For many people personal finance is a difficult competency to master. Setting goals, making action plans, and using checklists are some great tools to help you master personal finance.

One of the best tools to you can use to asses your weak points are checklists. Many of us that use checklists find ourselves rewriting them after scribbles and scratch-outs. We then find ourselves writing some of the same things over and over again that have never been scratched off our lists. When writing your personal finance action plan those are the areas you need to focus on first.

Start taking ownership of your weakest areas. Spend time improving your skill until you find that you are no longer skipping over that item on your “to do” list. Continue the process until you have eliminated all of your weak areas and become a master of personal finance.

Technorati Tags: personal finance, finance

It is time for you to get paid what you are worth! You know how much you are worth to your organization but how do you let them know you should be earning more. For many people asking for a raise is a difficult experience but if you go in with a plan chances are you will be successful.

Note: I have never turned down a reasonable request for a raise when the employee is in good standing, shows a measurable benefit to the organization, merits a raise and the organizations is financially healthy.

1. Know what you want- How much will you be asking for? Will you be asking for increased salary, more vacation, flex-time or a company car. Be sure to know what you want and don’t be afraid to ask for a little bit more.

2. Know what you are worth- Knowledge is the key to successfully asking for a raise, What is the typical salary for your position, experience, education, and training? Know how much it would cost the organization to replace you. Know how much more revenue you generate or how much money you save.

3. Know who to approach- Be sure you are approaching the right person. Approaching your bosses boss may not be the best approach. Start with your direct supervisor and work from there. If there are any questions of who to approach your HR department can help you find the right person.

4. Be sure the timing is right- The best time to ask for a raise is when you are on top and performing well. If you just landed a big account or increased revenue for you department your value may never be higher.

5. Prepare to ask- Know exactly what you are asking for and how. Be sure to rehearse before you ask. Note: I cannot tell you how many times employees have come in unprepared to ask for a raise. Typically resulting in getting less than they could have received.

6. Prepare for a no- When asking for a raise there is a chance you will hear no. This does not always mean no to everything just what you asked for. Be prepared with alternatives such as more vacation, flex time, or a company car.

Technorati Tags: worth, earning, raise, increased salary

Saving for college can be one of the most challenging financial goals. It is important to take advantage of every opportunity to put extra money into your child’s college fund. Take advantage of the opportunites provided at Upromise. It is free to join and you can earn extra money for college from purchases you are already making.
Upromise allows families to automatically save money for college while making everyday purchases. Upromise’s partners include Citi, Coca-Cola, ExxonMobil Corporation, Kimberly-Clark, McDonald’s, JCPenney.com, LandsEnd.com, Sears.com, and hundreds of others.

Upromise also makes it easy for families to invest in tax-advantaged college savings plans and to use contribution to pay off student loans.

Technorati Tags: Saving, college, financial

How safe and secure is your financial information? Where do you store your important account numbers and passwords? Where do you keep the originals of documents such as deeds and insurance policies? These are questions that many people find themselves asking after it is already to late. So what can you do to protect your important financial information and your future?

The key to protecting your financial data is redundancy. The more secure places that you can store your financial data the less risk you have.

1. Gather all of your important documents including deeds and insurance policies.
2. Make copies of your important documents and send them to a trusted relative. (Someone who will store your documents and keep them secure)
3. Store the original documents in a waterproof and fireproof safe or a safety deposit box.
4. Back up all your important electronic data on a password protected USB flash drive.

PRIVACY DRIVE - 2GB High Speed USB Flash Drive 2.0 W/Portable Vault Software

It only takes a few hours to protect your financial future against any natural disaster. If you are not prepared a natural disaster may turn into a financial one.