IF YOU RUN INTO A FINANCIAL BIND, IT CAN BE VERY TEMPTING TO THINK ABOUT RAIDING FUNDS FROM YOUR 401(K) OR SIMILAR RETIREMENT ACCOUNT TO MEET YOUR NEEDS. However, taking out money before you turn 59½ can be costly. First, since money in a traditional 401(k) has not...
The famous English poet Alexander Pope once said: "To err is human, to forgive, divine." Pope was certainly right about errors. Mistakes are part of the human condition. If you aren't making the occasional misstep or suffering from the odd lapse in judgment, then you...
You've carefully allocated funds for everything in your budget, and things are going beautifully – and then you spot it. That one item that makes you forget all about your other expenses and throw caution to the wind. It doesn’t matter if the desired item is a car...
The holidays are almost here, and no matter what you celebrate, you’ll be looking at some additional spending in the months ahead. Preparing in advance and coming up with a reasonable budget can help minimize the impact of the holidays on your finances – and careful...
Inflation is the rate at which the general price of goods and services increases over time. As the cost of the things you buy increases, it means you need to spend more to buy them – so your money doesn’t go as far as it did before. For decades, inflation was a...
Making Sense of Your Budget Is an On-Going Process, Not a Single Event Once you've tracked your expenses for one month – typically the minimum amount of time you need to track your expenses to get a clear idea of your actual spending behavior – it's time to compare...
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