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new year's resolution
5 Alternatives to New Year’s Resolutions

5 Alternatives to New Year’s Resolutions

Trouble Keeping Your New Year’s Resolutions? Have you made New Year’s resolutions in the past, knowing that you won’t stick to them? Do you want to feel like you’re making progress with your financial stability, but know that you don’t have the willpower or stamina for big changes? Don’t feel bad! According to Stanford University, of those people who make New Year’s resolutions, only 8% actually follow through with them. We make a lot of hollow promises to ourselves that…

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frugal gardening
My Relationship With Frugality, Part 2

My Relationship With Frugality, Part 2

In my last post, I listed some big ways being frugal helps us save. Below are some more things we do to live within our means and save as much as we can. Enjoy! Being Frugal With Our… Yard Work: We do all of our yard work and landscaping. We mow, rake, plant things, make new beds, till, etc. I’ve been using a free mower that I trash picked. It didn’t work when I got it, so I replaced the…

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frugality free firewood heat
My Relationship With Frugality, Part 1

My Relationship With Frugality, Part 1

Spending less than you earn is a sign that you might be in control of your finances. But unless you make a ton of money, you can’t afford to buy everything you want and still have enough left to save for retirement/medical bills/kid’s college, etc. How do you balance the two? Frugality. By carefully spending your money, and avoiding spending it when you don’t need to, you can you can cut your expenses and increase your savings. My goal is to…

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retirement savings
Avoid These 5 Retirement Savings Mistakes

Avoid These 5 Retirement Savings Mistakes

Who, me? No one likes to admit they’re making (or have made) a mistake. Sometimes, you don’t even know you’re making one. Ever heard the phrase “You don’t know what you don’t know?” This applies to all aspects of life, including retirement savings. It might take someone pointing out your mistake for you to realize you’re making it. I wish someone had pointed out mistakes I had made with my retirement savings long before I realized them for myself. Below are…

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pension
What To Know About Your Pension

What To Know About Your Pension

We just wrapped up National Retirement Security Week. Now is a great time to take a peek at your retirement accounts and increase your contributions. Also make sure that your fees are as low as possible and your allocations are correct. I personally started contributing 5% of my gross salary to a Roth 401(k). This is in addition to my regular 401(k), Roth IRA, and other retirement contributions, including my pension. I’m working hard to set my family up for…

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FICO credit score
Know What’s On Your Credit Report

Know What’s On Your Credit Report

I got a message the other day from Discover, telling me that my wife needed to call their fraud department immediately about her account. It was unusual, since neither of us have accounts with Discover. When she called them back, they told her that someone had opened a credit card account using her information. Luckily, they hadn’t charged anything to the account yet. She told them that the account was fraudulent and had them cancel the account. They advised her…

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how to make a million dollars
How Much Do You Need To Retire?

How Much Do You Need To Retire?

The other day, a fellow firefighter told me he’d like to sit down with me and talk about money, and specifically, retirement. I agreed and told him to start thinking about where he’d like to begin. He said, “I’d rather focus on where I want to end up – I don’t want to have to work in retirement.” He had clearly outlined a major retirement goal for himself, and in doing so, identified a specific need. He’ll have to have enough…

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emergency fund
Creating an Emergency Fund

Creating an Emergency Fund

Why Do You Need An Emergency Fund? An unexpected expense can pop up at any moment. Are you prepared to pay for a blown head gasket, surgery for your dog, or replacing your refrigerator? What about a more serious issue like being evicted from your home, losing your job, or having a medical emergency? Having an emergency fund will help prepare you for such an event. According to research done by the Pew Charitable Trusts, almost 60% of people are…

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financial plan
Making a Financial Plan

Making a Financial Plan

Making A Financial Plan There are many moving parts involved in getting control of your finances. Do you pay off your credit card or start a college fund for your child? Should you raise your 401(k) contribution or start an emergency fund? Can you afford to buy a house? It can be a daunting task for anyone to take on. Luckily, there is a way to make sense of it all that will help you figure out where you want to be and how you…

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retirement account balance
How I Started

How I Started

Why Am I Interested In Personal Finance? At the beginning of my career, like most of us, I didn’t think about retirement planning. I never really paid attention to my retirement account contributions or the fees I was paying. We didn’t know how much our family was spending or how much we needed to save. I just knew that I wanted to get on the big red truck and do my job. My Eye Opener Around the spring of 2008,…

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