Crowd funding is about to change

The SEC has ruled on Title III of the 2012 Jumpstart Our Business Starts Up Act (JOBS Act) and this is going to make a big impact on how small companies and real estate companies fund their projects in a major way.  Previous to the change that we'll detail in a minute, there were rules on who could invest in these types of businesses or even if a business could advertise and sell securities to those that didn't meet the requirements.  The rules only allowed those with an annual salary of $200k or more for the past two years ($300k if married) or those that have a net worth of $1M to invest in these types of venture loans.  The people that met the standards were considered accredited investors.

Is it the right time to refinance

After the recent market turmoil and news that China will be selling some of its US Treasuries, is it a good time to refinance?  The chart above from bankrate.com would argue that we are near the perfect time to pull the trigger.

Discounted gift cards

I'm not sure about you, but I occasionally have to buy a gift card for a coach or teacher or for a birthday, Christmas, etc. One way to save a little on what you are buying is through a site that offers discounts on these cards. There are several sites out there like Cardpool, Raise, Giftcards, Giftcardzen, and giftcardgranny. Some resell cards from people that don't want them (got them for a gift) and others are get their discount from the companies selling the cards. Cardbear is a site that searches several places to find you the best deal. They show you what the average discount is and advise you to wait or buy based the current rate. You have to think ahead as some of these have to shipped, but if you can, you can save yourself anywhere from 10-40% depending on what it is. Another option is to be on the lookout for promotions usually around the holidays where you can get a free card when you buy one, say $5 when you by $25. Using these cards yourself is another way to stretch the food/entertainment budget if you can remember to use them and get them in advance.

(There are no paid sponsors on this site as of yet, so this is just me trying to help you get a good deal.)

Basics of retirement savings

Saving for retirement is important for a number of factors, but it can often be overwhelming to investors due to the multitude of options and issues related.  Here are the basics and a plan on how to execute and get started.

Savings calculators

Fidelity myPlan retirement calculator

Fidelity has a new calculator for finding your target savings rate/investment profile.  Take a look and see where you stand.  There are other calculators out there that might be more accurate, but this is really quick and easy to play with after the initial questions.

Save for a Rainy Day

If you talk to most grounded financial planners, they will talk with you about an "Emergency Fund" or some sort of savings that is earmarked for when things don't go according to plan.  Some say that this is why you need good credit and high limits on your plastic, but if you are prepared, you can make it through most problems in life without getting stuck with a heavy debt burden on the way out.  Following are some points that need to be considered when deciding if you should have an emergency fund and how much you should have if you do.

Should you lease your next car?

Should you lease a car or buy the same car. The ads are everywhere these days and looking at the low monthly rates, you can be lured into thinking that it's a great deal. So, I decided to look at the auto lease in some more detail and give my thoughts on the pro's and con's of leasing a car over buying one new. I decided that the best approach would be to answer the basic questions below.

Credit Report Cheat Sheet

If you want a quick reference on how to read your credit report and how everything effects your score take a look at this cheat sheet from credit.com.   I am not endorsing the company, but it is useful information.  It appears that you can sign up for a free score through the site, but those are available elsewhere as well (i.e. mint.com, your banks website).  Your score seems to be available everywhere these days actually.

Pairing down the phone bills

Choosing the right phone provider is one thing that can really help your monthly budget.  Every once and a while it is a good idea to check on the rates and what the different carries offer in order to get the best monthly rate/options.  If you haven't done it in a while, here is what the market looks like now.  It could save you quite a bit every month.

Welcome to ifisaved.com

Some friends an I were talking and we decided that we would like to start a dialog.  Hopefully this dialog won't be about one person's view of what you should do, but rather several views that help you on your journey with the money you have been blessed to manage.  It is about using your money in a directed and meaningful way.  I have to warn you, we are all fairly frugal.  Through this blog and future tool, we hope to help you see what you have, what you spend your money on, and what happens when you become aware of where it all goes.  The tool we are working on will allow you to budget your month and then track your progress.  There is a certain freedom in knowing what you need to live on and being able to do it month in and month out.  The focus of the blog is in the name.  If I saved I could... retire early/buy a house/buy a car with cash/build a pool/give to charity/never borrow money/live life not worrying about what comes next.  Our posts won't all be about saving, some will just be interesting things we have read.  I hope you enjoy it and save the feed to your RSS reader for future perusal.  Thanks!

(We are engineers and math nerds, not English majors, so please excuse the grammar.)