Berkshire Hathaway Shareholder Discounts

The following post is by MPFJ staff writer, Marie. You can read more of Marie’s articles over at her own blog, Family Money Values. Enjoy! 

After I started blogging at Family Money Values, my research led me to discover the “Woodstock for Capitalist” – the annual meeting of Warren Buffett’s Berkshire-Hathaway company.

 

The meeting.

To my knowledge, this is the only shareholder meeting that offers not only a chance to vote on proxy items in person, but also access to the ‘sage of Wall Street’ and his side kick Charlie Munger as well as a chance to glimpse some of the board members, including Bill Gates.  Buffett and Munger (he is a riot by the way) host a question answer period to a jam packed convention hall for most of the day.  The actual meeting typically lasts less than an hour.

There are dinners, a chance to mingle the night before with other shareholders, a 5k run, a huge exhibition hall and multiple shareholder discounts.

Eager to see the spectacle, I bought B shares of BRK stock in 2012.  Unlike the A shares (which as of 5/2/17 were valued at about a quarter of a million dollars per share), the B shares were only around $112 per share.

That first year, my spouse, my two grown sons and I drove to Omaha and spent the night so we could get to the meeting in time to see the movie.  The hotels were booked as early as January but we managed to get two rooms in a not so nice hotel at a price I could stomach.  We drove to the meeting in the morning and made it in time to see the starting movie – from the nosebleed section of the hall.  It was sort of a funny movie, with a lot of subtle and not so subtle advertising for Berkshire companies.

It was interesting seeing and listening to Buffett and Munger and hearing the questions folks came up with.

For lunch, the food vendor stalls in the hall are open and doing a brisk business.  We ate standing up as their were no empty seats.

Later, we strolled down to the exhibition hall and looked around.  There were some pretty good discounts (we bought a couple of knife sets) and then there were things that still seemed a bit too expensive (like the See’s Candy)

We didn’t take advantage of the 5k run, the reception on Friday at Borscheims, the steak dinner for shareholders (you still have to pay) at Gorat’s, or compete with Buffett in the Newspaper throwing challenge.  Nor did we get over to the Omaha Nebraska Furniture Mart or the Borscheims – where even more shareholder discounts were said to occur.  We did ride over to see the Netjets planes at the hanger.

Each year since, my spouse and I have attended the meeting – driving up the morning of it.

As the meeting attendance has swelled over the years, straining the area resources (hotels, convention room etc), the Berkshire folks have made some adjustments.

Last year, they initiated a live stream of the Saturday meetings.  If you are interested you can view that on Yahoo Finance https://finance.yahoo.com/brklivestream/

 

The discounts.

This year, Berkshire-Hathaway opened up the shareholder discounts to include all locations of the Nebraska Furniture Mart – NFM –  (Omaha, Kansas City and Dallas-Fort Worth), instead of limiting the discounts to the Omaha store.

I was excited about this one as we live near one of the other stores and was hopeful that the discount amounts would be significant, since we had gotten some good deals in the exhibit hall.  So, as soon as our proxy material arrived, with the form to fill out to receive shareholder credentials (which you need to get into the meeting and to get the discounts), I sent it back and got our max of 4 credentials in the mail.

The discounts run for several days prior to and throughout the weekend of the annual meeting. Yesterday was the first day of the NFM discounts so I geared up and went shopping to check them out.

As I had never been and couldn’t find any information online, I had no idea about what to expect.  Would they be limited to certain items?  Would the discounts be a set percent?

As soon as I entered the store, I asked the first person encountered how the discounts worked.  Unfortunately, that person was a security guard and didn’t have much information.  But he did tell me that I should talk to a sales person.  The appliance section was near (NFM at this location is huge so distance mattered!) and I quickly found a salesman to help me out.  Here is what I found.

The discounts are embedded inside the store’s database, not displayed anywhere.  You have to find an item in which you are interested, scout out a salesperson (who is usually on commission), show him your credential and ask him what the discounted price is.

Alternately, if you are the actual shareholder, you are in that database too and you can call in to check on prices and make an order.

 

Examples of the underwhelming discounts

So, I checked out some of the items I’m interested in obtaining to see what kind of discount they had.

I was underwhelmed, to be honest.

• Samsung washer – manufacturer suggested retail price of $899, sale price to any shopper that day at NM of $643, and BRK shareholder discounted price of $630. Hmmm only $13 less than anyone else.
• Samsung matching dryer – same prices as the washer.
• GE black basic refrigerator freezer with ice maker – manufacturer suggested retail price of $994, no sale price to any shopper that day, BRK shareholder discounted price of $974.12 – only discounted $19.88.
• Wood swivel counter height stool – regular NFM price of $159, discounted for shareholders to $127. While this was a better percentage than the appliances I checked, it was nowhere near the 30% off I had dreamed about.
• Upholstered swivel counter height stool – regular NFM price of $369, discounted for shareholders to $295.

While it is nice to get a shareholder discount, the process used and the seemingly small percentage off what others pay was discouraging and time consuming.

Still if you are buying something anyway, and have access to shareholder credentials, it is worth checking out.  Who knows, maybe other merchandise was discounted at a higher percentage.

I have enjoyed going to the meetings and hearing first hand from the sage, but even better has been the growth in share price of BRK-B (which was at $166.65) as of the last quote – a rise of $54.65 per share – gee, which I had bought more!

Discounts aren’t everything. How about you all? Have you encountered any underwhelming discounts recently?

***Photo courtesy of https://www.flickr.com/photos/132053576@N03/17063139357/sizes/l

How to Throw a Fun Yet Affordable Graduation Party

The following post is by MPFJ staff writer, Laurie Blank.  Laurie is a wife, mother to 4 and homesteader who blogs about personal finance, self-sufficiency and life in general over at The Frugal Farmer. Part witty, part introspective and part silly, her goal in blogging is to help others find their way to financial freedom and to a simpler, more peaceful life.

Summer is around the corner, which means families everywhere will be getting ready to throw high school and college graduation parties. If you’re preparing to throw a graduation party and have been talking to parents of other grads, you’re likely beginning to prepare to spend a LOT of money – or panicking about how a graduation party will affect your family finances.

The good news is that a great graduation party doesn’t have to be super expensive. Abandon thoughts of catered dinners and expensive decorations, and consider these ideas for a fun yet affordable graduation party.

Share Your Party

If your graduate has a best friend, family member or significant other who is also graduating, consider doing a shared graduation party. Not only will you be able to split the costs with the other family, but many of your guests will probably know both graduates and will likely appreciate having to only attend one party as opposed to two.

Cut Down on Equipment Rental Costs

It can be expensive to rent party tents, chairs and tables. A cheaper idea may be to rent a local park pavilion or to hold the party at the home of a friend/family member who has a large garage where most guests can be indoors without the need for a tent. Borrowing tables and chairs from family and friends can help cut down on costs there. Since the tables will be covered with tablecloths anyway it doesn’t matter much if they don’t match.

Keep a Handle on the Food Budget

There are several ways you can make sure the food budget for your graduation party doesn’t get out of hand.

Choose Your Party Time Carefully

Know that time of day makes a difference. If you hold your party at lunch time (between 11 a.m. and 1 p.m.) or dinner time (between 4 p.m. and 6 p.m.) people will expect a full meal. However if you hold the party during midday hours, you can get away with serving a lighter assortment of finger foods and appetizers.

Don’t Do the Catering Thing

Catering is often the largest expense for graduation party holders, but it’s not always a necessary expense. Choosing foods that are inexpensive and easy to prepare, and asking for help from close friends and loved ones will help you save substantially on food costs. Here are some ideas for easy-to-prepare and serve, inexpensive foods.

• Go to the warehouse club for maximum savings. They have great specials on deli meat, or if you really want to save you can get pulled pork for about $2 a pound and throw some BBQ sauce on it.
• Inexpensive salads. Again, the warehouse club is your friend here. They sell pastas, lettuce and other veggies at amazingly low prices and huge quantities. Look online for salad recipes that are inexpensive yet delicious.
• Potato and other chips may not be an adult favorite but kids love them. Warehouse clubs and stores like Aldi sell chips for super cheap.
• Fruit and vegetable trays. Instead of buying already prepared fruit and veggie trays, shop at the warehouse club or Aldi and recruit a couple of friends to help you put together a nice array of fruits and veggies along with some store bought dips.
• Warehouse clubs such as Sam’s Club and Costco sell delicious half and whole sheet cakes for amazingly low prices. You can usually get a whole sheet cake for under $40. If you don’t want to go the cake route, have close friends and family members contribute a plate of bars or cookies and have a dessert buffet instead of cake.
• Lighter fare. If you’re doing a midday party you can get away with deli sandwiches cut into triangles and an assortment of veggies, fruits and chips.
• Instead of serving sodas, choose to make punch with any combination of lemonade or Koolaid and add in lemon lime soda or Ginger Ale. Much cheaper, and different too. People drink soda often but rarely get to indulge in punch.

Invitations

Technology has made it very easy to do your own graduation party invitations, either on your home computer system or at a DIY photo system like the ones at Walmart. With pre-made templates to choose from, creating your own invitations will be cheap and easy.

Decorations

Decorations don’t have to cost a lot of money. Consider these ideas for a beautiful but frugal graduation party.

Tablecloths

Buy tablecloths at the dollar store in your child’s school colors for a colorful but inexpensive addition to your party.

Table and other Decorations

Instead of buying table centerpieces, use photos laid on tables or arranged nicely around the area, or use other items from home that reflect your child’s interests and talents. Books arranged nicely with ribbons work well as decorations too.

You can also decorate using your food choices.  Check out this Pinterest board for fun but easy ideas such as Diploma Cookies and Graduation Hat Pops.

With a little creativity and work, your child’s graduation party can be fun without draining your bank account.

A Word about Your Home’s Appearance

If you’re having your child’s graduation party at home, you may feel like you’ve got to remodel and redecorate and have your home looking picture perfect for the party. Know that cleaning, decluttering and a few inexpensive home enhancement decisions like a fresh coat of paint and a few flowers can go a long way. No need to remodel your entire home to impress people for one day. On the other hand, if you’ve been meaning to remodel anyway and have the cash on hand, an upcoming graduation party can be a great excuse to finally get it done.

How about you all? What are your tips for saving money on graduation parties? Do you have any ideas for inventive graduation gifts? 

Share your experiences by commenting below!

****Photo courtesy https://www.flickr.com/photos/attercop311/3092138753/

Facing High Medical Debt? Here’s What You Should Do

The following is a post by MPFJ staff writer, Toi Williams, who is a professional finance blogger for MarketBeat. She has backgrounds in personal finance, sales, and real estate.

Medical debt is becoming a big problem for many in the United States. According to data from the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, medical debt collections currently make up about 52 percent of collection accounts on credit reports, a much higher rate than other types of debt. About a quarter of adults ages 18 to 64 reported having past-due medical debt in 2015, compared with 10 percent of people over 65. An estimated 43 million consumers with a credit report at a nationwide consumer reporting agency have one or more medical accounts in collection.

Of the consumers with only medical collections accounts, 50 percent have otherwise “clean” credit reports. However, having a single collections item on a credit report can hurt a credit score severely. A person with a FICO score of 680 could see their credit score drop 45-65 points once a collections account has been added to the information. Someone with a score of 780 could see a decline of 105-125 points.

This makes it very important to act on the medical debt quickly before it is sent to collections. There is currently no set standard for when a medical debt will be sent to collections, so it could happen anywhere between 30 – 180 days past the billing date. Here are some steps to take that will make handling high medical debt a little easier.

 

Examine Medical Bills Carefully For Errors

Medical bills are complicated and are often full of codes and terms that you may not understand. Those with chronic conditions, medical emergencies, or lengthy hospital stays face even more challenges because their care often results in multiple bills from multiple providers. Requesting itemized bill from each provider will allow you to check how much you were charged for each service.

When reviewing your medical bills, make sure that you were not mistakenly charged for services you didn’t receive. If a provider listed is unfamiliar, check the date of service to see if you had a medical treatment that day. Some providers may be associated with a hospital where you were treated but chose to bill you directly for the services.

 

Review Circumstances Of Denied Coverage

Many cases of high medical debt are due to the patient’s insurer denying coverage for certain procedures. Unless it is a medical emergency, in most cases you will know what your insurance will cover before receiving treatment. If coverage is denied for something that you believe should have been covered, there are several things that you can do.

First, review your health insurance policy to see exactly what providers and procedures are covered under your plan. If the questionable items should be covered, make sure your provider has your correct insurance info and that they used the correct billing codes when submitting the claim to your insurance company. A small mistake can lead to expensive bills for procedures that your insurance should have covered.

 

Dispute Inaccurate Charges

If you have reviewed your medical bills and find that you have been charged incorrectly, it is important to dispute the bill as quickly as you can. The first step is to send a written notice to the provider detailing which portions of the bill you are disputing. Be sure to send copies of all relevant documents along with the written notice, including copies of the bills with the errors clearly indicated and copies of medical records related to your claim.

In many cases, the provider will revise the bill to correct the errors once this notification has been received. It is important to stay on top of the matter until you can confirm that the necessary changes have been made. Keep a record of contacts made with the provider in your efforts to correct the bill. This information can be valuable if the medical bill is sent to collections still containing errors.

 

Ask If Discounts, Payment Plans, Or Financial Assistance Is Available

Medical care providers know that many people have trouble paying high medical debt and many offer ways to make paying the debt easier. For example, some medical providers will offer a discount to those that can pay the discounted amount right away. Others will accept the Medicare rate for their services, which is typically lower than the rate charged by private insurers. It doesn’t hurt to ask.

Some hospitals and clinics have a financial-assistance program to help people that are unable to pay their bills, but there are typically income limitations on who can apply for these programs. The provider might also offer a monthly payment plan that enables you to pay off the debt in installments at little or no interest. You may also be able to negotiate the amount due directly with your health care provider. In many cases, they will be willing to work with you to come up with a plan that you can afford.

One of the worst things you can do is put large amounts of medical debt on your credit card. If you cannot pay off the balance right away, you will be subject to a much higher interest rate on the debt than the provider would have charged you. If the debt is sent to collections, it will look like any other credit card debt to creditors, severely harming your ability to obtain credit in the future. Explore other options for repayment first and only use your credit card if you can pay off the entire amount before the next billing cycle.

How about you all? Have you been struggling with high medical debt? How have you been coping? Tell us in the comments.

***Photo courtesy of https://www.flickr.com/photos/usarmyafrica/4567202913/sizes/l

A Talk All Couples Should Have

The following post is by MPFJ staff writer, Marie. You can read more of Marie’s articles over at her own blog, Family Money Values. Enjoy! 

After 9/11/2001, I started sharing a written record of our finances, with our children – who are our trustees.  Each year, I try to update it to make sure it somewhat matches reality.  It is meant to be a help if both my spouse and I die together and the kids have to pick up the pieces.

This year, as I was doing my updating, I realized that was not enough.  I am the primarily financial person in our marriage at this point.  I make the investment decisions, update the financial records and file the papers.  I usually do the prep work for our taxes to send to the accountant.  My husband and I do freely discuss our finances and do split some of the financial duties.  For example, he usually pays the bills and subtracts out the check register, while I do most of the other planning and reconciling work.  I also run both of our two limited liability corporations, since he is interested in neither.

Lately I’ve come to realize that my spouse may not know what to do if I die first, and my family history is of early death while his is of longevity.

He has never had to deal with the minutiae of death, and I have minimal experience.  There is a lot to do when one of a couple dies and if no discussion has happened the decisions involved can be heart rending.

Immediate decisions as to life support withdrawal, organ donation, preferences on how the body is handled, and things like what kind of wake to hold, where the service should be, and how much to spend on a funeral are just a few of many the surviving spouse will have to handle quickly.

Becoming single after our 45 plus years of being a couple will be a dramatic change for the survivor.  While documenting financial activities and accounts is important and needed, knowing ahead of time what your partner might prefer you to do can help the surviving spouse handle those immediate and imminent decisions during a grief filled, busy and stressful period.

 

Have that death talk.

Suggested questions for discussion/decision could be as follows.

 

Do you want to donate any organs?

How does each spouse feel about it?  What do you think the relative’s reactions will be – will they make it hard on the survivor?

 

Do you want to prepare a living will and/or a medical power of attorney?

What are your wishes if you can’t speak for yourself.

When my Dad’s cancer was determined to be terminal, he and Mom had this discussion and their decision was to do everything possible to save Dad.  He was after all only 65.

 

What do you want done with your body?

Do you want to be cremated, embalmed, buried naturally?  Do you want an open casket or a closed casket?  Do you want your body preserved within concrete vaults so it doesn’t decompose or do you want your earthly remains to decompose? Does your religion approve of your wishes and if not, how will your family handle it when the survivor implements your decision.  For instance, my husband was raised Roman Catholic.  According to Church doctrine, having an intact body at the funeral is of high importance.  Does that mean cremation is out?

 

Where do you want to be interred?

Do you want a particular cemetery or type of cemetery (religious, green, local, family and etc).  Should there be a head stone, or flat to the ground grave marker?  How do you want it engraved?  If cremated, what should be done with your ashes, your urn?  Would you prefer they be placed in a mausoleum/Columbarium, scattered, kept in the family home, etc?.

 

How much do you think should be spent on your funeral?

Just discuss to get an idea of what price levels you each think are appropriate?  Do you want to go with bare bones arrangements or something more elegant (and can you afford it)?

 

What should be considered for your memorial service?

Do you have certain songs, music, passages or speakers you want to involve in the funeral service?

Do you want others to stand up and give eulogies?  Should that be done at the funeral service, during the visitation, online or some other way.

 

Are there any documents or pictures you want to make sure get distributed?

I am planning on writing my autobiography.  I’ve asked my spouse to make sure that whatever I have done at the time of my death gets distributed to my heirs.  On a similar note, it is important to me to have my side of the family genealogy and history (which I spent considerable time gathering) preserved and passed along to future generations.

 

What do you want to leave as your legacy?

Is it important to you to leave assets to the kids or grand kids?  Do you want to fund certain charities or organizations (either with your assets or via donations in lieu of flowers at your service).  Are there certain accomplishments you wish to have memorialized  – such as Thomas Jefferson did when he instructed that of all his many accomplishments only 3 were to be memorialized – being the author of the Declaration of American Independence and of the statute of Virginia for religious freedom and being the father of the University of Virginia.

 

What income and expense levels can the survivor expect?

Now is the time to do some planning to make sure your partner will not be driven into the poor house when you die.

Our good friend Bill was diagnosed with terminal cancer.  He was a funny, hardworking carpenter, but he had no pension, no savings and his wife there fore would have no income.  She was handicapped and was suddenly left, not only without her life partner, but also without any economic support.

 

What tasks are done substantially by one person or the other?

Discuss how you have divided up the chores of life.  Make sure the other person is aware of all you do,  how to do it, when to do it and why to do it.

Bring the other party up to speed, especially on critical and financial tasks.  Make sure each one is aware of how to find things, who to call, and etc.  Make sure there is a common list available to both of doctors, mechanics, dentists, lawyers, accountants and etc.

 

How do you picture your life changing when I’m gone?

Help each other envision what life might be like when left behind.  By all accounts widows and widowers have a long, hard, somewhat lonely road ahead the first few years after the death of a partner.

But thinking (and talking) through possible scenarios can be helpful.   Will you keep the house?  How do you feel about  being single?  Do you think you might marry again some day (and how does the other person feel about that)?  Are there things you might want to explore that perhaps you didn’t have a chance to pursue so far?

 

What kinds of things are you going to do to get past the first couple of years alone?

Some experts say that keeping busy and socially involved can  help.  Others say you should grieve however you want.  Some say don’t make any big changes, as you are not in your best mental state while grieving.  How will you handle day to day activities that require more than one person?  Who will you call when you want or need to talk.

 

What do you want done with your ‘stuff’?

My spouse is a collector.  He fears that all of his wonderful collections will be sold off, because the heirs don’t want them.

Should there be a museum?  Is there a charity you should donate it to?  Are there certain things with special meaning you would like passed along to certain people?  My Mom requested that her jewelry be passed down the female side of the family.  I’m doing the same with all of her jewelry and with mine.

Life can and does end suddenly at times, totally unexpected.  Although not a fun topic, the above death talk is worth talking through.

How about you all? What difficulties do you foresee in initiating such a discussion with your life partner?

Share your experiences by commenting below! 

***Photo courtesy of https://www.flickr.com/photos/halfchinese/235051813/sizes/l

Combating the “Wealth Equals Jerk” Perception

The following post is by MPFJ staff writer, Laurie Blank.  Laurie is a wife, mother to 4 and homesteader who blogs about personal finance, self-sufficiency and life in general over at The Frugal Farmer. Part witty, part introspective and part silly, her goal in blogging is to help others find their way to financial freedom and to a simpler, more peaceful life.

There’s a common perception among those struggling financially that all wealthy people are greedy, self-serving jerks who have made their fortune by trampling on others. Many of those living paycheck-to-paycheck lives gained this perspective from their parents or other authority figures in their lives. Entire books have been written on how the wealthy are responsible for all economic problems in the world.

I know our family sometimes talked this way when I was younger. In their minds, there were the haves and the have-nots and which group you fell into was simply luck of the draw. Besides, wealthy people were takers and not givers, and why would you want to be a part of such an uncharitable group of people anyway?

I believe a wrongly-held perception of the rich can have a subconscious impact on one’s ability to improve their financial situation. I know this was the case with my husband and me for many years. Because we viewed the rich as financial bullies, we were hesitant to improve our financial situation. We feared we would change if we became wealthy or financially secure and no longer be the compassionate, charitable people we were. While there are definitely rich people who step on the backs of others to pad their own pockets, studies have shown that the majority of wealthy people are in fact quite pleasant.

If you’re struggling with paying off debt and building wealth because you don’t want to become a “rich snob”, here are some tips that may help you change your perception of the wealthy.

 

Do Your Research

Thomas Corley, author of the book Rich Habits, found in his extensive research of the wealthy that they weren’t at all the horrible people that much of society makes them out to be. Contrary to popular perception, Corley found out some surprising statistics about the wealthy such as:

• Seventy-six percent of the millionaires in his study were self-made. In fact, thirty-one percent came from poor households and forty-five percent came from middle class households
• The wealthy in Corley’s study worked more hours, watched less television and spent more time networking than those struggling financially
• The top one percent of the wealthy are carrying forty-six percent of the tax burden in the U.S.
• Sixty-two percent of the wealthy gave 5-10% of their income to charity and seventy-two percent volunteered five hours or more per month at some type of charity

Often times the wealth-equals-jerk perception comes from a one-time experience a financially struggling person has with a wealthy person or from random media reports, but statistics show otherwise.

 

Remember that Money Doesn’t Change a Person

There’s an old saying that goes “Money doesn’t change one’s personality; it simply magnifies it.” In other words, if a rich person is a jerk, it’s likely that they were a jerk before they had money.

Pride, anger, low self-esteem and bitterness often come from years of self-centeredness, and those qualities can be adapted by people in all financial situations. If you look at the “jerks” you know, I’m willing to bet that they have a range of financial situations and aren’t limited to the wealthy only.

 

The Truly Wealthy vs the Appearance of Wealthy

One wealthy person I knew when I worked in the banking industry said that in her experience she had learned that while those pretending they had wealth were often angry, unhappy people, those who were truly wealthy were kind and charitable.

Often it’s the case that people appear to be wealthy due to the assets they own, when in reality they might just be highly indebted people who are extremely stressed by their financial situation. What comes off as “pompous jerk” might in reality be “I’ve been living this lie of having it all but I am being crushed under the weight of the monthly payments.”

I saw this regularly when I worked in banking. Nicely dressed people who owned fancy homes and drove fine cars would come into the bank, desperate for a consolidation loan or a plan to help them get out from the burden of heavy debt loads.

I also dealt with many wealthy people during my fifteen years in mortgage and traditional banking, and the majority of the truly wealthy people I worked with were indeed kind and compassionate.

 

Being a Jerk is a Choice

Don’t let false perceptions of wealth make you hesitant to build wealth for yourself and your family. Simply make a commitment that when you do become wealthy, you’ll use your fortune to make the world a better place. Being a jerk – or not being a jerk – is a choice.

How about you all? What has been your perception of wealthy people? Has it impacted how you’ve handled your money?

Share your experiences by commenting below! 

***Photo courtesy of https://www.flickr.com/photos/conskeptical/3319490592/sizes/l

Personal Finance To-Do’s in a Good Economy

The following post is by MPFJ staff writer, Laurie Blank.  Laurie is a wife, mother to 4 and homesteader who blogs about personal finance, self-sufficiency and life in general over at The Frugal Farmer. Part witty, part introspective and part silly, her goal in blogging is to help others find their way to financial freedom and to a simpler, more peaceful life.

According to recent reports, the economy is in a state of thriving optimism. Check out this recent news article snippet:

“Upbeat economic data continue to emerge from the U.S. economy despite the turbulent political atmosphere. Leading indicators suggest that activity is firming in the first quarter of 2017 after GDP growth slipped in the final quarter of last year. The ISM manufacturing index rose to an over-two-year high in January, retail sales grew healthy and employers added jobs at the quickest pace in four months.”  (Source: http://www.focus-economics.com/countries/united-states)

After many years of digging out of trouble since the 2007-2008 housing bust, things might actually be starting to seriously improve for America’s citizens, at least from a financial standpoint. So what can you do to take advantage of a good economy and use the opportunity to improve your personal financial situation? Consider these options.

 

Assess Your Financial Situation

How have the last nine or ten years affected your finances? Have you gotten into debt? Depleted your savings? Ignored your retirement accounts as you work to be able to pay the bills? Make an assessment of your current financial situation and set some goals for where you want to be financially. Then make a plan for how you’ll get there and start moving forward with your plan today.

 

Make More Money

Jobs are being added at a quick pace, which means you have more opportunities to increase your income. Consider taking on a second job if necessary or getting overtime hours at work if they are available in order to help you reach your financial goals. Take advantage of the chance to increase your income while things are good and business owners and consumers are in a spending mood.

 

Don’t Get Too Comfortable With the Boom

In the years prior to the Great Depression, Americans had a “What could possibly go wrong?” attitude about their money. The stock market was thriving and the Roaring Twenties had people buying houses on credit, cars on credit and living a life of financial reckless abandon.

When the crash hit, many people lost everything and the foreclosure rate skyrocketed to over twenty-five percent.

History shows that every boom is followed by a bust – eventually. In a thriving economy that bust may come years down the line, or it may come in an instant due to a terrorist attack or other major widespread issue like a major drought that causes an increase in food prices.

In order to protect yourself and your finances, stay reserved about the immediate economic success and continue to plan for future economies as opposed to simply taking comfort in the current good one.

 

Beware of Potentially Rising Interest Rates

We’ve lived with super low interest rates for the last several years as the government worked to make it possible for people to keep spending in spite of the housing bust and its after effects. Now that things are looking up we can expect rising interest rates which will affect mortgage loan rates and credit card rates as well, so borrow carefully.

A good economy is a great thing, but it’s also a great time to keep in mind that economic booms don’t last forever and to prepare to be financially stable no matter what the economy may be doing. Ditch your debt, increase your savings and work your way to a healthier financial situation while the getting is good.

How about you all? What steps are you taking to improve your current financial situation?

Share your experiences by commenting below! 

***Photo courtesy of https://www.flickr.com/photos/koalazymonkey/3596829214/in/

What Are the Golden Rules for Investing in Gold?

The following is a guest post. Enjoy!

To many people, gold is the ultimate safe-haven financial instrument. This is only true if you understand the nature of the financial markets, and how the interactions between elements will impact the gold price. For example, the recent case of the Fed rate hike on March 15, 2017 serves to remind us that traditional theory does not always apply in practice. Typically, a Fed rate hike would increase the interest-rate and drive up demand for the USD. Since gold is a dollar-denominated asset, the demand for gold and the price of gold should decrease accordingly.

We saw a complete reversal taking place. The USD weakened dramatically, hitting 5-month lows against major currency pairs, and the demand for gold skyrocketed. Of course the Fed interest-rate decision does not disprove the correlation between the gold price and the strength of the USD. It is simply the lack of coherence between the Fed rate hike and the USD that let us down in this case. Many people today purchase gold in one form or another to hold as an investment. Some folks purchase gold ETFs such as SPDR (GLD) on the New York Stock Exchange, while others purchase physical gold coins, gold stocks and/or gold jewelry.

Is Gold an Appreciating Asset Over the Long-Term?

One of the things about gold that is almost universally accepted is its safe-haven status. But what exactly does this mean? As we have seen, strong financial markets can also lead to a strengthening of the gold price, despite protestations to the contrary. Many gold ETFs (exchange traded funds) are comprised of multiple businesses such as gold mining companies, physical gold bullion, gold ETFs etcetera. If other investments are falling in value, will the gold price rise in value? Not necessarily. At the height of the financial crisis in 2008, the gold price spiked, and it makes sense because global markets were going into meltdown. But anything other than a financial meltdown should be able to provide direction to gold traders.

Rather than worrying about whether gold is the perfect safe-haven investment when equities markets sour, it’s important to have gold as part and parcel of a balanced financial portfolio. It can be thought of as a hedge against uncertainty and equities weakness. The gold price is extremely volatile, even at the best of times. 10 years ago, the price of gold was approximately $650 per ounce, and it has doubled in price since then. Overall though, the gold price is subject to massive fluctuations.

Back in 2011, gold peaked at $1,900 per ounce, but now it’s trading around $1,250 per ounce. One of the ways to capitalize on gold price movements is with CFD Trading. If you’re not adept at trading the financial markets with institutional brokerages, it behooves you to consider contracts for difference as a better way to dabble in gold trading. CFDs are fully regulated by the FCA (Financial Conduct Authority) in the United Kingdom, and elsewhere across Europe. Rather than actually owning stocks of gold, traders are speculating on future price movements and generating profit accordingly.

A Fascinating Look at the Performance of Gold in 2016

Gold is one of the most interesting financial instruments to trade. It is revered for its safe-haven status, and it is the go-to investment option when equities markets sour. In 2016, some interesting trends were evident in gold demand. For starters, gold demand increased by 2% (year-on-year) in 2016 and reached a 3-year high figure of 4,308.7 metric tonnes. One of the biggest drivers of gold – exchange traded funds – saw annual inflows of 531.9 metric tonnes, the second best reading ever. However, there were some negatives in gold demand in 2016.

For example, central bank purchases of gold bullion dropped markedly and demand for gold jewelry also plummeted. As far as ETFs are concerned, the recent performance (2016) showed an uptick of 532 metric tonnes of gold, marking the second highest figure ever. For the year ending December 31, 2016, the gold price inched up 8%, largely due to capital inflows. On the flip side, gold jewelry demand plunged to a 7-year low and this offset many of the gains enjoyed by gold.

The Bottom Line – Making Gold Trades Count

CFD trading, ETFs, mutual funds, physical gold bullion, gold shares and other investment options are available to traders looking to capitalize off this precious metal. Gold should certainly be considered as part of a balanced financial portfolio, as it has tremendous resilience over the long-term. However, traders should be cautious not to go all-in with gold as it has proven itself highly volatile over time. Be advised that the performance of gold ETFs does not always mirror the performance of gold itself. Once you’re ready to invest in gold, consider your options accordingly.

Would You Spend $28,000 for a One Week Vacation?

The following post is by MPFJ staff writer, Marie. You can read more of Marie’s articles over at her own blog, Family Money Values. Enjoy! 

Home and Garden TV has a show called Island Hunters. This past week, they featured a couple (business owners and spouses celebrating a 15 year wedding anniversary) with a budget of $28,000 for a one week vacation. I watched in absolute disbelief as they surveyed 3 ultra luxurious private island retreats and chose the one that $6000 over their budget.

Could you (would you) spend as much for your one week vacation?

How do the ultra rich spend their vacation time and money?

While we are not part of the billionaire club, we have spent thousands of dollars on vacations. Our most expensive one was to Hawaii. We took (and paid all expenses for) one of our adult sons. But even staying in ocean side vacation homes and indulging every activity whim, we parted with $5000 a week for our 2 week trip. That amount put me in shock for quite awhile prior to committing to my years long dream of visiting the island states.

Billionaires sometimes build their own vacation dreams.

According to How to Vacation Like An Eccentric Billionaire some of the wealthiest folks build themselves a dream vacation home and then decide to make it available to others – for a hefty fee of course.

One of the most mentioned is Sir Richard Branson (Virgin Group). He built his private getaway on an entire island – Neckar Island and later opened it up to anyone who wants to spend From $80,000 per night for up to 34 guests ($2,353 per person per night) to book the entire island. At certain times of the year, you can get just a room instead of the entire island for around a mere $4000 a night.

A couple of other billionaires with similar retreats for rent include:
• Nick Troubetzkoy – Jade Mountain – which can be rented for the night for around $2200 to around $3000 but this might not be all inclusive.
• Thurston Twigg-Smith – Twin Farms – an all inclusive in Vermont – starting at $1500 a night for 2.

The ultra rich don’t want mundane luxury travel.

While I was thrilled to sleep to the roar of the ocean waves and breakfast on the deck watching the sun rise over the sea, some aren’t quite so satisfied with typical vacation experiences

According to Adventures in Affluence: How the Billionaire Vacations they seek out extraordinary adventures like diving with the sharks or having a world famous chef cook them dinner in the chef’s home or being safely escorted to or through digs they would never consider visiting while at home. They might want to visit a dive bar or walk through a funky neighborhood with their guide.

Still other vacation pursuits of the affluent might include a hunt your own dinner, where they stay at a luxury cabin, get shooting lessons, go on a hunt and (assuming they actually catch something) have the chef prep it for dinner – hairy deer pelt to yummy venison steak.

Of course, there are still folks who enjoy activities at luxury all inclusive resorts – such as taking a snow sleigh ride or helicopter ride over beautiful scenery.

Who spends like this?

I believe there are three categories of travelers that might consider spending huge amounts on vacations.

People so rich that money is no object.

These folks are already used to a luxury lifestyle and don’t usually want to down grade it for a vacation experience. Similar to what Donald Trump had to do to become the US President and downgrade his living style to camp out in the White House. He has already designated Mara-a-Lago in Florida as his winter white house.

People who can write off the cost as a business expense.

Our HGTV couple wanting to spend a week on a private island probably fits this profile. They own a pool design company together and were checking out the way the different resort pools were designed and executed, even while touring them.

On our Hawaii trip, my spouse met someone who fessed up to traveling on the company expense account quite a lot. Heck, I even expense out my trips to our lake condo when ever I can. If you pay US taxes, expensing trips to a business reduces your bottom line profit and hence the taxes you own on income for that business.

People who have saved up for a special occasion.

Our HGTVcouple may also fit this category, as they were celebrating their 15th wedding anniversary.

This category fits me best. My spouse and I worked hard for years to achieve our degree of financial freedom. A Hawaii trip has been one of my suppressed desires since the 1970’s when my brother was stationed there in the Army and the rest of my family got to visit him there.

This category also may fit engaged couples seeking an alternative to an expensive church wedding and reception. Spending $5000 or $10,000 on a destination wedding/honey moon could end up being a whole lot cheaper than a traditional ceremony/reception.

Most of us, even the high net worth folks, don’t spend nearly this much.

What do the high net worth folks spend?

In 2015, Business Insider reported on a BMO Private Bank study that claimed affluent Americans (these folks have over a million in investable assets) spend around $13,000 a year on leisure travel.

What do average North Americans spend?

Until recently, we vacationed only every 2nd or 3rd year. Each year we would take just one trip. On that trip we typically spent around $3000 total for the two of us – including all travel, meal, lodging, activity and souvenir expenses.

Value Penguin Value Penguin reports that the average cost of mainland trips is $144 a day. So for our typical 10 day trip that would total up to $1440.

That seems low to me, how about you?

How about you all? Do you vacation? How much do you usually spend?

Share your experiences by commenting below!

****Photo courtesy https://www.flickr.com/photos/hotelinternazionaleischia/33066776756/

How Our Spending Patterns Have Changed Over the Last 100 Years

The following post is by MPFJ staff writer, Melissa Batai.  Melissa is a freelance writer who covers topics ranging from personal finance to business to organics to food.  She blogs at Mom’s Plans where she shares her family’s journey to healthier living and paying down debt.

Do you go out to eat several nights a week?  Do you feel like you’re just getting by financially even though you have a decent income?  Do your kids have so many clothes that they can’t close their closet doors?  Do you have three cars in your driveway?

Think back in time 100 years ago to 1917.  Our finances and conveniences have changed drastically since then, yet many of us still feel dissatisfied and that we don’t have “enough.”  Why is this?  Why are we unfulfilled when we have so much more than our ancestors who lived 100 years ago?

Our spending habits have changed dramatically since then, but we’re still not satisfied.

 

Spending Habits in the Year 1900

The Atlantic put together an eye opening article about how drastically our lives have changed since the year 1900.  Back in 1900, “A quarter of households have running water.  Even fewer own the home they lived in.  Fewer still have flush toilets.  One-twelfth of households have gas or electric lights, one-twentieth have telephones, one-in-ninety own a car, and nobody owns a television.”

Just stop for a minute and imagine being without these things.  If a 1900 household didn’t have to pay utilities, make care payments, or purchase a television, cable, Netflix, etc., how did they spend their money?

According to The Atlantic, “Families [in 1900] spend a whopping 80% of [their money] on food, clothes, and homes.”  Eighty percent!   More precisely, this breaks down to approximately 43% for food, 14% for clothing, and 23% for housing.

Undoubtedly, life in 1900 was simpler in some ways, but a family needed to be diligent with their money just to take care of the necessities of life.  There was very little leftover for extras and “fun money.”

 

Spending Habits Now

Thanks to outsourcing our textile industries to foreign countries, our annual apparel cost is only 4% per year, and yes, that includes those big spenders who have many, many more clothes in their closet than they will ever be able to wear.  Thanks to big company farms, our food costs are now only 13% of our annual income (The Atlantic).

While it cost 57% of an annual income to pay for food and clothing in 1900, now those same categories only require 17% of our annual income.  That’s a lot of extra money left over.

In 1900, housing costs were 23% annually, while they are now 33%.  That accounts for some of the difference.  Health care is now 6% of our annual spending; it was 5% in 1900.  Another category that is now costing us more is transportation.

However, there can be no denying that our interpretation of “necessities” has changed.  We now consider many luxuries necessities, and that mindset is squeezing our budgets.

 

How Americans’ Attitudes Toward Spending Have Changed

My husband and I like nice stuff as much as the next person, but for the 16 years of our marriage, money has always been tight.  We’ve always been a one-income family.  First, I worked full-time while my husband attended graduate school full-time.  Then, when he graduated, I stayed home with the kids while he worked full-time.

Thanks to student loan payments and a fairly average income while living in a high cost of living area (Chicago), we’ve always had to live on a fairly tight budget.  That means we were a one car family until this last fall.  For 15 years of marriage, we made do with one car.  That car is now 12 years old and has nearly 180,000 miles on it.

We rented until we finally bought our first house 2.5 years ago.  In many ways we were more like a 1950s family than a family living in the 21^st century.

In the book, The Overspent American, Jennifer Lawson, who participated in a focus group on spending said:

“In the fifties, growing up in upstate New York, my parents were considered middle-class pillars of the community. My father was an accountant. It’s a fairly poor rural area, and most people worked in a factory or waitressed or something. My dad was actually a professional person with a sign out in front. [My parents] had one car, and they drove it until it fell apart, and then they bought a new one, usually a station wagon. They had a fairly modest house. We took a vacation as a family for two weeks and rented a little cabin in Maine. And drove–nobody flew anywhere. I can’t remember anyone who had a second car. Everyone walked everywhere; children certainly didn’t have $100 sneakers. It amazes me now that my younger brother, who still lives there and who has a job that’s roughly equal to the job my dad had when I was growing up … he has three teenage daughters. And since they were about nine, they’ve each had their own color TV, and they have their own CD players, they all have their own telephone lines, because they complain about calls not being able to get through” (The New York Times).

Our lifestyles have changed dramatically since the 1950s, even more so since the 1900s.  What we now consider necessities—two cars per family (at least), exotic vacations, designer clothes, Internet access and cable tv, college education, just to name a few—were not priorities, or even available, in earlier times.

 

Another phenomenon of spending is that the U.S consumer is quickly bored by what he has.

We can see this phenomenon whenever new electronic devices are released.  Even though their current smartphones, iPads, etc. are working just fine, people are eager to get the newest release.  Never mind that it may cost hundreds of dollars that they really don’t need to spend.

The same mindset is present when people choose to lease a car rather than buy it so that they can continually have a “new” car to drive every few years.  Never mind that leasing costs them much more than buying a car, especially if they buy a used car.

People also frequently redecorate their homes, even though what they have is working just fine.  When they redecorate, they often buy all new towels, couches, etc., depending on what room that they’re “updating.”  Now, we tend to replace long before an item is worn out.

This is a luxury that people in the 1900s didn’t have.  My grandmother, who lived through the Great Depression, regularly washed out plastic baggies over and over again.  Rather than throwing them away, she would get 5 to 10 uses from each bag.  If something like a kitchen towel got a hole, she didn’t throw it away; she mended it.  We’ve lost that bit of frugality that earlier generations developed out of necessity.

Undoubtedly, many in the middle class are feeling a financial strain.  While some of that is due to modern day high costs (such as earning less money because our employers have to take so much out for taxes and insurance costs), much of it is also due to our increased expectations and standards.

The next time your budget feels unbelievable tight, look around your house and see how much you have compared to what your ancestors had 100 years ago.

How about you all? Is there a “necessity” you can do without to find more room in the budget?  Can you be content without the latest new electronic upgrade?

***Photo courtesy of http://www.idpinthat.com/edit/5340

7 Things Wealthy People Never Do

The following post is by MPFJ staff writer,Laurie Blank.  Laurie is a wife, mother to 4 and homesteader who blogs about personal finance, self-sufficiency and life in general over at The Frugal Farmer. Part witty, part introspective and part silly, her goal in blogging is to help others find their way to financial freedom and to a simpler, more peaceful life.

If you’ve ever read Tom Corley’s Rich Habits or Thomas Stanley’s The Millionaire Next Door, you probably know that there are things wealthy people never do. The rich have a habit of behaving differently than the non-rich and in learning, studying and working to emulate their habits I’ve learned that the results of living the way the wealthy live affect both life and finances.

Here are seven things the rich never do. If you can learn to follow their lead, I’d be willing to bet your money would grow.

 

Fall for Advertising Gimmicks

If you ever take the time to view commercials and advertisements with a skeptical eye, you’d find that the goal of advertisers is to make you think you cannot live a full life without their product. Product users are always smiling, usually look phenomenal and give off the illusion that they have a perfect-beyond-perfect life.

The wealthy don’t fall for that lie. They have a clear understanding of what truly makes them happy and they know “stuff” isn’t part of the answer.

 

Neglect Their Savings Account

This report shows us that the Average American saves 5.7% of their income. And you know that since that is the average, it means that many people aren’t saving at all. In fact, this report shows that 62% of Americans have less than $1,000 in savings.

Adversely, the wealthy save as much as 51 percent of their income. While you might say “Well, yeah, they can afford to save that much of their income – duh!” there is another factor to their wealth and their plush savings accounts – they started saving early (usually as teenagers) and they formed a habit of putting money in savings every month – no matter what.

The study linked in the last paragraph found that one of the key factors in their willingness to save was that their parents taught them the importance of building a savings habit from an early age. Ironically, many of these young teen savers also starting investing a portion of their savings in the stock market while very young.

 

Stop Learning

Eighty-eight percent of wealthy people read non-fiction books every day for at least thirty minutes. They have a love for learning and then using what they’ve learned to reach goals that they’ve set. They spend very little time in front of the TV, opting instead for bettering their lives and increasing their knowledge via learning.

 

Make Impulse Purchases

The wealthy make it a habit to avoid impulse purchases. They think through any purchases, determining what – if any – value the purchase will truly bring to their lives before they buy.

 

Ignore Their Health

Seventy-six percent of the wealthy get some type of aerobic (cardiovascular) exercise such as running or biking four days a week or more. The thing about good health is that it helps you to think more clearly, and to have more energy to work toward the goals you’ve set.

 

Live Without a Plan

Seventy percent of the wealthy set at least one goal per year – and then make a plan with actionable steps that will help them reach that goal.

 

Act with Mediocrity

Speaking of goals, that’s another thing the rich never do: they never act with mediocrity. In other words, when they choose to do something, they commit to doing it well. Go big or go home is their theory.

Successful people – whether it’s being successful at growing wealth, gaining health or whatever avenue of success they choose – reach their level of success because they do things differently than those who aren’t successful. If you’re looking to bring more success into your life, consider doing what the successful do and dropping the habits like those mentioned above, as those habits will most certainly lead to unrealized dreams.

How about you all? What are things you are currently doing – and not doing – in order to reach your goals?

Share your experiences by commenting below! 

***Photo courtesy of https://www.flickr.com/photos/togawanderings/5899676716/in/