Redefining the American Dream

I found this article from Yahoo to be really interesting...see what you think! Go to the podcast page and listen to the show "Redefining the American Dream.

http://finance.yahoo.com/news/american-dream-not-think-173054394.html

Todd's Tip of the Day!

 Keep a close watch on the air fare after you've purchased air tickets. You might get good rebates.

It is not that you should check out the air fares only before buying a ticket. Keep a tab on the air fare even after purchasing a ticket. This is because several online travel agencies offer discounts in form of vouchers and travel credits when the ticket price falls below what you've spent. There are various websites that send you notifications whenever the ticket price falls. Remember, you may have to pay a fee to re-book a ticket. Check out the fee amount carefully. If it is more than than the discount amount or percentage, then its best to not re-book your ticket.

Highlights for Saturday September 28th Your Safe Money Show!

On Your Safe Money Show this week I am talking about the "turmoil" with the possible government shutdown and were looking at the Redefining of what the American dream is today. If you are a listener at HOPE FM that programming has moved to106.1 HD2 and at 95.9 FM it's now La Neta (the Truth) so you can still hear us there both at 7:30 am Saturday. You can also listen at BOBFM at 106.1 and WQPM 1300 AM still at 7:30 am Saturday and at 1150 AM KASM at 8:30 Saturday morning. 

What's Next in the Government Shutdown Saga

Market Watch takes a good look at the various scenarios that could happen with the possible government shutdown.

http://blogs.marketwatch.com/capitolreport/2013/09/25/whats-next-in-the-government-shutdown-saga/

Todd's Tip of the Day!

Begin your retirement planning with your first job.

Retirement planning is a long process. You can't plan your retirement within a fraction of time. You have to start planning for your golden years of life right after getting your first job. You need to participate in the retirement plans. It can be 401 (k), Traditional IRA, Roth IRA, etc. Don't exhaust all your money every moth. Save a certain amount for your retirement years. You would not want to live rich now and die in poverty. You can consult a financial planner and decide about the retirement plan that will suit you best.

99-year-old Iowa Woman Gets Her High School Diploma

This is the kind of story I love to share. Were living longer and better lives. If you have concerns about having enough money in retirement call today or contact us here at the website.

A 99-year-old Iowa woman who dropped out of a high school more than 80 years ago despite needing only one credit to graduate has finally received her diploma.

Audrey Crabtree, of Cedar Falls, smiled Monday as she received an honorary diploma for her time at Waterloo East High School.

“And I feel so much smarter,” Crabtree quipped.

Crabtree, who began her education at a one-room school house in northeast Iowa, left high school in 1932 after a swimming and diving accident that forced her to miss several school days. She also had to care for her sick grandmother.

“I was a senior, but I was short a credit, so I would’ve had to go back the next fall,” she told the Waterloo-Cedar Falls Courier.

That would have interfered with her plans to marry her first husband. In 1957, the couple bought the flower shop where Crabtree had worked after their two children started school. But her husband died of a heart attack two months into their business venture.

Crabtree operated Flowers by Audrey for 28 years. She married two more times and outlived both husbands. Her family today includes five grandchildren and four great-grandchildren.

Todd's Tip of the Day!

 Collect the information about the company before going for the job interview.

Gather all the information about the company before attending a job interview. Know the past achievements and future goals of the company. Find out where the company is located. Try to know about the work culture and your job profile. Know how many employees work in the company. You can get all these details from the official website of the company.

Browse through the different sections of official website. Find out what the employees have to say about the company. Are they happy or utterly disgusted with the management? Check out the special benefits offered to the employees.

Todd's Tip of the Day!

Will you really benefit from the reward cards?

Usually, reward cards carry a high rate of interest. In fact, the interest rate is higher than that of a normal credit card. If you do carry a balance every month, then a reward card won't be that much beneficial for you.

As far as the airline miles card is concerned, you should ask the credit card issuer about the blackout dates. Ask when the credit card issuer will disqualify you for the reward programs. Will you lose reward points after getting delinquent on the credit card?

Secured credit cards help you repair your tarnished credit. The rate of interest is usually low and you can spend only up to a certain amount. However, some credit card issuers charge fees like annual fee, maintenance fee, application fee, etc. You may also have to pay fee for speaking with the customer care officer. It is better to know about these fees from beforehand so that you don't get a shock later. Ask if the card issuer will report to the credit reporting agencies. Your credit score will not improve unless the card issuer reports the payments to the credit reporting agencies.

Todd's Tip of the Day!

How much will you have to pay for balance transfers?

Credit card balance transfer fees can drain funds from your account. If you're unable to calculate the fees properly, then you may have to pay a huge amount to the credit card issuer. Usually, card issuers charge a specific percentage of the overall transferred amount. Still, to be on the safer side, you can ask if there are extra charges. For instance: if a bank charges 4 percent fee, then you've to pay $400 for transferring $10,000 to the new low rate card. Don't forget to ask about how much will the interest rate increase after the introductory period is over. Usually, the rate gets doubled after the promotional offer expires.

Highlights for this Saturday's 9-21-13 Your Safe Money Show!

Do you have a bad knee or hip and you're only 45 years old? Medical devices are being used in younger patients today, what are the implications for you.Also on this Saturday's Your Safe Money Show, don't let excess financial papers clutter your home, I'll tell you what papers can go. There's another Medicare scam tune in to find out what it is.

Wind Turbines Have Best Year Ever!

If you had to choose one clean-energy technology that has already proven itself to be revolutionary, it would have to be the windmill. The current incarnation is known as the 3-blade upwind turbine. In the U.S. alone, there are about 45,000 such machines. Last year was the industry's most successful ever with national capacity reaching 60,000 megawatts, enough to power the equivalent of about 15 million U.S. homes. As the wind industry has grown, its turbines have gotten bigger too-so large that a few off shore turbines now top 500 feet in height and cover a 400-foot diameter in the sweep of their rotor blades.
                                                                               

Todd's Tip of the Day!

If you have multiple credit cards, then use a pay-down strategy to reduce your debt.

If you are using multiple credit cards at the same time, then it is important to develop an intelligent strategy to repay all the bills on time. If you don't develop a strategy, then it will be very difficult for you to make the bill payments. You'll start missing payments and the creditors will report them to credit bureaus. Negative items will be reported on your credit report and hurt your score.

There are lots of pay-down strategies which you can use to protect your financial health. For example, you can use bi-monthly strategy to repay your bills. You can pay off the bills twice a month. This way, you won't have a pay a huge bill at the end of the month.

Todd's Tip of the Day!

Juice your credit score: An excellent score-740 and up-is money in your pocket.
On a 30-year $250K mortgage, someone with a score of 620 would pay about $240 more per month than someone with a 760. While a good score is earned over time, you can do two things to quickly boost your number.
1. Get free credit reports at annualcreditreport.com. Read them carefully for mistakes. Errors can cost you points.
2. Call your card issuers to ask for an increase in your credit limits. The more unused credit you have, the better you look. Ideally, use no more than 10% of what's available to you.

Todd's Tip of the Day!

Get a grip on your taxes.

Every responsible citizen of the country needs to file tax returns in a year. So, if you're a good citizen of the nation, then do file your income tax returns within time. Evaluate your income correctly and report it to the IRS. You can consult your tax consultant to get a grip on taxes. The consultant can tell you how much you need to pay for tax in a given year or the ways in which you can get tax credits. You can even go through the articles published on various financial websites about tax tips and advice.

Documents You Need Before You Die

Please read this article about documents you need before you die.This was used in the September 14th edition of Your Safe Money Show. You can hear the show at our podcast page.

Check out these websites :

If you want to search for unclaimed bank accounts and other assets go to www.missingmoney.com.

 AARP offers state by state listings of "advance directive" forms, get those at their website.

Also you can search for unclaimed pensions, 401(k)'s and IRA's at www.unclaimed.com

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052702303627104576410234039258092.html

Todd's Tip of the Day!

It is very much possible to be a graduate without a student loan. All you need to do is get scholarships and grants.

The rising tuition cost has made it extremely tough for the students to be a graduate without taking out student loans. However, it is not completely impossible to be a graduate without being immersed into debt problems. You can apply for scholarships and grants to get financial aid. There's no rule which says that you need to have A+ grades in order to be eligible for scholarships. All you need to have is dedication, hard work and patience. There are thousands of students who have received grants and scholarships without being an exemplary student. If they can get scholarships, there's no question why you shouldn't qualify for them.

Highlights for the 9-14-13 Edition of Your Safe Money Show!

It's sure feeling a little like fall and getting ready for winter is something we Minnesotans know is coming. We have to prepare and we also need to prepare certain documents for our loved ones when we die. I know it's a tough topic but so important. Tune in Saturday at 7:30 a.m. at BOBFM 106.1, HOPEFM 95.9, WQPM 1300AM, and at 8:30a.m.at KASM 1150AM.

Domestic oil production highest since '89

U.S. oil production jumped last week to the highest level since May 1989, cutting consumption of foreign fuel and putting the U.S. closer to energy independence. Drilling techniques including hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, pushed crude output up by 124,000 barrels, or 1.6 percent, to 7,745 million barrels a day in the seven days ended Sept. 6, the Energy Information Administration said. Rising crude supplies from fields including North Dakota's Bakken shale and the Eagle Ford in Texas have helped the U.S. become the world's largest exporter of refined fuels including gasoline and diesel.

Todd's Tip of the Day!

 Discover savings under your own roof.

You won't have to go to extreme lengths for saving money when you're facing credit crunch. You can save money in your own home by taking some simple steps. For instance, getting a programmable thermostat for your home and adjusting it accordingly to save when your not home.Keeping drapes shut helps in extreme cold or heat. Turn off the lights while going somewhere. Make a list before grocery shopping and stick to it, try not to make impulse buys as they usually cost you.Use CFL bulbs in your room. Purchase items in bulk to get discounts.  Re-use the old items instead of purchasing new ones.

Remembering 9/11.

Let's Never Forget!

Todd's Tip of the Day!

You've worked hard, saved well and amassed enough money to leave the kids a tidy sum. Should you attach strings that limit how or when they use it?
Thirty percent of wealthy Americans do just that. They use wills or trusts to reward certain types of behavior and discourage others by delaying or cutting off the supply of cash. Drawn up right, so-called "incentive trusts" perpetuate your values and help your heirs cultivate staggered payouts to deter youthful errors, mandatory drug testing, rewards for achievement, or even provisions for the trustee to be flexible.

Todd's Tip of the Day!

Save daily for your insurance deductible.

Deductibles help you save money on your insurance policies. If you opt for a high deductible, then you'll have to pay low premiums on your insurance. This is why the insurance experts advise people to go for high deductibles. If you have opted for a high deductible to save on your insurance premiums, then make sure you save money for it. You'll need this money at the time of making an insurance claim. If your deductible amount is $1000, then save that amount as soon as possible. You can accumulate this amount by saving a small amount of money regularly.

Ways to Save on Monthly Subscripitions

Take a look at these suggestions to save on common subscriptions.

http://money.usnews.com/money/blogs/my-money/2013/08/26/5-subscriptions-you-could-be-paying-less-for?src=usn_fb

Todd's Tip of the Day!

Know the FDCPA in order to save yourself from harassment by debt collectors.

The job of the debt collectors is to collect money from the consumers. They can do anything to do their job. They can bully you to get their job done. However, this does mean that you'll have to put up with their illegal tactics. You can go through the FDCPA (Fair Debt Collection Practices Act) laws to know about the collection laws. The debt collectors are required to follow these laws while collecting money from the consumers. If you find that the collectors are intentionally or unintentionally breaking the laws, then all you need to do is report the matter to the FTC.

Highlights for Your Safe Money Show Saturday September 7!

Make plans to be by your radio for this Saturday's (9-7) Your Safe Money Show. The markets on average this year are up but recent developments in Syria are causing concern. I have ways for you to save on some of your monthly bills and since were living longer I look at suggestions on saving for the long term. Tune in Saturday at 7:30 a.m. at BOBFM 106.1, HOPEFM 95.9, WQPM 1300AM, and at 8:30a.m.at KASM 1150AM. Hear the show podcast at www.yoursafemoneyshow.com. Most recent shows are at the bottom of the podcast page.

Todd's tip of the Day!

Common sense money help/tips:
Agree with your partner that you won't spend more than a specific amount without consulting each other, it's not about permission. It's about slowing down.
Show kids how to save by giving them a food allowance next time you eat out. Let them keep what they don't spend.
Institute a mandatory 24-hour waiting period before pulling the trigger on big ticket purchases. A "gotta have" item can become a "glad I didn't" near miss.
Study your monthly bills- cable, credit card, phone. You'll be horrified by the amount you're spending on features you don't use.

Todd's Tip of the Day!

 Never reveal your financial details to anyone over phone

You should never reveal financial details to anyone over phone. This is because scammers often call the consumers and make lucrative loan offers. They call the consumers and offer loans at low interest rates. They ask the consumers to reveal their financial details over phone for loan application. Most of the consumers are not able to resist this temptation. They reveal their personal details over phone and get into money troubles later. The scammers use the financial details to drain out money from the consumers' bank accounts. There have been instances where consumers have become bankrupt due to this serious financial mistake. Make sure you are not one of them.

Newsletter for September/October!

Be sure to check out the newest newsletter on the "financial materials" page.

How to Negotiate Hospital Bills and Avoid Medical Bankruptcy.

Your Safe Money Show borrowed from this article for the discussion on the August 31st show. See what you think.

http://money.usnews.com/money/blogs/my-money/2013/08/19/how-to-negotiate-hospital-bills-and-avoid-medical-bankruptcy?src=usn_fb

Todd's Tip of the Day!

Learn to say 'no' to the payday loan lenders. Resist your temptation for fast cash.

When you're in urgent need of money, you might be tempted to get fast cash. After all, who would agree to give you money without checking your credit report and score. You can get a small amount of money from the payday loan lenders within a very short period of time. However, you'll have to pay a heavy interest for that loan. In fact, you may have to pay as much as 500 percent interest on the loan. This would drain your funds in the long run.

There is yet another problem associated with cash advance loans. The problem is that not all the payday loan lenders are legal in your state. The illegal lenders are notorious for harassing borrowers. If you take out a loan from an illegal lender, then you'll just invite fresh troubles at your home.