Savings Archives - Page 3 of 5

Real Estate Investment Trust

This is not a new investment opportunity as it has been around for a long time now. The problem is if you are not into investing and do not read investing books, you probably never heard of this type of investment opportunity. What is a real estate investment trust? Exactly what you might think it is when you read the title. They are companies that invest in real estate holdings, offer shares to investors so that they can own a piece of the pie. This in turn provides the company with the influx of cash to invest into more properties. Now the secret sauce to this deal is that by law these REITS must pay out about 90% of all the income they make back to shareholders. If they make 1 million dollars a year they have to pay out 900K to all the owners. Usually all the dividends are paid out on a monthly time schedule. Now what company you know gives almost all of its profits back to the owners? (None I’ve seen)

I am a big proponent in holding some REITS long-term, as it can provide a substantial amount of income and the ability to diversify nest egg money away from the usual U.S. large cap equities. The REIT market on average provides yields of about 5% and this is not including any capital appreciation on the price of the stock when you decide to sell. For a few examples of REITS in the market today see below:

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The Financial Benefits of Walking

Did you ever consider how many financial benefits out of walking you can get? Besides the health benefits walking can provide you so much more that people can extract from the simple act of walking. I walk everyday about 1 mile, and it helps me refresh my mind. For example if I am stressed over something the walking helps. Also if I am feeling mentally tired by a task at work that is getting very repetitive, well walking helps with this situation as well. It’s safe to say anyone with the right mind frame and with an able physique understands the awesomeness of walking. Now let’s focus on the money side of walking and how the heck it can help you out as well. See below for 5 tips on the financial benefits of walking.

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The 10 Secrets Millionaires Live By

What are the 10 secrets millionaires live by? Well I will share what I have read below from various books, money magazines, blog posts, and by word of mouth. These secrets can be attained by anyone looking to do things smarter, better, and financially sound regarding personal finance. Did you know I have a direct line of contact with Warren Buffett? So he actually told me three of these awesome secrets. (I’m Kidding) The rest were found on a very trustworthy site like Reddit. No seriously keep reading as it is worth it to find out the fabulous secrets the rich use day in and day out to grow their wealth.

The secrets do not involve insider trading or being on a fancy executive chair position when Facebook buys your online company for billions. No they will be secrets that are actually attainable in life, and will definitely not put you behind bars. One of the secrets if you already read this blog and I’ve stressed from the beginning is deciphering the value and symbolism of money.

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RV Living

Hey guys I recently saw on TV a show about a family of 14 living in an RV. Whoa did you just read correctly? Yes they travel from city to city, enjoying the outdoors, living life far from the norm. It is a Dad, Mom and 12 kids all ranging from ages 20 – 1 year old. From what I saw on the small TV segment they seemed happy to be road tripping for an indefinite time. This is an amazing contradiction to question the bigger is better house lifestyle. Do we really need a 4 thousand square foot house in Arizona to live a happy comfortable life?

Personally I would prefer having a decent sized home with a bigger than average back yard. Why because I am happiest when I am outside moving around. After watching this special I am considering living a year in an RV road tripping after retirement. Mind you I do not have the stats if this will reduce your annual expenses or not. My fellow blogger at canIretireyet.com said in a post once that it does reduce expenses from his experience, so please take his word for it because he already achieved financial freedom.

After all these details about living in RV tight spaces, enjoying the outdoors, and reducing expenses. Would this sway you to maybe give the RV lifestyle a shot? If you fit the personality I say go for it, as adventures can only be had once you begin one. Personally I would do it just to avoid the crazy property taxes NJ has and pocket the savings to help give me an extra buffer against inflation in my nest egg. When I retire in that first year, I can probably save about 15 grand because taxes in my state are now in the 7-12K range for an average house and they are headed up in the future. The only downside is I would have to sell the house, and then buy another one when my adventurous RV life comes to an end.

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Emergency Fund Heck Yea

I recently wrote a piece titled the 5 reasons you need an emergency fund and it was a success. Now I want to give you a sequel to the subject at hand named emergency fund heck yea. I implore you to do anything possible to build this baby up because in life we have no real safety nets. Mind you I want this to be a funny post, provided by actual circumstances that might have happened to me, someone else or just plain old fiction.

We just don’t know when bad luck will hit our doorstep, and I am doing a community service by giving you these reasons below for your cackling amusement. Mind you if you are Derek Fisher (NBA Coach) you should stop reading right now, because he just signed a $25 million dollar contract.

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Pension Concerns are Alarming

Do you know that many municipalities in the US are filing for bankruptcy due to retirement pension default? A recent report released by Bridgewater states that 85% of them will fail in a specific time frame. How confident are you that your pension will last you the rest of your living years? This is why pension concerns are alarming for millions of people in the US. It is a frantic time for anybody who is dependent on that pension succeeding because most are hanging on a short financial string. A sharp scissor is ready to cut funding and politicians could care less. The problem in my opinion is that the people who manage the funds, are not doing enough to grow it, or are misusing the money for the municipality’s other budget shortfalls.

Private pensions are on the same boat as the public pensions. The corporation who was set up to help failing pensions is 34 billion in deficit. The numbers do not lie as it beckons anyone who believes pensions will be around to support them. As quoted in Forbes, “Over the past forty years the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation has assumed responsibility for thousands of failed plans. Traditional defined benefit pension plans offered by private employers are rapidly facing extinction and with the PBGC’s deficit recently hitting a record $34 billion, the future of private pensions looks grim.”

Now let’s focus on what can we do to avoid getting a heart attack due to worries that your pension might go under very soon. It all boils down to realizing you have to save more while in your working years. See the pension as gravy if you get it when you retire. Never be dependent on that income from day one and you will see things differently.

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5 Reasons you Need an Emergency Fund

Hello my friends today we will entertain you with a fun light hearted post. Let’s discuss how you can revel in the security behind having an emergency fund account. This has been done many times over and I truly don’t understand why individuals can’t grasp this, as the benefits behind having an EF are overwhelmingly simple to comprehend. Now you can argue that there are 5 reasons to not have an emergency fund, and I’ll say to you stop hating.

I know life has its drama and at times situations prevent you from saving. Move forward and make the best of the present. Just take any of the 5 reasons mentioned and smile because you probably had the same thought once in your life and couldn’t implement the emergency fund then. See below for the 5 reasons why you need an emergency fund.

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The New MyRA Account

There is a new account that the government will be releasing soon to entice people to save more money. Its called MyRA and it obviously stands for My Retirement Account, I must say it is very catchy phrase. The government is backing it with full faith treasury bonds. Does this mean the government will take on more debt?

The New MyRA Account:

Employer must sign up for the program

You must have Direct Deposit

It will have a 191K household income limit

There is no match and you can put in up to $5500 a year.

It is not invested in the Stock Market aka No Risk

The funds will be invested in Govt. Bonds aka like TSP Plans

$25 minimum investment to start

You can contribute to a MyRA and 401K and other retirement accounts offered

If the account reaches 15K or 30 years, then it must be rolled into a Roth IRA

Expect to earn around 1-3%, with no loss to principal.

You can withdraw funds at any time with no taxes or penalties (Emergency Account)

Must wait till 59.5 to withdraw any earnings on money with no taxes or penalties at all.

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