Author Archive for Cocles

Andrew Stroscher is a screenwriter in Los Angeles with projects that have been both optioned and sold. His work can also be found online where he has provided content for a number of websites. His articles have often reach the front page of social media sites such as Digg.com. Andrew is also the creator of Urban Monsters, a comic book published by Image Comics in 2008.

Author's Website: http://www.linkedin.com/in/andrewstroscher

Finding New Financial Investments

2941677396_d73c4739bd1Financial success comes not just from luck, but hard work and planning. You will have to learn not only how to budget, but how to invest. These days, the financial markets are very chaotic and learning new ways to increase your wealth is very important. The old standbys of matching funds to 401Ks and pension plans are fast disappearing off the financial landscape. How can you make your money work for you harder at a time when the banks are paying measly interest rates on most accounts?

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Economic Wellness Must be Learned

2751085135_84f9465127The economy had always built itself on a free market concept where businesses and companies were allowed to do whatever it was they wanted. The regulation of the economy was something that was seen as a bad thing and we relied on consumers to make the right choices and help companies make money, hand over fist. Consumption had been climbing steadily through the years and the more people made at their jobs, the more they seemed to want to consume in both goods and services and would even resort to cash advances to make sure that payments were made.. Wall Street was thriving on the lack of regulation and many saw the free market as a way to make more money than they ever imagined and many brokers and financial institutions made billions based on the theories that involved the self-adjustments seen in the markets in the past.

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Shaking the Paycheck-To-Paycheck Mindset

531971_million_buck_cheque_2It’s easy to slip into the habit of spending every last dime before the next paycheck roles around, yet that’s one of the biggest reasons people don’t create wealth. In order to create wealth, one doesn’t just have to budget and spend wisely, one also has to save and invest. Otherwise, what you end up with is just treading water and never really getting ahead financially. That’s why you have to learn how to pay yourself first. Take that extra money, no matter how little, and learn to either save or invest it to start generating wealth.

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How To Pick An Affordable Retirement City

There’s some good reasons people getting set to retire pick up and move to Florida. They’re looking to get the most bang for their buck, now that they will be on a fixed income and most of their high earning days are over. At that point, the thing that becomes more important is the quality of life based on what they have stored away for retirement in various investment accounts. That quality of life can be severely impacted by simple things like taxes, cost of living, and even energy bills. (more…)

How Existing Homeowners Qualify For Up To $6,500 Credit

shutterstock_21164353Interest rates are low, and if you have enough equity to sell your property at break-even or for a profit, the homebuyer’s credit may be enticing you put your house up for sale. House market predictions show that home prices are rebounding in certain areas, and so the bottom of the housing market may be close, if not already over. If you are looking to upgrade, you will want to buy when prices are low and rates are high, but also when you have enough equity to jump to a new place. Before you do, realize that there are some restrictions and conditions you have to meet to take advantage of the homebuyer’s credit. For one, you or your spouse will have had to have lived in your existing home, as a primary residence, for five out of the last eight years. There are income limitations and some other restrictions, but for the most part, the average homeowner stands a good chance of qualifying for this one-of-a-kind offer that is unlikely to repeat itself within their lifetime. (more…)

Car Decisions That Can Save You Money

Next to housing, transportation is one of the highest expenses in our monthly budget. The cost of buying a new car can range from $20,000 to $50,000. The cost to insure that car can cost hundreds of dollars a month. Gas prices are over $2 a gallon, and can easily top $4 per gallon during the summer time, adding hundreds more per month to our expense column. Then, if the car has a mechanical problem, you can easily spend thousands to get something fixed. Yet, if you were to ask the average person if the cost of owning a car is worth it, the resounding answer would be “yes.” Cars are necessary to get back and forth to our jobs, and they represent a freedom of mobility and living that most Americans value. Instead of ditching the car, here are some ways to lessen the price of owning one. (more…)

Personal Grooming Savings For A Great Look

If we were all to sit and write out what it costs to maintain our personal grooming habits each month, it would probably be shocking. Even frugal people may not notice how a hair cut and color, nail work, and/or contacts take a big chunk out of your monthly budget. There are other alternatives, and if you don’t mind doing things yourself, you can save quite a bit of money, even if the look isn’t exactly model perfect. Or, as in the case of dental or eye work, you may want to fund the work now, while still employed, by either using cash advance loans or some other form of credit.  (more…)

Will Inflation Steal Your Buying Power?

red-graph-arrowRight now, inflation is not a worry. Interest rates are flat, and the Federal Reserve does not plan to raise them until later, once the economic engine steams up. However, once that happens, what can we expect? No one really knows, although one maxim in personal finance is almost always true: Today’s dollars are worth more than tomorrow’s dollars. Especially when inflation hits, the buying power of your dollar drops, and it takes more dollars to buy the same goods you bought earlier in the year for less. With current salaries decreasing, it’s important to put what’s left into assets that will appreciate over time. While it may seem a strange thing to do in a bad economy, the present economic distress presents an opportunity for consumers that won’t be available in the future by buying assets at discounted prices that will appreciate as inflation starts to rise. (more…)

Does Business Have The Last Word On The Minimum Wage Hike?

With the need to get money into the hands of the average consumer, the minimum wage has been hike up to $7.25 from $6.55. Some states already had similar minimum wage laws, but the Federal law now makes the minimum wage hike across the board. The celebration for workers, particularly those using part time jobs or retail services jobs to survive this recession, may be short-lived. Businesses may eventually have the last word on what the market can support for a wage increase that allows them to continue doing business despite increased labor costs. If they see that the increase in the minimum wage is impacting their already meager returns, they may opt to layoff even more workers, or at least cut back hours for some. On the other hand, there is a real possibility that if the minimum wage hike increases the confidence in the consumer marketplace, it can help to increase business and have a positive effect too. (more…)

Improve Your Net Worth at Any Age

coin_towersRegardless of your age, odds are you have had dreams of amassing the large sum of money that allows you to quit your day job and live life like you had always dreamed. While this may be an easy task for some, many of us are shocked back to reality due simply to too many bills and not enough income to cover them all. This commonly causes most people to take on a second and possibly even a third job in order to make ends meet. Instead of being happy, most end up feeling depressed and wondering if they will ever achieve their dreams. While it may not be possible to amass a million dollars overnight unless you win the lottery, there are some things that can help you improve your current financial status. Here are some simple tips on how you can improve your net worth, regardless of how old you may be. (more…)