Comments on: 2010 Financial Resolution Guide: 10 Choices – A La Carte Style

By: Dijital Pazarlama

Dijital Pazarlama — Mon, 18 Apr 2011 02:44:33 +0000

Thanks for sharing this article. I totally agree with your statement: With a combination of simply asking and doing a little research, you can cut your bills significantly.

By: temizlik sirketleri izmir

temizlik sirketleri izmir — Mon, 28 Jun 2010 23:49:41 +0000

I agree. Sometimes the less you know the better off you are….quote from a Bob Seger song “wish I didn’t know now what I didn’t know then”…and I was much happier as a kid, more ignorant for sure but much happier… I wasn’t born an atheist…it’s just something that evolved from believer to agnostic to where i am now… My dogs (present and past) represent some of the happiest creatures on the planet and none of them can read or write although it is interesting that DOG is GOD spelled backwards…:)

By: müzik aletleri

müzik aletleri — Mon, 28 Jun 2010 23:47:12 +0000

Their birth rates may be higher but quality of life is much lower. So they must have more offspring for their society or however you require to categorize them to be able to survive in worse living conditions. A survival of the fittest kind of terminology. Yet countries with the highest unbelief rates have fewer birth rates but they live an extended and better quality of lives. But I would must agree with you on the explanations of the placebo effect and the creation of an idea. There is my 2 cents. Have a pleasant Day.

By: telefon dinleme

telefon dinleme — Mon, 28 Jun 2010 22:48:58 +0000

But I would have to get my foot out of my mouth cause how would I categorize quality of life. They may be in poorer living conditions but they could be happier than I am because of their belief system. So alas I don’t know. This is what blogs are for.

By: Another Julie

Another Julie — Sun, 17 Jan 2010 08:19:49 +0000

Julie’s question & G.E.’s response intrigued me:
Just wanted to add a comment:

For Traditional IRA, the phase out begins at $53,000 and ends at $63,000 for single filers, and from $85,000 to $105,000 for married filing jointly. Please note that you can still contribute to a Traditional IRA if your MAGI is above the phase out limits; however, you will NOT be able to deduct your contributions for tax purpose. (from http://www.moolanomy.com/1132/2009-401k-and-ira-contribution-limits/)

By: Dub

Dub — Mon, 11 Jan 2010 08:29:43 +0000

I definitely need to work on #10, and agree w/ Alex on cutting back on alcohol. My resolution this year is to know exactly where all of my money is going. I budget each month and save 25% of my income, but realized this year that I still spent about $2500 that I could not explain : (

By: youngandthrifty

youngandthrifty — Sun, 03 Jan 2010 08:59:03 +0000

hey, great post!

I personally did number 9 last year, I cut my cell phone bill in half through negotiation with my wireless provider. I probably will have to increase it though, next year, because I want an iPhone and Ill have to add more $$$ for the data.

Number 10 is a gooood idea! There were so many days in 2009 where I was too tired from work and was too lazy to go buy groceries and said to myself “screw it, i’m gonna eat out”. So if i follow number 10 i’ll save money and frustration. two birds with one stone!

Number 6 is a good idea too. Though it might be hard to set up initially (so many things to save for!) but given the economic situation right now, it’s very prudent.

By: free beats

free beats — Fri, 01 Jan 2010 14:06:15 +0000

My Financial resolution will be to cut down on my food.

By: G.E. Miller

G.E. Miller — Thu, 31 Dec 2009 20:06:17 +0000

@ Alex – yeah, food is huge. I do most of my shopping at Trader Joe’s and it saves me so much money, vs. some of the big box alternatives.

@ Brian – what Zach said.

@ Julie – One of the biggest reasons is flexibility around tax time. For instance, if I know that I’m going to have to pay a penalty for underpaying my taxes during the year, I could get an instant $5K deduction from my taxable income by contributing to my traditional IRA. If I have the extra money available, I can’t just dump $5K into my 401(k) as most employers set a limit per payroll and the lag time before my contribution % goes into effect.

@ Zach – keep up the good work.

By: Zach

Zach — Wed, 30 Dec 2009 20:47:06 +0000

I’m happy to say that I have accomplished most of these resolutions, though there are some that don’t apply to me, and there are two that I definitely need to get done in 2010. First, I plan on starting a Roth IRA this year. And second, I would like to get that year’s worth of expenses saved. I think both of these goals are very achievable in 2010.

Brian, the benefit of an IRA, and especially a Roth IRA, over a traditional savings account is that the IRA allows you to invest your savings in the stock market rather than just earning a bank interest rate, which in many years won’t even keep pace with inflation. Also, if your concern is needing access to that money before retirement, then remember that with a Roth IRA you can actually withdraw your contributed funds (but not the gains they have made) from the account after only five years. This is a huge benefit of the Roth for those of us who may be saving for a home or some other large investment but in the meantime want to generate a decent return on our saved funds.