Have you ever received your cell phone bill and had to pick your jaw up off the floor when you saw how much you owed? You’re certainly not the only one. Mainstream cell phone companies are wonderfully tricky when it comes to billing, and many of the cell phone fees you’re likely to see on your cell phone bill you may have been unaware even existed. Unless you read through the novel of paperwork provided to you when you entered into your contract, there’s sure to be something in there you missed. The next time your cell phone bill arrives, look it over for a few of these common cell phone fees before writing a check. 3 Cell Phone Fees To Watch Out For #1. Roaming Charges Do you do a lot of traveling? You may be surprised to see your … [Read more...]
5 Best Reasons To Save Money Instead Of Spending
When you have a little bit of extra cash, it’s easy to want to spend it instead of saving it. Spending gives you instant gratification for purchasing something you’ve always wanted or for experiencing something new. That instant gratification is what marketing companies are hoping you will continue to seek, and it can create a financial problem for people who are big on shopping and spending. While spending money isn’t always bad, it’s important to be mindful of your purchases and make saving a priority. The reason is simple. Saving money allows you to have options in life. Below, I explore these options, showing you why you should consider saving some money instead of spending it. … [Read more...]
The Benefits Of Accumulating Cash As An Investment Strategy
If you follow this blog, you know that I advocate creating your own investment policy statement (IPS). I’ve never been a person to keep a large percentage of cash on hand. I’ve always thought that putting the majority of my money to work in other higher appreciation potential asset classes was the best thing I could do. What I didn’t consider until recently is that cash is a very important asset class itself and that even though cash may appear to sitting idle losing ground to inflation, it’s in fact working for me by allowing liquidity to take advantage of great opportunities as they arise. This is why I am accumulating cash as an investment strategy. I haven’t sold any assets to raise cash. My cash is higher than normal as a result … [Read more...]
Your Complete Guide For Increasing Assets And Decreasing Liabilities
There are two ways to increase one’s net worth: increase assets or decrease liabilities. That is all there is to it. It really is a simple equation in principle but very difficult in practice. This is because we are conditioned by the media, our friends, and many other external influences to think that we need this or that such that when we spend our hard earned money on these items, we really aren’t doing anything to increase our net worth. Why Track Net Worth? Tracking your net worth gives one an idea of financial progress. It is calculated by adding up all of our assets and then subtracting the sum of all of our liabilities. The resulting number is your net worth, which can be positive (meaning you own more than you owe) or negative … [Read more...]
Invest in Gold, Then Focus More On Dividend Stocks
The world stock market has gone down overall in 2013 due mainly to the US government shutdown, but other trade markets are behaving differently to the major economic drama in North America. According to financial reports by Bloomberg, European stocks were little changed but US index futures rose, indicating a rebound. With the erratic trading conditions, industry experts are at each other’s throats on how investors should deal with the current financial times. Gold has been a mainstay in debates, but now dividend stock is joining the recommendations. Diversifying Investments In 2014 Several investment experts strongly recommend focusing on other trading instruments, with gold still heavily considered as a hedge option. The US economic … [Read more...]
Would My Life Insurance Claim Be Denied If I Smoke And Have A Non-Smoking Policy?
Although your mother may disagree, telling a little white lie now and then isn’t so bad. But what about when you’re filling out an application for life insurance? Are you allowed to lie then? If you are a smoker and have considered getting life insurance before, you will probably know how much more expensive it is for smokers, compared to non-smokers. Always check with your life insurance provider when making any changes to your policy. You can use the calculator below to get a rough idea before you call. However, saying you’re a non-smoker just to get cheaper premiums is not a good idea. Your claim could be denied if you are found out, and you could be placed on an insurance register, naming you as a liar and making it … [Read more...]
Tips to Save Money on Private Medical Insurance
The benefits of purchasing a medical insurance policy include no NHS waiting lists, receiving treatment in a private hospital, choice over the consultant and date of care, but perhaps most of all, peace of mind that you will be covered for any eventuality. Several people also consider private hospitals and treatment to be a better standard of healthcare compared to the NHS. However in both cases, medical negligence claims leading to compensation is still an occurrence. Nevertheless, it is important to consider the type of plan you require, what treatment is provided for, whether your family is also covered, any inclusions and exclusions as well as the overall cost. There are ways in which you can save money on your private medical … [Read more...]
It’s Your Responsibility — Business Finance and Ethics in the USA and Egypt
Make all the money you can and then some — that’s the aim of all businesses, right? Not always. It depends on where you set up your business. In the US, companies truly mean business, operating to report the very highest returns back to shareholders. Nothing personal, it’s just business, like they say in the movies. Take a country like Egypt, however, and you’ll find that money talks more quietly in business. If you set up a business there, religion and ethics can affect how you operate. Business isn’t necessarily business as usual. Is It All About The Money? In the business world there are many tales of self-made men and women, lots of stories of rags-to-riches. Money is more motivational in the US: no one goes into business to … [Read more...]
Net Worth TV on How You Can Save Money With Cloud Computing
Cloud computing has begun revolutionizing the way that businesses are made and structured. When companies used to have to invest thousands, or even millions of dollars, in software and hardware, the cloud is slowly replacing that with viable alternatives that companies can leverage to save costs. Furthermore, Net Worth with Terry Bradshaw highlights how individuals can save money with cloud computing as well. Cloud computing has opened a whole variety of services that customers can use at low cost or even free, when they would have typically had to pay for these services in the past. The reason is that cloud computer, along with being cheaper and offering more options, also allows for different revenue generating models, which can … [Read more...]
Gas Prices Tick Me Off!
I drove about 4 miles out of my way yesterday to get gas. Why is that? Because I was able to get 20 gallons of gasoline at $3.40 vs. $3.75 saving me $7 for an expense of $0.60 in gas and about 6 minutes of my time. I had the day off yesterday and was on my way to get a haircut so spending a few minutes was no big deal. The thing that really ticks me off about gas prices is the 10% overnight hike! Prices never drop by 35 cents per gallon but always seem to jump overnight. They always jump and then trickle down slowly over the next week until they jump again. It sure is suspicious and would make me wonder about price fixing. But what can I do about it other than try to fill up at a station that … [Read more...]
Why I Want to Retire Early
What does “early” retirement really mean? Well, you may not know that it’s changing? Forever, the normal retirement age was 65 years old in the United States. However, if you were born on or after 1960, your normal retirement age has increased to 67 years old as defined by the Social Security Administration. So, maybe anywhere from 60-66 years of age can be considered "early" retirement from full benefits. I have a markedly different definition. I am planning for retirement before the age of 50 (a full 17 years before the SSA’s retirement age of 67). Being able to hang it up on or before my 50th birthday has been a goal of mine for the last few years of my late 30's and into my early 40's. Why, you may ask? Well some of the … [Read more...]
Welcome to Penny Thots!
You have all heard the expression, "A Penny for Your Thoughts". One individual is asking another what he is thinking and is genuinely interested in knowing so much so that he is willing to pay for the information. Well here at Penny Thots, we have several different individuals offering all sorts of thoughts on personal finance, and you don't even have to pay for it. The information is absolutely free! It comes from the combined experience of almost 20 different contributing authors. We are parents struggling to make ends meet, corporate executives and everything in between. We are just starting out our careers; we are in our peak earning years; we are retired and living on fixed incomes. We struggle with credit. Some of have … [Read more...]
