We're celebrating Halloween with In-the-Black Week, but this tip is something to also keep in mind when you are preparing to shop for the upcoming holidays.
In-the-Black tip: Shop with a purpose. Make a list of the things you're hoping to find, whether it's a new holiday party dress for you or gifts for the people you love. Next to each item or person's name, write how much you can afford to spend. You may be able to spend $200 on yourself normally, but when you have a long list of gifts to buy, you might have to spend less. Use a spreadsheet to track the purchases as you go including what you paid for each item, so you can clearly see how well you are sticking to your overall spending plan.
Job hunting is a process more people are having to go through as companies undergo big layoffs in the face of a challenged economy. It's competitive out there and the little details matter more with crowded applicant pools. Make your case stronger by showing up prepared — check for these five items before you head out the door.
Ecomomics: Hire a Sitter Who is Collecting Unemployment? In light of the economy, laid off workers are trying to make ends meet. For many, unemployment checks aren't enough to pay the bills so some people have taken to "off the book" jobs they don't have to claim like nannying. Would you hire a babysitter that is also collecting unemployment checks? 0 Comments
Debt can be a difficult thing to talk about with your family, and many young adults in debt are fearful their parents will be disappointed and consider them financial failures. Whether you run a tight ship when it comes to money and are smooth sailing, or you've found yourself in financial trouble, money isn't necessarily a topic that's comfortable to talk about with mom and dad. What do your parents know about your financial situation?
Annual performance reviews are right around the corner, so let's brush up on the boss's lingo to make sure we understand the feedback we're given. If your boss told you that you need to "manage up," would you know what she meant?
According to Rosanne Badowski, co-author of Managing Up: How to Forge an Effective Relationship With Those Above You, your boss wants you to "go above and beyond the tasks assigned to you so that you can enhance your manager's work." Helping your manager in this way makes you a greater asset and will make you more competitive for a promotion — managing up is a "help me help you" type of role, and it can certainly work in your favor.
Executive coach Mariette Edwards says there are a slew of steps you can take to show you are learning to manage up, including things like jumping in when needed; maintaining a good attitude no matter what; doing quality work; keeping your boss informed; building relationships; being a good follower when the situation dictates it. Get the gist?
A newly released Bankrate study about checking account fees found that the associated fees have reached an all-time high. ATM surcharges increased 11 percent from just last year, going from $1.78 to $1.97, fees for bounced checks rose 2.5 percent to $28.95, and monthly service fees on interest bearing accounts increased from $11.72 to $11.97. According to Greg McBride from Bankrate.com, "Fees have been going up for years. Some of those fees have outpaced the rate of inflation."
The fees may keep going up, but we can sit on the sidelines unaffected by the hikes if we're smart. If your bank doesn't absorb ATM surcharges, stick to your own bank's ATM by planning ahead, or just get cash back at the store. Ideally your checkbook is balanced so that you don't bounce checks, but getting overdraft protection connected to a savings account can prevent expensive bounced check fees. Most interest bearing checking accounts pay very minimal interest anyway, so you're probably better off forgoing the interest to avoid maintenance fees that usually come with these accounts.
My best friend is in her first few months of blissful marriage and she and her husband are busy planning their first holiday season as newlyweds. The plan is to visit his family on the East Coast, but because of an unpredictable income in a weak economy, she has been considering staying at home in California while her husband travels east.
She is fine with spending the holidays apart, but knows that the family wouldn’t take the news well if she sat this season out, so she’s being a (reluctant) trooper and spending the dough. Would you spend the holidays away from your special someone to save money?
We're celebrating Halloween with In-the-Black Week, but this tip is something to also keep in mind when you are preparing to shop for the upcoming holidays. 
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