Building an Emergency Fund Everyone should aim to have a cash reserve. We all would love to have a little extra cash on hand for emergencies. Saving up that cash can be a challenge but with a little effort, that challenge can be met. Imagine a 30-year-old couple with no real savings. Lets call them Kurt and Diana. Together, they earn about $8,000 a month, but their household finances are being squeezed by education debt, rent, and the high [...]
Is Women’s Wealth Growing Faster Than Men’s Wealth? One study says yes. Two major factors may be influencing the trend. Picture the women of the world growing wealthier. It’s happening right now. Research from the Boston Consulting Group affirms this development. BCG, a leading business strategy advisor, says that as the world grew 5.2% wealthier between 2015 and 2016, women’s wealth grew 6.6%. In total, women own about $39.6 trillion in assets worldwide, and possess a 5% greater share of [...]
Do Our Attitudes About Money Help or Hurt Us? We may need to change them to better our financial prospects. Our relationship with money is complex & emotional. When we pay a bill, go to the mall, trade in a car for a new one, hunt for a home or apartment, or pass someone seemingly poor or rich on the street, we feel things and harbor certain perceptions. Are our attitudes about money inherited? They may have been formed [...]
Your Annual Financial To-Do List Things you can do before & for 2017. What financial, business, or life priorities do you need to address for 2017? Now is a good time to think about the investing, saving, or budgeting methods you could employ toward specific objectives. Some year-end financial moves may help you pursue those goals as well. What can you do to lower your 2017 taxes? Before the year fades away, you have plenty of options. Here are a [...]
Managing Drug Costs How can households meet the challenge? Are prescription drug costs burdening your finances? This problem is far too common today. Consider the price tag of some of the drugs used to treat arthritis, hepatitis C, cancer, and multiple sclerosis. A Kaiser Family Foundation study notes that the cost of medications such as Zytiga, Humira, Gleevec, and Revlimid may run anywhere from $4,000-12,000 a year. For the record, Medicare Part Ds catastrophic coverage threshold for prescription medications is [...]