ING Direct just announced an increase in the interest rate on their Orange Savings Account.  The account now yields an APR of 4.5%, much better than you will find in most brick and mortar banks! 
The ING Direct Orange Savings account is a great tool to help you save for short term goals.  One of my favorite features […]

The next step on the road to financial freedom is to audit your expenses and income.  The fundamental idea is that the easiest way to accumulate money in savings is by reducing the cost of things that you already pay for or by increasing your income.  This step is not once-and-done, but rather is a process […]

We have discussed in detail how to save for retirement, one of the biggest and most costly goals that you could have.  Now let’s talk a bit about other goals, such as buying a new car, taking a big vacation, saving for an engagement ring, a down payment for a house, or becoming financially independent.  
In essense, what you […]

In this article, we’ll determine how much you need to save each month in order to adequately fund your retirement.
The first task in planning for retirement is to determine how much money you will need to live comfortably in retirement. To accomplish this, we’ll use the Time Value of Money calculator that I posted […]

In the next few posts, we will explore the many facets of saving for retirement, in detail.
Earlier, we discussed how to set up a 401(k) or 403(b) plan and Roth IRA. I expect that by now you have enrolled in your employer-based plan, if available, and opened an account to hold your Roth IRA. […]

The first account that you need to fund is your Emergency Savings.  Your emergency savings (which can live happily in your savings account) holds enough cash to allow you to weather any temporary financial downturns - an accident that keeps you from working, losing or changing jobs, replacing the brake pads and rotors on your […]

Here are two planning tools that may help you determine your need for savings. 

 Basic Goal Planner from Janus.com

This simple tool allows you to input your savings goal, your current balance, how much you plan to contribute each month, how long you have before needing those funds, and your expected rate of return.  Based on that input, […]

The next major step on the road to financial well-being is to start saving to reach your goals.  To take that step, you must to accomplish one simple task each month:
Spend less than you make.
“Easier said than done!” you may think.  It is true that Americans in general are horrible at saving.  However, our generation needs […]