Friday, September 13, 2013

Weekly Web Round Up

From Market Watch

Don’t leave your spouse in the money lurch

"It’s not a topic couples generally want to think about, let alone talk about, but the fact is: Barring an unusual accident, one spouse will die before the other. That fact poses a big challenge for your retirement-income plans.

And it gets even more challenging: That surviving spouse could live many, many years longer." 


From Christian PF

6 Quick Ways to Create an Emergency Fund

"I can’t tell you how many times I’ve been thankful that we’ve had an emergency fund. You never know when something expensive will happen, and having a few months of expenses saved up has really alleviated the stress that comes with those unexpected emergencies. The very basic stage of an emergency fund is saving $1,000.  Once you’ve reached that goal, you can start to build up your savings over time – but reaching that first $1,000 is key."


From Miller's Money Forever

The Postal Worker Assumed the Gun Wasn’t Loaded  

"A man with a wooden leg worked with my dad at the post office. I could even hear his leg creak as he limped along. Remember, this was long before I needed a hearing aid. When I asked if he'd lost his leg in the war, my dad said "no." It was a hunting accident. Then he launched into a lecture on gun safety. "He assumed the gun was not loaded, and now he is crippled for life."

The old joke, "When you 'assume,' you make an ass out of you and me," just isn't funny anymore. It wasn't funny for Dad's coworker, and it's not funny for folks whose assumptions cripple their wallets.


From Daily Finance

Freeze Your Assets: How to Force Yourself to Stop Overspending  

"Making a budget is easy. You know what's even easier? Completely ignoring that budget.

On Mint.com, I can set up a budget for various categories of spending, and then get an alert every month I exceed those limits. So if I've got a $150 monthly budget for dining out at restaurants, I'll get an email yelling at me if I spend too much going out to eat. But it's one of about 30 emails I get every day -- not including all my work emails -- so it's easy to miss. And even if I do see the email, there's only so much it will do to impact my spending habits."



From the Simple Dollar

One Just Isn’t Enough  

"I remember that feeling all too well.

I’d scrimp and save for a whole month so that I could make an extra payment on a debt. I’d fire off a check for $1,000 more than the minimum payment and I’d feel good about it.

Then I’d look at the remaining balance… and I’d feel disheartened. All that effort, and there’s still a long way to go."
 

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