August 13, 2010 in Budgets & Savings, Life Lessons
The Great Depression shaped two earlier generations. It changed how our parents worked and saved. It haunted my grandparents. As hard as it has been to experience this most recent economic turmoil, we must hope that our generation of Baby Boomers will emerge from the Great Recession of 2008 having learned some valuable, enduring lessons ...
April 29, 2010 in Budgets & Savings, Living Green
It may be easier than many people know to improve the environment and the economy–including their own. As more people become aware of the importance of protecting the environment, they are choosing green products. Buying environmentally friendly products typically meant you had to spend more, but at Marcal, they believe you shouldn’t have to pay ...
March 31, 2010 in Budgets & Savings
A rising number of American households – nearly 45 percent – are “at risk” of not having enough money in retirement, according the Center for Retirement Research at Boston College. But some retirees have discovered a surprising source of supplemental retirement income: the cash value of their whole life insurance policies. Many retirees will use ...
March 9, 2010 in Budgets & Savings, Home Improvement, Living Green
When heating and cooling costs have your back against the wall, it’s time for a DIY project–air sealing. You can save money and energy and help the environment by sealing gaps and cracks with silicone caulk. An easy task for most handy homeowners, it can cut home heating and cooling costs by as much as ...
March 4, 2010 in Budgets & Savings, Retirement Planning
With the population aging and over 4000 people a day being forced to take IRA distributions (such distributions are mandatory by April 1 after reaching age 70 1/2), mistakes in taking IRA distributions can total in the billions. Yet, because people have had no prior experience, mistakes are rampant. Below are are 4 common IRA ...
March 4, 2010 in Budgets & Savings, Home Improvement, Living Green
Is it just me, or have energy prices just been going up and up lately? Unfortunately, this results in significant increases in our home energy bills. Fortunately, there are a lot of relatively inexpensive (sometimes free) changes you can make around the home that will save you money. I’ve put together a list of twelve ...
February 24, 2010 in Budgets & Savings, Retirement Planning
The bleak economy, which has brought surging foreclosures, sinking property values, vanishing home equity and mounting job losses, is having a major trickledown effect on seniors and families providing caregiving for an aging loved one. Financial trends for seniors are emerging, such as the housing crisis. Homeowners 50 and older have been significantly affected by ...
February 8, 2010 in Budgets & Savings
Multiple factors affect how much money you need to save for retirement, but perhaps none has a greater impact than inflation. Many people overlook inflation altogether when planning for retirement, while others severely underestimate its effect on their savings. The truth is inflation amounts to the single biggest danger to your retirement security; therefore, you ...
January 21, 2010 in Budgets & Savings, Retirement Planning
The reason people assume the risks of investing in the first place is the prospect of achieving a higher rate of return than is attainable in a risk free environment…i.e., an FDIC insured bank account. Risk comes in various forms, but the average investor’s primary concerns are “credit” and “market” risk… particularly when it comes ...
January 21, 2010 in Budgets & Savings
Banks are institutions where miracles happen regularly. We rarely entrust our money to anyone but ourselves – and our banks. Despite a much checkered history of mismanagement, corruption, false promises and representations, delusions and behavioral inconsistency – banks still succeed to motivate us to give them our money. Partly it is the feeling that there ...
