With Christmas just around the corner it’s hard to think about setting budgets and saving money, especially when we are bombarded during the holiday season with advertisements trying to get us to spend it all on the latest gadgets and super sales. But, we may need to seriously think about our financial future right now if we’re going to change where, some say, we are headed as a nation.
Category Archives: Personal Finance
Consumer Debt At All Time High
By CCC Staff | Filed in Economy, Personal Finance, Statistics5 Hobbies that Can Make You Money
By Janet Hutchins | Filed in Personal FinanceWhen we think of hobbies, we often think of money pits. After all, a hobby is something you do for fun, and fun rarely pays the bills.
However, there are some hobbies, that surprisingly, can pay for themselves — and even make you money. If you are looking for a new hobby, don’t pick up something expensive; instead, choose a hobby that can actually result in profits:
Is a Six-Figure Income Such a Big Deal Anymore?
By Janet Hutchins | Filed in Personal FinanceOne of the debates circulating around the Internet recently is that of the importance of a six-figure income. Six-figures doesn’t seem like such a big deal anymore — at least if the income is in the lower six-figures.
There are two opposing reasons that six-figures might not matter anymore: It’s just not that much money these days, and people are looking for things other than money to make them happen now.
5 Hobbies that Could Rack Up the Credit Card Debt
By Janet Hutchins | Filed in Personal FinanceThere’s nothing wrong with having a hobby that can provide you with something enjoyable to do with your time. However, you do need to be careful. If you are spending a lot of money on your hobby, it could easily lead to debt.
When you engage in a hobby, it is a good idea to think things through. Are you putting your retirement at risk with your hobby? Do you use your credit card to pay for your hobby — without paying it off each month? It’s important to keep your hobby under control as you participate, so that it doesn’t ruin your financial future.
Here are 5 hobbies that are easy to lose control of, and rack up the credit card debt:
Simple Investments Anyone Can Make
By Janet Hutchins | Filed in Personal FinanceToo many of us become daunted when we think about investing. Indeed, the risks involved in investing can be difficult to stomach — especially if we aren’t sure about how the investment works.
The good news is that there are plenty of investments that are fairly simple and easy to understand. Additionally, there are ways to reduce some of your risk so that you aren’t so worried about big changes, and concerns about what’s next for the market. Here are simple investments almost anyone can make:
Charitable Giving: Are Your Finances Truly Well-Rounded?
By Janet Hutchins | Filed in Personal FinanceMany of us strive for well-rounded personal finances. We want to have the right balance of investments, emergency savings, retirement savings, and smart spending on the things that are most important to us. Achieving financial freedom is, in large measure, about creating a well-rounded financial picture.
One of the aspects of well-rounded finances that many of us overlook, though, is charitable giving. Many of the leading financial gurus insist that you make charitable giving a part of your financial life. It may seem counter-intuitive, but giving money away can actually help you build wealth in the long run.