18Aug 2016 by Women's Money
Ways to Pay for College

Ways to Pay for College

Debt, Saving & Investing
There is no question that college costs have become an outrage. College costs increase at an average of 5% per year. This has resulted in a 4-year degree from a private institution averaging $134,600 and a 4-year degree from a public institution running $39,400. These costs only cover tuition and fees. Add in thousands for living costs each semester, and the average college education is reaching the point where years of loan payback are to be expected in pursuing any degree. Even though we have no reason to expect a European, free college model any time soon, there are some clever ways to fund college.One unconventional approach is by working for Starbucks. This is not merely a recommendation to work while going to college, Starbucks has a joint venture with Arizona…
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23Mar 2016 by Women's Money
It’s time to give your finances a spring cleaning. Start with a #FinancialSelfie #WomensMoney

It’s time to give your finances a spring cleaning. Start with a #FinancialSelfie #WomensMoney

Budgeting, Credit, Debt, Entrepreneurship / Making Money, Goals / Taking Action, Miscellaneous, Money in Your 20s/30s/40s/50s/Retirement, Popular, Relationships & Money, Saving & Investing, Take Action
It's been almost three months since New Year's Eve. The first day of spring has passed, and holidays celebrating reflection and renewal are coming up.  It's the time of "spring cleaning". It's also time to get an honest picture of your personal financial condition. Here are some quick, cool, and fairly painless ways to get your financial status reviewed:The Quickie Selfie - Takes like two minutes tops, and you instantly get a general pulse of your financial health.The Full Financial Selfie - Takes maybe five minutes, and again gives you a general (more in-depth than the quickie) pulse of where you're at financially.Financial Freedom Evaluators - If you want the real deal, in-depth experience then you want to try out the Women's Money Financial Freedom Evaluators.  This gives you a more in-depth…
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10Mar 2016 by Women's Money
Money Lessons for my Younger Self #WMW16 @ctwbdc

Money Lessons for my Younger Self #WMW16 @ctwbdc

#WMW16, Budgeting, Debt, Entrepreneurship / Making Money, Money in Your 20s/30s/40s/50s/Retirement, Saving & Investing, Women's Money Week
When I turned 14 and it became legal for me to get my first job, I did.  Throughout my teen years I held multiple jobs, often times simultaneously.  During those years, I mastered bagging groceries (there is an art to this!), making the perfect cup of coffee, became knowledgeable about fish and reptiles, stacked underwear precisely by the dozen and provided the perfect bra fitting, gained skills and an admiration for great lawn care, and mastered creative playtime with youngsters.  If there was one thing my parents taught me, it was the value of hard work.I look back on those formative years and have to laugh.  Although I was working really hard, I really wasn’t working very smart.  I was a kid, living at home, and had all of my…
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09Mar 2016 by Women's Money
#WomensMoney Week: Budgeting & Spending #WMW16 @lilmsmoneybags

#WomensMoney Week: Budgeting & Spending #WMW16 @lilmsmoneybags

#WMW16, Budgeting, Debt, Saving & Investing, Women's Money Week
Dirty confession: I haven't had a budget in years.I think there are two ways to approach personal finance, and I've done both. One is a zero-based budget, where each dollar is assigned to a category and once you run out of money in a category, you don't get any more until the next pay period or month. The other way is to track every dollar you spend, so you can monitor trends and adjust as needed. Both work very well, if you're diligent, but I think they work for different circumstances. Read More >>by Little Miss Moneybags
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09Mar 2016 by Women's Money
How to Save for Retirement as an Entrepreneur – #WMW16 @BrightwaterFin

How to Save for Retirement as an Entrepreneur – #WMW16 @BrightwaterFin

#WMW16, Budgeting, Debt, Entrepreneurship / Making Money, Saving & Investing, Women's Money Week
When I asked a group of local working moms, many who are self-employed, about their money and financial planning questions, the very first question was around saving for retirement:When I left my corporate position to become self-employed, I sacrificed contributing to a [company-sponsored] 401(k). I know I could pursue a self-employed 401(k), but I have no idea how that works. I don’t get matching now and it makes me wonder if it’s even worth it. My husband is saving to his. Do I need to resume, too? So, my question would be – do you recommend any options? Is there a bare minimum someone should save?Read More >>by Cathy Derus
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09Mar 2016 by Women's Money
3 Quick Tips to Save Big #WMW16 @WomensMoney

3 Quick Tips to Save Big #WMW16 @WomensMoney

#WMW16, Debt, Money in Your 20s/30s/40s/50s/Retirement, Saving & Investing, Women's Money Week
Think Small - setting aside one to five dollars a week can yield big results.  A plane ticket to a dream vacation or your first college savings or emergency savings account.Get Together - With your family or friends or your Women's Money mentoring group - pick a topic you want to learn more about. Research it and share it.  Start a conversation.  Learn from others to help find solutions and reduce confusion.Track Your Spending - Writing down every penny you spend can be a real eye-opener.  The good news is that you are already spending it, so what are you afraid of.  Tracking your spending is like finding hidden gold.  
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10Mar 2012 by Women's Money

How I Solved $40,000 of Personal Debt

#WMW12, Debt
In retrospect, it's pretty embarrassing that I managed to get myself into more than $40,000 of personal debt. I combined numerous bad spending decisions with a complete lack of understanding of how credit cards work to amass this unsavory, and unenviable, total. Add to that a few ill-timed job losses which caused me to move back in with my parents, and there I was - a single, twenty-something guy facing a mountain of bills and credit card debts that couldn't be paid for.Fortunately, this story has a happy ending. I was able to solve my massive debt woes in only a few years without ever having to file for bankruptcy or pay for debt counseling. I did it all on my own, and you can too.Here are seven steps to…
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10Mar 2012 by Women's Money

Win an Autographed Copy of Debt-Free Forever by Gail Vaz-Oxlade

Debt
Gail Vaz-Oxlade, host of TV shows Til Debt Do Us Part and Princess, and author of 4 books, is sponsoring today's giveaway - 3 autographed copies of her book Deb-Free Forever. To be entered to win, just leave a comment below answering the question "What's your favorite tip for staying on top of debt?" Winners will be randomly selected using a random number generator. Sorry, this giveaway is now over. Winners will be notified via email. Be sure to check out Gail's blog and her books (all available on Amazon). US and Canada residents only please. Winners will be notified by email and asked to provide their mailing address. Void where prohibited.
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