emailprint Political news constantly highlights Social Security as not being funded enough (not true, but that’s the line). Pensions — especially government pensions — are not funded enough (true). And 401(k)’s took a hit in the Great Recession, giving many people 40% haircuts to their potential retirement nest eggs in a very short period. But… Continue Reading
Category Archives: Personal Finance
How to trick yourself into saving money in your 401(k)
Saving money isn’t easy, especially for something so way out there, like, you know, retirement. Yet the more you save right now, the better position you will be in the future. Compound interest from saving early means something and what it means is more security and choice the closer you get to retirement. There are… Continue Reading
How to manage your 401(k)
Two Hundred Dollars 2 by Surat Lozowick Check out this guest post on 401(k)’s. Though basic in approach, it goes through the decisions you need to make to manager your 401(k). ——————————- For most people, a 401(k) is an excellent financial tool which helps them save for retirement without having to pay taxes on either… Continue Reading
5 personal finance actions to do before 2010
The end of the year is my time to review my finances. While I’m not a personal finance expert, I am responsible for my personal financial decisions that I make during the course of the year. In order to get perspective — and not get burned — I take this week to do my personal… Continue Reading
Personal finance excellence is now a required Cubicle Warrior skill
Part of having resiliency in your career is having your financial house in order. The reason is that good personal finances keep desperation away when you are laid off and allows you to make job and career choices because they are right for you, not because you are overwhelmed with bills. Right now, credit card… Continue Reading
How personal finance is career management
When CIO’s start getting articles about personal finance — the basics, not the fancy investments — you know that personal finance has come to career management. Here’s the basic thrust of Where Personal Finance and Career Management Meet: Good career management stems from a foundation of good financial management. Career freedom and financial freedom begin… Continue Reading
4 benefits of practicing a layoff
With job losses continuing, job stress for those still employed continues. Does management know how to distribute the work? What work will we no longer do? Will there be more layoffs? Will I have a layoff next? For those who are already laid off, the mission is clear: find another job. For those who stay,… Continue Reading
Your personal finance safety net
When dealing with your personal finances, I’ve long recommended saving one year’s take-home pay. I have seen few personal financial advisers favor that amount of savings; most say an emergency fund typically three to six months long. That’s hard enough to do, I understand. But Cubicle Warriors take the challenge and get the savings out… Continue Reading
When will the economy get better – Part II
Part I of “When will the economy get better?” noted that it is sometimes easier for me to see how we are doing through charts and graphs. It referred people to the Calculated Risk blog and the excellent February Economic Summary in Graphs. What the short article did not do was explain why I use… Continue Reading
Manage your 401(k) in cash
Part of managing your career is managing your 401(k). Right now, your 401(k) is looking ugly. Should you stop contributing to your 401(k)? Here are three reasons to keep contributing – and one reason you might stop. 401(k) has company match Without going crazy on percentages, if your company is contributing a company match to… Continue Reading
