Money Tips Network

You’ve finally decided that you need to start saving for retirement. You’ve taken that first step of signing up for a 401(k) or a 403(b) or a Roth IRA.

The next step is a doozy, tough. You see tons and tons of investment options. How do you know which one to choose?

You turn to guides for retirement and see lots of advice. Many suggest a Target Retirement Fund. Why? What’s so good about a Target Retirement Fund?

That’s what I hope to explain today. I personally use a Target Retirement Fund for much of my retirement savings, as everything in my retirement plans is in a Target Retirement Fund or something similar. I believe they’re incredibly valuable tools for retirement planning.

The Basics of Retirement Savings

Money may not buy you love or happiness, but it sure does make life easier, doesn't it?

Besides ensuring you have access to all the basic necessities, money also gives you a certain freedom that you might not have had otherwise. Freedom to travel, freedom to pursue more education, freedom to be a little picky about how you earn your living and yes, freedom to enjoy yourself just a bit more. (See also: Money Really Can Buy Happiness)

Unfortunately with the economy still dragging its feet, making some extra cash isn't always an easy thing to do… or is it? Here are five ways to make more money in under 10 hours a week.

Note: This article is from J.D. Roth, who founded Get Rich Slowly in 2006. J.D.’s non-financial writing can be found at More Than Money, where he recently wrote about how to retire early.

The first step on the road to financial freedom is to eliminate debt. The second is to save for emergencies. Your emergency fund acts as self-insurance, cushioning you from small disasters.

Life is full of unexpected surprises, many of which cost money — a thief smashes the windshield of your car, your son gets sick, your water heater overflows. When people live paycheck to paycheck without any savings, they’re at the mercy of these small crises. Sometimes a tiny problem becomes a huge one because the victim didn’t prepare for possible trouble.

At the moment, as I am working on this article, I am also watching television, checking Twitter and Facebook, texting with my daughter, checking on dinner, and chatting with a colleague on G+ chat. I am attempting to multitask, but judging by how long it has taken me to write these first few lines of text, I don't think I'm all that successful at it. (See also: "Life Hacks" You Shouldn't Bother With)

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This week's topic: Cutting Costs Around the House! Learn about saving on cable and Internet, electricity, and your water bill. Share with us your favorite tip to save money around the house.

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A long while ago, I wrote about the idea of good debt and bad debt:

There are several fairly similar definitions of each kind of debt, but generally they either revolve around the terms of the debt (low interest rate debts – usually below 7% or so – would be “good debt”) or the purpose of the debt. For example, debt taken on that allows you to purchase an asset that retains value (such as a house or an education) is often considered “good debt” while debt that is used to purchase things that rapidly decrease in value or have no tangible value at all (like credit card debt) is considered “bad debt.”

My take? I think the idea that there is debt that is inherently “good” and there is debt that is inherently “bad” is wrong. It’s fairly simple to find example where a debt that is “good” in one situation is “bad” in another.

Pop quiz: What's a naturally shelf-stable, impressively inexpensive ingredient that most of us have in bulk on our pantry shelves? The answer? Rice! Whether white, brown, purple, wild, basmati, jasmine, or you name it, rice is a filling side dish when served plain with many of our favorite meals. Spiced up, you might find yourself using rice for many more recipes than you ever imagined — even whole dinners. (See also: Best Rice Cookers)

This article is by staff writer Kristin Wong.

We get a lot of pitches at Get Rich Slowly. Despite the underlying marketing agenda, sometimes these pitches contain useful information that is worth sharing. Case in point, Pep Boys emailed us a whole array of free services they offer. My ears perked up for a few reasons:

• I was impressed with just how many services they offer.
• It made me wonder about other places that offer free car maintenance services.
• A Pep Boys shop just opened downstairs from my building (selfish, sorry).

Not every city has a Pep Boys store, I know. But there are a handful of other places that offer free services too. At any rate, I thought I’d find out more and put together a list.

Tire repair & rotation

We're deep into the days of Seasonal Affective Disorder, more commonly known as SAD. The lack of sunlight causes our levels of serotonin, a brain chemical (neurotransmitter) that impacts our mood; and melatonin, a hormone that impacts our mood and sleep patterns; to drop. This causes depression, a drop in energy, and general irritability. Luckily, there are plenty of natural ways to alter the biochemistry of our brains to boost our mood. (See also: 29 Scientifically Proven Ways to Be Happier)