Home ownership is a dream for many, and many Americans expect to own a home sooner or later. It’s part of the American dream, and home ownership is also commonly thought of as an investment. There is a thought that renting is throwing your money away, and home ownership is more financially savvy as you are building equity.
Not everybody can afford home ownership, as there are many things that come with the territory above and beyond the cost of the mortgage.…
We’ve discussed saving for retirement on Minimalist Finance before. It’s a very important topic about which many people are ignorant.
Saving for retirement is crucial, as nobody can mentally, physically, or emotionally work until death. We’ve established that you must begin to save for retirement, but how much should you be putting away?
There are many financial experts that state that the rule of thumb for retirement savings is that you should be saving between 10-20% of your income starting in your twenties.…
Today is Mother’s Day, and Father’s Day is quick to follow in June. These days are a opportunity to recognize your parents for all the hard work they put into raising you and supporting you. Even if you are now a mother or a father, you still want to show your parents that you are thinking of them on these special days.…
There are many different types of insurance, from life insurance to vehicle insurance, and there’s even jewelry insurance (if you lose a beloved, expensive piece of jewelry). But one type of insurance that many people overlook or don’t know about is pet insurance.
Pets can be very expensive, especially if something goes wrong. Vet bills can be incredibly high, and even just a checkup can set you back hundreds of dollars.…
Working parents everywhere will agree that summer break can be a huge wallet drain, because kids have to go into daycare. Daycare is not cheap, especially since rates tend to rise in the summer when the care facilities receive a huge influx of children.
If your kids aren’t old enough to stay at home alone during the summer, there are a few things that you can do to avoid spending a ton of money on daycare.…
When budget is tight and the economy is not really helpful in fulfilling your plan to get away from work and spend some quality time with your family, then fear not because there is a simple solution to your problem. With a few easy-to-do tricks and a little patience with execution, you can transform your own home into a creative vacation getaway.…
It’s warming up in North America, and the season is quickly changing from a cool spring to a toasty summer. Summer is a time when kids are off school, parents take their vacations from work, and everything seems to slow down for a little recreational time with the family.
Unfortunately, for families working with lower budgets, it can also be a time that can be very costly.…
Even if you save 90% of your income, there are still some financial things that you may be overlooking, that are preventing you from being a financially well-rounded individual. Being fiscally smart is more than just saving and investing, which is something that many people don’t understand. Here are a few smart money moves that you may not be doing, but should be:
Budgeting is great, but without tracking your spending to see whether or not you achieved your budget and adhered to it, you are wasting your time budgeting.…
With debt levels and erratic spending on the rise, there’s some discussion going on about when to teach your children about money, and whether the school curriculum should include budgeting and money management.
Regardless of whether or not the school system introduces money management programs into the course offerings, children need to be taught earlier. Education should start before high school, so that the principles of money management is ingrained in the child from a young age.…
If you are looking to further your education, one of the biggest considerations in adulthood for doing this is funding it. Education is not inexpensive in North America, and the financial aid that is available to students out of high school is likely not still available and accessible to adults.
There are a few ways to go about funding the quest for knowledge.…
