-
Taking Over Dad's Checking Account
Negotiating the management of your parents' bank account might be even tougher than taking away their car keys.
But ignoring the problem-even if you're respecting your parents' wishes-can mean that bills don't get paid, or they get paid twice and the checks bounce. Even worse, your parents could get scammed by fake charities.
Wall Street Journal Online, March 6, 2010
-
Long-term Savings Takes a Back Seat during 2009
An analysis of direct calls to the company's helpline and online data from employees of over 300 employers across the country shows that retirement-planning calls remained unchanged from Q4 2008 to Q4 2009 at 8% of total calls, and there was a decline in most other proactive financial planning calls as consumers focused instead on managing their day-to-day finances in response to the crisis. Only 4% of calls in Q4 2009 concerned investing and 3% education planning, while 35% of calls were about debt issues and 34% regarded budgeting and saving.
PLANSPONSOR, March 4, 2010
-
Applying Murphy's Law to Retirement
If you can envision all that might go wrong with retirement planning, you can take steps to reduce your risk.
As a CEO I constantly consider risk in every area of the business--especially in areas where I am not an expert, such as technology. When we develop a new product or service, or make substantial improvements to an existing one, we put it through a thorough testing process where the main goal is to try to "break it." In business, this way of thinking is essential to success, and it occurred to me that it also may be essential in retirement planning.
Yahoo! Finance, March 2, 2010
-
Study Finds Consumers Experiencing Slow Recovery
The financial recovery from the 2008-2009 recession is tepid from a consumer standpoint, with Americans only marginally better off in 2009 than they were one year earlier, according to a study by a financial education firm.
Baby Boomers - Life and Health Insurance News, March 2, 2010
-
Consumers Asking for More Budgeting Help
Financial Finesse, a company that provides financial education services to businesses and their employees, has noticed an uptick in calls about budgeting and debt management.
WebCPA.com, February 23, 2010
-
Financial Finesse Releases Latest Study on Consumer Financial Trends
2009 Lauded as the year of "failure and redemption"
Manhattan Beach, Calif. Feb. 22, 2010. Financial Finesse, the leading provider of unbiased financial education, just released its 2009 findings on consumer financial trends. The report analyzes direct calls to the company's helpline and online data from employees of over 300 employers across the country.
Financial Finesse, Inc., February 22, 2010
-
Rollovers go both ways: Five reasons to roll IRAs into employer plans
We always talk about rolling an employer-sponsored retirement plan into an IRA, but we rarely talk about the reverse scenario. Although an IRA rollover has many benefits, it's not always the best savings plan for your client's employees. Consider some reasons rolling IRA funds into their employer plan might make more sense for them.
Reason #1: You can't borrow from an IRA. Though we hope participants won't need this option, it's sometimes comforting to know it's there. With an IRA, participants can only take withdrawals and, depending on when they take them, they could be hit with a penalty...
Benefits Selling, February 10, 2010
-
Kat's Money Corner: Being money savvy doesn't require an Olympian effort
This being an Olympic year, and with the start of the winter games only days away, I find myself thinking in Olympic terms. For example, to talk about financial planning for the long haul, I'm reminded of the old saying that life is a marathon, not a sprint.
To keep that metaphor's torch lit, think of your retirement as the finish line of your financial marathon. It's the goal you're working toward all the way through that long journey.
Dollars & Sense, KansasCity.com/The Star, February 2, 2010
-
Liz Davidson, CEO of Financial Finesse on Marriage and Money
Liz Davidson has a heart-to-heart with CJOB radio's Nighthawk show host Geoff Currier on the true costs of marriage and how you can avoid them.
CJOB 68: Manitoba, January 15, 2010
-
Saving, budgets gain appeal: More people become frugal in turbulent economic times
As Americans climb out of the recession, a growing number of them are leaving behind their free-spending ways.
The savings rate has risen from near 1 percent at the end of 2008 to about 5 percent near the end of 2009, according to the federal Bureau of Economic Analysis, with this new frugality brought on in large part by losing the wealth many Americans thought was in their homes.
Florida Today, January 10, 2010
-
Optimizing retirement saving
Last month our latest research showed that American employees are in a new position to regain control of their finances. They've indicated they're ready to make significant changes to how they manage their finances and we saw opportunity for plan providers to get them more involved in their retirement plans.
There are a lot of ways to motivate employees, but it can be challenging in today's rough economic times. As we promised, here are some tips plan providers can use to capitalize on employees' newfound financial responsibility in a time when securing their retirement is far from mind, but more important than ever.
Benefits Selling, January 6, 2010
-
Digging out of debt: Education is key to financial success, experts say
Is Americans' lack of financial savvy contributing to the country's economic problems? A recent 10-year research study says, yes.
Financial Finesse has information from a 10-year study on consumer financial issues, behavior, and knowledge, which draws upon data from more than 300 companies, who offer Financial Finesse's services to their employees as a free benefit. The company first began to study financial literacy in 1999, by reviewing employees' most pressing financial questions at its workshops. Since then, the study has grown into a national research project, drawing upon data from more than 300 companies who offer Financial Finesse's financial education services to their employees as a free employee benefit.
Tri-County Times, January 4, 2010
