A budget is a guide that tells you whether you're going in the direction you want to be headed in financially. You may have goals and dreams but if you don't set up guidelines for reaching them and you don't measure your progress, you may end up going so far in the wrong direction you can never make it back.
Money Market Funds? What’s that anyway? Here’s a definition according to the investment dictionary:
An investment fund that holds the objective to earn interest for shareholders while maintaining a net asset value of $1 per share. Mutual funds, brokerage firms and banks offer these funds.
Are you a newly wed? Here are some tips as you start your new life together:
Use a credit card that offers rewards so you can earn points towards honeymoon travel maybe, or even get cash back vouchers toward purchases for your home.
Here are some easy ways to avoid going into the red:
• Keep a close eye on your bank balance - online, at a branch or through an ATM. • Be aware of your account movements. When are payments going out of your bank account? Do you have enough money coming in to cover them? It may sound obvious, but sometimes you just need to curb your spending and make sure you have enough money in your account.
A mutual fund is a company that pools investors' money to make multiple types of investments, known as the portfolio. Stocks, bonds, and money market funds are all examples of the types of investments that may make up a mutual fund.
The mutual fund is managed by a professional investment manager who buys and sells securities for the most effective growth of the fund. As a mutual fund investor, you become a "shareholder" of the mutual fund company. When there are profits you will earn dividends. When there are losses, your shares will decrease in value.
Financial clutter really builds up at home. All those bills and bits of paper and sometimes you’re never sure what to hold on to. Of course some of us also just throw away bills and ATM stubs as soon as we have them in hand. According to financial expert, Suze Orman, here’s how long you should hold on to what:
Protect yourself against financial predators. Follow these important rules: First of all, Never give out personal information to someone you don’t know or trust. Putting together a ‘picture’ of the person is the start of building up the use of your identity fraudulently. Don’t make it easy! People that you meet online or casually may not be people you can trust – don’t give them personal information like your phone number or where you live, or important confirming evidence like children’s and spouses names or mother’s maiden name. Your personal information is valuable – take a bit of care who gets hold of it.
