Term Life Insurance Rates Going Down

(Suddenly, life insurance is cheap) This is great news for anyone with people that depend on them for their financial well being. The article discusses how term life insurance rates have dramatically declined in recent years. The main reason being that selling these policies is no longer lucrative for insurance agents. An agent would rather sell you a more advanced insurance product that they get higher commissions on. Something to think about if you visit a financial planner and they gloss over a term policy and move on to other options.

Go a Little Bit Greener By Using Less Energy

Here is a quick read about saving some ways to save energy (Easy ways to cut your energy bill).

Pay Down Mortgage vs. Invest for Retirement

This article covers a question I have always wondered (The Cost of Peace of Mind). The idea centers around the prospect that you end up with more money in the end investing in a retirement plan then sending in extra mortgage payments. The author makes a clear argument that there is a good chance you will come out on top investing for retirement, but most people find the piece of mind of paying more on a mortgage better for them.

An Interesting Look at Procrastination

I found this article useful (Breaking the Perfection Habit). The idea is that perfection gets in the way of starting and accomplishing tasks. The worry someone has about getting something exactly right prevents them from starting tasks. This could be something that can be applied to retirement savings. The questions I seem to read are people asking where and why they should put money in a certain place. Maybe if we were a little less worried about getting our savings in the perfect place to get the best possible return, we might see that just having savings in some vessel might be better than waiting until we feel we have the perfect vessel to put our money in.

No More Pure Handouts From Parents

Here is an article worth reading (Meet the Parents-Backed Mortgage). I always hate hearing stories about parents giving their children huge gifts. This creates a situation where the parent gets something in return. I like the idea of this type of arrangement instead of a gift.

Solar Panels that Look Like Shingles

This article caught my attention and turned out to be informative (Solar Power Without Solar Panels). It explains how it is possible to get roof shingles and other common building materials that can collect solar energy. I am eager for all this green push to become more affordable to the average person.

Fiancial Urban Legends

Just a quick article with some short and interesting facts (10 Financial Urban Legends).

Subprime Bailout

I agree with the author of this article (Footing the Bill for the Subprime Fiasco). Toward the end of the article she briefly bring up the point that a Subprime Bailout sets up a precedence that could be hard to keep up with. I have never understood why the government protects the few in so many situation. There are several of us out there paying our bills, taxes and all other expenses on time. Why should we be the one's footing the bill through our taxes for the few who are not responsible and make financial mistakes? I believe her example about Baby Boomer's not being financial responsible for retirement is the perfect point for the next great "Governmental Debate." Why should the government give handout to those who can not prepare for themselves?

Educating Children About Finances

Here is an article about what some states are trying to do to prepare young people for financial responsibility (Teaching Life Lessons in Dollars and Cents). Is this the right way to prevent the government from having to bailout people in the future? I'm not 100% sure responsibility is something that can be taught in a school in a semester. I believe that responsibility is achieved through someone removing the safety nets and letting people learn the consequences of not being responsible. Personally the fear of what happens when you are not responsible keeps me in line.

Is Financial Worrying Bad?

I often wonder if all this worrying about money while I'm young is depriving me or if all this worry and work will pay off in the end. In this article (Does Money Make You Mean?) the author reports about some studies and how having money on the mind affected a person's behavior. Are all of us here that are reading this obsessing over money and missing out on what life is really about? Or are we just delaying gratification?

Roth 401K vs. Traditional 401K

I found the following article (Meet one dissenter from Roth 401(k) rah-rah chorus) to be something that made me think about Roth products in a slightly different way. This article points out that when you are investing in a Roth product you need to think beyond the points of what your effective tax rate is now against what it will be in retirement. The author points out that many things can happen with tax laws between now and when you retire. Her opinion about giving up a sure thing now for a promise in retirement brings to light an interesting risk. The best point in the article is that we are living in a time of huge tax deficits. Many people are out there saying that you should invest in Roth products now because tax rates are at a low and are sure to go up. Who is to say that your Roth product is not going to be the government's answer to the tax deficit in 40 years? I do not see this happening and I hope this would never happen, but it does make you think about how uncertain the future is.

My Intentions For My New Blog

I keep reading article after article about how to gain something in your financial life from every website I can think to look up. I keep finding articles that are either about how someone making $100,000 plus needs to know what to do with the 8% of their salary that will not fit in their 401K or on the other end of the spectrum I find articles about how someone made it for 3 years on $12,000 and the many unique ways they used to stretch their dollars. I fit into neither of these ends of the spectrum. I do not want to pinch my pennies to the point of buying 2nd hand clothes to get by and I am nowhere near having a problem maxing out my retirement plan options. My intention with this blog is to put up articles that I have found to be useful for my financial planning and understanding of the financial world along with some of my views and hopefully some good advice.