We all want to make more money. However, it isn’t quite as simply as walking into your boss’s office, having a sit, expressing your interest in a raise and shaking hands. While that would certainly be appealing to many employees across the globe, that just isn’t how it works. Knowledge is the key when seeking a raise from your employer. You will need to know what your job is actually worth and be prepared to approach your boss to discuss your current salary, job performance, and accomplishments.

In a survey conducted to ten ordinary employees all from separate companies 100% said that they would love to get a raise tomorrow. When asked why they would like a raise 8 made reference to a personal need, one said why not, and two said because they work hard and have done a great job. Do not ask for a raise because you need the extra money or can’t pay the cable bill this month. If you were the boss, would that be a factor in considering your employee’s raises?

Asking for a raise should focus on the company. What have you done for them since your employment with them? How has having you as a team member contributed to their success?

First look at your written job description. If you don’t have this visit your HR department and they will be able to provide one either from your file or a generic one. Think about your daily duties and jot down on a separate piece of paper the additional duties that you perform that are not considered a part of your job description.

If you company does evaluations, prepare those in a folder. If you have received awards, and/or recognition in the past, include those in the folder as well. Type out an organized list of your accomplishments and experts suggest that you relate a dollar amount to them if possible. For example, if you are the assistant responsible for ordering office supplies and requested bids from several office supply companies, and were able to save the company over 35% each month by switching to another vendor, include that, and possibly a few example of vendor invoices.

One of the most important pieces of information that you should have with you, is the average compensation for you job description. (this generally wouldn’t include the list of additional duties that you perform outside of your job description) Try to find comparable positions within the same part of the country that you are located.

Rule number one: discuss all financial aspects with your roommate before moving on to any other rules. Rule number two: make sure you have abided by rule number one.

The financial conversation should come up early on and should be thoroughly covered. Every aspect of the finances between you and your roommate should be discussed. If you do not abide by rule number one, then rest assured that there will be tension and problems will arise in the future.

First, start with the rent amount itself. If you have found a place that you both like you should know what each other are currently able to pay for rent. No embarrassment allowed. Do not look down at anyone because they make less of an income, or even because they have so much they don’t know what to do with it. Once you know who can afford what, you will know who can be given honest consideration for the larger bedroom, larger closet, or private bath.

Now that you know this, you will need to put a dollar amount to the bedrooms. Let’s take a simple two bedroom, two-roommate situation. The leasing office should be able to provide you with square footage of the room, or at least the dimensions of the room from which you can calculate the square footage. Janet and Chrissy move into a two bedroom apartment. One bedroom is 12×12 totaling 144 square feet and the other is significantly larger at 14×16 totaling 224 square feet. We’ll make it easy and say that rent is $1000. Based on the total square feet of available room space (144+224=368), the larger bedroom accounts for 60% of the available room space. (224 is approximately 60% of 368). Therefore if rent is $1000 per month, it would be fair to say that the person who gets the larger room should pay $600 while the other should pay $400. This is the most fair way to calculate amounts based on square footage.

Other options might include paying the same amount in rent, but allowing the person who gets the smaller bedroom to take two extra closets in the hall, and the dedicated parking space. Any agreement should be well talked through and make both parties happy.

Once an agreement is reached, they should be put into writing to avoid any issues that might arise. If an issue does arise in the future, this agreement can be referenced. I can also be amended throughout the roommate relationship with both parties consent.

Considering bills should be done in the same manor. If one person gets to have cable in their room, while the other must go to the living room to watch cable, the amount paid should reflect that. Everything, however, should be put into your written agreement and signed by both roommates.

Who would have thought that last nights high winds would have taken off the back patio roof… or dropped the windmill right on top of the new Mercedes? It happens. You don’t expect it – that’s why we call it preparing for the unexpected, but you can do just that: prepare for it. “Unexpected’s” can come in the form of a job layoff, a sudden illness, or even the mother-in-law showing up unannounced!

Think back to when your parents set a big jar on your dresser and made you put all your coins in there. It has really changed very little. Perhaps the overall dollar amount should vary from you coin jar. In fact, experts suggest that families should have saved up at least three to six months of living expenses for emergencies. The reason for this ideal number is for sudden changes in unemployment. If you have prepared for this scenario, then something as simple as the car windshield, or mother-in-law showing up should be a piece of cake.

Don’t expect to have three to six months stashed away by tomorrow. In fact, if you do, you will feel overwhelmed and lose sight of your goal. Look forward to having one month’s expenses saved up. That is usually an achievable goal when first starting out, and can also give you a sense of at ease knowing that you are covered and have accomplished this goal. From there your goal is to increase to three months expenses. If you put a twenty dollar bill in an envelope in between your mattress every pay period, before long, you won’t even realize that you are missing the twenty bucks.

Keeping your money in a coin jar, may not be the wisest idea since the amount we are saving has grown significantly. A savings account is the best place to start. Some individuals have a portion of their check automatically deposited into an interest bearing savings account every pay period and additionally saving at home in an envelope. Saving small amounts at home allows you to see results, but can also be a greater temptation to spend. Also consider money market accounts or certificate of deposits (CDs).

It isn’t a good idea to tie this money up in the stock market or mutual funds as it is uncertain what the market will do, and you end up losing money rather than saving it.

Death is so far inescapable. And since we have yet to figure out how to escape it, it is in our best interest to compose a will. A will is a written document directing how you want your property distributed after your death. You will also appoint a trusted person to be your executor in your will. This person, sometimes referred to as your personal representative, is responsible for distributing the property according to your instructions laid out in your will.

Anyone who has not composed a will shall have their property distributed according to the laws of that state. Unfortunately this isn’t always in line with your wishes. Most states leave one-third or one-half of your assets to your spouse and the remaining to your children. Writing a will would allow you to leave everything to just your wife, or just your children.

In some states if you do not have a will and have no children or surviving spouse, your property could be given to the state. A will also allows you to give property to a charitable organization or religious group. Without a will, you can not do this. Having a will resolves so many potential problems.

The executor is appointed by you in your will and is the person that you trust to distribute your property as laid out in the will. This should be someone that you trust, and can discuss this with them prior to appointing them as your executor. Choosing an executor is a very important step because if have not chosen one by the time of your death you may be appointed an attorney or bank to do this task.

One of the most common questions in creating a will is, do I need a lawyer. The simple and easy answer is yes. The actually answer is no. You are not required to have a lawyer involved in creating a will. However, if you do not seek the assistance of a lawyer, you may not compose the will correctly and the will may not be legal and stand true upon your death. Enlisting the assistance of a lawyer ensures that the will is legal and binding in your state. Your lawyer will also be able to answer many questions and explain any concerns that you may have prior to writing thing into your will. Lawyers can also assist with other more complicated aspects of the will such as appointing a guardian to minors that may be beneficiaries in your will, distributing property that you own outside of your state, making special provisions for a divorced spouse, charity, or disabled child, and establishing a trust.

Car buying is usually the first major purchase made when we are young adults. Some of us get lucky and have one handed over on our sixteenth birthday, but for the rest of us it involves a tremendous amount of hard work, savings, and exhaustive searching and test driving before we can finally lay back and relax… in the middle of rush our traffic.

There are a few places that people commonly go wrong in the car buying process. The first is not getting the car they need, but rather the one that they want. This give you the feel good feeling for a while, but when the new wears off, you are left with a car that doesn’t serve your needs. For example, if you carry band instruments, or rowdy football players, you don’t want a compact car. However, if you get an SUV and don’t truly need it, you’ll be wishing you made a wiser choice every time you are filling up at the gas station.

The second biggest mistake made by buyers is that we think we have to purchase a brand new car. While having a new car and being the first owner is quite exciting, driving off the lot and feeling your car depreciate as much as thirty percent immediately isn’t such a great feeling. By jumping over to the pre owned lot you can get a car that is as little as six months to a year older. It is basically the same car, in just a good condition, and boasts a much more feasible price tag. There is usually factory warranty still left on the vehicle, and almost all brand dealerships will offer an extended warranty.

Lastly, and this can be tied into the two mistakes above, do your research. With the availability of the internet now, there is no reason that you shouldn’t know as much if not more than the car salesmen breathing down your neck. You should have information on crash test ratings, highway verses stop and go miles per gallon, and engine specs. You should also know how the car you are considering stands up to other cars in its class. What features come with what brand? What brand is the highest recommended? Which brand gives you the most bang for it’s buck. Also you will want to research lemons. What brand has produced the most lemons? Finally know what the ideal price should be. There are several places online that you can find pricing information. You would be amazed how often you can walk onto a car lot and see a price shoe polished on a car that would make you bust out laughing.

About the most our children learn in school about money is how to make change in grammar school. In high school we may take a finance class, and math may touch on loans a little bit. Even economy may briefly touch on individual finance. Other than that, it’s up to us to teach our children the basics of money and finance.

Start your children early. Started the education of money and finance sooner could lead to the development of strong saving habits, learning how to make smart purchases, the true meaning of a investment vs. an expense, and even why we can’t have what we want right now! Perhaps by the time they reach college they’ll have a clear understanding of how they got here, how to manage the money they have while they’re here, and how they plan to make it after graduation.

Money doesn’t grow on trees. While this is probably what you heard as a child, it explains very little. A child sees that mom and dad have money. That’s it. Start the conversation early about where it comes from. Mom and dad have to work for the money. And when it’s gone, it’s gone. We may not always be able to have a happy meal when and just because we want one. Even children at a young age can understand that money is given to you by working, and it’s given to you on a schedule. Some parents tell their children when pay day is. When pay day comes around, the child sees that we can perhaps go out to eat. But we don’t go spend everything at once. Children can comprehend a pay schedule, and what happens in between the schedule. If you don’t stick to it however, confusion comes in to play and the whole lesson may be lost.

Allowances are a sticky subject. Experts do not agree that allowances should be given for daily household chores, because those chores will have to be done in life, and we don’t get paid to do them. Consider paying your child to help outdoors, washing the car, rearranging a room. Make a list of available chores he or she can do and how much the chore pays.

Now is when you want to start a piggy bank. When the child protests about the newest super water gun, inform him that the water gun probably isn’t going anywhere, and he might just be getting close to having that much money saved. He can always pick up some more odds and ends around the house to get money faster.

When there is enough for him to buy the guy and some left over, consider taking him to the bank to open his first savings account. Most banks have programs setup to make this a fun experience for kids.

Over spending is something that most people are guilty of at one time or another, and it’s really a disaster when you are spending more than you make on a regular basis. Living above your means is going to land you in a deep financial hole that may take years for you to crawl out of. The question becomes how to keep from doing this.

Of course, the first thing you need to do is figure out what your monthly bills are, and how much money you have coming in to meet them. You have heard of budgeting, but now you will need to put that into practice. Depending on how deep your financial hole is, you will need to tighten spending from mildly, to not spending a dime that you don’t have to.

The next thing to look at is just why you seem to over spend. Are you trying to keep up with your wealthier friends? Do you have teenagers who just “need” every popular thing that hits the market? Think this one through very carefully, because a big part of your answer probably lies within. If your neighbor has a Lexus, a boat, a big screen television, and is putting in a swimming pool, it really does not mean that you have to have all of those things, too. This is especially true if you cannot afford them.

If you have children, and they are old enough to understand about the need to cut back to save money, it may be easier to get everyone on board with cultivating better spending habits. Have a family meeting where you explain in clear terms why things are going to be bought on an “as needed” basis. Depending on how much you have said yes to their every request, you will be met with either co-operation or complete hysteria. Either way, everyone must be made to understand that the free spending of money you don’t have is a thing of the past because it has to be.

Once you have begun to live on the amount of money you have coming in each month, you can begin to catch up any past due bills, as well as start to save a little. This may not sound like a simple solution, but it is the only one that will keep you from only getting deeper into debt. Of course, if you want, you can choose to take on extra jobs, but then you won’t really have time to enjoy that extra money you will be making.

Who doesn’t like to spend money? Well, while there may be a few of us out there that don’t like spending money the majority of us love to. But as a general rule, the average person spends more than what they earn. There is more debt than ever in our country. Just by taking note and realizing a few ways that we do this, we can open our own eyes and try to prevent this from happening. Knowledge is key.

The first culprit is certainly credit. We look at credit as more money. We look at a new car and see four hundred a month and forget that what we are actually spending is forty thousand dollars. Credit is thrown at us left and right. We get letter and promotional advertising day in and day out with new lower interest rates, buy now pay next year, and no interest for the first 30 days. But remember, credit isn’t the evil. Thinking that we have “more money” is. Our eyes naturally want to be bigger than our wallets. Advertising and marketing make it even harder to say no. All we need now is a way to pay. That’s where the credit card comes in.

We have cash now. In the past you would withdraw what you needed from the bank. You could enjoy the night on the town, but when your fund run out, so does your night. That has all changed. Now, when your funds run out you run to the ATM. Most restaurants, mall, nightclubs, and arcades make automated teller machines readily available so that people can spend more and more money with them. Don’t fall into this trap. Decide how much you want to spend or a particular even and stick with it. Tell yourself that the ATM machines are there for decoration… just extra furniture.

Our friends and family members can also be our worst financial enemy. Look at the spending habits of one who has few friends and stay in most of the time verses one who is the life of the party. We like to go out ad have a good time and have a hard time saying no to a night out on the town.

Lastly, we over spend because spending feels good. Its great to come home with a new bathrobe, house shoes, and bubble bath. But we must learn to say no when it’s time. Since this feeling of spending is somewhat there to stay, consider setting aside a budget for some play money to calm these cravings. But remember, when the play money is gone, the play money is gone.

Don’t worry! A budget doesn’t have to be scary thing. Basically a budget is a tool for you to aid in managing your day to day financial decisions. Look at your budget as a snapshot or over view of you have done, can do, should do, will do. It is a picture of all things financial. If you decide you want the latest PS3 game, be prepared to take it out of your budget, otherwise – forget it!

Take you income first. After all, you won’t be spending anything, unless you have to spend. Income isn’t just your nine to five. Also be sure to include alimony, child support, or any form of income coming into your household.

Start searching for all of your statements. These need to include bank statements, utility bills, investment statements, and any other paper information that you can. You want your budget to be as accurate as possible, so the more information you are able to dig up the better.

Compose a list of expenses that you accrue each month and list them in two basic categories: fixed and variable. Fixed expenses include those items that you have a very close idea what the expense will be, and stays relatively consistent each month. Examples of this would be your credit card statement, your car payment, mortgage or rent, and your utility bills. Variables are those expenses that may change slightly from month to month. An example would be your grocery bill, gas, gifts, and eating out. When the list is completed total your over all monthly expenses for a grand total.

Once you have a grand total compare your expenses to the income you totaled in the beginning. Ideally the two balance out, or your income is greater than your expenses. In the event that your expenses are greater than your income you should look to your variable expenses. Try to shave off areas to balance the two columns. Perhaps you can’t eat out as much as you would like, or maybe you have to cut out one movie night out of the month.

Be sure to account for savings plans that you have in place. These should include college savings plans, a regular savings account or maybe just that boat you’ve been dreaming of.

It’s fairly easy to set up a budget. The hard part comes after the completion of your budget. Be self disciplined and stick with your budget. It does little to no good if you don’t. Compare your month to month budget to see how you have spent and saved. Are you happy? If not, make adjustments to next month’s budget and prepare to measure those results as well.

Healthcare is definitely one of the biggest issues for everyone regardless of economic status. No one is immune to getting ill, and though we all hope it won’t happen, you can’t guarantee you’ll never be in a car accident – after all, even if you yourself are an excellent driver, that doesn’t mean everyone else on the road is.

So it’s a given that you need health insurance for yourself and your family. And though health insurance is expensive… if you think about it, not having health insurance is even more expensive. Without insurance, the medical bills for a routine procedure like an appendectomy can put a major dent in your savings. A prolonged illness could potentially cripple you completely.

Fortunately, there are ways you can save money on your health insurance while making sure that you and your family are adequately covered. It will take research and determination to find the best deal available to you, since even “basic” or “standard” plans will vary widely in their features and benefits, depending on the insurance provider, but you can do it.

If the company you work for offers health insurance to you, you should take it. Group insurance coverage subsidized by employers is almost always the best deal you can get compared to getting coverage on your own, particularly if you’re of a certain age or have pre-existing health conditions. Going at it alone with age or health issues will be much harder for you, since the insurance companies don’t want to take on someone they see as a liability.

If you do need to go it alone, you must bear a few things in mind as you examine your options. Compare all of the plans available to you against each other very closely. Depending on your particular needs, not all insurance plans will be a good fit, even if they are the least expensive. For example, while all health coverage plans will cover you for a hospital stay, they won’t all cover you for mental health services or dental care. Some plans will force you into higher co-pays for doctor visits or prescription drugs. Also be aware that a low premium doesn’t necessarily make a plan the best deal. The best plan for you is one with the best price for whichever services you’re most likely to use. A great deal on emergency room visits isn’t that great if the co-pay for routine doctor visits is astronomical.

All in all, the best thing you can do for you, your family and your bank balance is to get decent health coverage, for the best price you can manage. With careful consideration and planning, you can make sure you are protected for both routine and emergency health issues without breaking the bank.