plan

How to Plan the Best Summer Vacation

Are you wondering how you can be sure you’re planning the best summer vacation? Are you not sure how to go about preparing for your vacation this summer? Depending on your circumstances and experience, planning a vacation can seem daunting. And a poorly-planned trip can be more of a headache than a relaxing vacation. Here are some tips to help you prepare and get the most out of your summer vacation this year.

Flexibility

It may seem contradictory, but part of great planning is flexibility. If you expect every detail of your plan to play out exactly as it is on paper, you’re likely to end up frustrated. Some things are just not in your control. For instance, heavy traffic, flight delays, and weather can all affect your travel time. So, it’s a good idea to allow some extra time for these unpredictable things and to have a back-up plan (more on that below).

Flexibility also allows for sight-seeing and other diversions. Unplanned stops can make for great memories and experiences.

Back-up Plans

It’s not a bad idea to have a back-up plan in case of unforeseen events. For instance, even if you leave early and allow time for a traffic jam, circumstances could come together in such a way that you must spend the night somewhere before reaching your destination. Before leaving, scope out hotels that are along your route, and bring their information with you.

Food

It can cost valuable time if you must hunt down a restaurant for every meal on travel day. Like the hotels, look ahead to find out where restaurants are in route. Plan your travel time so that restaurant stops will hit close to meal times.

Also, on the topic of food, it’s a good idea to bring snacks, drinks, and non-perishables (like granola bars and trail mix). It gives you an option if you run out of time and can’t stop for a meal, or it prevents having to find a place to pull off and buy a snack.

Pack Light, but be Prepared

It can be a little tricky to be prepared while keeping your packing light. The key is knowing what to expect. For instance, you can’t be ready for absolutely everything (or else you’ll end up taking the entire contents of your home along with you!); but you can prepare for some basic things. For instance, make for various weather events by packing outfits that can be layered (you can add or remove layers according to the weather). It saves space by not packing different outfits for each possible weather scenario, but it keeps you covered.

A basic first-aid kit is also a good use of your packing space. It doesn’t have to be big, but it can make all the difference.

We hope this information was beneficial. You can have anything you want if you are enthusiastic about putting in the time, effort and plans to get to your goals. Discover the secrets why the rich stay rich and the poor stay poor. Click Here to view a video with more life tips!

In closing, we invite you to share your comments on this and or other articles. If you find the information useful, please Like & Share us and subscribe to this site for an update as we reveal new strategies. Remember to keep an open mind and Shift 4 Freedom.

Basic Tips to Manage Money

So, you already earned your money. The next question presented to you is what you are going to do with it. Even when one has the list of payables and obligations to liquidate the monthly charges, a means of adequately handling your money is required to be able to maintain stable and consistent budgeting. Here are some basic tips for managing money.

Know When to Stop

Probably the hardest thing to do is to stop when it is needed, especially in terms of having more than what could be paid off. We should be able to know what things are plausible and valid by our means of income. When we get more than what we could support, the chances are that we end up giving them up, or worse, wrongly choosing what things to retain and what matters to let go.

The idea of knowing the needs and also wants to fit in this description as we should be able to determine first what things we need than a want. It prevents us from being biased in our judgment in acquiring. Often, the things that we want are more appealing and are a higher risk of snagging us in a trap of financial burden and chaos in the long run.

Taking time to stop and think first and then evaluating what to prioritize first is essential to progressive and stable money management.

Impulsiveness Means Disaster

One of the basic tips for managing money is to stop one’s self from being impulsive. Even if we have already determined what to prioritize, we still must further evaluate alternatives and not spend on the first offer that comes our way. When we are impulsive, there is a very high chance that we risk our money into spending for something that we could have gotten away with at a lesser price.

Risk Is Healthier Than Full Security

Risking the resources, we have for a productive cause, and viable profit earner is a healthy practice to take by an individual. Though this may mean a loss of capital in the form of personal money, not investing and instead just putting it in your safety vault or the bank will stagnate your extra resources.

Nevertheless, careful planning and feasibility study of a business venture will be needed to determine the most efficient way to establish and commence a risky business deal into a promising profit earner.

Planning Is Essential

Even if we still have a lot of flexible time to sit around and enjoy each day as it passes by, preparation of schedule in terms of a few months to several years is vital in projecting one’s self when the future comes.

It does not have to be followed as rigidly as it should be, but just enough to become a basis of many activities and choices by the individual. Knowing where to go and what to do lessens the chances of getting stuck up in a crossroad of future decisions. Furthermore, this reduces the worries and anxieties that a person might be thinking as important dates draw near. In addition to that, these pre-set guidelines would serve to calibrate the performance of the intended output, therefore allowing him to properly reset or recalibrate the means of work and production for him to further increase the expected outcome reasonably.

These basic tips for managing money are just a few of the many means to effectively have more resources than just getting break evened with your salaries and allowances.

In closing, we invite you to share your comments on this and our other posts. If you find the information useful, please Like & Share us and subscribe to this channel for an update as we reveal new strategies. Remember to keep an open mind and Shift 4 Freedom.

Which Retirement Plan is right for You?

So many people find the chore of planning their financial retirement future confusing? If you are one of those this article is dedicated to explaining the differences between a 401 (k) plan and an IRA (Individual Retirement Account). There will be many terms you will come across during your research that will be somewhat confusing until you get the terminology down. The path to financial doesn’t have to be as complicated as we tend to make it.

I would like to take this opportunity to encourage you to seek the guidance and advice of a professional financial planner. The resources and knowledge that a competent financial advisor can share with you will be invaluable when it becomes time to make the decision that will affect how your retirement savings are put to work for your retirement. We go to a mechanic for mechanical advice (at least I do) so it only makes sense that we would go someone who has trained in financial matters for financial advice.

Getting back to business, when it comes to financial retirement planning you should find that both IRAs and 401 (k) plans have strengths and weaknesses. There are also limitations as to how beneficial they can be when used in combination with one another as well as their own limitations. Every benefit that aids you in taxes and retirement should be considered carefully before leaping.

Let’s first look at the 401 (k) plan. This is a plan that offers a few benefits that are much preferable to many over other retirement plans. The first thing you might want to consider is that you can invest up to 75% of your salary or a maximum of $18,500 per year (as of 2018). Of course, that is assuming that your employer doesn’t have limits on how much you can invest. The money invested in your 401 (k) account is pretax money so it lowers the amount of taxes you are paying out of each paycheck. Many people also find that because the money is taken from their checks before it arrives it is far less painless to part with. As someone who has closely watched taxes, FICA, and Fido get my money for years I can say that it is no less painful for me, but some find it comforting and that is a real benefit.

Finally, and perhaps the most important thing to consider is that many employers will match a percentage of your contribution up to a certain amount each check. As an employee, this is a boost to your investment that is well deserved and hard earned. I hope you appreciate the implications it has on your future earnings. You should keep in mind that the penalties for accessing these funds early are harsh indeed in order to discourage this practice from occurring. Take care that you do not over-invest in these funds to the point that you will need to access them in times other than dire emergencies.

IRAs are another creature altogether. You will find much stricter limitations on IRAs than on 401 (k) plans to begin with the fact that if your employer offers a 401 (k) you must make very little money in order to qualify for the tax deductions that this retirement fund generally allows. The maximum yearly contribution for your IRA will be $4,000 or 100% of your annual income; whichever is greater up until the age of 49. Once you’ve reached the age of 50 you can invest an additional $1,000 to your fund. The other major drawback when it comes to an IRA is the fact that you must begin receiving payments at the age of 70.5 from your account. You will also be heavily penalized if you make an early withdrawal from these funds.

Make sure you discuss the pros and cons of a 401 (k) plan versus a Traditional IRA plan before you make your decision.