Jill Russo Foster

Tips for Successful Personal Finances

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Are You Missing Money?

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Do you ever get that feeling you are missing some money?

Last week the Secretary of State for Connecticut reported that 52,994 names were added to the unclaimed money list for the state.  The unclaimed money list is a big list of names (individuals, companies, non-profits and more), that each state maintains from institutions that turn over money to them.  You may be asking why would an institution turn over your money to the state?  Good question, these are funds from accounts that haven’t had any activity in several years.  Here are a few examples:

  • An in active savings account
  • Proceeds from a check not cashed
  • Unclaimed insurance polices proceeds

This past weekend, I did a search for myself and members of my family.  I didn’t find any results this time, but I have in previous attempts.  In the past, I found a few share of stock that I inherited and the proceeds of an old life insurance policy my father.

When was the last time you checked?  Don’t forget to check in every state you have lived in.  Remember that there is no fee to claim unclaimed money.  If you are asked to pay a fee – don’t.

Here’s an old article I wrong on this for more information click here.

 

Fourth Quarter To Do’s

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Can you believe it, it’s fall and the year end is in sight!choices

For me, there is lots to do (and I am not thinking the holidays yet).

This time of year means it’s time to review my health insurance choices.  Open enrollment for health insurance is here (or just a week or so away).  Medicare is already in the open period, the state of CT will open up the 1st of November and many company plans have the open enrollment at this point too.  It’s time to reevaluate and determine if I want to stay on the same healthcare plan or make a change.

If you have a FSA (Flexible Spending Account), start to look at the balance and determine how to use the funds.  This is a use it or lose it type of account. You wouldn’t want to lose money, would you? If you have an HSA (Health Savings Account), have you maximized your contributions for 2018?  This can be a great way to lower your taxable income.  Make sure you pay all your eligible medical expenses with this account.

Take the time now to do your research and make the choices that are right for you and your family now.

Saving Money

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I am always looking for ways to save money.

Some of the ways that can help you do this is to be on top of your finances.

Let me tell you what I recently did.  We purchase a bark collar for the puppy and within a week, the battery was flashing low.  Instead of going to the store to purchase a battery, I brought the receipt and all the original packing back to the store and explained the situation.  The store manager gave me a replacement battery pack.  Not only did I get the battery replaced free, they gave me an additional battery for the future.

Another example, I purchased something online that wasn’t what I expected.  I was told there was a no return policy after opening.  I explained that I did open it and that’s how I knew it wasn’t what I expected.  After several emails back and forth, they agreed to a return minus the restocking fee.  Yes, I am getting less than I paid, but it is most of the money refunded and it’s not another item sitting in my house, that I won’t use.

Sometimes you can advocate for yourself and get a resolution to the issue that is wallet friendly.  Try it sometime.

Other ways to save money, you can stick with what you own and not purchase the latest and greatest new option.  Our TV/Internet provider wanted to give us faster internet.  The catch was it would be an additional $5 more per month.  We said “no”.  There is nothing wrong or slow with what we have now.

Savings a few dollars here and there can add up.

Upcoming Workshops

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Now that we are gearing up for the fall, I wanted to share with you some workshops I am teaching at Norwalk Community College (Norwalk, CT) in the Extended Studies Dept in the Fall term.

Take Control Of Your Finances

Welcome To The Real World: Teens and Money

Budgeting For The Fluctuating Income

For more information and/or to register click here.

Overdraft Line of Credit Saves The Day!

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Do you have an overdraft line of credit associated with your checking account?  We’ll we do.  Sometimes it’s a life saver – literally!

This week I paid our mortgage as I always do, but something happened.  I must have selected the “other” checking account and I didn’t notice it.  Now you know that I check our bank accounts at least weekly, just to keep tabs on what’s going on (we don’t use a credit monitoring).

Well imagine my surprise to see the mortgage payment coming out of that checking.  One of the worst things you can do is to bounce your mortgage payment and yikes this could have happened.  But thank goodness it didn’t.  Our overdraft line of credit saved the day by covering the overdraft.  So the mortgage payment is paid and all is well there.  I noticed it quickly, so we transferred the funds to pay back the overdraft and all is well.

If you don’t have overdraft protection on your checking account, you may want to think about it.  It saved us this time.

Money Habits To Avoid (Part 3)

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This is part 3 of Money Habits To Avoid.  If you missed part 1 or 2, please search my blog post.

 

6. Keeping up with the Jones’ — There is always going to be someone with a nicer home, car, clothing, etc. That’s just life. Your budget cannot survive trying to keep up with others. This habit will send your budget off a cliff. You going to need to get comfortable with where you are and what you have.

 

  1. Ignoring Your Finances — I met some people who don’t open their mail, don’t answer the phone, and are totally oblivious to their finances. Ignoring your finances won’t make them go away, they will be there untilyou deal with them. In fact, you will owe more with added interest and additional charges. If this is you, take baby steps to get acquainted with your finances.

If you see yourself in any of these habits, the first step is awareness.  Once you are aware, you can make the changes necessary to break the habit.

Money Habits To Avoid (Part 2)

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This is part 2 of Money Habits To Avoid.  If you missed part 1, please search my blog post.

3. Using Credit Cards to Get By — You know what I mean, you use your credit card because you don’t have the cash to purchase … This is a red flag if this is an every day, week, or month occurrence. Credit cards definitely havea place in your finances, but they are not the means to spending more than you can afford on a regular basis.

4. Discretionary Spending to Impress — This may have happened to you, I know it did for me when I was coming out of college. You are out with friends and you offer to pick up the tab. Maybe you want them to think you are doing better than you actually are, maybe you want to seem on par with your friends, whatever the case, no one expects you to pay more than your fair share. If you can’t afford to do something at this point, maybe you politely decline.

5. Emotional Spending — Just like emotional eating, emotional spending can be a problem. You are upset, and you go out and buy a …… Yes, you feel great in the moment, but did you need a … ….? Was it money you were planning on spending? Probably not. You know what you need to purchase, make a plan and stick to it.

Check out the next posts to find out the rest of the Money Habits To Avoid.

Money Habits To Avoid (Part 1)

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In my opinion, there are seven money habits you want to avoid.

 

You may be currently doing these or have done them in the past (and I have been guilty of them myself), but now is the time to break the habits and get on with your finances.

  1. Lending Money — I think we all did this at some point in our lives, whether it be loaning $5 to a friend and not getting paid back, or lending more. Not only does this put a strain on your finances but it can affect your friendship. Make a resolution to give up lending. If you want to help someone out, then make it a gift with no repayment expectations.

 

  1. Spending It All — Yes, you know what I am talking about — living paycheck to paycheck. We all have choices we make with our finances — whether to spend this today or save for tomorrow. Budgeting is about choices that your make. So make the choice to not spend it all and save. Making this decision is the first step to starting to save and the next step is to actually do it (automate the savings process to make it foolproof).

Check out the next two posts to find out the rest of the Money Habits To Avoid.

Spring Cleaning Your Finances & More

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As I sit here and write this blog post about spring, I feel that I am missing spring.  Here in the northeast we seem to be having a never ending winter.  Yes, we have had a few days of warm sunshine.  We have been subject to various temperature swings – one day 50 and then cold, snowy / rainy days.  I know it’s spring because the daffodils and crocus are blooming (and something peeking out of the snow).

Because the calendar says spring, lets talk about your finances.  Now that tax season is over, it’s a good time to take a look at your finances and tackle these ideas:

  1. When was the last time you shredded your out dated paperwork.  Typically, after seven years papers can be tossed with a few exceptions.  Check with your tax preparer for your situation.  This is a good time to do this as many communities have a free paper shredding days this weekend for you to take advantage of.
  2. Did you learn something from filing your taxes?  Maybe you need to make adjustments to your paycheck withholding or to save more to be able to pay the taxes you owe.  Take a look at your finances and make the changes now.
  3. Where do your finances stand in relationship to your beginning of the year goals?  Maybe you set a goal to save a certain amount this year.  Are you one third of the way there?  We are about four months into the year, therefore you should be at 33% of your goal.  Are you on the path to achieving this goals? Do you need to make adjustments to your finances to achieve the goal?  Now is the time to take a look and make the changes needed, so you are not disappointed at year end.

Hopefully, the weather will agree with the calendar and spring will arrive soon.

Let me know what your spring finance projects are.

Love and Money

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Valentine’s Day is a day when we exchange gifts, have a special meal and more with the person we love.  Usually all is well and life goes on. love and money

In honor of Valentine’s Day, I want to talk to you about love and money. I have known many couples who were in love until they found out about the other person’s money habits.

Your money incompatibility doesn’t have to end the relationship. If this is the one, you can make it work. You just have to ask the right questions.

This is what you need to know about each other:

  • Financial Issues: Income, assets, expenses, debt and credit. Understand what is going on with each other’s finances. Are there debts and back taxes? Are the savings accounts available to use jointly? Should some of the assets be merged or sold off, and if so which ones?
  • Money Type: Are you a Spender or a Saver?  If you know, you can use your joint goals to meet in the middle on common ground. If you’re habits are extreme, you might want to keep separate bank accounts. That way, one of you won’t feel pinched while the other is in a constant state of sticker shock.
  • Long Term Goals: What do you want from life?  Do you want to be married or single? Do you want to be a homeowner or rent for the rest of your lives?  Do you want to have children? These questions need to be answered so you can save towards the same goals.
  • CFO (Chief Financial Officer): Who is in charge of the money? Is it one of you or both?  Will you split the responsibilities by category or do everything jointly? Knowing will keep “that’s mine” arguments to a limit.

With this information, you can decide if you want to keep your finances together or separate.  Joining your bank accounts together with someone who has ignored debt or back taxes may mean your money is at risk (even if it’s not your obligation), and in the end, puts you both in the same deep hole with no way out.

Finances can be the doom of relationships.  Being informed and making proactive choices is the best way to make the relationship work.