Home » Feed items

Feed items

There's a Huge Difference Between Average Salary Increases and Top Increases

Here's a piece from Kiplinger's where they ask a compensation expert what 2017 looks like for pay.

They begin by asking what kind of a raise people can expect in 2017. Her response:

Companies are forecasting 3% increases, similar to years past. But how that budget is spent may vary by person. Employees with the highest possible rating could see increases in the range of 4.5% to 5%, while low performers get an increase between 0.7% and 1%. Bonuses for salaried employees are projected to be 11.6% of pay, on average, with rewards for special projects or onetime achievements set at 5.6%, on average.

Tags:

Star Money Articles for the Week of February 6

Welcome to this week's edition of Star Money Articles.

Money Boss shares the story of a frugal jerk.

The Green Swan says award travel is changing.

Think Save Retire tells us to just stop.

Budgets are Sexy offers the ten crack commandments of finance.

ESI Money lists the only five money books you'll ever need.

Tags:

How Much Do You Pay to Stay Fit?

Last year Money Magazine ran an infographic on the cost of keeping fit.

There are a few facts from the piece that I want to highlight and comment on.

The first one was the median annual health club dues. It was listed as $828.

We pay more than this. Our club runs $149 per month for four of us. But it is top-of-the-line and seems in line with what we get.

Between the four of us we are at the club 60 times or so per month, so on a cost-per-trip basis it's not that expensive.

On top of that I pay a trainer $89 a month for one session. TOTALLY worth it! He's moved me from 28% body fat to 16%. Better yet, he's all but eliminated my back issues.

I've spent thousands on doctors over the years trying to cure my back, so the money I spend on the trainer is well worth it.

Tags:

Another Vote for Attractiveness

Last year Money Magazine ran a feature article called Help! I Want a Career Makeover.

Some of it had a few career tips here and there, but much of the piece was doing a real makeover -- changing hair, make-up, what a person wore, etc. to make them more appealing at their job.

In other words, Money was recognizing that making yourself more attractive is a key part of growing your career. Of course it is.

I've covered this topic several times in the past. Some highlights:

Tags:

Do You Have Any 2017 Vacation Plans?

This is the time of year when I've had enough of winter and begin thinking of getting away.

We had originally planned to take a cruise last month, but both of our kids got new jobs and couldn't afford the time off.

So instead, we're staying home.

We do live in Colorado and hope to hit the ski slopes sometime this month, but other than that, we have no winter vacation plans.

Somewhat on the radar for trips this year include:

  • My daughter's senior trip (looks like Seattle)
  • Trip to Iowa to see family around Easter
  • A late spring trip to Destin, FL with my family and my parents
  • Moving my daughter to college in Virginia in late summer
  • Fall/late fall trip to Yellowstone that we put off last year

We're also thinking of renting a place on a beach in the Caribbean in January of 2018, but that's pretty far away to lock in at this point.

Tags:

Mobile Moolah: How to Make Money Using Your Mobile Phone

This post is from FMF contributor Peter Shannon.

With the ringing in of a New Year, people are setting their resolutions for 2017 with many focusing their efforts on improving upon their financial outlook. One way in which they can increase their income is to use their mobile phones.

Locket

This app pays you for using your phone’s home screen as an advertising space. Anytime you unlock your phone, an ad will appear. You can opt to interact with the ad or simply continue on to your phone. In both situations you still get paid from Locket depending upon how many times you unlock your phone over the course of a day. Currently only available for use on Android phones, Locket pays out via PayPal.

Receipt Hog

Tags:

How Much $100 is Worth in Every State

This video shows the value of $100 in every state. As you might imagine, $100 goes a lot farther in some places than others.

$100 is worth the least amount in:

  • DC - $84.67
  • Hawaii - $85.62
  • New York - $86.43
  • New Jersey - $87.34
  • California - $88.97

$100 goes the farthest in:

  • Mississippi - $115.34
  • Arkansas - $114.29
  • Alabama - $113.90
  • South Dakota - $113.64
  • Kentucky - $112.74

States that pretty much break even (where $100 gets you $100):

  • Florida - $100.91
  • Illinois - $99.30

Other facts:

Tags:

Successful People Share Smartest Thing They've Done with Money

Business Insider posts on nine successful people. They list the smartest things they're ever done with their money.

The list:

  • Build an emergency fund.
  • Pay yourself first.
  • Invest in real estate.
  • Bought a computer (which led to a career).
  • Invested in ideas.
  • Made my money work for me.
  • Started a business.
  • Lived below my means.
  • Invested in myself.

It's a pretty good list. Hard to argue with any of these.

But for most people, there's a different list of the best money moves you can make.

I've had several good moves. Most notably:

Tags: