Ben Edwards's Blog: Money Smart Life, page 17

4 Tips for Working More Effectively with a Financial Professional

We all need help sometimes, and this includes with our finances. If you are unsure of how to proceed with your finances, it might make sense to meet with a financial professional or planner who can help you out.

Before you begin working with a professional, though, you need to prepare. You will be paying a professional to help you with your finances, and you need to make sure that you are getting your money’s worth. Here are some tips that can help you work more effectively with a financial pr...

How to Buy a House Without Making Gigantic Money Mistakes

Buying a house involves making lots of decisions, many of which are daunting because of the high cost of real estate. I spent 20 minutes on the phone witha friend of mine a while back talking through various options and considerations for selling his home and buying a house in our area. I could hear the stress and uncertainty in his voice and sympathized with how he felt.

The Fear of Mistakes

Remembering back to our experiences of buying a house I can recall that in the back of our mind the who...

Working at Home: Dream or Nightmare?

A work-at-home arrangement can seem like an employment dream – especially for the person who has never done it before and sees it as the perfect set up. But I’m here to tell you that it can also be a certified nightmare! Having been a work-at-home dad for many years, I’ve experienced both the dream and the nightmare side of it. In truth however, I wouldn’t trade it for life in an office cubicle ever again.

In your case it could be either a dream or a nightmare – how can you tell which ahead of...

Is Identity Theft Insurance Worth It?

Given that identity theft is becoming a more common problem, it was just a matter of time before someone would come up with an insurance policy designed to protect against it. It’s called identity theft insurance, and it’s a fairly new type of coverage.

What is it, and is it worth having? Here are some answers.

What is Identity Theft Insurance and How Does it Work?

This is a type of insurance that is offered typically by banks and credit card companies. Essentially they monitor your credit on re...

How to Handle a Spendthrift Spouse

We all hope to improve our financial situations over the long run. But what do you do if you have a spendthrift spouse who isn’t on board with your plans for financial improvement?

It’s sad but true, that while people seek out all kinds of common ground in a marriage partner, the one area that is often completely neglected is the finances. We often assume that if we’re compatible in other areas that we will also be compatible when it comes to money. Unfortunately, that’s not always true. In fa...

5 Winning Money Habits for Recent College Graduates

It’s unfortunate but true, that out of all the things that college teaches you, winning money habits are not among them. If you are a recent college graduate, it’s almost certain that you’ll have to learn money management for the first time in your life.

Sure, you learned a few things about money during your school years – mostly living without it. But it’s a big difference when you have a paycheck that needs to be allocated, and all kinds of expenses pulling at you from all different directio...

Career and Business: You are Your Brand!

One of the things that was driven home while I attended the Financial Blogger Conference recently was the importance of developing your own brand. This doesn’t even have to apply only to those who have their own businesses. Even as you work to climb the career ladder you still need to manage yourself as a brand.

Your Smiling Face

Among the first lessons taught at FinCon was in the opening keynote by Pat Flynn. He talked about first impressions. The way you impress others with your personal bran...

How to Put an End to Car Loans Forever

For most people, a car loan is the single biggest debt payment they make each month – right after the mortgage payment. But what if you could put an end to car loans forever? How much would that improve your household budget, and your financial situation overall?

With the high cost cars today, is that even possible? Yes! And here’s how you can do it.

1. Start by buying no more car than you can afford with cash.

Most people handle the car buying decision completely backward. They start with a cer...

Why You’re Better Off Buying Insurance Through an Insurance Broker or Agent

Do you try to go the do-it-yourself route when it comes to buying insurance? Some people do, thinking that they can get a better deal. But whether you are buying life, health, auto, homeowners, or any other type of insurance, you’re generally better off buying through a broker or agent than going it alone.

For the record, I’m not in the insurance business, nor do I represent anyone who is. This is just one of those little facts in life that I’ve become aware of though the school hard knocks. I...

Car Loans or Credit Cards – Which Do You Pay Off First?

We can all agree that paying off debt – any debt – is a good thing. But specific tactics for paying off debt are usually open to debate. There are various debt payoff strategies, such as the debt snowball, that simply have you paying off the smallest debt first, then working your way up.

But when you have a variety of debts – which most people do – that includes both credit cards and car loans, do you still use the debt snowball?

The complication is that not all debts are created equal. Some de...