I used to use a bank until I was in college. My university was a member of a statewide credit union, and, with that, I was eligible to become a member of it as well. Since then, I haven’t looked back. A lot of people are curious as to which financial institution they should put their money in; we’re going to look at that a bit today. Let’s define things and then talk about how they’re different. First up,...
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Debt stinks. I was in credit card debt through college; I paid it off, but then I had all of the debt that I graduated with. Well, still have. Can’t say I had it when I’m still paying it off, can I? Anyway, there are some economists and financial advisers who will tell you that some debt, like student debt, is good debt. “Good” debt is debt that helps you build your credit with little to no risk involved....
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It’s ski season, and a lot of people end up being seasonal or temporary employees during this time of year. I have several friends and acquaintances that work at the local ski resort. They sell snacks, teach classes, or run ski lifts. Summertime’s the same way; when I was growing up, I worked as an attendant at a pool. I sold snacks, cleaned toilets, and checked people in to the pool area. It wasn’t necessarily the best...
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We don’t like to think about what will happen when we’re gone. But, we need to think about it so that our family members aren’t burdened after our passing. Today, we’re going to look at some of the things you should consider in end-of-life preparedness. What should be in my will? - Your executor. This is the person that you choose to take care of what happens in the will. usually a spouse or other...
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Retirement may seem a long way off for some of you. It sure feels that way to me sometimes, considering I’m 26 and the retirement age is estimated to be around 70 when I get to that point. Ouch. So why in the world should someone my age be thinking about retirement now? Well, in short, because if someone like me starts now, I’ll be in a much better position financially when it comes to the point of actually retiring. Today,...
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Today, I’m sitting in my apartment with a robe and slippers on and watching the protective cover on my moped fly around. It’s really windy today! Finally, after a few months of what should have been winter, we finally actually have winter! This is a happy occasion for students… adults, not so much. We’re cold, and now we have to worry about heating costs. Luckily, my heat is included in my monthly rent. But what if...
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The last two years, I’ve been doing my taxes myself. This year will be no different. There are certainly risks in doing your own taxes, so if you don’t understand the laws, you should get someone to look at your return before sending it out. When people are unsure and send anyway, they make some really big mistakes. Other people make mistakes when they get their returns. Here are three sets of silly mistakes that people...
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Back in September, I went on a trip for two weeks with my sister. We didn’t have much internet access, and during our trip, I remembered something incredibly important that I had failed to do before we left. I forgot to pay for my car insurance. Bummer! Because of this silly mistake, I lost the loyalty discount that I had with my insurance company. Luckily, that was one of several ways that I had saved money on my car insurance over...
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Yesterday, I ventured out to Staples to get a keyboard that a friend had gotten me for Christmas and had sent to the store. Thankfully, Staples isn’t on the list of “top places to go” in my town before the holidays. I was there maybe 15 minutes tops. That wasn’t the case for the rest of the plaza that Staples is located in; Kohl’s, Target, Five Below, and Giant (our grocery store) had full parking lots. It took...
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It’s that time of year again! Holidays really stress everyone out. Today, I’m stressed out. I have friends coming to town, my house is a mess, baking needs to happen (my sister is currently in the kitchen doing some of it). I have a dinner tonight and Tuesday night. I have an event I’m hosting tomorrow. It’s just a really crazy month for so many people. Why should finances add to your stress? We’re going to...
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