Category: personal

Understanding and Protecting Against Identity Theft in the Digital Age

With the transition to a digital world, the possibility of identity theft has become more prevalent than ever. It is crucial to understand the possible risks and take appropriate steps to protect personal information in order to have digital security.

Recognizing the Threats

Identity theft is the act of using personal information without authorization for fraudulent purposes. It can go from credit card fraud to complete impersonation. Cybercriminals use different methods, such as phishing, hacking, and malware to get confidential information. The recognition of these dangers is the first step to protection.

Safeguarding Personal Information

Identity theft prevention requires constant vigilance and active security measures. This includes creating strong, unique passwords for different accounts, using two-factor authentication, and being careful about sharing personal information online. You should also regularly monitor your financial statements and credit reports for any unauthorized activity.

Utilizing Security Tools

Employing technology may significantly improve personal data protection. Antivirus software, firewalls, and secure Wi-Fi connections are indispensable in the battle against identity theft. In addition, services that provide real-time alerts on credit activity can offer an additional level of security.

Responding to Identity Theft

If identity theft occurs, quick action is needed. This includes contacting financial institutions to report the fraud, filing a report with the relevant authorities, and possibly freezing credit to prevent further misuse. Taking immediate action can limit the effect of identity theft, but the recovery process can still be lengthy.

In the digital age, identity theft is a widespread danger that demands constant vigilance and preventive actions to fight against. Through awareness of the risks, protection of personal information, use of security tools, and knowing what to do if identity theft happens, individuals can greatly decrease their risk and save their digital well-being.

Essential Financial Apps for Managing Your Personal Finances

By Tom Leydiker

On September 22, 2024

In Finance, personal, Tom Leydiker

In today’s digital age, managing personal finances has become more streamlined and efficient thanks to a variety of financial apps. These tools have made it easier for individuals to track spending, save money, invest, and much more.

Expense Tracking and Budgeting Applications

Spending apps are crucial in tracking spending and expense management. They include banking-account-linking, expense-category, spending-limit-setting, and financial-habit-insight among their features. These apps are made to aid users in setting their budget in accordance with their financial objectives and lifestyle.

Investment Apps

Investment apps have provided avenues to the stock market and enabled investors to buy and sell stocks, ETFs, and other securities without high commissions. Some apps also provide automated investing services, in which the app constructs and manages a diversified portfolio depending on the user’s risk tolerance and investment goals.

Savings and Goal-Setting Apps

By getting users to save money, the saving apps help them have a good start for their future goals. Some of these apps make saving more automated by rounding up the purchases to the nearest dollar and saving the remaining or by facilitating regular automatic transfers to your savings.

Debt Management and Credit Monitoring Apps

The core of financial health is managing and paying off debts. Debt-tracking apps guide users in managing their debts and organizing repayment schedules while monitoring their progress. While credit apps differ from credit-monitoring apps in that the former provides access to credit reports and scores, the latter offers users regular updates on their credit scores and reports, giving them insight into how their financial behaviors impact their credit.

Managing personal finances has always been challenging with the plethora of financial apps available. These apps not only provide the convenience of having financial information at your fingertips but also offer powerful tools for financial planning and decision-making. There is an app for everything, from managing your expenses and saving for the future to investing in the stock market or even building your credit score. Embracing these technologies can significantly enhance your financial well-being and lead you toward achieving your financial goals.

The Future of Peer-to-Peer Lending in Personal Finance

By Tom Leydiker

On July 22, 2024

In Finance, personal, Tom Leydiker

Peer-to-peer (P2P) lending is one of the financial technology (fintech) industry-developed innovations that have changed how people borrow and invest money. Turning our gaze to the days ahead, P2P lending stands at the crossroads to radically transform the sphere of personal finance, expand the door to funding, and provide investors with unconventional means of wealth creation.

Enhanced Accessibility and Inclusion

P2P lending platforms have opened the door for everyone to get credit as they connect borrowers with investors, going around banks. In the long run, these platforms will use sophisticated algorithms and data analytics to further improve the lending process and make it more available and inclusive. Thus, this creates doorways for the financially excluded to gain credit access, resulting in increased financial inclusion.

Integration with Blockchain Technology

The adoption of blockchain technology in P2P lending aims to improve transparency, security, and efficiency. Through recording transactions on a decentralized ledger, blockchain can cut fraud incidence, decrease operational expenditure, and hasten loan processes. The maturation of blockchain technology means that it could be seamlessly integrated into P2P lending systems, leading to the growth of trust and reliability in the system.

AI-based Risk Assessment

The use of machine learning and AI has the potential to transform the way risk evaluation is conducted in P2P lending. AI can offer lenders more reliable predictions of borrower default risk by analyzing large amounts of data. This provides lenders with detailed information to make better decisions. The development is expected to result in greater competition between lenders, with borrowers benefiting from lower interest rates and investors benefiting from higher yields on their funds.

Regulatory Evolution

As P2P lending continues to grow, regulatory frameworks around the world will evolve to ensure consumer protection, maintain financial stability, and foster innovation. We can anticipate more standardized regulations across jurisdictions, which could further legitimize P2P lending and encourage greater adoption among consumers and investors alike.

Diversification of Services

Peer-to-peer lending platforms are expected to expand their financial product offerings to include insurance, wealth management, and retirement planning services. This expansion will provide consumers with a more holistic financial ecosystem and deepen their engagement with P2P platforms.

The evolution of technology is playing a crucial role in the bright future of P2P lending in personal finance. As platforms become more sophisticated, secure, and user-friendly, we can expect P2P lending to become an integral part of the financial landscape, offering enhanced opportunities for borrowers and investors alike. The journey ahead is filled with potential, promising to redefine the boundaries of personal finance in the digital age.

Retirement Planning in Your 30s: A Comprehensive Guide

By Tom Leydiker

On June 22, 2024

In Finance, personal, Tom Leydiker

Having a retirement plan in your 30s is a strategic move that can affect your financial security in the later years. Starting early means that you can take advantage of the power of compound interest, reduce your financial worries, and guarantee a comfortable retirement.

Setting Clear Retirement Goals

Start by clarifying what retirement is to you and set clear and achievable goals. Consider your desired retirement age, lifestyle aspirations, and future financial requirements. These goals are the basis of your savings and investment plans.

Understanding Your Retirement Needs

Calculate your future retirement expenses by taking into account your current expenses, inflation, and expected lifestyle changes. Tools such as retirement calculators can assist in the determination of the amount you need to save in order to sustain a desired standard of living in retirement.

Maximizing Retirement Accounts

Taking advantage of retirement savings options like 401(k)s and IRAs is important. Take advantage of your employer’s 401(k) match by contributing enough to receive the full amount of the match. Additionally, consider opening an IRA to increase your tax-advantaged savings further.

Diversifying Investments

Diversification is a major player in effective risk management and higher returns in the long run. Incorporate stocks, bonds, and other assets in your portfolio. Gradually adjust your investment plan to become more conservative as you age.

Building an Emergency Fund

An emergency fund is paramount for financial stability and allows you to avoid pulling from your retirement savings during a financial crisis. Try to accumulate three to six months’ worth of living expenses.

Managing Debt Wisely

High-interest debt can hamper your ability to save for retirement significantly. It’s best to prioritize paying off high-interest debts, such as credit card balances, while also contributing to your retirement accounts.

Seeking Professional Advice

Consider consulting a financial advisor to help tailor a retirement plan to your specific situation. A professional can provide valuable insights on investment strategies, tax planning, and adjusting your plan as your financial situation changes.

Retirement planning in your 30s is a proactive step towards securing a financially stable future. By setting clear goals, maximizing retirement savings, diversifying investments, and managing debt, you can build a solid foundation for a comfortable retirement. Starting to invest early allows your money more time to grow, making your retirement stress-free.

How to Build an Emergency Fund on a Tight Budget

By Tom Leydiker

On April 22, 2024

In Finance, personal, Tom Leydiker

An emergency fund is like a financial parachute that can help soften the blow of unexpected expenses or even financial catastrophes. It serves as a safety net for any unforeseen situation and is crucial for achieving monetary stability and peace of mind. Even small setbacks can become significant obstacles without an emergency fund, especially for those with limited budgets. Therefore, having an emergency fund is essential and a wise and responsible financial decision.

Starting Small but Steady

Building an emergency fund when you have a strict budget may seem challenging, but it can be done by starting small. Start by putting a small, doable amount of money from each paycheck on the side, even if it’s just $5 or $10. The key is consistency, not quantity.

Budgeting for Savings

Budgeting is crucial for finding areas where you can reduce expenses and redirect the money saved into your emergency fund. Assess your spending patterns and identify the expenditures you can reduce or do without.

Automating Your Savings

Automating your savings can simplify the process of saving an emergency fund. Create a direct deposit from your paycheck into a savings account specifically for emergencies. This “out of sight, out of mind” approach enables you to save without consciously thinking about it.

Finding Extra Money

Look for ways to generate extra income that can be directed into your emergency fund. This might include taking on a part-time job, selling unused items, or doing freelance work. Every little bit adds to your fund.

Prioritizing Your Spending

Prioritize spending on essentials like rent, utilities, and groceries, and use any leftover money to grow your emergency fund. This might mean sacrificing some wants for the time being, but the financial security is worth it.

Keeping Your Emergency Fund Accessible

Make your emergency fund readily retrievable in case of emergency, but keep it away from your ordinary checking account to resist temptation. A high-yield savings account could be a good choice, characterized by an accessible nature and a small reward for your savings.

Developing an emergency fund during hard times takes perseverance, self-discipline, and a proactive way of saving. The first and most important step is to start small by budgeting wisely and finding ways to increase your savings; this will eventually lead to a savings fund that will give you financial security and peace of mind.

The Difference Between Index Funds and ETFs

By Tom Leydiker

On July 9, 2019

In Blog, Finance, personal

When it comes to investing, there are a number of terms to learn in order to be conversant and knowledgeable as an investor. There are margin calls, options and mutual funds. A couple of terms that are important to learn when investing are index funds and ETFs.

What Are Index Funds?

Index funds are a form of mutual fund. A mutual fund is a basket of stocks that is actively managed to attempt to maximize investor returns through effective diversification. An index fund is a mutual fund that is more passively managed, and it will attempt to match a given index. The index could be the S&P 500, the Russell 2000 or another index altogether. There are also bond index funds available.

Index funds will not generally beat the market, but they will usually come close to meeting the market’s overall return. Index funds will tend to have less turnover than an actively managed fund. This will mean that index funds have a relatively high level of tax efficiency. Index funds will also usually pay out dividends as the underlying companies that make up the index pay dividends. As a form of mutual funds, index funds will only trade at the end of the trading day. Therefore, an individual investor will have little ability to maximize her ability to take advantage of little price fluctuations.

What Are ETFs?

Exchange traded funds, more commonly known as ETFs are also baskets of stocks. A brokerage might have a mutual fund and an ETF with very similar goals and holdings. Investors can trade ETFs more easily than regular mutual funds. Unlike mutual funds that trade only at the end of the trading day, ETFs can trade like stocks. As long as the market is open, an investor can buy or sell an ETF. This allows investors to take advantage of fluctuations in the price more easily. Like mutual funds, ETFs will also pay periodic dividend to investors.

Another difference between index funds and ETFs is the amount needed to invest. Mutual funds usually require a larger initial investment. Most will require an investment of $1,000 or $3,000 as the cost of being able to invest. ETFs allow smaller investors to get started more quickly. It’s only necessary to purchase a single share of an ETF to begin investing. This is another layer of flexibility that’s related to investing in ETFs.

Why Small Businesses Have an Advantage with Customer Service

By Tom Leydiker

On April 4, 2019

In Blog, Entrepreneurship, Finance, personal

Small businesses are springing up all over the country. Small business owners often believe that they are at a disadvantage when compared to larger enterprises, however, small businesses tend to have an advantage as it pertains to customer service. The following factors contribute to small businesses providing great customer service.

More Efficient Point-of-sale Systems

Customers want their purchases to be quick and simple. Point-of-sale systems like Vend and Square allow for ease of use. In addition, restauranteurs that use TOS services such as TouchBistro are able to take orders and check customers out quickly and efficiently. This type of service allows customers to split checks and ensure accuracy when ordering. Customers truly enjoy these services and are more likely to return to an establishment when they have a positive first experience.

Personal Attention

Small business owners are more likely to have compassion for customers and handle their needs with care and concern. This is the opposite of larger businesses that tend to rely heavily on standard operating procedures that don’t take into consideration the unique circumstances of each customer. Small businesses are also more likely to understand the needs of their customers because they take the time to understand the products and services that are important to the customer. This more personal type of customer service is attractive and makes people more at ease when patronizing a small business.

Solutions that Can be provided by Phone

When dealing with large businesses, customers are often relegated to speaking with automated voice systems when seeking solutions for customer service issues. However, a small business usually has a person on the other end of the line who is able to provide real-time solutions to any problem a customer will encounter. Having the ability to discuss issues on the phone saves the customer time and reassures them that the business can be trusted.

Overall, the ability of a small business to provide excellent customer service will determine the success of that enterprise. People who own small businesses should take into consideration the aforementioned factors when designing a customer service strategy. Implementing a robust point-of-sale system and providing customers a personalized experience are key components of good customer service. Additionally, providing efficient phone service assist in easing customer worries. Each of these factors gives small businesses the edge over larger enterprises.

Tips To Avoid Financial Woes

By Tom Leydiker

On March 20, 2018

In Blog, Debt, Entrepreneurship, Finance, personal

At some point in your life, you may fall under hard financial times. This happens to many people and does not mean the end of the world for your bank account or credit score. There are ways to come back from financial hardship and be prepared to avoid them in the future. This article will talk about some common financial woes and how to avoid them.

Create a Budget

Most people think they have a good understanding of where their money goes. Taking a closer look at your monthly spending may surprise you. Where your money is going may not match up to what you thought you were spending. A good way to avoid financial hardships and even dig yourself out of one is to set a budget for yourself. Take your monthly analysis of your spending and formulate a budget that will keep you in the green each month. Make sure your budget is tangible. Try not to guess at what you spend on certain items, be precise and you will be more likely to stick to your budget.

Impulse Buying

A common mistake among consumers is to purchase something on impulse. If you come across an item and immediately think “I need to have this!” Take a step back and evaluate the reasoning behind the purchase. Is this going to get me to my financial goals? Is this item necessary for me to buy? These questions will help control your impulses and ultimately keep you connected with your budget. If after a month you are still yearning for that item then save up enough money to get it for yourself.

Alternatives To Spending

Instead of going out to a fancy bar or restaurant, aim for a day packed with homemade sandwiches and a hike near your local trail. Any alternative you can find to spending money on miscellaneous things like a bar or restaurant should be pursued to help you save money and maybe even find your new favorite activity.

Medical Insurance

Nothing can help you dampen the blow of a medical emergency like medical insurance can. Without insurance, you are at risk of paying high fees for medical procedures that can plunge you into financial hardship for a long time. Medical emergencies are unpredictable, and it is better to be insured no matter your financial situation to avoid destroying your financial credibility for good.

What To Look For In A Financial Advisor

By Tom Leydiker

On March 2, 2018

In Blog, Entrepreneurship, Finance, personal

Finding a financial advisor is an important task in anyone’s life. Your financial advisor will walk you through your financial goals and then formulate a plan to help you reach them. Before you make a decision on who your financial advisor will be, consider the points listed in this article to ensure you are making the right choice.

Experience and Education

When looking for a financial advisor consider what kind of qualifications they have. Look for a Certified Financial Planner (CFP) before making your decision. Conduct an online search for your potential financial advisor and refer to any and all articles and websites about them. Follow up on previous or current clients to gather more information about their practices. It is one thing to state that a financial advisor has the proper qualifications but if they cannot correctly apply good methods than it is not worth the investment.

Pay Structure

The way a financial advisor sets up their payment structure speaks to their intentions in being your financial advisor. There are a few ways advisors can set up their payment structure. One way is commission based. Commission based advisors could be biased about what kind of investments you should consider because they are ultimately getting a cut of that investment. This could lead to investments that may not be working towards your financial goals. Another payment structure is fee-based. A fee-based advisor could give you advice that will benefit them in the long-run causing you to potentially stray away from your financial goals. Consider a financial advisor who charges by the hour. An hourly payment structure does not allow the advisor to be biased towards any financial decisions.

Contact

Make sure you understand how often you and your financial advisor will be meeting. Some advisors will have an initial meeting then only have scheduled meetings once a year from then on. If you are new to having a financial advisor, recommend that you and your advisor meet quarterly or more often than that if needed.

Outcome

You want to find a financial advisor who will point you in the right direction to achieve your goals. Eventually, you should be armed with enough knowledge to take over the reigns and conduct your own financial plan. Avoid getting stuck with an advisor who suggests that you need to stay with them to reach your goals. That kind of financial advisor may not have your best interests at heart.

Personal Finance Checklist: How Much You Should Save at Every Stage of Life

By Tom Leydiker

On September 26, 2017

In Blog, Finance, personal

Tom-Leydiker-Personal-Finance

The best way to build your personal wealth is to save your money as early and as often as you can. Having an account with compound interest will allow your money to begin making you more money. The bestselling author David Bach lays out a saving plan for each stage of your life in his book “The Automatic Millionaire.” The exact amount that is saved will differ from person to person depending on lifestyles and personal goals, however, Bach’s plan is a good rule of thumb to refer to.

The first decade you should start seriously saving is in your twenties. In your twenties you should be saving 10% of your gross income to your retirement savings and your emergency savings should be at least three months of expenses. If your company offers a 401 K plan and matches your contributions up to a certain percent, often somewhere between 3-5%, saving that 10% of your gross income just became much easier.

In your thirties, it can be expected that you’re not only providing for yourself anymore. You may have gotten married, may have had children, or may have bought a house. This is where you thank yourself for beginning to save at an earlier age. At this stage of life, 12.5% of your gross income should be saved for retirement and your emergency savings should cover your expenses for at least six months.

Your forties will be your peak earning years. This stage of life is going to be the most profitable time to take advantage of your increasing salary and save as much as you can. You should be saving 15-20% of your gross income to your retirement fund, and your emergency savings should be able to cover you for at least year or two of expenses. If you set yourself up with an account early on, you’ll truly start to notice your compound interest making money for you.

Once you’re in your fifties, you should be getting close to your retirement goal. Don’t stop saving once you reach this goal. You should be saving up until the day of your retirement. By this time, your emergency savings should be able to cover at least three years worth of expenses. It’s important to have this much in emergency savings because “the older you get the more you earn and spend. And if you lose your job it can take longer to find a job that replaces that income” explains Bach.

During your sixties and into retirement, you should still manage your money carefully. If you’ve followed the plan outlined above, you should be set to enjoy your money. Your emergency savings account should contain roughly five years of expenses.