Simple ways to keep a realistic budget

Successful financial plans often begin with the creation of a budget. A budget is an estimate of income and expenses in a given period of time. Budgets help with long-term goals like paying off a mortgage or sending a child to college as well as short-term goals like financing a dream vacation. Not all budgets are alike, and when people hear the word “budget,” they may get apprehensive. Budgeting may require making some concessions in Read More …

How to get and keep your finances in order

 In 2015, analysts with the Government Accountability Office found that the average American between the ages of 55 and 64 had accrued roughly $104,000 in retirement savings, a shockingly low figure that would make it very difficult for men and women nearing retirement to maintain their quality of life into their golden years. Things don’t look much better north of the border, where the 2015 Global Investor Pulse Survey from the asset management firm BlackRockfound that Read More …