Personal Finance Articles

Despite several glitches in iPhone 4 and pilling up complaints, millions are still buying it, only to own the world’s smartest phone. Let us, however, dig a bit deeper into the issue and discuss common gripes faced by Apple’s iPhone 4. Antenna Gorgeous stainless steel casing that gives iPhone an elegant look also serves as the antenna. Besides, external antenna, along with giving it an ultra-thin look, was supposed to enhance the phone’s signal strength, as mentioned by Steve Jobs. And he is absolutely right. The new antenna’s connectivity has been significantly improved, only if you don’t hold the phone with your left hand. When your palm touches the antenna, your skin brings minute gap between two antennas, causes it to loose its connectivity. This glitch was taken so seriously  [...] 

Europe’s debt problems are far from over, as Ireland’s debt rating dropped, and negotiation between International Monetary Fund and Hungary came to a stalemate. As per Moody’s Investors Service research, Ireland government’s bonds rating dropped from Aa2 from Aa1. This drop in rating suggests weakening economy and rising debt, which is certainly a concern for the country. The financial strength of Irish government dropped significantly, but gradually, which is considered to be the primary reason of this fall in rating. The financial sector took a hit early in 2008, and it’s been worsening since then. Besides, tax revenue of the country dropped considerably, which was a major contributor to government funds. The debt to equity ratio had dropped to 64% last year, and it’s falling  [...] 

If you are about to make a career decision, but are bit confused about what to choose, you must consider Certified Financial Planner as an option. This is, in my opinion, one of the best jobs available in the world today. Certified Financial Planner Job of a CFP is very similar to a family doctor. However, instead of physical problems, a CFP diagnoses and eliminates your financial problems. Being a certified professional, this guy will help you get you finances back on track, by providing you necessary tools and advices. CFP is an expert, similar to a doctor, lawyer, and accountant, who specializes in a particular area. People come to them to seek professional advice, owing to the vast experience and expertise in the field. They help you achieve your financial goals, which include designing  [...] 

There was a time in past, around a year ago, when I used to eat ready-made food twice, sometimes thrice a week. Not because I enjoyed the taste (I must admit it tastes horrible), but because I wanted something easy and quick. I actually never enjoyed eating this food. However, when I gave it a serious thought, I realized there are several disadvantages of having TV dinner and ready-made meals, let’s have a look at few of them. 1. You Become Lazy I would rather prefer becoming lazy by eating out at a restaurant than gulping down ready-made, tasteless food. By bringing this food home, you are doing no good to your body. First, it doesn’t have any nutrients, and is tasteless. Second, you don’t move your body. Instead, you can cook something at home today, and freeze the remaining food, which  [...] 

Marriage is certainly a cheerful event, but it somehow affects your career path. If you plan to have a kid, you will have to either spend money for their care, or give up your job to take care of them yourself. In either case, household income will certainly go down. However, there are certain advantages of staying at home and taking care of your children. If you are planning to do so, but are worried about your financial loss, you need to consider the following points: Save Money on Child Care This is one of the biggest financial benefit you can have of staying at home and taking care of your children yourself. Instead of hiring someone, you can do things better, and save around $250 – $300 every week. Save Money on Taxes If one of you quits your job and has no income, you obviously  [...] 

While walking through a grocery store, simply look around for packaged items, especially the ones that are expensive. You will find that similar items without packaging are comparatively cheaper. Pasta, for instance, costs more when you order a parcel, which has a box, and a plastic packet inside. We aren’t ordering pasta because we like the packaging, or we like to pay for the package. Alright, one may argue convenience is important. There is, however, a connection in what I am stating. Reduce Packaged Items in Your Cart Even if you want to buy packaged items, buy in bulk. Packaging on small items generally costs much more than packaging on big items. Another way to reduce your cost is by shopping in stores that don’t focus much on packaged products. For instance, at many markets,  [...] 

$1,000 is not a small amount. If you have saved it, or you have received it as your birthday check, don’t let it simply go waste. Instead, spend it in a wise manner. Here are few things you can do with your $1,000. Strengthen Your Emergency Fund Dont fret if you dont have an emergency fund. You have a great opportunity to start with $1,000. if you already have it, add this amount to your fund. The best part about emergency fund is they can be used any time, any where during emergencies. You don’t have to liquidate it like other investments. Hence, having such a fund should be your priority. Consult a Financial Planner You can skip this step if your finances are in place. However, if you have accumulated enormous debt, and don’t know how to repay them, consult a financial consultant,  [...] 

If the world would have been perfect, we would all have dealt in cash, without even realizing what the word ‘debt’ means. We would never have missed a payment because we would have taken care of our expenses in a perfect manner. Creditor’s Calls? There wouldn’t be anybody calling us up except for friends, family, and co-workers. We would never have known how it feels to be frustrated to due lack of money. Nor we would have taken extra pain to pay our monthly expenses, or just to afford another car. The world, however, is far from being perfect. We have distressing situations everywhere, and we have to take the pains to survive in this world. Or we have the option to make ‘our own’ world perfect. If you think there are problems with your finances, take charge  [...] 

Last evening, during an interview with a financial magazine, I was asked a question “What’s the single best advice for readers to save money?” It would have been a piece of cake if the question would have been ‘tell me about some money saving tips’ or ‘ways to save money each month’. But when she asked ’single best advice’, I had to think for a while (and she also was bit surprised with it). However, not according to her expectations, I came up with a very simple, ordinary advice. Although I knew that was a good one, it was certainly not the best one I could think of. So, for the next few hours I mulled over the same question, and I came up with two answers. Earn More, Spend Less This is certainly important, and you simply cannot save money breaching  [...] 

Even if you have the highest paying job in the world, you can be under debt due to your habits. Your approach, your habits can make your rich (or make you poor). Hence, it’s important to pay attention to them, and change them, if necessary. Habit 1: Working For Money Don’t expect money to come to you, even if you have bought all the lottery tickets. To earn money you need to work. If you don’t have an intention to earn money from your work, you will end up working for charity. Work hard, earn more, be proud to be rich. Habit 2: Spend It The more you spend the more you want to spend. Hence, you work more and earn more to spend more. That’s life. You cannot sit idle and watch TV. There are many things you can do with money: buy new pair of shoes and clothes, go out with  [...]