Guide My Finances

New Location

2009-05-12T14:30:00.000-07:00

You can now view the Guide My Finances Blog at www.guidemyfinances.com/blog. Thank you for visiting the site!

Steps to Take Before Buying a Home

2009-05-05T15:15:00.000-07:00

With housing prices and mortgage rates at a multi-year low, it is very tempting to purchase a home this year. While the temptation is there, there are a few steps you should take prior to making this big decision.Build Up an Emergency Fund. When you own your home, you can no longer call your landlord when something breaks or a plumber needs to be called, because you are that landlord! As a

Pay Off Those High Interest Credit Cards!

2009-04-28T18:59:00.000-07:00

It is not difficult to rack up credit card debt. Maybe you had some car trouble that was more than you could afford. Perhaps you are self employed and had a tough month. Or even more likely, there were some items you wanted that you couldn't afford. (Don't worry, we have all done it) So why is it so easy to build debt, but seems almost impossible to pay off? While I cant help you pay off your

Allocating Your 401k plan

2009-04-16T17:11:00.000-07:00

When it comes time to sign up for your company sponsored retirement plan, usually a 401k, it can be extremely confusing trying to translate the enrollment packet. You are being asked a million questions in the foreign language of finance that may as well be Chinese! So how do you determine how much you should be contributing? How do you determine which investments are right for you?Lets first

Tax Free Income, Is It Possible?

2009-04-10T19:15:00.001-07:00

I know what you are thinking, "What kind of scam are you pulling?". While the idea of earning interest free of taxes sounds ludicrous, it is not! Let me explain how it works.Each year you have the ability to contribute up to $5,000 to this account. ($6,000 if you are over 50 years old)You have the ability to contribute as little as $25 per month to the account. (I recommend setting up an

You Cant Control Everything!

2009-04-08T14:10:00.000-07:00

As a society, we are control freaks. We all wish we had a crystal ball telling us what the future will bring so we can plan accordingly. Unfortunately, this is unrealistic.Over the last few months I have been flooded with phone calls and emails from clients asking me what to do in this turbulent market. Many had stopped contributing to their retirement and investment accounts and were planning

The Benefits of Paying Attention

2009-04-07T10:02:00.000-07:00

I have been doing some thinking lately about budgeting. I know, really exciting! Why is it that we cringe when we hear the word budget? We find a million other things to do so we "don't have time" to think about our expenses and where we are spending. While sticking to a budget is difficult, and seemingly unattainable, writing down a list of your fixed expenses can be helpful in determining

Taking Advantage of the First Time Home Buyers Credit

2009-04-06T13:56:00.000-07:00

One of the most powerful benefits of Obama's stimulus plan is the First Time Home Buyer's tax credit.The bill provides for up to an $8,000 tax credit* that would be available to first time home buyers for the purchase of a primary residence on or after January 1, 2009 and before December 31, 2009. First time home buyer does not necessarily mean you have never owned a home. In order to be