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How much you saved for Retirement?

Hey my financial friends, if somebody walked up to you and asked you, How much you saved for retirement? Would you answer the question honestly or would you dodge the question? The way you answer might shed light on how confident you are with achieving that magical retirement number everybody talks about in the media. I can bet some greenbacks that the people who answer honestly and without hesitation have all their finances in order, plus they might even know the exact number they have saved to the penny. On the flip side the people who have no idea how much they have in retirement, might not be saving enough thus might feel scared that they will never be able to reach that perfect retirement relaxing on an island beach house.

This is obviously an assumption but you get the idea behind how certain subliminal feelings might come to the surface when asked a personal finance question that might be too personal for some people. I totally understand how this might shock some folks to become guarded, but for the most part talking about money should not be so secretive. The one awesome behavior I have witnessed when I speak with others about money is that talking about it, triggers something within them and then they take greater notice to step it up with finances. This hopefully will lead to them being more competitive with how they manage money for the future. In addition to this it can open up great ideas or discussions with how to make more money. If the person is open mined enough to begin the money dialogue.

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Frugal Tip of the Day

This is a quick frugal tip of the day post to help you win with money. The frugal tip is – Avoid Vending Machines. The mark up for vending machine drinks and snacks is over 30%+ when compared to supermarket prices. I have not used a vending machine in over 3 years now, even though my job has one in every floor of a 3 floor building. How did I accomplish such a feat? Well I planned properly, bought my snacks in bulk then brought it in to work. As for drinks, I stopped drinking soda and any sugary juices, and substituted it for water. See below for some simple comparisons.

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Milestones I achieved in 2013

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Hello friends if you are reading this you will soon learn all the milestones I achieved in 2013. I want to do this every New Year as a way to remember what I accomplished and as a way to help me set up my new goals going forward. I hope you succeeded in completing a few goals of your own. This past year was a very memorable one, I can’t complain as I am one step closer to reaching FI and hopefully becoming a full time blogger one day.

Now this is not a post to brag, but a way to recognize that I am finally keeping track in a personal finance capacity and that just transforms me to keep superseding past goals. I want to give you a few milestones relating to several topics, but the majority will be related to personal finance or money management. If you want to catch up with Last year’s Milestones click Here

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Making Side Money as a Restaurant Server

Did you know that being a restaurant server can be a lucrative side job? The majority of people working in this field get paid measly hourly wages from the food establishments, but the people they serve provide them with tips that cover 90% of what they make from that job. Think about it, if you have a great personality and do not mind serving others then you can become a restaurant server as well. Many people who have worked in the food industry will dumb down the potential of what they make in a given night, but if you look at the numbers then you can clearly see that some of them are making some above average income.

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Dividend December

Hey readers did you know that December is the ultimate month for dividend income. Most companies pay dividends and capital gains in December, and it has me smiling all the way to the bank. I enjoy the Holiday cheer in this month, because of the unity I get from joyous gatherings with family. All extra money injected into my retirement accounts is just gravy. As of right now I am reinvesting all those earnings to net me more shares and more income for 2014. The compounding effect is growing and I am happy to know that each penny earns me more shares every year. If you grasp this financial tip early on in life you will grow assets exponentially. I wonder if all you readers feel the same way about Dividend December being a great month. If you are not aware then pay close attention to what you are earning in investments, it will allow you the information to make necessary changes for the future.

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5 Steps to Securing a Career in the World of Finance

This is a guest post if you are interested in being featured on this site click here.

If you’re looking for a career in finance, it takes more than just desire to turn money matters into a lifelong profession. Whether it’s financial planning, accounting, or any fiscal necessity in between, today’s financial professionals must have the skills and experience to meet the demand of all things finance.

With money management in mind, the following five steps will help you secure a career in finance.

1. Educate Yourself

Breaking into the world of finance without a solid education is like trying to break into Fort Knox. Financial institutions in the world look for candidates who have a certain level of financial education. So, if you’re lacking in the collegiate department, don’t expect to get your foot in the door.

A bachelor’s degree is absolutely necessary, but that doesn’t mean you should stop there. Candidates with master’s degrees in finance are gaining more and more attention, but so are those candidates with diverse extracurricular activities like interning at financial planning firms or preparing tax returns.

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Do you Value your Loose Change?

Did you know that in airports all across the world travelers leave behind loose change because they are in a hurry to not miss their flights? I understand that some of these travelers need to go in a rush to the airport gate, but this is why planning beforehand is important for your financial future and for many areas of life. The amount of loose change left every year is staggering, and it gives evidence to the wastefulness of certain people. Do you value your loose change? I hope you do because every coin you keep and save will provide you with dollars in terms of compound interest. How hard is it for a traveler to inspect their pockets before reaching the TSA station, and easily transfer any coins from pockets to their on board bags. If they don’t have a bag, then just take 5 seconds to place the coins back in your pocket. Do you really think that in 5 seconds you will miss your flight?

I will provide you all the evidence for the biggest offenders in the Airport loose change travesty. Obviously the people who are traveling are the offenders, but you can clearly see that the first two airports are the party destination locations. I wonder who travels to these airports the most? I will assume it is young people and people working in the entertainment industry, who travel the most to these destinations. One segment of the travelers is too young and careless to care about loose change, and the other segment of the travelers is making so much money that the change might be a way for them to give back to society. (Insert Sarcasm)

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What are my values?

When I decided to write about my values and what they mean to me, I had to think for a second because of all the other white noise in my head. But for a few seconds as I stared into space, I drew a blank then reconfigured my priorities based on what are my values. My values are the important aspects of my life that I will not change or give up for any reasons, and yes my values have changed over time with age.

One of the definitions for value is- The worth, importance, or usefulness of something to somebody This is why I value what I am doing for the blog, because it I am keeping a journal for what’s going on in my head, plus I am inspiring others with valuable financial information all at the same time. I wish to assist my readers with self improvement behavior tactics primarily based around money management. I have always wanted to teach others as much as possible about personal finance, and I am achieving it every day through this blog. OK enough tooting my own horn; let’s discuss what are my values?

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