Saturday, June 25, 2011

Book Review: Generation Earn

I've come across quite a few personal finance books, and color me generally disappointed. I find a lot of personal finance books to be either inaccessible and over-complicated, or the exact opposite--dumbed down to a point where their best advice is "open a savings account."

A few months ago I came across a book called Generation Earn, by Kimberly Palmer. Palmer is a personal finance columnist for US News & World Report and has been on the Today show, the Washington Post and the Wall Street Journal. Quite the resume. Check out her blog here.

I was initially drawn to the tagline on the cover: "The Young Professional's Guide to Spending, Investing, and Giving Back." Love it!

The author offers a realistic diagnosis of the financial situation of today's young people, including discussing the significant burden of student loans.

The book discusses everything from twentysomethings moving back in with mom and dad, to moving in with a significant other, to saving for children and retirement. She covers a lot in 215 pages.

Some of the best tips I found in this book are:

  • Don't forget to keep an eye on your 401k and rebalance your portfolio when the economy swings significantly in either direction. 
  • How to be frugal--from date nights in, to affordable cooking at home. She recommends looking at your grandparents for ideas--most of them grew up in the depression era, and are experts at reduce, reuse, recycle (decades before it was trendy!)
  • The importance of discussing finances when you are moving in with a partner. Will you keep everything separate or join accounts? What about your thoughts on loaning money to relatives? How similar or different are your spending habits? 
  • Before you decide if you are financially ready to have a child, practice living on $1,000 less per month--the average monthly cost for childcare. 
Overall, I'd recommend this book for twenty- and thirtysomethings who want a crash course in personal finance. The author profiles a lot of real couples in different financial situations, and she really lays all the details out on the table. It's an honest, frank discussion about the realities of financial planning. 

My only criticism of this book is that it seems like most of the people she profiles and examples she gives are of people who are making $100,000 or much more per year--a little unrealistic for most young adults, and honestly, a little intimidating. 

Have you read this book? What did you think? 

Monday, June 20, 2011

Guilt

It's just me and the Mr. in our big ol' house. Yet somehow, the house gets disastrously dirty, including more dust than you've ever seen. Between my husband working long hours (sometimes out of town), and me working the last weeks of my 9-to-5er and getting my freelance business up and running before and after work and on the weekends, there is no time to clean the house. 

I finally hired a house cleaner to come and clean our house, and today was her first day. She did an amazing job, and our house is cleaner than it was when it was brand new. For some reason, I felt incredibly guilty about spending our money on getting our house cleaned--it seemed like an upper-crust, spoiled thing to do--not to mention the fact that I am incredibly frugal; why pay someone to do something I could do myself?

But, the thing about it is that now I am more relaxed than I have been in weeks. My house is cleaner than I ever could have gotten it, so I have time focus on more important things--taking my puppy for a long walk, making good dinner, getting ready for friends to come into town, and getting caught up on some freelance projects. I think that makes it all worth it.

Thursday, June 9, 2011

Big Life Changes

My dear, sweet blog has been a little neglected lately. Things have been crazy around here, and now I can tell you why!

I have loved to write since I was a little kid--I remember the first story I ever wrote, in second grade, about my dog Goldie. I continued to write through high school, and was my college newspaper editor. After graduating, I wrote on a freelance basis, while waiting tables and looking for a "real job."

I landed the "real job" shortly thereafter, and have worked my way up throughout the last five years. I started as an online editor and now I manage international marketing.

Over the past year or so, I've had a nagging feeling that I wanted to do more creative work, and work with clients directly again. So, I started picking up clients (old and new), and now am confident in the amount of work that I have lined up that I am going full time!

I've been so busy lately holding down the 9-to-5er, while still working with freelance clients on the side. I finally gave my notice at work last Friday, and I am now on my way to realizing my goal of working completely for myself.

I'm up for the challenge, and I'll document how everything is going here on the blog! It's definitely on topic, since it's a big step to give up the comfort of a steady paycheck.

Let the adventure begin! (oh, and check out my website)

Sunday, June 5, 2011

On plane tickets

Buying plane tickets is a special kind of hell. It's always a gamble. Should I buy tickets now at the current price? Or wait a few more weeks for a lower price, just to risk the flight I want being full? With gas prices as high as they are, and the summer travel season upon us, plane tickets are just not cheap. Period.
In the last month or so, I've bought three sets of tickets--Kauai, St. Louis, and San Diego. I feel like I got pretty good deals, but I'm never sure. 

Most handy travel websites track prices before you buy, and predict if the prices will go up or down. Only one website I've found tracks prices after you buy. Check out Yapta.com. Did you know that Alaska and Jet Blue offer refunds on ANY price drop after you buy your ticket? I had no idea, and I fly Alaska all the time (they must really not publicize this!). Also, AirTran and Virgin offer refunds for price drops over $75, and Hawaiian airlines offers refunds for drops over $100. A lot of other airlines will offer credits for future trips.

All you have to do is create a free Yapta account, and enter your flight dates, times, and numbers for upcoming trips. Enter how much you paid, and Yapta will automatically email you if the price drops enough for a refund! 

Yapta's website boasts that since May of 2007, they have saved their members over $250 million, and that the average annual savings per Yapta member is $334.16. 

I'm tracking all of my upcoming trips on Yapta, and I'll report back if I'm able to cash in. Currently, my flights now cost more than what I paid for them, which at the very least, makes me feel like I got a good deal!
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