My 100th Post

I hope that I inspired someone to become a passionate investor.

And remember . . .

It is a myth that you need a lot of money to start investing,

Just do it!

go to . . .

Any Online Brokerage

and build your nest egg.

Peace and love.

Banking is for Suckas

Bank Savings Account: less than 1%

Inflation: 3%

You lose: 2% of your savings

Index Mutual Fund: average 11% 

Inflation: 3%

You win: 8%

10 Things You Are Supposed to do With Money

1. Invest it

2. Donate it.

3. Love it.

4. Count it.

5. Manage it

6. Double it.

7. Work for it.

8. Max it

9. Grow it.

10. Budget it

10 Stupid Things People Have Done With Money

1. Eat it.

2. Burn it.

3. Flush it.

4. Bank it.

5. Gamble it.

6. Waste it.

7. Fear it.

8. Abuse it

9. Smoke it

10. Tear it.

Money Honey

Bills You Never Knew Existed But DO

The $500 Bill

The $1000 Bill

The $5000 Bill

The $10,000 Bill

The $100,000 Bill - Not in public circulation, Issued only to Federal Reserve banks.

How to Save $100,000 Dollars

Saving goal: $100,000

1. Stop acting rich
• Because it's ghetto. 
• Don't keep up with the Jones', because they are broke. Unless your name is Jones, ignore the Jones.
• Get a cheaper apartment, house, or a roomie. Housing should be no more than 20% of your monthly income.
• Get a second job or a side gig if you need too.
• Get married and share expenses. Live off one paycheck
2. Get your Personal Finances in order
• Stop putting your money in Banks, banking is for suckas.
• Open an investing account at an online brokerage.
• Open a Roth IRA (max it out)
• Open a 401k (if it is offered at your J.O.B and max it out)
• Develop a savings budget
3. Start Saving
• 4 years - Save $25,000 per year for 4 years = $100,000
• 5 years - Save $294.36 per week in a index mutual fund earning 10% annually = $100,000
• 5 years - Save 17,500 - $18,000  per year in your 401k for 5 years. Employer match is 3-6% free money, use it! Max it out! $17,500 - $18,000  per year in a 10% index mutual fund x 5 years = $100,000+
• 10 years - Save $10,000  per year for 10 years.
• 18 years - Save $5,500 per year for 18 years = $100,000. Open a free Roth IRA at any online brokerage and max it out.  Invest in a index mutual fund making at least 10% per year.
4. Create a Strategy
• Learn how to double your money using the Rule of 72
• Reinvest your dividends in a Dividend Reinvestment Plan (DRIP)
• Use Compound Calculators for budgeting savings goals
• Read. Read online Dividends Growth Investors (DGI) and Personal Finance (PF) bloggers and bloggettes. (RIF) Reading is Fundamental.

Qualified State Tuition Planning

Click me! Section 529 - By State: Qualified Tuition Plans

• 529 savings plans can be used at virtually any accredited college or university in the U.S. and at some foreign schools.
• Earnings from 529 plans are not taxed when used to pay for eligible college expenses.
• The account owner of a 529 plan maintains control over the use of the account.
• Some states offer matching grants and other benefits to participants in its 529 plan.
• Your 529 plan contribution qualifies for the $14,000 annual gift tax exclusion.
• 529 plans come in two varieties: college savings plans and prepaid tuition plans.
• 529 plans can be used to pay for tuition, room and board, fees, books, supplies, and equipment required for enrollment.
• Many states offer an income tax deduction or credit based on your contributions into a 529 plan.
• There are no income limitations on a person's ability to contribute to an account.
• You can participate in almost any 529 plan across the country.
• Most need-based financial aid comes in the form of student loans.
• Over the past decade, tuition and room/board at 4-year public universities have risen nearly 49%.
• High school graduates are more likely to go on to college today than in the past. Sixty-three percent of the year 2000 high school graduates had enrolled in college by the following fall, up from 52 percent of the class of 1970. (US Bureau of Labor Statistics)
• College graduates age 25 and over earn nearly twice as much as workers who stopped with a high school diploma.
• Among men, median earnings of four-year college graduates were 19 percent higher than median earnings of high school graduates in 1975. The gap grew to 37 percent in 1985, 56 percent in 1995, and 63 percent in 2005.
• Among women, median earnings of four-year college graduates were 37 percent higher than median earnings of high school graduates in 1975. The gap grew to 47 percent in 1985, and 71 percent in 1995. It was 70 percent in 2005.
• Minimum contributions can be as little as $10.
• In most states, you can contribute as much as $300,000 or more per beneficiary.
• Prepaid plans are currently offered by 12 states and 1 not-for-profit organization.
• More than $227 billion is invested in 529 plans across the country.
• More than 11.5 million 529 accounts are open nationally.

Estate Planning: How to Leave Money to Your Family.

$10,000 (lump sum) saved in a index mutual fund account yielding at least 10% annually for 50 years will yield 1 Million dollars, which you can leave to your family when you die. 

Your Estate Plan should include a Will, which can be purchased online these days.

• Include instructions for passing your values (religion, education, hard work, etc.) in addition to your valuables.
• Include instructions for your care if you become disabled before you die.
• Name a guardian and an inheritance manager for minor children.
• Provide for family members with special needs without disrupting government benefits.
• Provide for loved ones who might be irresponsible with money or who may need future protection from creditors or divorce.
• Include life insurance to provide for your family at your death, disability income insurance to replace your income if you cannot work due to illness or injury, and long-term care insurance to help pay for your care in case of an extended illness or injury.
• Provide for the transfer of your business at your retirement, disability, or death.
• Minimize taxes, court costs, and unnecessary legal fees.
• Be an ongoing process, not a one-time event. Your plan should be reviewed and updated as your family and financial situations (and laws) change over your lifetime.

How to Give Your Grandchild $10,000

I don't have any grand children, but if I did have any grands . . . I would open a trust account/custodial account at any online brokerage.

Deposit a lump-sum of $3,855
As soon as he or she was born, I would open a trust account/custodial account for the child in a mutual fund or motif of stocks earning at least 10% annually. Deposit a lump-sum of $3,855, don't touch it for 10 years and the deposit will be worth $10,000.

Deposit a lump-sum of $500
Don't have $3,855?
Open the trust account with only $500 and your grand child would have $10,000 in 32 years.

myRA: President Obama Helping Millions of Americans Save for Retirement

myRA_SM: My Retirement Account

What is myRA?

myRA is a new type of savings account for Americans who don’t have access to an employer-sponsored retirement savings plan. Workers who sign up will be able to have a portion of their paycheck directly deposited into their myRA automatically every payday.

Contributions as low as $5.

Key features include:

• No cost to open an account.
• Contribute to savings through regular payroll direct deposit.
• Individual decides how much to contribute every payday ($50, $25, $7 – any amount!)
• No fees.
• myRAs will earn interest at the same variable rate as the Government Securities
• Investment Fund in the Thrift Savings Plan for federal employees.
• myRAs will not be limited to one employer  – the account will be portable.
• myRA contributions can be withdrawn tax free.
• Earnings can be withdrawn tax free after five years and the saver is 59½.
• Account holders can build savings for 30 years or until their myRA reaches $15,000 – whichever comes first. After that, myRA balances will transfer to private-sector Roth IRAs.

FIND OUT MORE AT: http://www.myra.treasury.gov/ OR http://www.treasurydirect.gov/readysavegrow/

Create Your Own Dayum Money!!!

Create your personalized money at: http://www.festisite.com/money/

but don't spend it!

My Personal 60/40 Budget

My Needs and My Wants: 60%
Housing 20%
Utilities (including cable,  phone and internet) 10% 
Tithes and Offerings 10%
Recreation 5%
Food 5%

Personal 5%
Clothing 5%

My Savings: 40%
Emergency Fund 10%
Savings Roth IRA 25%
Tuition 5%

Car/Transportation 0% (Commuter Check is taken out pre-tax)

This works fine for me.  I tried the Save 50 Club but I just can't get it work in my budget.

11/17/2014 UPDATE: I'm in the Save 50% Club, I made it Mom!

Self-Employed Retirement Plans

Self-Employed Retirement Plans allow self-employed individuals and small-business owners to save for retirement.  

The main self employed retirement plans are:

1. Simplified Employee Pension (SEP IRA),
2. Individual 401(k)—sometimes called a solo 401(k) or a self-employed 401(k).
3. Savings Incentive Match Plan for Employees (SIMPLE IRA) 

These plans can be opened at any online brokerage, I'm using the companies below as an example, so comparisons can be made. They all carry the same products.

• SEP-IRA 
• SEP IRA - Simplified Employee Pension Plan - Fidelity
• Solo 401k - (commonly called an Individual 401k)
• Individual 401(k) Retirement Plan - T. Rowe Price
• SIMPLE IRA
• Simple IRA | Establish Your Retirement Plan | Charles Schwab

A sole proprietor who makes $40,000 can save $8,000 in a SEP-IRA, but over $21,000 in a solo 401(k). The SIMPLE IRA varies and is for the employer and up to 100 employees.

An educational video below on the Solo 401k, again not endorsing the company, just use the information for educational purposes and do your own research.

Please read my disclaimer on my side bar.

The Sub of the Day

UPDATE: I received a $30 Subway Gift Card from a friend! That's about 10 - $3.00 Subs of the day!

Subway almost had me buying their stock today, that's how much I loved their $3.00 Sub of the Day.

But they remain privately owned. It almost bought tears to my eyes.

I Googled and found out that people are searching far a wide for any information on a subway stock. NADA.  I might have to buy a franchise. The initial franchise fee is $15,000.

Steps to Opening a Subways Franchise.

Am I Qualified?

Building Wealth Revealed!

No get rich schemes here.

Being married is actually a very efficient way to be on the path to financial riches and building wealth . With two incomes paying one mortgage or rent, one set of utility bills, sharing food, you both will have more money to save. 

Be daring, Live off one income and save the other income.

Two Income Households- Spend One, Save One

Common sense will tell you, it's a no-brainer,

Tip of the Week: Be A Millionaire

Become a millionaire on an average salary . . .

Save $1,000 monthly at 8% interest for 26 years and you will have $1,000,000.00
Save $2,000 monthly at 8% interest for 19 years and you will have $1,000,000.00
Save $3,000 monthly at 8% interest for 15 years and you will have $1,000,000.00

Note: These numbers reflect investing in a Index Mutual Fund which has averaged 8-11% since the 1920's. Please feel to use the Millionaire Calculator.

How to Keep Your Child From Stealing

When I was a young mother, I never wanted my child to want something so bad, to want to steal it because she didn't have the money. 

She knew that stealing was bad but I didn't want peer pressure to get the best of her young mind. Give your children some pride in knowing that they can buy what they want. 

She liked magazines with her favorite groups on the cover, music CD's, and sunglasses to look cool like Mary J. Blige, so I decided to give her an allowance. I bought her a pink shiny piggy bank for her change and opened a bank account  with her very own bank book. It was old school.

As soon as they start school, give them an allowance at a very young age, every week. The allowance must equal their age plus change.

Age	Allowance	Change
5	$5	5 nickles or 25 cents
6	$6	6 nickles or 30 cents
7	$7	7 nickles or 35 cents
8	$8	8 nickles or 40 cents
9	$9	9 nickles or 45 cents
10	$10	10 nickles or 50 cents
11	$11	11 nickles or 55 cents
12	$12	12 nickles or 60 cents
13	$13	13 nickles or 65 cents

At 14, they should get a youth job or have a business. The internet is great for creating online businesses easily.

Sept 30th Prince: ART OFFICIAL AGE

Money well spent at Amazon.

The Pocket Drone for $549.00 - $599.00

I can see the Pocket Drone being used as a high tech Peeping Tom for the Paparazzi.
This video is hilarious.

Presenters: Chance Roth, Lenny Rachitsky
Website: http://www.airdroids.com 

Should I invest in personal drones?

Internet without the Cable TV for $19.99 per month

1. NetZero Wireless Broadband
2. Earthlink

I HAVE TO RESEARCH AND INVESTIGATE FURTHER!

Stay tuned to this page for updates.

The Frugal Guide to New Orleans

1. Place to Stay - Check out AirBnB or The Lookout Inn
2. Free Ghost Tours - Check out Free Tours By Foot
3. Food - Anything between 2 pieces of bread (PO'BOYS) is under $10. 



Shrimp Po' Boy

4. Food - 3 Beignets for $2.00 anywhere in NOLA, free Cafe au Lait coupon
5. Visit the Jackson Square Church - free, great photo opportunities.
6. People watch on Bourbon Street- free or buy drinks for club hopping all night.
7. Stroll through the French Market or Riverwalk - free or buy souvenirs.
8. Listen to authentic jazz at a free venue called Three Muses - tip the musicians
9. Window shop in the Art Galleries on Royal Street  - free, unless you buy.
10. Buy cheap tickets to the Essence Festival
11. Walk or take the Trolley with Jazzy Pass - Only $9 for 3 days.
12. Die and go to Wino Heaven at Rite-Aid on St. Charles.
13. Visit Backstreet Cultural Museum, in the Treme - small fee
14. 25 cent Martinis at Commanders Palace - lunchtime only
15. Horse and Carriage tour - between $7 -$15 depending on the driver.