5 Effective Ways To Stop Impulse-Buying And Save Money

5 Effective Ways To Stop Impulse-Buying And Save Money

Learn how to shop more intentionally (without feeling deprived)

Shira Gill | Organizing Expert

These tips will help you slow your roll when it comes to impulse buying, live more sustainably, and save a boatload of money. File that under #winwin.

Tip One: Practice Using What You Own

Over the past few months I’ve been shocked at how often I feel the urge to buy something that I already own a perfectly good version of, including, but not limited to: lip balm, cozy sweaters, and pretty ceramic mugs.

I’ve been getting in the practice of noting the desire for the item in question, and then looking in my own home to see if I own something that could serve the exact same purpose.

This simple habit shift has prevented me from buying more than a handful of items I truly had no need for. Money saved, lessons learned.

Tip Two: Leverage The Power Of The Pause

In a culture that promotes instant gratification, even a brief pause can be a powerful tool in the fight against impulse buying.

Try writing down or snapping a photo of items you want before pulling the trigger.

I’ve found that when I do this I typically quickly forget about whatever thing I thought I desperately needed in the moment. Poof, it’s gone.

TO READ MORE:   https://www.yahoo.com/lifestyle/story/5-effective-ways-to-stop-impulse-buying-and-save-money-014936616.html

Americans Lose Billions To Online Scams

Americans Lose Billions To Online Scams

Kenneth Niemeyer  Mon, November 4, 2024  Business Insider

Banks and the federal government point fingers as Americans lose billions to online scams.  The American Bankers Association is urging federal action on online financial fraud.  Banks are facing increased liability for scams, with $10 billion in losses reported last year.

ABA's proposed measures include a national strategy, new federal offices, and updated fraud laws.

Remember the Spider-Man meme where he points at himself? Banks and the federal government are in a similar situation, pointing to each other to solve the problem of online financial scams.

For its part, the government wants banks to take on more responsibility, and more consistently refund their customers who fall victim to online scams. Banks, on the other hand, want the government to do more to prevent those scams in the first place.

The problem is real. Almost 1 in 3 Americans have been the victim of a scam in the past year, with an average loss of $1,600 a person, according to a study from IPX, a financial analysis firm.

According to the Federal Trade Commission, consumers reported more than $10 billion in losses last year from online scams. The agency's data also showed that consumers using payment apps reported losing $210 million.

It's also a major headache for the banks.

American Bankers Association CEO Rob Nichols called for the federal government to create a national scam prevention strategy last week. Nichols also said that Congress should "create and fund" an Office of Scam and Fraud Prevention while speaking to bankers at the association's annual convention in October.

"The scale of fraud taking place every day is a massive burden for our country and for the millions of hardworking women and men whose lives are affected by it," Nichols said at the convention, according to Forbes. "It will take a united effort — with support from both inside and outside the banking industry — to win this fight."

The government, meanwhile, has repeatedly called on financial institutions to improve compensation for victims who lose money to scams.

In August, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau launched an investigation into JP Morgan, Bank of America, and Wells Fargo, all part owners of Zelle.

TO READ MORE:  https://www.yahoo.com/finance/news/banks-federal-government-point-fingers-061424300.html

5 Questions To Ask Your Financial Advisor Before Year-End

5 Questions To Ask Your Financial Advisor Before Year-End

Catherine Brock  Thu, October 31, 2024  Yahoo Personal Finance

The close of the calendar year is financially significant. For one, Dec. 31 marks the end of the tax year, which affects retirement contributions and your capital gains tax liability, among other things.

Year-end also creates a natural opportunity to assess your finances to ensure you are on track to meet your goals. So, when the Halloween and holiday decorations appear in your favorite mass market retailer, consider that a reminder to connect with your financial advisor.

Use the five conversation starters below to uncover the highest-impact money moves you can make before the new year.

No. 1: Are There Opportunities To Accelerate Or Defer Income?

Regan Smith, CFP and wealth advisor at Adero Partners, recommends tapping your financial advisor for guidance on deferring or accelerating income before year-end.

Deferring income is appealing when you are in a higher tax bracket today but expect to make less in the future — say, after you retire. The deferral lowers your tax liability now and potentially lowers what you will pay in the future. A common strategy here is to participate in an employer's deferred compensation plan.

Deferred compensation plans can be structured as pensions, 401(k)s, or stock options. The key feature is that the employee can contribute current income on a pretax basis. Income taxes are paid later, usually when the funds are withdrawn in retirement.

Income acceleration may be appropriate when your taxable income is temporarily lower. Perhaps you took time off work this year but plan for a full work schedule next year. You can accelerate income with a Roth conversion, which moves pretax assets into an after-tax Roth account. You pay the taxes on the transferred amount in the current tax year so that you can take tax-free qualified withdrawals later.

No. 2: Can I Minimize My Capital Gains Tax Liability For The Year?

According to Jeff DeLarme, CFA, CFP, and president of DeLarme Wealth Management Inc., clients should ask their financial advisors to estimate their capital gains tax liability and recommend strategies to minimize it. There may be opportunities to realize offsetting losses or carry forward capital losses from prior years, for example.

Ryan Zabrowski, CFP, MSF, and senior portfolio manager at Krilogy, confirms that you can use losses to offset up to $3,000 in gains in the current year. Losses over that limit can be carried forward to use in future years.

TO READ MORE:https://news.yahoo.com/news/finance/personal-finance/questions-to-ask-a-financial-advisor-211901722.html

What Is A Financial Advisor and What Do They Do?

What Is A Financial Advisor and What Do They Do?

Robin Hartill, CFP® Thu, October 31, 2024  Yahoo Personal Finance

If you need help managing your money or you’re not sure whether you’re on track for a major life goal, a financial advisor can be an important ally.

A financial advisor is a professional who helps you create and implement a financial plan, manage your finances, and monitor your progress as you work toward your fiscal goals.

But the term “financial advisor” is a fairly broad one. Financial advisors often hold various licenses and certifications, but there’s no specific credential that someone needs to hold in order to call themself a financial advisor — though many common services financial advisors provide, like buying and selling securities, do require a license. That makes it extra important to vet an advisor and make sure they’re qualified to help you manage your money.

If you’re debating whether to hire a financial advisor and aren’t sure where to start, you’re in the right place. In this article, you’ll learn about the different types of financial advisors, what financial advisors do, how much a financial advisor costs, and how to choose the best advisor for you, including knowing which questions to ask.

Types of financial advisors

There are many different titles a financial advisor can go by, each of which has different requirements. Many of the types of financial advisors listed below work as personal financial advisors, meaning they primarily provide advice to individuals. However, some of the professionals listed below may focus on advising corporations or organizations instead.

When you decide what type of advisor you want to work with, it’s important to understand the difference between a fiduciary vs. non-fiduciary advisor. Many (but not all) financial advisors are held to a fiduciary standard, which means they’re required to act in their client’s best interest. A fiduciary must disclose any potential conflict of interest to the client up-front.

Other types of advisors are only held to what’s known as a suitability standard. That means they’re required to make recommendations they believe are appropriate for their client’s needs.

Investment ‘advisers’

An investment “adviser” is paid to provide advice about securities like stocks and bonds. Anyone who provides investment advice (as most financial “advisors” do) must register with either the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) or state securities regulators, depending on the value of assets under management. They’re also required to hold a securities license.

TO READ MORE:  https://finance.yahoo.com/personal-finance/what-is-a-financial-advisor-and-what-does-a-financial-advisor-do-152541716.html

How The Rich Stay Rich: The 8 Best Ways To Preserve Your Wealth

How The Rich Stay Rich: The 8 Best Ways To Preserve Your Wealth

Rachel Christian  Thu, October 31, 2024  BANKRATE

The ultra-wealthy have a knack for not just getting rich but also staying rich. Many wealthy people start out with a lot more money than the average person, but growing and protecting their money over time can be a challenge. To do this, they often make use of a number of wealth preservation strategies.

You don’t have to already be rich to benefit from these strategies, though. Anyone looking to boost their net worth and make their money last can apply these practices to their own financial situation.

How To Stay Rich: 8 Ways To Preserve Your Wealth

Wealth preservation isn’t just about saving money. It’s about making thoughtful, long-term decisions that help secure your finances for today and tomorrow.One of the foundational steps to preserving wealth is to develop a comprehensive financial plan. This financial road map should include your long-term goals and overall strategy for managing income, expenses, investments, debt and taxes.

Wealthy people regularly review and update their financial plans, especially after major life events, like a marriage or the birth of a child, to keep their finances on track.

What You Can Do

You can create a simple financial plan by following a few basic steps:

List out your goals: Start by identifying your financial goals, whether that’s saving up to buy a home or investing for retirement. Your plan should then align with those goals and their timelines.

Create a budget to reach your goals: Construct a detailed monthly budget that outlines your income and expenses. By understanding where your money goes, you can make conscious spending choices, save more and accelerate your progress toward your goals. You can refer to Bankrate’s guide on how to create a monthly household budget to help you get started.

Build an emergency fund: Allocate a specific amount within your budget to build an emergency fund if you don’t have one already. Most financial experts recommend saving three to six months’ worth of living expenses.

Invest for the future: Explore different types of investment accounts, such as retirement plans, 529 accounts and taxable brokerage accounts. Earmark a percentage of your take-home pay to investments so that your money grows over time.

Revise your plan: As your life evolves, so should your financial plan. Be prepared to regularly review it and make adjustments as needed.

For more advanced planning, consider speaking with a financial advisor, who can help tailor your plan to your specific needs.

TO READ MORE: https://www.yahoo.com/finance/news/rich-stay-rich-8-best-110000119.html

7 Steps I Took To Get Out of Massive Debt

7 Steps I Took To Get Out of Massive Debt

Laura Beck  Mon, October 28, 2024  GOBankingRates

I’m a Former Shopping Addict: 7 Steps I Took To Get Out of Massive Debt

When Mary H. of Portland, Oregon looked at her credit card statements in 2022, she felt her stomach drop: $100,000 in debt, mostly from years of impulse shopping and living beyond her means. Today, she’s debt-free and sharing her journey to financial freedom.

Here’s how she turned things around.

Step 1: Face the Music

Getting real with herself about the situation was Mary’s first step — and harder than it sounds.

 “I had to stop pretending everything was fine,” Mary said. “I lined up all my credit card statements on my kitchen table one Sunday morning and finally added up the total. I cried for hours, but that moment of brutal honesty was my turning point.”

Step 2: Cut Up the Cards (Literally)

“Everyone says this is dramatic, but I needed dramatic,” Mary said. “I cut up every card except one for emergencies. No more ‘treating myself’ to designer bags or justifying splurges as ‘investments.’ Cold turkey was the only way for me.”

Step 3: Track Every Single Penny

Mary started using a budgeting app to track everything — even the $4 coffee runs.

“It was embarrassing to see I was spending over $300 monthly just on random Amazon purchases,” she said. “Knowledge is power, even when it hurts — and trust me, it hurt to know I spent that much on coffee. I’m a cliché.”

Step 4: Find Your Money Triggers

“For me, Instagram was my biggest spending trigger,” Mary shared. All those influencers making everything look must-have made her think she needed to shop, shop, shop.

TO READ MORE:  https://www.yahoo.com/finance/news/m-former-shopping-addict-7-120009828.html

Where Does the Buck Stop?

Where Does the Buck Stop?

Victoria Vesovski   Tue, October 29, 2024  Moneywise

‘Sitting on their piles of gold’: Adult son outraged his parents, worth $10M+, haven’t offered him help. From midnight diaper changes and years of running on caffeine to those last-minute dashes to buy poster boards and relearning algebra just to help with homework, for decades, parenthood means putting the kids first.

But while you’d drop everything to help them at 4 years old, should the same still hold true at 44?

That’s the question one frustrated poster brought to Reddit in a since-deleted post. After a chance peek at his father-in-law’s accounts revealed that his in-laws are sitting on a $10 million fortune, he was left outraged. As he explains, he’s in his late 30s and he and his wife live with their two children in an expensive city.

They’re saddled with $20,000 in credit card debt and their credit scores have suffered, while his wife’s parents have just let them struggle. Outraged that they haven’t stepped in considering their wealth, he turned to his own dad — only to find his parents were just as well off.

“Here are our own parents sitting on their piles of gold, watching us navigate a new level of economics and shopping for discounts and raising our children in sub par school districts and for WHAT?” the user wrote.

The Redditor insists he’d give his last dollar to make his son more comfortable one day, but where does the buck stop?

A Generational Divide

Some baby boomer parents might be struck by the millennial poster’s expectations of his parents. But it’s pretty common these days for parents to help their kids even after they’ve left home — in fact, 65% of them say they provide financial help to their adult children.

TO READ MORE:  https://www.yahoo.com/finance/news/sitting-piles-gold-adult-son-103500519.html

Flood Insurance Isn't Perfect But You Should Probably Buy It Anyway

Flood Insurance Isn't Perfect But You Should Probably Buy It Anyway

Claire Boston · Senior Reporter  Sat, October 26, 2024  Yahoo Finance

Flood insurance can be expensive and have major coverage limitations when disasters strike. But as climate change increases the frequency of extreme weather, it’s becoming essential coverage even for those who don’t live in traditional high-risk areas.

Recent disasters like Hurricane Helene, which severely flooded inland, mountainous parts of North Carolina, and catastrophic rainfall in central Vermont underscore the risks of flooding in areas far from the coasts. Last weekend, record-setting rain in Roswell, N.M., brought flash flooding that killed two people.

In the last 20 years, nearly every county in the US has experienced some degree of flooding, according to the Federal Emergency Management Agency, better known as FEMA. Conventional homeowners insurance offers little to no flood protection, and nationwide just 4% of households carry flood insurance.

That gap in insurance coverage can leave homeowners with catastrophic bills following an unexpected disaster.

 “A lot of people think that flood is a covered peril, be it within their homeowner’s policy or their renter’s policy,” said Mark Niess, vice president of private flood at insurer Wright Flood. “There is coverage for water, but there’s not necessarily coverage for flood.”

Flooding is frequently cited as the most expensive type of natural disaster — a single inch of water can cause $25,000 of property damage.

Most flood coverage is provided by the US government’s National Flood Insurance Program, after private insurers exited the market en masse nearly 100 years ago following catastrophic flooding of the Mississippi River.

Homeowners who sit in 100-year floodplains — areas deemed to have a 1% chance of flooding in a given year or a 30% chance over the life of a typical mortgage — are considered “high risk” and are required to have flood insurance if they have government-backed mortgages.

But more and more homes that don’t sit in floodplains are also at risk as the planet warms. Many of FEMA’s flood zone maps haven’t been updated in years, and even those that have been rely on historical storm data and don’t take into account how climate change and an atmosphere that holds more moisture will affect future flooding.

Buncombe County, N.C., which was hit hard by flooding from Hurricane Helene, experienced more than 50 floods between 1996 and 2019, according to FEMA data. But few structures in the county were designated as being in a flood zone, and less than 1% of buildings were covered by NFIP policies.

The lack of insurance is financially devastating. Data provider CoreLogic pegs the total uninsured losses from Helene between $20 billion and $30 billion.

“We know that a lot of things have changed related to how our communities are experiencing flood risk, even just in recent years,” said Anna Weber, a senior policy analyst for environmental health at the Natural Resources Defense Council.

“Not only do we have to update the flood maps so that they are accurately describing current conditions, we also have to look into the future so we understand what we’re going to be experiencing in the decades to come.”

Flood-prone states like Florida, Texas, and Louisiana have the most homes insured under the NFIP, but in states as varied as Massachusetts and Arizona, nearly every county has experienced 50 or more floods between the late 90s and 2019, according to FEMA data.

TO READ MORE:   https://finance.yahoo.com/news/flood-insurance-isnt-perfect-you-should-probably-buy-it-anyway-143404822.html

Property Theft Is A Genuine Risk

Property Theft Is A Genuine Risk

Christy Bieber  Updated Sun, October 27, 2024  Moneywise

What Happens If Someone Sells Your Property In America Without Your Knowledge?  It’s a lot more complicated than you might think

If you own a home or property, you need to know how this scam works and what you can do to protect your real estate from dishonest actors.

Property Theft Is A Genuine Risk

Home or land theft can technically happen with any property, but it's more common with vacant real estate. Vacation houses, inherited properties, and homes people have moved out of to move into nursing homes are common targets.

Scammers can target these properties in a few ways. Usually, the process starts with finding out who owns a property using online information and creating fake IDS so they can pretend to be the true owner.

Next, they'll either:

Transfer the property to themselves and then sell it and pocket the cash, or get a cash-out refinance mortgage on it, pocket the money, and never make a payment

Find A Buyer And Sell The Property Directly To Them, Often In A Quick Sale.

When this happens, innocent buyers typically pay the scammer, the documents with the forged IDs are submitted to authorities, and the county will officially transfer ownership to the "buyer," who becomes the new legal owner in the eyes of the law. This leaves the rightful owner without the title and deed to the house and forced to go to court to try and get their property back.

Sadly, as the Internet has made it easier to find property owners and forge documents, rates of home theft are on the rise. While the FBI doesn't have a separate category specifically for this offense, the agency's 2023 Internet Crime Report shows there were 9,521 fraud complaints related to real estate totaling over $145.2 million in annual losses.

Also, the New York Post reported recently on the growing number of title fraud claims, including a recent Detroit case involving a scammer who stole more than 30 homes.

TO READ MORE: https://www.yahoo.com/finance/news/happens-someone-sells-property-america-103100144.html

4 Reasons You Should Never Rely on a Promised Inheritance

4 Reasons You Should Never Rely on a Promised Inheritance

Cindy Lamothe   Fri, October 25, 2024   GOBankingRates

Many adult children see their future inheritance as a safety net — a lump sum of money they can rely on for financial security.  But that’s the worst way you can think about it, say experts. “Counting on an inheritance to secure your financial future is akin to building a house on quicksand,” said Kevin Shahnazari, founder and CEO of FinlyWealth.

“The foundation is unstable and can disappear in an instant, leaving you vulnerable and unprepared,” he explained. “I’ve witnessed clients who postponed crucial financial planning, banking on a substantial inheritance, only to find themselves in dire straits when that inheritance failed to materialize or was significantly less than expected.

“One particularly poignant case involved a client who delayed retirement savings for years, assured by her parents of a seven-figure inheritance. When her parents’ business unexpectedly failed, not only did the inheritance evaporate, but she found herself supporting her parents financially — a double blow to her retirement plans.”

Shahnazari said this scenario underscores the unpredictability of inherited wealth and the importance of building your own financial foundation.

Marty Burbank, elder law attorney and owner of OC Elder Law has witnessed the same. “Relying on a promised inheritance to achieve financial goals is risky.”

“I’ve seen many cases where expected inheritances were drastically reduced by unexpected medical expenses, estate tax liabilities or even family disputes. In my experience with estate planning, I’ve witnessed situations where parents had to sell assets for long-term care, leaving heirs with far less than anticipated.”

Below are some more reasons why you should never rely on a promised inheritance.

It Strains Family Relationships

According to Shahnazari, relying on an inheritance can strain family relationships. “I’ve seen siblings turn against each other and children grow resentful of parents when inheritances don’t meet expectations or are distributed unevenly,” he said.

Shahnazari explained these emotional costs can far outweigh any potential financial gains.

It Fuels Complacency

Additionally, promised inheritances can lead to complacency in personal financial planning, Burbank said. “For example, in my work at OC Elder Law, I encountered clients who deferred retirement savings, thinking they would inherit a significant sum.”

He said this mindset hindered their financial growth, leaving them unprepared when the inheritance fell short.

It Can Lead To Missed Opportunities

TO READ MORE:  https://www.yahoo.com/finance/news/4-reasons-never-rely-promised-170010670.html

6 Obstacles Women Face While Building Wealth

6 Obstacles Women Face While Building Wealth

Kimberly Lankford   Tue, October 22, 2024  GOBankingRates

Women face extra challenges when working toward building wealth. Not only do they tend to earn less than men, but taking time off from work (or reducing their schedules) to raise children or care for aging relatives makes it more difficult for them to save for the future — even though they may need a larger nest egg to help cover their longer life expectancies.

“Women continue to face headwinds that put them at greater risk of not achieving a financially secure retirement — the persistency of the gender pay gap, time out from the workforce for parenting and caregiving, and [the fact that] statistically, women live longer than men, which implies we have to save even more for retirement,” said Catherine Collinson, CEO and president of the Transamerica Institute and the Transamerica Center for Retirement Studies. “These factors can put a woman on a very different trajectory in terms of her long-term retirement savings and retirement outcomes.

Here are obstacles women face when building wealth, and advice to learn what you can do to overcome them.

The Gender Pay Gap

Women on average earn less than men — 83 cents for every $1 paid to men. This gender pay gap has a snowball effect on so many other aspects of a woman’s financial life, making it harder to save for retirement, easier to land in debt and even affecting the size of their Social Security benefits.

Starting out with a low salary can impact your earnings for years, especially if raises are based on a percentage of your income and future jobs base your salary on your previous earnings. That’s even before considering that many women take time off to raise children or care for aging parents.

But there are several things you can do to help improve your income. Start by doing some research to assess how your pay compares to others in similar positions.

“Have conversations with peers outside of your company so you can get that comparison,” said Samantha Garcia, a wealth advisor with Halbert Hargrove in Long Beach, California.

If you find you’re being underpaid, you should be proactive and ask for a raise. It may be intimidating to have this conversation when you’re young and getting started in your career, but that may be the best time to bring it up.

“Sometimes it’s easier to have those conversations at the entry-level positions, rather than when you’re 10 years in and you realize there’s a 20% difference between your pay and a male’s pay. There are bigger dollars then,” Garcia said. “The earlier you can start to have those conversations, the better.”

Now is a particularly good time to ask for a raise or other benefits because employers are making extra efforts to keep good employees.

“If you’ve been sticking with the company during COVID and now realize there’s a pay differential, it’s a great time to use that leverage to go after what you want — that pay or benefit increase. Have that fearless conversation with your boss,” Garcia said.

Having Less in Retirement Savings

Earning less money and taking time off to raise kids makes it more difficult for women to save for retirement — even though their retirement savings needs are usually larger because of their longer life expectancies.

“Because they earn less, they save less,” said Shelly-Ann Eweka, senior director of financial planning strategy for TIAA. “In general, women invest more conservatively, women retire on average about two years younger, and they live on average five years longer than men. It’s all compounding. They have less income and are living longer in retirement.”

TO READ MORE:  https://www.yahoo.com/finance/news/6-obstacles-women-face-while-110029206.html

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