You’d be surprised how often I’m asked some variation on this question. People will write in to me asking me whether they should buy an index fund (in other words, they would own a little bit of a LOT of stocks and ride the averages of the stock market), a managed mutual fund (where someone else actively chooses stocks for them), or whether they should just pick stocks for themselves. They’ll ask me my opinion on various investments and investment advisors.

Really, in the end, their questions come down to one issue. Can I beat the stock market and earn a greater return for my money than I might get in an ordinary index fund?

The answer is yes, of course you can, but the ability to do so isn’t that simple.

Here’s how I like to explain it. Let’s take 1,000 random people who have at least some money invested in the stock market, whether in their retirement funds or otherwise, and give them each $100,000 to invest in the stock market.

At

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If you take a good look at your spending habits you will see that there are things you buy on a daily basis that you really do not need. This is not to say that you should never have anything nice or that you should not buy the things that you want. However, it isn’t working to remember that sometimes you must give up something you want in order to put money away toward something you need. In this case we are talking about your retirement fund. While you may be young and full of energy now and the thought of retirement or a retirement plan has never really crossed your mind, there will come a time when you wish you had 20 or 30 years to do over again if you do not plan for your retirement now.

Creating a budget in which you will set a certain amount of money aside from each and every paycheck toward your retirement is an essential part of setting yourself up for your future. If you do not know how to create a budget it is very simple. Make a ledger over a period of about 30 days, on that ledger and you will list everything you pay out and everything you bring in.
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It is very important that you use the right accounting system when you are running a company. Some companies opt for the cash method of accounting while others choose the accrual method. The major difference in these two methods seems to be the way taxes are filed at the end of the year. With the cash method all monies are accounted for and filed as soon as they come in or go out. With the accrual method the money is tracked based on when it is invoiced not necessarily when the actual money comes in. Some businesses feel that this method leaves too much room for error and for this reason they choose the cash method but in terms of taxes the accrual method is a favorite.

If you run a business such as retail or grocery in which you keep a good amount of inventory then the accrual method may actually be the best option for you. The more money companies deal with annually the more they seem to lean toward using the accrual method of accounting. In fact, the tax agency in your country may actually require you to use this method if you have more than a certain amount in income every year. In order to choose the right system it may be necessary to consult with a financial adviser or an accounting firm.
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When I’m Sixty-Four is, of course, one of the classic songs by The Beatles, written by Paul McCartney (credited to Lennon/McCartney) and released in 1967 on their Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band. 

The theme is about aging with a young man singing to his lover about his plans of them growing old together.

It was also one of the songs in their 1968 animated film, Yellow Submarine, the video for which follows:   

But that was in 1967 when retiring at that age was still a reality. No yellow submarine today – not with Americans’ confidence in their ability to afford a comfortable retirement at a new low. The “75″ in the headline is a reference to Olivia Mitchell, a professor of insurance and risk at the Wharton School, who says that some employees may have to stay in the workforce to age 75 or older. 

Retirement preparedness, or lack thereof, will be the focus of my new weekly column for BenefitsPro the new blog published by Benefit Selling Magazine. Here is a link to my first post, The Challenge Ahead: Helping Employees Better Prepare For Retirement. 

Student loans can be tough on recent college graduates in Alabama. However, because of student loan forgiveness programs, these days, many former students can find student loan debt relief.

Forgiving Student Loan Debt

Student Loan Forgiveness programs in Alabama will give relief of most of students loan debt. This is doneto encourage graduates to perform certain functions that help society and give back to the community. Sometimes it comes in the form of an allowance or a repayment of the loan for the graduate.

Volunteer Organizations and Loan Forgiveness

Volunteer organizations that makes a difference in the society provides student loan forgiveness to give students an incentive to help them assist others such as:

• The AmeriCorps
• The Peace Corps
• VISTA (The Volunteers in Service to America)

The AmeriCorps provides a salary along with student loan forgiveness.This is offered to those that give a year of service. The Peace Corps lets its’ volunteers defer payments for Stafford, Perkins, and Consolidation loans. T

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Love can make us do stupid things.   Getting caught up in a new relationship can lead to mistakes in our financial lives that we only see in hindsight.  With more people deciding to co-habitate prior to marriage, money problems often times pop up far sooner than couples are ready to deal with them.

One big mistake that couples continue to make time and time again is opening joint accounts without considering the financial ramifications for each individual. When you are not married, in particular, its not always the smartest move to hitch your wagon to someone financially. 

Weve provided some tips that are useful when considering a joint credit card account as well as some advice for how to make it an easier more comfortable conversation to have with your beloved:

Are We Ready for the Next Step?

If you havent discussed what you are doing together tomorrow, there is a strong likelihood you have no solid plans for the long-term future of your relationship. Money matters a

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The state of Montana does not run a college loan program. College loans in Montana are federal loans. The Direct Federal Student Loan Program in the state manages them. This program does not offer any state specific loans or incentives to college students in the state.

Getting School Funding in Montana

The states Direct Federal Student Loan is currently the only Montana student loan program in the state these days. Montana students that have college fees and tuitions due need to contact the program for getting school funding.

Federal Direct Loan Program in Montana

Students in Montana use the program to access Federal Direct Loan in their subsidized and unsubsidized forms. Federal Direct Loans are affordable low-interest loans for college students to assist with the cost of post secondary education. The entity-providing the loan is the United States Department of Education and not banks or lending institution.

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The Latin phrase that serves as the title of this post means simply “toward the building of character.”

Character isn’t something that’s often discussed on personal finance sites in a direct fashion, but character certainly is a key component in financial and professional success.

What exactly do I mean by character? When I say “character,” I’m generally referring to a person’s durable moral qualities. In other words, a person with high character would be a person I would expect to act in a way that I could positively rely upon if needed.

How does this help with personal finance, you might ask. A person with character is a person that others are likely to call on if they need help as well as times when they have an opportunity. A person with character is much more likely to find aid in their time of need from friends and from their community. A person with character is less likely to be removed from a job that they have.

That’s not to say that any of these statements are absolutes. They’re just indi

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All investors should have a system they use to approach investing. The ultimate goal of this system is to help the investor effectively make consistent investing decisions without being tossed to and fro by market conditions.

People who suffer the greatest investing losses are those who are constantly getting in and out of ‘hot’ stocks and those who buy and sell according to the dips and spikes of the market. Not only is this approach less-than-profitable, it is also stressful and time consuming.

An alternative option is to accept a systematic approach to investing. One such approach is called dollar cost averaging (DCA). DCA is a stress-free, effective way to invest in the market.

How Does Dollar Cost Averaging Work?

The process is amazingly simple. You invest the same amount of money at regular intervals.

John Doe might decide to invest $150 on the first of every month. Jane Doe could invest $75 every Monday. Onc

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