Site Archives 401k

Do Automatic Retirement Contributions Help or Hurt?


You may have heard about the movement to automatically opt employees into their 401K’s. Right now, the default option is for you not to contribute. When you’re hired they ask you if you’d like to contribute and how much. If you say no, then nothing is taken out of your check. There is a movement [...]

Dave Ramsey Financial Peace University Review: Week 10


This week we moved on to Baby Steps Four and Five, which are saving for retirement and saving for your kids’ college education. Baby step four was on deck first, which is to save 15% of your household income in tax-advantaged plans. Dave points out that, at the time this class was filmed, 53% of [...]

A Life Without Debt: Building Wealth


If you are at all interested in finance, you’ve probably heard that it is necessary to be debt free in order to build substantial wealth. While a few gifted investors manage to build wealth while having a lot of real estate debt (think Trump) or debt that finances a business venture (think the people who [...]

Why 401(k) Retirement Plans Really Don’t Work, and How to Fix Them


With the death of defined pension plans, 401(k) retirement plans have become a staple for many employees, but the recent financial turmoil has put these once infallible savings vehicles under the microscope. There have been numerous news articles detailing the stunning losses of the stock market since October of last year. Such stories usually offer [...]

Financial Regrets From This Past Year and What I’ll Do Differently In ’09


Although we are financially secure and tend to make wise decisions regarding our finances, we still screw up sometimes and do things that we later regret. We’re human. However, while we may have regrets I choose to look at them as learning opportunities. Whatever we regret from this past year is something that can be [...]

The Four Keys to a Successful Financial Future


There are many things you can do to improve your finances. We talk a lot about the various ways to cut your spending and increase your savings, both big and small. All the options can be difficult to sort out. There can be a lot to learn, particularly if you’re new to looking after your [...]