How Much Money Should I Keep in My Checking Account? How Much Money Should I Keep in My Checking Account?
Oct 29, 2019, 13:00 PM by Olga Melancon The importance of having a savings account and how much you should keep in it is often talked about. But what about our checking accounts? Every swipe of a debit card, every bill we pay and every personal check we write takes money out of our checking. So, just how much money should we be keeping in these super-convenient accounts? 14 Simple Ways to Reduce Your Energy Bills Year Round. During the winter and summer months, our energy bills are often dominated by heating and cooling costs.
Like it or not, furnaces and air conditioners are expensive to run, and there are a lot of ways to save specifically on winter heating bills and summer cooling bills. To summarize, here are 20 things you can do in winter to save on costs: 1. Air seal your home. 2. Utilize warm clothes and blankets at home. 3. Selling our home was the best financial decision we have ever made. How to stay away from debt in 2020.
Have you ever done a Facebook cleanse, where you start removing these “friends” that you don’t talk to anymore or only met one time at a party?
It’s an annual activity for me. Well this year, you need to remove someone from your life that definitely isn’t your friend. It’s name is debt. 2020 is the year to send debt packing! Debt isn’t always evil (if you’ve ever bought a house, you’ve gone into debt). But there is a lot of evil debt. Your January Financial Checklist Your January Financial Checklist Jan 6, 2020, 14:23 PM by Olga Melancon With the start of a new year, we ‘re all eager to develop better habits.
After a week or two of sugary treats and rich meals, bring on the salads and steamed veggies! And after a month of spending, we want nothing more than to get our financial house in order. New year, new look, new way to pay! Consumers credit cards Consumers has credit card options that make it easy to fit the way you live, work and play.
And you get the flexibility to select the benefits you desire most, including rewards for every purchase, competitive rates, card controls and no annual fees! Learn more It’s a new year, and with everyone making resolutions, our credit and debit cards decided to up their game as well. What are the benefits of tracking recurring payments? How to Turn What You Read into Financial Action. “But though we are capable of writing and reading these sentiments, though we can praise them as we read, yet they do not bring conviction to us, nor anything like it.” – Epictetus, Discourses: Book Four It’s a cycle that many of us are familiar with.
We read some article on how to improve some aspect of our lives that we’re concerned about, we get all excited and ready to change things, and then we do nothing at all other than read another article the next day and repeat the cycle. I know this cycle certainly hits home for me. I read stuff about some form of self-improvement, finance, productivity or health every day. A lot of it is exciting and empowering, but I take action on only a very small portion of it. Yes, some of it is volume — you can’t do everything, after all — but there’s a deeper issue going on here. Sometimes, that idea just doesn’t make sense in our life. Inspiration from Sam Harris, Owls, Dissatisfaction, Voltaire, and More. Once a month (or so), I share a dozen things that have inspired me to greater personal, professional, and financial success in my life.
I hope they bring similar success to your life. Please enjoy the archives of earlier collections of inspirational things. 1. When to follow the rules — and when to break them. 5 ways credit unions can build a better CX than fintechs. Banks and credit unions begin collecting personal financial data from the time they first sign up consumers.
From there the accumulation builds exponentially, creating a mountain of data that fintechs drool over. Five Financially Smart New Year's Resolutions and How to Achieve Them. A couple of weeks ago, I shared an article about creating a new year “system,” not a resolution.
The core idea is that a successful personal or financial change in life works best if it’s centered around small, sustainable, daily steps rather than big, dramatic goals. Although the article offered a few specific examples, the aim of the article was to help people define their own goals and daily steps. Now that the new year has dawned, however, many people are waking up, switching out the new calendar for the old, and thinking to themselves about how they can make this year a great one. 7 Resolutions for a Richer 2020. The New Year is a great time of renewal.
That makes it a good time to make bold, decisive changes in your life. Leave behind the baggage that was 2019 and start fresh with a blank slate in 2020. If you’re looking for some resolutions to improve your personal finances, here are seven ways to make 2020 the year of the dollar! 24 Strategies for Reducing Holiday Waste. If your situation is anything like our family’s, the upcoming week or two involves a lot of meal planning, gift wrapping and celebrating. While the occasion will be quite fun, there’s a big drawback: it can produce a lot of waste. When I was young, I remember our family often producing several extra bags of trash during the holiday season, a practice that now seems very wasteful.
My perspective today is that if you’re throwing something away, it better be something that’s genuinely valueless. I’d rather save something that may have use than simply throw it away and then look for something I have on hand before buying anything. Embedded Banking : The next level of offering for financial institutions. Financial institutions have traditionally been comfortable in maintaining the ownership of customer relationships. The digital disruption in last 3-4 years has pushed them to adopt newer ways of banking, especially due to advent of plethora of fintech companies and neo-banks. That phase is gradually settling down with banks adapting to the tsunami of changes. Banks have either come up with their own fintech arms or collaborate with fintechs to offer their products and services.
Is this the end of the story? Well, may not be. I Forgot! Last Minute Holiday Gifts That Won't Spoil Your Budget. At the start of the month, I shared an article with a bunch of frugal gift ideas for the holiday season. The big message behind that article is this: a little bit of thoughtfulness and homework goes a long way. If you spend just a bit of time doing the homework on people that you might be buying gifts for, you can get a low cost gift they’ll actually like. To Splurge or Not to Splurge? To Splurge or Not to Splurge? Dec 4, 2019, 17:08 PM by Olga Melancon Everyone deserves a special treat now and then. For some, a splurge is the daily morning latte from their favorite coffee shop, while others consider big-ticket items like a new car or an exotic beach vacation a splurge. How Home Construction Loans Work. If you’ve decided to build your home rather than buy an existing one, you’ll need to obtain a construction loan.
A home construction loan covers the costs of building your home. Some construction loans have higher interest rates and a shorter term than a traditional mortgage. Others can be transitioned into mortgages once construction is complete. How to file your taxes for free. What will your homeowners insurance cover? Downsizing to Accelerate Other Financial Goals. How to buy presents without the New Year's regret. Each holiday season, we love spoiling those we care about. Thanksgiving is a blast, but the minute the table is cleared, it’s off to the big box stores for the Black Friday deals.
Setting REAL Financial Goals. Reaching financial goals requires discipline — discipline that, let’s face it, many of us don't have! We can't pass by the coffee shop in the morning without stopping for a large java and breakfast sammie. Pre-Loading Frugality. 20 Winter Hacks To Keep Your House a Little Cooler While Staying Warm. Here in north-central Iowa where I live, we recently enjoyed a severe and unseasonal November cold snap which drove the temperatures down below zero (Fahrenheit) for a couple of days. While such temperatures aren’t out of the ordinary for January and February, they were a bit of a shock to the system for November.
Best practices for fighting fraud. As we near the holidays it is critical to review best practices for fighting fraud with credit union staff and members. There are four primary types of debit card fraud: Banking on ATM Safety Banking on ATM Safety Nov 5, 2019, 08:28 AM by Olga Melancon. Cost-Effective Strategies for Handling and Preventing the Winter Blues / Seasonal Affective Disorder. I want to start off by telling you a story, one that I’ve brought up in bits and pieces in the past on The Simple Dollar, but on the event of this most recent switch from Daylight Savings Time to regular time, I woke up one morning this week feeling the first real whispers of the winter blues, and I felt like it was time to discuss it in full. So, let’s start there. How to manage money for financial success in the U.S. military. When a Loan is Better Than Cash. Inspiration from Rumi, Libby, Kurt Vonnegut, and More. Quitting a job: How do you know when to quit a career? Save Money While Grocery Shopping.
When Frugality Bottoms Out. What happened to Early Retirement Extreme? An update from Jacob Lund Fisker. Quitting a job: How do you know when to quit a career? Best practices for keeping mobile data safe. Reaching retirement: Now what? - Blog. How Many Bank Accounts Should You Have? What happened to Early Retirement Extreme? An update from Jacob Lund Fisker. What happens when your vehicle is a “total loss”
The Perks of Going Mobile. When Do You Need Life Insurance? Are all credit union members equal? A new Online Banking experience is coming - Blog. How to Invest in Yourself without Significant Financial Risk. E-skimming: The new never-ending war on online fraud. How Do I Save For a Mortgage Down Payment? Couple goals: How couples can create a shared plan for the future. Handling Melancholy Without Buying Stuff. The decision to buy or lease commercial property. Using Serendipity to Maximize Frugality.
Selling off Your Furniture (and Other Unexpected Thoughts) Should We Employ Our Own Kids? (and How Much to Pay Them) 7 Things College Freshmen Don't Need — and 10 They Do. 10 Hacks To Save Money While Dining Out. How to shop for auto insurance. 7 Tips to Achieve Financial Security. 3 Assumptions A First Time Home Buyer Should Question. Save thousands on mortgage interest. Will Consolidating Student Loans Help Your Credit Score? 3 Expert Tips for Making the Most of Your Raise or Bonus. Handling the Financial Irresponsibility of Family Members. Four Fermented Foods I Love to Make at Home.
Why financial literacy fails (and what to do about it) Building Cash For The Risk-Adverse. Crowdfunding campaign launched to save historic Negro League ballpark in Hamtramck. Saving Money with Homemade Pizza and Family Movie Night. How I learned to stop feeling hopeless about money. 3 investing myths debunked. Is a Roth 401(k) right for you? 4 things you need to know about ATM and branch equipment management and maintenance. Do Your Finances Spark Joy? Applying the 'KonMari' Method to Your Money. 3 Questions to Answer before Signing That Car Lease. Why frugality is an important part of personal finance. Should Women Be Investing Differently Than Men?
Car Insurance Rates Are Up - Here Are Eight Ways to Get Yours Back Down. How To Keep Your 2019 Financial Resolutions. 10+ memorable Valentine’s Day ideas ❤️ 4 things you should stop paying for. 12 Little Lifestyle Tweaks and How Much They Save. What Is a Required Minimum Distribution? You Don't Need to Buy Something to Change Yourself. Time is more valuable than money ~ Get Rich Slowly. 3 ways to love what you're doing (even if you don't love what you do) Getting To Know Your Credit Score.
Stop Wasting Food: Creative Ways to Use Every Last Bit You Buy. What to Do When You Have a Bad Boss. How to get rich and stay rich ~ Get Rich Slowly. 4 Gen X retirement mistakes. 6 Bad Attitudes about Money & How to Fix Them. I Spent My Emergency Fund: Now What? How to fight a shopping addiction ~ Get Rich Slowly. The Frugal Improvement: 15 Money-Saving Tactics I Ended Up Liking Better, Regardless of Dollars and Cents. 5 Tips to Maximize Your Relationship With U.S. Eagle. How to Pay for a Costly Surprise. Education versus Job Training and Preparing Your Children. 15 (or So) Simple and Extremely Practical Strategies for Saving Money and Improving Your Life.
The Wisdom of Frugality: Why Simple Living Is Supposed to Improve Us. Problems That Can Haunt Your Credit Forever.