In many places, winter brings the promise of snow, hot chocolate by the fire, and holiday cheer. Unfortunately, the season also ushers in a whole new expense Americans haven’t seen since last year: heating bills. Depending on where you live, the amount could do a number on your budget for months. Here are some tips to help reduce the sting this winter.
Tag: how-to
How Much Should You Save for Retirement?
Most financial experts stress how important it is to save for retirement. After all, you’ll likely want to stop working and enjoy your golden years at some point, but how can you do that without a nest egg waiting for you? One question you might have when putting money away every payday for that time in your life is how much you need to save. While the total can differ based on personal factors, here are some ways to figure out how much you might want to set aside.
How To Use Temptation Bundling To Encourage Smarter Financial Decisions
Officially a technique since 2014, people have practiced temptation bundling for much longer. The method involves taking a guilty pleasure and pairing it with a task you don’t want to do. For example, try watching reality TV while doing taxes.
How To Find Money You Didn’t Even Know Was Lost
No matter what’s happening in the nation’s economy, most people would be happy to find some extra money hidden way back in a dresser drawer or inside the pocket of last year’s winter jacket. What if you had cash or property somewhere and didn’t even know it was missing? The National Association of Unclaimed Property Administrators reported that 1 out of every 10 people in America has “unclaimed property or money.” Here’s how to find out if that’s you.
What’s Zero-Based Budgeting and How Can It Work for You?
While budgeting money might sound restrictive, it could be the answer you need to straighten or keep a handle on your finances. Zero-based budgeting categorizes a person’s income into expense pockets to cover their obligations and accounts for every dollar.
3 Ways to Improve Your Credit Score in Under 60 Days
You need a strong credit score to qualify for a loan and get the best rate or rent the house of your choice. There are ways to increase a score number if it’s not where creditors need it to be — sometimes in as little as 60 days. Here are three strategies you can try.
Avoid W-4 Mistakes With These Tips
When you get a job, your new employer will ask you to fill out an Employee’s Withholding Certificate (W-4) for tax purposes. Your answers on that form will determine how much money your new employer will withhold from your paycheck for tax purposes. Filling it out incorrectly could result in a big surprise at the end of the year when it’s time to file with the IRS.
3 Healthy Lifelong Financial Habits to Develop
No matter where you stand financially, the best time to practice healthy money habits is today. Building wealth and financial stability might sound complex, especially when you might be struggling with things like inflation. Yet, the practices themselves are actually very simple. Here are some basics to start you on the way.
3 Financial Scams of 2022 and How to Avoid Them
If you ever look in your spam folder, you would likely see many emails telling you that you’ve inherited money from a distant relative or won the lottery when you never bought a ticket — obvious scams. Yet, there are other creative ways scammers come for your money that are less apparent. To avoid these, here are a few examples and how to avoid falling victim to them.
4 Simple Things You Can Do to Improve Your Finances Quickly
Finances can get so far off track they become overwhelming, especially when it comes time to untangle the mess. Still, there’s good news because there are easy ways to get them in order no matter your financial position. It starts by laying everything out and analyzing where you are today.