Green Is My Favorite Color...

...for more than just one reason.  (Insert wicked chuckle.)

Again, great money information from LearnVest.  No one is going to do it for us.  Come on ride the train, and ride it.

2012 is the Year to Max it Out

It's a great time of year, of course.  Despite the holiday bloat and that whole confused/back-to-work thing, doesn't it feel like an excellent time for new possibilities?!

I know I've posted about IRAs before, but it's prime time to take another glance.  This is a graphic that I scanned from Real Simple (December 2011) and then altered, color-wise, through Picnik.com.  It started out green (apropos, non?), but the invert feature gave this cool purple and blue combo.  This version is also a bit easier to read.  You can also click the graphic to enlarge it a bit.  Eye strain is never specs-y, peeps.

Anywho, open an IRA.  Contribute to it.  Enjoy it later.  You'll be so glad that you did.  And the earlier you start, the more monies you will earn.  Consider dollar cost averaging, per Suze.

Happy New Year!

Geeze. Give Me Some Credit

Some things in this world just make little to no sense.  Wheel taxes.  The Kardashians.  And credit.

The thing with credit is that it takes credit to get credit, much like new graduates feel the pressure to have job experience to get a job.  It's a total catch-22.

Here are a couple of things that I've learned so far.  Hopefully they will help you, too.  Please bear with me.  We're dealing with complicated subject matter here.  (Unlike said Kardashians.)

In my quest for fiscal knowledge, I have found that one of the best ways to raise one's credit score is to use a credit card.  (Remember to check Credit Karma to see your score for free.)  Oh, and pay it off in full each month.  Just pay a regular expense, such as a cell phone bill or a trip to the grocery, with your credit card.  Come home, unpack, and virtually swipe that debit card to pay off your credit card purchase.

This way you use a small part of your credit limit, which improves your debt-to-credit ratio.  And make consistent payments without carrying a balance.  This looks good to Mr. FICO.

You may be saying: But TomTom, how do I get a credit card?  Excellent question, you.

Recently I applied for a card from a major company and was instantly denied.  Limited credit history.  What a bummer.  I have a steady job, stable income, pay my bills on time, etc.  It didn't matter.  My score was considered fair, but the 'hard inquiry' from that company lowered my score by 20 points.  This is what's known as a double whammy.  You try to scrape together a decent score, but your efforts are only rewarded with a swat at your points.  Le sigh.

I was able to get a no-frills card from a local bank, and after using my card one time (and paying it off, as mentioned above), my score went back up by about 20 points.  I look for it to increase as I continue to make a credit card purchase at least once a month, indefinitely.

Why does this matter?  Your credit score is a numerical way of expressing your reliability.  At least in "The Man's" eyes.  If you plan to buy a house, then the higher your score, the lower your interest rate.  If you apply for a job, the potential employer may check your credit score.  Collections from Verizon?  Goodbye, corner office.  Or tiny cubicle. 

These are not circumstances to be taken lightly.  If you are in college, please don't be like me and treat pre-approved credit offers like they're covered in warts.  Compare your offers and take a card.  It doesn't mean you have to max it out or even carry it around all the time.  Again--small, regular purchases that you pay off.

If you have teenage children, call your credit card company and have your child(ren) added as authorized users.  Then don't even tell them until they're older.  That way, your score becomes their score, and they don't have to do anything to earn it.  (It's one of the few times in life that I will endorse that mentality.)  When you go to remove them as authorized users, it will not affect the score of either party.

If you've made it this far, thanks!  I hope that this has been useful information.  On Specs Appeal I try to share only what I feel is crucial for your daily life.  Please remember that I am not a financial expert and am only sharing things that I have learned in my own experience.  There are tons of great books, blogs, websites, and so on, but if I can be of assistance, please let me know!  Mazel!

My Favorite Price

That would be free.  And here are my latest freebies that the WWW has to offer.

My new blog pal Erin of Better Than Bland turned me on to Picnik.  It's my favorite of the bunch, and here's why.  It's like a free (!) online (!!) Photoshop (!!!).  You don't even have to sign up, and you can upload and edit pictures.  If you do sign up, the site keeps track of your five most recent pics. 

My favorite edit button is "Auto-fix" because it magically corrects all evils with said photos.  (You know how oft I lament my dire apartment lighting situation.)  I was considering the purchase of a new camera or Photoshop/lessons to operate Photoshop.  But no longer. 

Actually, I've gone back to some of my homemade pictures on older blog posts and corrected them with Picnik.  Tah.  Der.

I stumbled upon The League of Moveable Type when searching for cool fonts.  This is a great place for them.  Gratis!

Evernote is a site I found through Real Simple.  Go figure.  It's a one-stop destination for corralling virtually anything, from shopping lists to pictures to websites.  And it links up and syncs up across all of your devices.  Home PC.  Space phones.  iPad/Pod.  Laptop.  Dental fillings.  JK.  Not too shabby.

Limited Time Offer: Suze's Gift to Us

You all know by now that I heart Suze Orman.  Yes, she's crazy.  And she's loud.  And sometimes she gets so excited that she fumbles her words.  But she is smart.  And honest.  I also love that Kristen Wiig impersonates her rather accurately.

But the point of this post is to share with you a gift from Suze, which she provided on the latest episode of her show.  If you go to this link, click on the Gift Code button, and enter 'CNBC', you will get a free will and trust kit.

When I tried, I got a screen stating that the server has been overwhelmed with requests but that they are extending the offer for a week (previously it was set to expire at midnight Pacific Time on 9/13/11).   If you have not yet completed the advance directive form, please follow the preceding link to my blog post.  However, that form is included in this free kit as well. 

If September 11th of 2001 taught us anything, it's that we should not take tomorrow for granted.  I hope that this post finds you in good health and good spirits.  Thank you, again, for taking the time to visit Specs Appeal.

A Little More Peace of Mind

That wakeup call a few weeks ago is still front and center in my mind.  I've continued to read and research, and today I found a really useful site called Caring Connections. 

On this site, you can download (for free) the state-specific advance directive form that applies for you.  This is basically a document that you sign (and typically have witnessed and/or notarized, depending on the state) that tells your wishes.  Do you want to be kept alive on machines if, God forbid, something terrible happens in your young life?  What if you develop a serious condition when you're older? 

The fact is that no one can predict what will happen, and when you need to make use of an advance directive, it will already be too late.  This site makes it very easy to download, print, and proceed with completing your advance directive.  It is a document that every legal adult should have.  And it's free.

I try not to be too preachy with my blog, but when I come across information that I feel is vital to be shared, then I am going to share it.  It's because I care about each of you whom I know personally, and I also want other readers to be in the know.

Note: This is by no means a substitute for legal or medical advice.  I feel compelled to add that little jewel.

Gotta Make That Money, Man

By now you probably know that I'm rather frugal.  But that doesn't stop me from being interested in (reading about) the higher end places in this great nation. 

I ran across an article on Time that was pretty neat; it's called The 25 Most Expensive Shops in the US.  Plus, it had a cool graphic with one of my favorite color schemes:



Failure to Prepare...

...is preparation to fail.

I'm using this cool, Real Simple graphic of spoons in a drawer again because a) I love it and 2) I've been getting my collective "house" in order. 

 A couple of weekends ago, when I was back home visiting, I was awakened early Sunday morning by screams from my mom.  Needless to say, it was unsettling.  She had fallen in the dark, on her way to the bathroom, and long story short, my brother and I ended up in the ER with her. 

She is totally fine now, although at the time she was beside herself with pain and confusion.  And so were my brother and I.  We did not react very well to this mini-crisis at first, but we picked up the slack and got her the care she needed.

All of this got me to thinking about making arrangements for life's little uncertainties well in advance.  For example, I was faced with this question: Sir, what is your mother allergic to?  And I promptly drew a blank.  My brother knew less than I did.

Now, granted, Barb is completely back to her version of normal now.  And she's way (way) too young to be "falling," but these are the kinds of things one should prepare for before they are needed.  Suze always says that one needs a will and trust.  I'm now working on that, despite my lack of vast wealth or children.

The important thing is to make your wishes known to your immediate family, despite your current health, income, living situation, etc.  If (God forbid) your health were to take a turn for the worse, would you want life support?  Who gets your house?  Your money?  Your creepy doll collection?  Do you want to be buried?  Cremated?  Other?

I'm not trying to be all macabre here, but I've had a bit of a wakeup call, and I want to pass along this life lesson that I'm currently in the midst of learning.

Discounted Kiehl's Monday, August 1st!

If you're a fan of Kiehl's, then you know that they do not offer discounts very often.  In my several years of being familiar with the company, I've gotten a discount exactly once.  That was last Christmas. 

Tomorrow (Monday, August 1st) you can visit a free-standing Kiehl's store to receive 15% off your purchase* in conjunction with their LifeRide for amfAR, the American Foundation for AIDS Research.  They are also donating $5 for every visitor to the store tomorrow--up to $100,00!.

If anyone wants anything, let me know.  For real.  I'm going to pop over after work and pick up a new face wash that I've been sampling.  It's great for summer, which seems to last from May to November here.  :)  I hope you're enjoying your weekend.

*excludes gift cards and limited-edition charity products

My Friend Roth

A Roth IRA is for me.  And you.

I have been reading about Roth IRAs since my days of working at a bank, and I meant to open one then.  It's one of those things that can easily get away from you.  I'm telling you that right now is the time.  It's a breeze.  Please bear with me in this post; I only share what I feel is valuable information.  Wink!

Starting my own was part of getting my financial house in order over the weekend.  The gist is this: you save money for your retirement, and this is money that has already been taxed.  Ideally, you would want to practice that whole out-of-sight-out-of-mind thing, but if you do need to access it, you can always take what you deposited (not the earnings) tax-free.  There are fewer rules than with a traditional IRA, and you can access the money at a younger age (59 1/2).  You can also pull up to $10,000 for the purchase of your first house.  Bonus!

Consider this as well: taxes will most likely be higher when you and I retire because, much like the mercury in a Tennessee summer, they rarely go down.  Also, you could make bank and be in a higher tax bracket when you retire.  Good for Uncle Sam, bad for you.

The current maximum amount for the year of 2011 is $5,000.  You can open one at places like Fidelity, Charles Schwab, and Vanguard.  Depending on which place you choose, you can generally start small and work up to the maximum amount if you are so inclined.  Remember that if your company offers a match for their 401(k), you'd want to contribute first to that account, at least up to the amount that they will match.  That is what's called free money, which is a rarity in this day and age.

If you're interested, there's a lot more information here and here.  Someone once said that you should pay yourself first, and I definitely agree.

Money Talks

I spent a chunk of the weekend getting my financial house in order, as it were.  Not that it was out of hand, mind you.  But it was time for me to take control.  Remember my resolution?  My first stops were LearnVest and Money Under 30, which are great resources for financial information.  Then it was on to Mint.

Mint is this totally free, totally awesome site that allows you to securely see all of your money matters in one place.  There are charts, graphs, text alerts...oh my.  You can set a goal, track spending trends, and learn tons of information.

Then it was on to annualcreditreport.com.  This is the place that Suze (and the FTC) recommend.  It's the only legitimate and free place to see your credit report.  You can view your report with each of the three major agencies (Equifax, TransUnion, and Experian) once a year, per the government.  There's also information about disputing false information.  Sorry--there's a lack of flashy graphics here, but that's sort of for the best.

My last stop was Credit Karma.

Similar to the last link, this place provides your actual credit score instead of the report.  For free.  And you can check your own score as often as you'd like.  For free.  They also give tips about dealing with debt in all of its incarnations.

Note: I do not purport to be any type of financial expert.  I'm simply telling you how I spent several hours of a Sunday afternoon.  My point in all of this is that the information is out there for us.  And it's free.  (Have I mentioned that?)  And secure.  And no one is going to do this stuff for you.  If you take some time on the front end, I promise you that it will be worth it. 

Don't wait too late to pay yourself.  The time value of money is a very powerful thing.

States Appeal

A while back I posted about where it makes sense to rent vs. buy.  Now I bring you this:

also from LearnVest. 

Isn't it great?!  Again, we have something that's graphically appealing.  That guitar represents me and several of my friends/readers.  I love the idea of living simple. 

Where do you fall?  (Sorry, international readers.  This one's got the home court advantage.)

Blink!

Saving money + being green = a stellar idea.

Today's post is brought to you by the letters L & V, as in LearnVest.

Nothin' Goin' On But the Rent

Do you remember how I'm recently obsessed with LearnVest?  Well, via LV I found this:

I think it's graphically appealing, but more than that, it shows which places in the country are smarter for renting versus buying.  It's just some cool food for thought.

(via Trulia)

Oh, It Begins...

First off, happy new year!  Thanks for reading, as always.  I can appreciate humor in advertisements, but for some reason, this one struck me as wholly un-funny.

It's from Kenneth Cole and was waiting in my inbox today.  At first I wondered why I even get e-mail from Kenneth Cole.  Oh yes, I thought, the ads are usually pretty choice.  Not this one.  I guess I can't totally blame KC.

It's that time of year again.  I'm doing another first quarter of no extraneous spending.  It shouldn't be too difficult, really, but ads like these are just shy of irritating.  It's akin to already seeing Valentine's ephemera on the shelves. 

Other resolutions: Exercise more.  I started today with 45 minutes on the treadmill; tonight I have a date with the yoga mat.  My plan is do that tomorow and the next day.  I go back to work on Tuesday, so let's see what happens after that.

Get more informed about money.  I'm counting on LearnVest and (no kidding) The Complete Idiot's Guide to Personal Finance in Your 20s and 30s.

Take the time to be more thankful for people and things in my life.  It's so easy (too easy) to whine and moan about what sucks, so I'm challenging myself to look at the alternatives.  Thanks to Megan at Pink to Green for the inspiration.

I think that's about all, but they're fairly major ones.  Do you have any resolutions?  I hope that your year is an excellent, healthy, happy one.

If Only You Could Wear It...

I am talking about LearnVest.  I first heard about this on The Nate Show, and I recently saw a little mention in a magazine.  An investigation ensued.

This is a website dedicated to uncomplicating our finances.  Retirement, taxes, insurance, real estate.  It's all there--and more.  And it's all free.  They even have a daily e-mail.  (Check!) 

I've only spent about thirty minutes at this point, but so far it is excellent.  It's easy to see how this could have an Etsy effect (wherein you start out looking at one thing and find yourself, three hours later, with so much more in your mental inventory). 

I have already read articles on getting a better cell phone rate, making your own 'green' cleaners, and brushing up on your auto insurance policy.

Confession: The site is targeted at women.  Don't care.  They break it down, Outkast-style.  Ok.  That's a bit strong, but for real, it's simple and easy to follow, without condescending to the reader.  I really recommend this to everyone, but it would be especially good for younger people who are just graduating and starting to work/save money.  Spoiler alert: one of my resolutions for 2011 is to learn more about investing and jump on it.

Ching, clink, ching...

I know it's a few weeks early for a New Year's resolution, but I'll just say it. I shop too much. Ok. That probably won't change, but maybe it's safer to say that I sometimes buy too much.

Here's the thing. I don't always spend tons on individual items, as most things that I buy are on sale, but the irony is that I end up with crazy muliples in many situations.

I'm a big believer in having the staples on hand. Toilet paper, flour, your favorite rice and chocolate. Whew. I need to draw the line, though, at other things. This weekend I hit up my local J.Crew and scored BIG time. I got a sweater, a dress shirt, a sweatshirt, and a tote bag for about $100....but I really don't need any more clothes. The closet is full, and I still feel like I wear the same thing every day.

I could go on about my affinity for shampoo and cookbooks and greeting cards, but I'll save myself what could be construed as embarrassment. My goal is to go for three months (January-March) without extraneous spending. Pray for me.

(image from realsimple.com)