February 17th, 2012
Admin
Budgeting your money is a great way to gain control over your finances. Making a budget at least once a year will give you a financial snapshot of where you stand. Your budget will help guide you toward smart decisions with your money that can secure your financial future.
Calculate Your Income
The first step to creating a budget is to calculate all of your income. Decide first whether you are going to do a monthly budget or a yearly budget. Working with a monthly budget tends to be more accurate over the long haul. Determining your income will help you determine if you are spending within your means.
Calculate Your Expenses
The next step is to calculate your expenses. Include every bill that has to be paid on a monthly basis. If you decide to do a yearly budget, you can multiply your monthly expenses by 12. Read more…
Like other European countries, Portugal has seen a rapid rise in public sector debt. Since the start of the crisis in 2007, Portugese government debt has increased from 67% of GDP to 113% of GDP in 2012. However, Portugal has received much commendation from the EU and IMF for its stringent austerity packages. The concern for Portugal is that despite rapid cuts in government borrowing and a fall in the budget deficit, the debt to GDP ratio has continued to rise from 107% of GDP at start of 2011 to 113% 12 months later.
The Portugese economy contracted 1.5% in 2011 and is forecast to fall 3% in 2012. Unemployment has risen to 13%
Since austerity measures have been introduced, the budget deficit has fallen from 9% of GDP to 5.1% of GDP.
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My healthy and active 82-year-old mother is faced with having to sell her home this year because she’s running out of money. She has lived a very minimal lifestyle for many years as her savings dwindled, and her income is now basically Social Security. She owes $25,000 on a home worth more than $700,000 in a top school district. We don’t know if we are jumping the gun with this sale. I could move in with her and pay rent for a year or two, although that would mean a longer commute for me and would just put off the day she has to sell. There are things that must be done to the house for upkeep, and her being cash-poor puts her in a crunch. My brother will help pay for minor sprucing up depending on what the real estate agent says we need to do to make the house presentable, but if Mom remains in the home there are other things to be done. We
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NYMEX crude oil prices tumbled to 3-month lows on Fri [14 May 2010] at the end of a volatile week in which the market was hit by eurozone economic concerns and a strong dollar. NYMEX light sweet crude for Jun 2010 delivery closed at $71.61 per barrel. The price had tumbled to $70.83, the lowest level since Feb 2010, before recouping some of its losses. Prices fell when American crude stockpiles rose by 1.9 million barrels, more than double the amount forecast by analysts. Crude oil prices had already collapsed by more than 10% last week as the market was rocked by euro contagion fears about the Greek debt crisis, a stronger dollar and sliding global stock markets.
The oil market had begun the week on a bright note, soaring on Monday after a $1-trillion EU-IMF eurozone rescue plan eased market concerns over the eurozone financial crisis.
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I am happy to break the news today about my first upcoming book on personal finance called Jago Investor with CNBC Network 18. It has been a long time I was waiting for this to be out in the market, but finally I got a go ahead to break the news to my blog readers. No, the book is not in talks – It’s going to hit the market (soon) this month itself. So you just have to wait for couple of more days to grab your copy.
Some time in early 2010
I got a mail from CNBC sometime in 2010 about authoring a book on personal finance and I happily agreed. Since then I worked on the book, I was in Bangalore that time working with YAHOO (yea guys I was an IT guy) and then I moved to Pune to start on my own. I w
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Readers Question: Why can’t a debt-crippled and deficit-induced state, go on with its most normal economic activities (by borrowing the needed money to make sure that no or at the most, unproductive spendings are curbed, no tax rates up, and no austerity measures) in a bid to emerge out of debt & deficit potholes sooner than introducing hike in taxes, austerity measures, etc. during a bad or worst or unprecedented economic conditions?
This is one of most important economic questions at the moment. To what extent can a government just borrow rather than cut spending and increase taxes?
Austerity in the Eurozone
Countries in the Eurozone have been pressured into choosing spending cuts because there has been falling demand for Eurozone bonds and rising interest rates.
For various reasons, investors are nervous about holding bonds in several Eurozone economies. T
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I graduated from college last summer and was lucky enough to get full-time employment. However, I have a great deal of college debt, including private and federal loans. Are there government programs that help pay back college loan debt? Do you have any suggestions? I cringe at the thought of paying double what I owe over the life of the loan because of interest and want to get this debt under control in the next few years instead of 15.
Answer: Your eagerness to pay off your student loan debt is admirable and is particularly appropriate when it comes to your private student loans. Unlike federal student loans, private loans have variable interest rates, limited repayment options, no forgiveness possibilities and fewer consumer protections.
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