by Rupe | Oct 17, 2013 | Money Matters
When it comes to car shopping, timing is everything. But the formula for figuring out the perfect time to make the purchase can be complicated.
If you’re shopping for your next new car, keep the following tips and statistics in mind.
Source: USAA
by Rupe | Oct 17, 2013 | Health-Wellness-Sex
Birds do it, bees do it, and men do it any old time. But women will only do it if the candles are scented just right — and their partner has done the dishes first. A stereotype, sure, but is it true? Do men really have stronger sex drives than women?
Well, yes, they do. Study after study shows that men’s sex drives are not only stronger than women’s, but much more straightforward. The sources of women’s libidos, by contrast, are much harder to pin down.
Source: WebMD
by Rupe | Oct 15, 2013 | Money Matters
Many people share the common misconception that estate planning is something only very affluent individuals should do before they die. However, estate planning is important, even for those individuals of modest means. Planning for the disposition of one’s assets upon death can offer significant benefits to all parties involved.
The greatest benefit may lie in knowing that your wishes will be respected. Naming your heirs—and relieving them of unnecessary costs and stress by carefully designating which assets they will receive—is preferable to having a court make such decisions for you.
The estate planning process not only includes designating your heirs, but it may also include establishing vehicles—such as trusts—to help protect your assets. This will help ensure your assets go to the people you care about, and can help minimize taxes. In the event of mental or physical incapacity, an estate plan can designate people to help care for you and your property through a durable power of attorney and a health care proxy. You may also want to include a living will among your estate planning documents, so your health care providers know your wishes regarding the possible use of life-sustaining measures in dire situations.
Source: MassMutual Group
by Rupe | Oct 15, 2013 | Money Matters
Pediatrician’s phone number is programmed into your iPhone, check. Home finally childproofed, check. Hand sanitizers strategically placed everywhere you may need them, check. You’re doing everything by the book for your child, and now it’s time to complete the final step in that equation: getting your finances in order to prepare for your family’s future and dreams. Here are five things every new parent should do:
1. Build up an emergency fund
An emergency fund is a stash of money set-aside to pay for unexpected life events, from new brakes for the car to a surprise medical bill to a new roof. Without it, you might have to pay for those expenses in financially harmful ways like by raiding your retirement fund or going into debt, says Danny Kofke, author of “A Simple Book of Financial Wisdom: Teach Yourself (and Your Kids) How to Live Wealthy with Little Money.” Save at least six months of income in your emergency fund, Kofke says, and put this money in a safe and accessible place, such as a money market or savings account.
Source: MassMutual Group
by Rupe | Oct 8, 2013 | Mad Musings, Not So Recent Reads
Title: Scarcity
Summary:
In the blockbuster tradition of Freakonomics, a Harvard economist and a Princeton psychology professor team up to offer a surprising and empowering new way to look at everyday life, presenting a paradigm-challenging examination of how scarcity – and our flawed responses to it – shapes our lives, our society, and our culture.
Why do successful people get things done at the last minute? Why does poverty persist? Why do organizations get stuck firefighting? Why do the lonely find it hard to make friends? These questions seem unconnected, yet Sendhil Mullainathan and Eldar Shafir show that they are all are examples of a mindset produced by scarcity.
Drawing on cutting-edge research from behavioral science and economics, Mullainathan and Shafir show that scarcity creates a similar psychology for everyone struggling to manage with less than they need. Busy people fail to manage their time efficiently for the same reasons the poor and those maxed out on credit cards fail to manage their money. The dynamics of scarcity reveal why dieters find it hard to resist temptation, why students and busy executives mismanage their time, and why sugarcane farmers are smarter after harvest than before.
Once we start thinking in terms of scarcity and the strategies it imposes, the problems of modern life come into sharper focus.
My Comments:
Still reading this…thus far really enjoying it with a more thorough update…
Grab it from Amazon