Tackling Your Credit Card Debt

Do you watch the Super Bowl for the game or for the commercials?  For me, it really depends on which teams are playing, but I can’t deny that those million dollar ads often keep me in my seat through the commercial breaks.  This year, Comcast reports that advertisers will pay about $3.5 million for a 30 second spot, but that figure seems like a drop in the bucket compared to $798 billion…that’s the amount Americans now owe on their credit cards.

Recent released Federal Reserve data indicates that consumer borrowing is again on the rise.  With increased spending in the last quarter of 2012, U.S. consumer credit card debt has now reached a staggering $798 billion.  In my last post, I recommended that each of us should access and review our free annual credit report at AnnualCreditReport.com.  If your credit report shows that you have credit card debt that contributes to this enormous U.S. consumer debt total, now is the time take action!

In the spirit of the upcoming NFL Super Bowl, now is the time for you to tackle your own credit card debt.  Follow these steps to move you down the field and toward the goal line of a (credit card) debt-free future:

(1)  Huddle up. Assess your current credit card debt status.  Use your credit report to gather information on your outstanding credit card balances, interest rates, minimum payments and due dates.

(2)  Review your playbook.  Assess the minimum payments on all outstanding credit cards and make sure cash flow allows you to stay current; determine if/how much cash flow allows for more than minimum payments.

(3)  Narrow down your potential plays and make the call.  Check into the possibility of combining outstanding card balances to a card with a 0% interest or at least one with a lower rate.  Determine your strategy for tackling outstanding balances.  From a purely numbers perspective, you will end up paying the least by directing allowable cash  flow to making extra payments on highest interest rate cards first.  However, you must choose the strategy that keeps you moving forward, so if paying off the smallest card first (even if the interest rate is lower) makes you feel like you’re making the most progress, that may be the best strategy for you.

(4)  Keep moving forward by avoiding penalties.  Keep making payments against your outstanding debt AND avoid moving backwards by charging more.  Put your credit card spending in time out until your credit card debt has been paid down.

As Tim Wyman mentioned in his recent post about your Net Worth, one way to positively affect your financial wealth is to decrease your debt.  Set yourself up to score on your Net Worth and plan to tackle your credit card debt in 2012.

Source:  http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052970203899504577130940265401370.html

The Genetics of Saving

For all of you that find saving money for future goals a challenge – don’t worry – its genetics!  At least that’s what a recent study seems to suggest.  Stephan Siegal, assistant professor at the University of Washington, Foster School of Business in Seattle, concludes that based on his research that “genetics is the single greatest determinate of an individual’s propensity to either save or spend.”   Professor Siegal’s research and conclusions are sure to draw interest from the many individuals and advisors that just might think his explanation is a bit too simplistic.                                                 

In working with individuals who have accumulated the necessary wealth to meet their goals, such as financing a college education or funding a successful retirement, I have found that saving money is more than just dollars and cents.  Becoming a good saver (and meeting future financial goals) requires discipline, perseverance and sound strategies such as systematic savings plans like 401k’s, 403bs, and other automatic investment plans.

So, the next time you buy the 52” HDTV instead of fully funding your 401k blame your genetic makeup!  And then make sure you schedule your annual meeting with your financial planner to make sure your on track to meet your short and long-term financial goals.

Any information is not a complete summary or statement of all available data necessary for making an investment decision and does not constitute a recommendation. Any opinions are those of Center for Financial Planning, Inc., and not necessarily those of RJFS or Raymond James.

A Holiday Shopping Three-Step Challenge

If you’re like millions of Americans, one of your after Thanksgiving dinner activities tomorrow will be making your holiday shopping list and browsing the Black Friday savings deals that are published in advance.  Your excitement will build as you anticipate the first store door opening on Friday morning.  You will prepare to feel the adrenaline rush as you dash in for the best buys of the season.  You are ready to save!  Or are you?

For most of us, we feel a great sense of accomplishment in finding great deals during the holidays.  In fact, many of us will buy an item that isn’t even on our list because the deal is just too good to pass up.  So, are we actually saving or just spending?  Wouldn’t it be a better strategy to find good deals on those items actually on our list, and save the rest?

My three step challenge for you this Black Friday (and the entire holiday shopping season) is this:

1. Make a list of those items you wish to buy for each person on your shopping list – before you leave home – and set a limit on what you can afford to spend.
2. Find the best deals you can find on those items you have listed, but avoid buying additional items just because the deal is too good to pass up.
3. If you find that you have money left over in your budget after your shopping list is completed, invest in yourself.  Put the extra dollars towards either a short-term savings goal (like a car) or a long-term savings goal (like retirement).  Add the cash to a savings account, investment account, or to your IRA or ROTH IRA (if you haven’t already contributed the maximum amount allowable this year).

Meeting the three step challenge will help you to cross of all of the items on your gift list, feel the accomplishment of finding great deals, and invest in yourself all at the same time!  So get ready, get set, and SAVE!

The Key to Planning for Your Lifestyle in Retirement

After working with retirement clients for nearly 30 years, I have learned many things.  One of the most important lessons I have learned is that we all need to have the answer to one very simple question before we begin the planning process -- “what does it cost for me to live per month”?   As planners we can develop scenarios to help achieve retirement goals, but if we start with the wrong premise, we may be forming strategies to meet the wrong goal. 

Why is it so difficult to come up with a figure for our income needs? The general tendency is to underestimate expenditures and overestimate income. We also think about what we should be spending, not what we do spend.  Not knowing our expenditures comes about because we forget a few things:

• Food, shelter, transportation and clothing are only the beginning of expenses. They are the ones we see each month.
• We need to add insurances, taxes, gifts, car replacements, vacations, travel, family visits, and hobby and entertainment expenses. 
• If you have children, your educational expenses may drop off by the time you retire but you need to determine how much you might need for weddings and launching (yes—getting your darlings out of the parental home)
• If you plan to change your living arrangements, you need to factor in not only the additional cost of making a change but also the change in monthly expenditures related to the move.

There are circumstances that are out of our control, such as the rising cost of health care and insurance, declining markets and inflation.  To guard against these events we need to factor in percentage increases over time and to have a savings cushion of at least six months to help us weather the storm.

When I have gone through this analysis with clients, I often find a dramatic difference between projected income needs and actual income needs.  Can you imagine trying to reach your destination with only half a tank of gas?  It doesn’t work. Using the wrong expenditure figure can ruin the lifestyle you anticipated.

Talk to your financial advisor about tools to help you track your monthly income needs.

What Does MOM Stand For?

The other day, my teenage daughter related to me a quip she received by way of Twitter.  It goes something like this… a child was pestering his mother about his urgent need for a new cell phone.  The mother continued to answer “NO,” without an end to the requests.  She finally asked in frustration, “Do you think I’m made of money?”   The child replied, “Isn’t that what MOM stands for… Made Of Money?”

My first response to this story was to chuckle; it is a very clever play on words.  However, after my own children continued to use the Made Of Money reference over the next several days, I realized that this is a clear indication of a real problem.  Most school age children and younger adults are receiving little to no financial education at school or at home.  They see the kids on TV and their friends at school ask and receive anything they ask for, without understanding what it takes to earn the dollars that are being spent.

As a parent, what can you do to begin to teach your children about the value of money?

• Help them learn the difference between wants and needs. 
• Pay them an allowance, but make them earn it with specific weekly responsibilities.
• Put them in charge of something (financially) at home; put them in charge of something at home (like food for their pet).  They are in charge of buying it when it runs out…using part of their allowance.
• Encourage saving (i.e. if they can save ½ of something they want, you can match it to make up the difference).

For list of Financial Education Resources for Parents and Children, visit the Certified Financial Planner Board of Standards, Inc. website at http://www.cfp.net/learn/resources_children.asp

Back-to-School Shopping -- 5 Financial Lessons for Your Kids

It’s that time again – the first day of school is right around the corner!  You likely received your supply lists weeks ago and stores have been advertising back-to-school items since the Fourth of July.  If you’re like me, you’re dreading the last-minute crowds…and the bill at check-out.

I have read several articles recently telling parents that the easiest way to save money on school supplies is to leave your children at home.  As tempting as this may be, I urge you to take your children on this shopping trip.  Back-to-school shopping can be a great opportunity for financial education. 

Here are 5 financial lessons you can teach your children:

1.  Take inventory of what you have.  Before you leave the house, make sure you know what you have and what you need to avoid purchasing duplicate items.

2.  Comparison shop.  Search printed newspaper ads or shop the internet to find sales and compare prices on the items you need.  Coupons are also a great savings tool!

3.  Set a budget.  Set the maximum dollar amount you can afford to spend, and stick to it.  This is a basic cash flow planning principle we should all stick to!

4.  Stick to a list.  Make a list of the items you need, and don't deviate.  Just like a trip to the grocery store, straying from your list can be detrimental to your wallet.

5.  Make smart choices.  Within your budget, there may be items you choose to spend more on.  Consider buying store brands for basic items, and spending a little extra for others (backpacks, clothes, etc.) to enhance quality or style.

Prepare a plan and stick to it for the start to a successful school year!