Money Advice

It doesn't matter if it's a week at the beach or just a night out for a nice dinner—family outings are expensive. Saving for them can be a huge headache, but it doesn't have to be that way. Follow these easy steps and the only thing you'll have to worry about is choosing what to do for a night of fun away from home.

Budgeting 101

Saving for family fun goes beyond throwing cash into a savings account each paycheck. First, understand the principles of basic budgeting to comfortably save for anything from a night out to a trip to Disneyland.

You've had your eye on it for a while. That cherry red, supercharged V8 speed demon at the local car lot that seems to whisper your name each time you pass by. Its siren song is so persistent that you've now begun bargaining with yourself. You could cut out your recreational spending for a year and maybe refinance your home or reduce your monthly grocery bill. Who needs to eat, anyway?

Most people don’t think of credit when they think of their love life – but maybe they should. A recent report from Experian shows that credit plays a key role in all new marriages as couples work to establish a life together. From securing an auto loan to buying that dream home, credit can ultimately impact a couple’s ability to pursue and achieve their life goals.

So why is credit having such a large impact? The answer could lie in the fact that couples don’t seem to be having the needed financial conversations.

Credit scores are so… grown-up; but so too are true love and marriage. Sure, money in the bank plays a role for many people, but motivations aren’t nearly as clear when it comes to the intangibility of credit standing. Credit opens doors and opportunities (or prevents them), which can begin to strain even the best marriages.

With that in mind, it's important to understand the what's at stake with a good or bad credit score. Understanding these pitfalls will help you and your spouse move forward.

Whether you’ve been married five days or five years, it’s never too late to start to have financial conversations with your spouse, because if you don’t start to have them now, when you go to make your next major purchase you may be in for a rude awakening. This can be a nerve-wracking conversation, but luckily there are some technologies available to make it easier to tackle the conversation and understand where you stand on topics such as budget, debt and progress.

Do you sometimes lie awake at night thinking about bills that need to be paid? Does it feel as though you're drowning in debt? If this describes you, you might take solace in the fact that you're not alone. A recent report released by the American Psychological Association (APA) showed that approximately 72% of adults feel stressed about money at least some of the time, and 22% said the amount of stress they experienced was extreme.

Real Estate Investment Trusts (REITS) play an important role in a well-diversified portfolio. Real estate remains one of the best ways to hedge inflation. Whether you believe the inflation we’ve seen this year is transitory or here to stay, having 5% to 15% of your investment portfolio in real estate makes sense to protect your retirement nest egg. Investing in REITS is one the least expensive and most liquid ways to gain exposure to this asset class.