first heard about mortgage protection life insurance from our mortgage company. They’ve been sending out little sales pitches along with our mortgage statements.
I’m usually skeptical about programs and accounts advertised by banks, but on the [...]

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Have you been paying more than you could probably get away with? Do you know that not everyone pays the same price for the same service that you received? How can you find the best deal for what you buy?
Price targeting is a tool that sellers often use, but if you’re aware of how it [...]

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