Method

Method
How To Get Started With Couponing

So you’ve decided you want to start couponing, but where do you begin? It can be a bit overwhelming at first, but once you get the hang of it, it’s really not that difficult. Here are a few tips to help you get started:

Collect coupons. You can find coupons in a variety of places, including the Sunday newspaper, magazines, online, and even in the store. Many stores also have their own coupons that you can use.

Organize your coupons. This will make it much easier to find the ones you need when you’re ready to use them. There are a variety of ways to do this, so find the method that works best for you.

Know your store’s coupon policy. This is important so you know what to expect when you go to use your coupons.

Plan your shopping trips. This will help you make the most of your coupons and save the most money.

Be patient. It takes a little bit of time to get the hang of couponing, but it’s worth it in the end!

With these tips in mind, you’re well on your way to becoming a couponing pro!

Couponing can be a great way to save money on your groceries and other household items. However, it can also be a bit overwhelming to get started. Here are a few tips to help you get started with couponing:

Choose the right coupons. There are a lot of coupons out there, so it’s important to choose the ones that will save you the most money on the items that you actually need.

Organize your coupons. Once you have your coupons, it’s important to organize them so you can easily find the ones you need. There are a variety of ways to do this, so find the method that works best for you.

Plan your shopping trip. Before you head to the store, take some time to plan your shopping trip. This will help you make the most of your coupons and save the most money possible.

Know the store’s coupon policy. Each store has its own coupon policy, so it’s important to be familiar with the policy of the store you’re shopping at. This will help you avoid any potential problems at the register.

Keep your coupons with you. It’s always a good idea to keep your coupons with you when you go shopping, just in case you find a great deal that you want to take advantage of.

Following these tips will help you get started with couponing and save money on your next shopping trip.

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The Importance Of Creating A Budget And Sticking To It

There are a lot of things that go in to creating a budget. You have to account for your income, your debts, your living expenses, your savings goals, and more. It can be a lot to keep track of, but it’s important to create a budget and stick to it.

Why is it so important to create a budget and stick to it? There are a few reasons.

First, it can help you stay on top of your finances. If you know where your money is going, it’s easier to make sure you’re not overspending.

Second, it can help you reach your financial goals. If you’re saving for a specific goal, like a down payment on a house or a new car, a budget can help you see how much you need to save each month to reach your goal.

Finally, a budget can help you avoid debt. If you’re living within your means and not overspending, you’re less likely to end up in debt.

Creating a budget doesn’t have to be complicated. There are a few basic steps you can follow to get started.

First, figure out your income. This includes your salary, any side hustle income, and any other money you have coming in.

Next, list your debts. This includes any credit card debt, student loans, car loans, and any other debt you have.

Then, list your living expenses. This includes your rent or mortgage, utilities, food, transportation, and any other regular expenses you have.

Finally, figure out your savings goals. This could include an emergency fund, a down payment on a house, or anything else you’re saving for.

Once you have all of this information, you can start to create a budget. There are a lot of different ways to do this, but one simple method is to use the 50/30/20 rule.

Under this rule, you would budget 50% of your income for essential expenses, 30% for non-essential expenses, and 20% for savings.

Of course, this is just one method and you may need to adjust your budget based on your unique circumstances. But it’s a good starting point.

If you’re not sure where to start, there are a lot of helpful budgeting tools and resources available online. You can also talk to a financial advisor to get help creating a budget that’s right for you.

The bottom line is that creating a budget is an important step in managing your finances. It can help you stay on top of your spending, reach your financial goals, and avoid debt. So if you haven’t already, take the time to create a budget and start following it. Your future self will thank you.

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What Are The Different Types Of Financial Planning Strategies?

Most people understand the basics of financial planning – save money, invest wisely, don’t spend more than you earn. However, there are different approaches to financial planning, and the strategy you choose should be based on your unique circumstances.

The most common financial planning strategies are:

1. Save first, spend later

This is the most basic approach to financial planning. You simply put aside money each month into savings and investments, and only spend what is left over. This strategy can work well if you are disciplined with your spending, but can be difficult to stick to if you have a lot of expenses.

2. Pay yourself first

This strategy is similar to the save first, spend later approach, but with one key difference. Instead of saving what is left over at the end of the month, you put aside money for savings and investments first, and then spend what is left over. This helps to ensure that you always have money set aside for your future, even if unexpected expenses come up.

3. The 50/30/20 rule

This approach, popularized by Senator Elizabeth Warren, involves dividing your after-tax income into three categories – 50% for necessities, 30% for wants, and 20% for savings and investments. This can help you to strike a balance between spending and saving, and make sure that you are not neglecting your future in favor of immediate gratification.

4. The debt snowball method

This debt reduction strategy, popularized by financial expert Dave Ramsey, involves paying off your debts from smallest to largest, regardless of interest rate. Once you have paid off your smallest debt, you use the money you were paying on that debt to pay off the next smallest debt, and so on. This method can help you to quickly pay off your debts, and give you a sense of accomplishment as you do so.

5. The debt avalanche method

This debt reduction strategy is the opposite of the debt snowball method. Instead of paying off your debts from smallest to largest, you pay off your debts from highest interest rate to lowest interest rate. This approach can save you money in interest charges, but can be more difficult to stick to, as the debts with the highest interest rates are often also the largest debts.

6. The envelope system

This cash management system, popularized by financial expert Suze Orman, involves dividing your spending money into different categories, and putting that money into separate envelopes. When the money in one envelope is gone, you can’t spend any more in that category until the next month. This can help you to stay within your budget, and avoid overspending in any one area.

7. The zero-based budget

This budgeting method, made popular by financial expert Dave Ramsey, involves setting aside money for all of your expenses, and then assigning every dollar a job. This can help you to make sure that your money is always working for you, and that you are not spending more than you earn.

8. The 50/30/20 portfolio

This investment strategy, popularized by financial advisor William Bernstein, involves dividing your investment portfolio into three parts – 50% stocks, 30% bonds, and 20% cash. This approach can help to provide a balance between risk and reward, and can provide a steadier return than a portfolio that is 100% stocks.

9. The aggressive growth portfolio

This investment strategy is for investors who are willing to take on more risk in pursuit of higher returns. An aggressive growth portfolio is typically composed of 80% or more stocks, and can provide the potential for higher returns, but also comes with the risk of more volatile market swings.

10. The asset allocation approach

This investment strategy involves dividing your assets among different asset classes, such as stocks, bonds, and cash. This approach can help to provide diversification and minimize risk, but can also lead to lower returns than a more aggressive portfolio.

Which financial planning strategy is right for you?

The answer to this question depends on your unique circumstances. If you are young and have a long time horizon until retirement, you may be able to take on more risk in pursuit of higher returns. If you are closer to retirement, you may want to focus on preserving your capital and generating income.

It is also important to consider your risk tolerance. Some people are comfortable with the idea of volatile markets, while others prefer a more stable investment approach.

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The SEC Commission has approved rules that require institutional money market funds to implement floating share values and other restrictions, such as restricting withdrawals and imposing redemption fees of up to 2% if fund assets drop below prescribed levels.  The shares would float based on changes to NAV (changes to the underlying market value of the fund’s assets).  Currently, these funds have a fixed price of $1 per share.

The rules were crafted in response to the 2008 financial crisis, when corporate lending markets seized up in response to a lack of liquidity.  The new restrictions will hopefully help maintain capital levels and keep markets operating smoothly during times of stress.

Individual Money Market Funds Not Affected

While the new floating share rules apply to institutional funds (both prime and tax exempt), they will not impact government and retail funds that are sold to individual investors. (Note that they will apply to institutional municipal money markets.)  However, provisions for liquidity fees and redemption gates do apply to all funds, both institutional and retail.

For a definition of government and retail money market funds, the SEC provides this detail via a press release on their website:

Government and Retail Money Market Funds – Government and retail money market funds would be allowed to continue using the amortized cost method and/or penny rounding method of pricing to seek to maintain a stable share price.  A government money market fund would be defined as any money market fund that invests 99.5 percent (formerly 80 percent) or more of its total assets in cash, government securities and/or repurchase agreements that are collateralized solely by government securities or cash.  A retail money market fund would be defined as a money market fund that has policies and procedures reasonably designed to limit all beneficial owners of the money market fund to natural persons.  A municipal (or tax-exempt) fund would be required to transact at a floating NAV unless the fund meets the definition of a retail money market fund, in which case it would be allowed to use the amortized cost method and/or penny rounding method of pricing to seek to maintain a stable share price.

One way this might affect individuals, is if they invest in institutional money market funds through their 401K.  It is likely that most retirement plans will choose retail money market funds as a plan option for this reason.  This will affect small and large businesses that use these accounts as short term funding for their day to day and week to week operations.  For a related article on this subject read more here.

The new rules will not go into effect immediately.  Fund companies have two years to comply with the new restrictions.

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Is the Stock Market Starting to Blow Bubbles?

If you have planning to invest your money in the stock market, you need to read this carefully. It cannot be denied that every investment has its own risk. Today’s article gives an overview of the situation in the stock market today and the prediction about what will happen in the future.

Client meetings over the past year have been quite sanguine. Investments and assets are up. People seem to feel better about job security. The housing market is slowly recovering, and retirement projections look rosier. Strong stock market performance is good, in that it gets us closer to our goals; however, it can also breed a false sense of complacency.

Valuations are high and reaching points not seen since 2007, 1929, and by some metrics, even 2000.

Overvalued Stock Market

Courtesy:www.insideinvest.com.sg

Stock markets become overvalued when stock prices rise at a much faster rate than earnings, which is what has occurred for the past several years due to the belief that the Federal Reserve’s quantitative easing policies will continue to force investors into stocks in order to get a decent return on their money; low-interest rates punish savers and cause them to seek yield by investing in increasingly speculative investments. But even members of the Federal Reserve are warning about frothy segments of the market as they tiptoe toward shutting off the quantitative easing spigot.

debt is increasingly being purchased on the basis of yield rather than the careful evaluation of repayment prospects. John Hussman Hussman Funds

The Cycles In Financial Markets

Courtesy:encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com

It is important to remember that financial markets move in cycles, and just because this multiyear stock market advance has been rewarding, it does not mean that it can continue indefinitely. In fact, the longer it persists, the greater the chance of a severe correction.

One way to evaluate whether or not the market is expensive is to look at the current PE10 or CAPE ratio. This valuation method was developed by Robert Shiller from Yale, and it historically has been helpful in forecasting market crashes as well as future rates of return.

This article in the WSJ “Yes, Virginia, You Can Time the Market” explains that, although no one can time the market with precision, using the Shiller PE as a method to modify your stock exposure by overweighting or underweighting by up to 30 percentage points has resulted in stellar returns since 1926.

The Prediction of Bubbles

Courtesy:www.nasdaq.com

It is a strategy, however, that requires patience. A high CAPE ratio can persist for years. It tends to have a better success rate for predicting 10-year future returns and is less accurate in predicting returns less than 5 years out. In fact, in 2000 it was over five years early in diagnosing an overvalued market. The article acknowledges that extreme market timing by moving all of your assets in and out of the market based on certain parameters is very difficult and not a recommended strategy. Using Shiller’s ratio, though, can provide some guidance in dialing down equities when markets are overvalued and dialing up exposure when markets are undervalued, thus protecting investors from large corrections and enhancing long-range returns.  See the chart to the left.

John Hussman has been warning about stock valuations for years as the Shiller PE, as well as his additional proprietary methods, indicate that returns over the next decade will be roughly 2%, before inflation. His weekly commentaries are a must-read.

He makes this powerful assertion in, Yes, This Is An Equity Bubble:

Make no mistake – this is an equity bubble, and a highly advanced one. On the most historically reliable measures, it is easily beyond 1972 and 1987, beyond 1929 and 2007, and is now within about 15% of the 2000 extreme. The main difference between the current episode and that of 2000 is that the 2000 bubble was strikingly obvious in technology, whereas the present one is diffused across all sectors in a way that makes valuations for most stocks actually worse than in 2000.

The question a rational and prudent investor should as himself is this, “ is it prudent for me to take additional risk in the stock market at this juncture, given such dismal future returns?” This is a particularly important consideration for those people who are looking to retire in the next 7-10 years, as well as those how have recently retired.

For more information on the Shiller PE and market valuations you may want to read the following:

Market Valuation Overview- Yet More Expensive

The Mystery of Lofty Market Valuations by Robert Shiller

Is the CAPE Ratio Good at Predicting Future Returns? (Yes) Is it Perfect? (No)

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How the New Money Market Rules Affect You

Addressing a large and unresolved issue that had pended since 2008, the Securities and Exchange Commission yesterday imposed new restrictions on money-market mutual funds. The rules will perform a sort of balancing act, reducing the risk of the $2.6 trillion industry, but keeping intact the prime utility of the product. Asset management companies, as well as the five-member SEC committee, have given the move mixed reviews, with two members of the latter voting against the new ruling.

The SEC Commission has approved rules that require institutional money market funds to implement floating share values and other restrictions, such as restricting withdrawals and imposing redemption fees of up to 2% if fund assets drop below prescribed levels.  The shares would float based on changes to NAV (changes to the underlying market value of the fund’s assets).  Currently, these funds have a fixed price of $1 per share.

The New Rules

Young businesswoman and businessman signing contract in office

According to Mary Jo White, SEC chairwoman, these rules “will reduce the risk of runs in money market funds and provide important new tools that will help further protect investors and the financial system.” She went on: “Together, this strong reform package will make our markets more resilient and enhance transparency and fairness of these products for America’s investors.”

Wall Street Positively Affected

(FILES) In this file photo taken on December 19, 2018 traders work on the floor at the closing bell of the Dow Industrial Average at the New York Stock Exchange. – Wall Street stocks pushed higher for a second session in a row on January 7, 2019, a sign of improved investor sentiment despite the ongoing US government shutdown and other economic headwinds. The Dow Jones Industrial Average ended 0.4 percent higher at 23,531.35, as the broad-based S&P 500 gained 0.7 percent to close at 2,549.69. (Photo by Bryan R. Smith / AFP)BRYAN R. SMITH/AFP/Getty Images

Wall Street seemed on the whole satisfied with the final results – which are a significant shift from the 2012 proposal. Then, former SEC Chairwoman Mary L. Schapiro wanted all funds to adopt the floating NAV practice or hold capital to absorb losses of any kind.

The rules were crafted in response to the 2008 financial crisis, when corporate lending markets seized up in response to a lack of liquidity.  The new restrictions will hopefully help maintain capital levels and keep markets operating smoothly during times of stress.

Individual Money Market Funds Not Affected

While the new floating share rules apply to institutional funds (both prime and tax exempt), they will not impact government and retail funds that are sold to individual investors. (Note that they will apply to institutional municipal money markets.)  However, provisions for liquidity fees and redemption gates do apply to all funds, both institutional and retail.

For a definition of government and retail money market funds, the SEC provides this detail via a press release on their website:

Government and Retail Money Market Funds – Government and retail money market funds would be allowed to continue using the amortized cost method and/or penny rounding method of pricing to seek to maintain a stable share price.  A government money market fund would be defined as any money market fund that invests 99.5 percent (formerly 80 percent) or more of its total assets in cash, government securities and/or repurchase agreements that are collateralized solely by government securities or cash.  A retail money market fund would be defined as a money market fund that has policies and procedures reasonably designed to limit all beneficial owners of the money market fund to natural persons.  A municipal (or tax-exempt) fund would be required to transact at a floating NAV unless the fund meets the definition of a retail money market fund, in which case it would be allowed to use the amortized cost method and/or penny rounding method of pricing to seek to maintain a stable share price.

One way this might affect individuals, is if they invest in institutional money market funds through their 401K.  It is likely that most retirement plans will choose retail money market funds as a plan option for this reason.  This will affect small and large businesses that use these accounts as short term funding for their day to day and week to week operations.

The new rules will not go into effect immediately.  Fund companies have two years to comply with the new restrictions.

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The key to living well is to take full advantage of precisely what you possess. This is actually very important in these types of difficult economic times exactly where you may have to make due along with a small kitchen rather than remodeling or even purchasing a more substantial home.

The good thing is that you are able to improve your readily available space for storing in actually the most basic of kitchens.

Here are some suggestions that will help you.

Get rid of the mess! If youre like many people, your kitchen will be cluttered together with appliances along with gadgets which youve by no means even used. Or, possibly you bought an item on sale at the shop and make use of it hardly ever. Within instances like these, you might think about giving away your items or even donating them to a thrift store. If there tend to be items which you use from time to time, like cake pans for particular holidays, you might desire to store them somewhere else. For example, you are able to store cake pans, holiday dishes, muffin tins as well as other items in a plastic tote put into the attic or garage.

Relocate items whenever possible. Many times, the kitchen will become a catch all room for items which are generally utilized often. You may want to keep your own phone books, medicine, table linens as well as candles inside a closet as an alternative to allowing these kinds of items to take up beneficial kitchen space.

Think Outside The Box. As opposed to storing items within cabinets, you may wish to increase the rarely used spaces inside your kitchen area. For example, you can purchase organizers that may end up being installed on the interior of your own cabinet doors. This is the perfect destination to store aluminum foil, baggies, as well as other items. Likewise, you might additionally want to install a rack exactly where you are able to hang your pots and pans. This is actually a fantastic method to make use of the otherwise unused space inside your kitchen.

Look up! You are able to put attractive baskets on the top of your kitchen cabinets. After that, fill the baskets along with rarely used items or cookbooks. This should release valuable space too. Nevertheless, make sure to store merely lightweight items within these types of baskets. Storing hefty objects could be a security issue.

Make use of the space under your sink. With the correct organizational items, this particular untouched space can hold things like laundry detergent, kitchen soap, and other cleaning items. In the event that you currently have young children and also store cleaning items or even chemicals under the sink, be sure you install a cabinet lock or even some other safety gadget on the cabinet.

Make time to de-clutter often. Keeping the kitchen neat and free from clutter can seem overwhelming, especially if you possess a large amount of clutter! The answer to keeping your own kitchen free of clutter is usually to take some time each week to de-clutter or eliminate things which you no longer use. This may make sure that your kitchen remains arranged.

Take into account that it will require some time to re-organize and also de-clutter your kitchen space. Several individuals realize that it is useful to spend little increments of time focusing on the work over the course of a couple weeks than to take this particular project all at once. In such a case, you can easily get overwhelmed and stop trying before the project is carried out.

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Getting loan assistance is possible for any job-holder because there is a loan scheme by the help of which one can obtain money whether he has a fair credit history or tagged with bad credit score. All this is possible only by the existence of no credit check payday loans. These loans are like simple payday loans and give money even to those who are suffering from blemished credit status such as late payment, defaults, arrears, CCJs (Country Court Judgments), IVA (Individual Voluntary Arrangements), amount outstanding and so forth, for the reason that there is no credit checking with these loans. This loan method gives a golden chance to bad creditors to improve their credit report. They can do so by repaying the loan on time or the loan amount can be used for paying off old debts. There is no restraint on the usage of loan amount. Hence, it can be used for any vital needs for instance home improvements, paying off previous debts, grocery bills, utility bills, room rent, credit card dues, traveling expenses, car repairing, wedding expenses and the list goes on. Thus, it is easy and hassle free for every job-holder to gain bucks for urgent needs without waiting for next payday and without being failure due to bad credit status.

In order to get the loan you have no need to go out of your comfort zone because no credit check payday loans are available online. The method of procuring money under this loan option is very simple. You just need to complete an online application form and give all the inquired details through filing it and submit it. Once the loan application is approved by lending company, you will get a conformation mail about sanctioning the loan amount and right after that your bank account will be credited with the required loan amount.

For the repayment of the loan you have no need to take any kind of tension as the loan amount will be withdrawn from your bank account electronically. So, you will not have to be worried about anything. One thing that you need to notice about no credit check payday loans is that these loans are provided at slightly high rate of interest due to its unsecured and short term nature. So, you should make a web search in order to find a lender offering loan at lower rate of interest.

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