Blog entries

An Exit Strategy for Your Business

Matt Renaud — Tue, 06 Sep 2011 10:49:30 +0100

For most business owners, an Exit Strategy is something that signifies success and transition when you're ready to retire or move away from the day-to-day activity of the operations, but how smoothly this works depends on your personal goals when starting the business. To be more specific, identify which of the following questions best reflects your situation:

1. Are you building a business that will generate income for you now and for future generations of your ...

Estate Planning for Blended Families

Matt Renaud — Thu, 01 Sep 2011 12:31:49 +0100

Estate Planning helps you decide how your estate or personal belongings are managed upon your death. With today's "blended family" lifestyle, it's common to find that step kids can easily slip through the cracks of estate disbursement if not properly handled. The reason is that typical family beneficiary refers to those within your immediate bloodline. So what options do you have to protect your new family?

Consider Adopting Your Step-Children – Adoption legally writes the child into your...

A Consumer’s Guide on the Debt Deal

Matt Renaud — Fri, 05 Aug 2011 13:23:54 +0100

A hot topic on most financial sites recently has been the Debt Deal – the speculations, the pros and the cons from both parties, and now the final details signed into law. Now we await the selection of the six Democrats and six Republicans who will have the tasking job on how to reduce over 1.5 trillion dollars by the end of November. Although there is much fall out yet to come, here's a start on who and where we may see the quickest impacts...

Working Adults – The current Debt Deal did no...

Claim Your Missing Money in the National Lost & Found

Julie Eudy — Thu, 04 Aug 2011 03:03:21 +0100

In State Treasurer, Tax and Controller offices across the country are working to return unclaimed or lost money to its rightful owners. You see, many state laws require banks, insurance companies, and other businesses to turn over assets to the state when a customer has no documented transactions or contact for five years of more. These assets can include the content of safe deposit boxes, cash from bank accounts, stocks and bonds, utility refunds, etc. Individually, the amounts range from p...

Ways to Reduce Family Mobile Phone Costs

Matt Renaud — Thu, 28 Jul 2011 14:26:51 +0100

With the pending merger of AT&T and T-Mobile, the Cell Phone market is facing some uncertainties. In a brief review, AT&T has typically been a leader in package cost while T-Mobile has offered more economical plans. On the other hand, T-Mobile has ranked higher in Customer Service where AT&T has been known for hidden charges and weak network. So, if you're an AT&T or T-Mobile Customer or simply out shopping for a new smart phone, what can all of this mean? Expect to see higher rates in t...

Affordable Healthcare Act Showing Signs of Hope

Matt Renaud — Wed, 27 Jul 2011 12:06:36 +0100

The recently developed "Affordable Care Act" has created a number of changes in health care including a recent change in how old you can be to remain covered under your parent's plan. In the past, the age limit was 19 unless the child could show verification that they were a full-time student. Now, most health plans must make coverage available to children up-to the age 26 – student or not. This is just one of many changes in the works, but so far, a beneficial measure to those students gr...

Keeping An Eye on Smaller Stocks

Matt Renaud — Tue, 05 Jul 2011 13:41:17 +0100

When it comes to investing, the typical concept of "bigger is better" may not always apply – especially in today's economy. Following the Russell 2500 index shows you that many of the "middle children" in the economic family are actually contenders for doing great things!

The Russell 2500 index reports the activity on small and midsize firms, which has experienced a 150 percent growth since its low in March 2009. Some of these have even shown a higher growth pattern than the larger compani...

Tips on Choosing a Bank

Matt Renaud — Tue, 05 Jul 2011 13:26:16 +0100

Banks have had a rough spot the past couple of years. Between mergers and changing fees structures, consumers are searching for a solution that they can trust. It can be very confusing keeping track of who's doing what to determine the best choice for you, but here are some key points to consider that might be helpful in making a decision:

Evaluate Your Needs – Do you need online banking? Do you have direct deposits? How many transactions do you typically make in a month? How much of a ...

How to Have Cash after College

Matt Renaud — Tue, 14 Jun 2011 04:01:13 +0100

Cash After College

Graduating college debt-free has nearly become a myth. With prices set so high on everything a college education requires- books, tuition, a computer, etc. - it is almost impossible to escape with both a diploma and spare change. Why must it be so difficult? It doesn’t have to be. It all comes down to good habits. By taking control of your money now, you can create habits that will last you a lifetime of financial stability.

What's in Your Wallet

The best place to...

Buying a Car with Confidence

Matt Renaud — Mon, 13 Jun 2011 23:00:00 +0100

Buying a Car is a Big Decision

This is considered to be one of the largest purchases anyone can ever make. Some say it is one filled with the most regret, since its value goes down the second you drive it off of the lot. But to buy a car with confidence is an achievable goal for the informed spender. As you will soon find out, the key to making big purchases are the big ideas behind them.

When considering a new car, it might not be in your best interest to go straight to the dealersh...

Rising Bank Fees

Matt Renaud — Thu, 19 May 2011 11:37:22 +0100

Many consumers were happy to see regulations put in place to manage the way the banks handled Credit Card fees, but at the time, we didn't expect to see the ripple-effect on other bank fees that have since surfaced. Their latest attempts to recover billions of dollars in lost revenue from these regulations include the Monthly Service Fees on your accounts, ATM F...

Get the Most from Your IRA

Matt Renaud — Fri, 22 Apr 2011 11:18:17 +0100

IRA's become a hot topic around tax time as they are just one way you can cut the tax bill you may be facing. This year, you have until April 18th to make contributions for your IRA and count them as 2010 contributions which, for some households, this means a big savings! Unlike a traditional IRA, the Roth IRA doesn't give you an upfront tax deduction so you'll want to be clear on what choices you have.

A traditional IRA is a retirement account that allows you the potential to deduct...

Are Debit Cards a Solution for Your Purchasing?

Matt Renaud — Fri, 25 Mar 2011 13:01:46 +0100

I find that today, not to many of us carry cash on hand. Instead we’re reaching for our Debit Cards as a means of payment which in many cases is a safer alternative and less costly than Credit Cards; however, there are some specific differences that you might want to consider before making your purchases.

Your purchases are Buy Now – Pay Now – directly from your checking account. This means you need to be more aware of your current cash-on-hand so as not to ...

Donations Done Wisely

Matt Renaud — Fri, 18 Mar 2011 13:35:15 +0100

In time of world crisis like the recent Earthquake and Tsunami in Japan, it's inspiring to see the world ban together collecting donations to support the relief efforts. However, it's unfortunate that these times also generate a new level of Scammers – dishonest individuals capitalizing on your generosity and keeping your money them for themselves. Here are a few tips to consider before making your donation to world crisis relief efforts:

Be Wary of Unsolicited Calls or Emails for Donation...

Annual Financial Cleaning Tips

Matt Renaud — Fri, 18 Mar 2011 11:27:37 +0100

As Spring arrives, so does Tax season and putting to rest another year of financial records. It's not a bad idea to use this time as an annual marker for some other important things that could save you grief in the long run. Some things to consider would include:

1) Review Your Credit Report – Everyone is entitled to one FREE credit report on a yearly basis from all three major credit bureaus. With as much credit card fraud and identity theft taking place these days, it never hurts to be...

What Determines the Cost of Gasoline?

Matt Renaud — Mon, 07 Mar 2011 12:48:21 +0100

Knowing we watch the market and costs of various commodities, we're often asked "what really causes the spikes in gas prices?" Many consumers have a hard time identifying with the "supply and demand" when they're only seeing their usage and not the global picture. Well, there are a few basic factors that impact the cost that we pay at the pump. They are...

Oil Prices: This is primarily where the "supply and demand" issue comes into play. There are basically two types of oil harvested: Li...

Managing Finances on the Run

Matt Renaud — Wed, 02 Mar 2011 12:56:15 +0100

Thanks to Mobile Technology, we're now able to keep track of our personal finances on the move! If you have a Smart Phone, you may have already explored some Apps that help organize information in the palm of your hand. Bank of America, US Bank and PayPal all have Apps that let you check balances, make transfers or pay bills, etc. Here are a few more that might be helpful for business and personal use in monitoring expenses.

Yahoo Finance – One of our favorites to watch what's going on i...

Teaching Your Kids about Investing

Matt Renaud — Wed, 02 Mar 2011 12:45:30 +0100

It's no secret that the sooner you begin investing the better your portfolio can look in terms of retirement, but we're often asked about how to get kids interested in investments. Kids, like adults, like to see their money grow but managing it through long-term means of the Stock Market or Mutual Funds involves more details and patients that are a struggle for some children. Some kids can lose interest simply because it's a slow-and –steady process, so you have to make it fun for them. He...

The New Equation for Finding College Financial Aid

Matt Renaud — Mon, 21 Feb 2011 17:28:00 +0100

Today’s financial crunch is affecting everyone, particularly those who face adding to or starting debt with the cost of a college education. Typically, the most common options to help reduce the bottom line cost of education are Federal Grants and Scholarships and typically in that order. However, with budget crunches across the nation, the equation is changing. Here are a few things to consider when reviewing your Financial Package.

1) Start Applying Early
Federal Grants r...

Managing Health Care Expenses

Matt Renaud — Wed, 09 Feb 2011 13:51:00 +0100

Rising costs in Health Care are taking its toll on everyone. Employers struggle with the costs related to choosing the best coverage for their employees that work within already tight budgets. Some, unemployed, face the higher costs of COBRA or take the risk of having no insurance coverage at all. No matter how you slice it, Health Care is not easily affordable but consumers do have options. Here are a few ways you can be more efficient with your health care costs.

1) Take Care o...