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You’re never too young to plan for retirement. In today’s busy world, however, developing a retirement plan can be quite daunting. Fortunately, many financial resources make it possible for people to plan for their retirement early enough. Generally, these tools come with advice, great benefits, goals, and progress reports, all at your fingertips.

Plan Your Retirement

Retirement planning is simply the process of determining income goals in retirement and the necessary steps to achieve this. This part is important because it inspires you to take charge of your finances.

Knowing exactly what’s draining your purse is vital to planning your retirement. If you’re not sure of what’s emptying your account, what you have left, and at what level of saving you should be for your planned retirement, then you may need digital apps to help you budget and plan accordingly.

Determine A Good Amount For Retirement

When it comes to saving for your retirement, asking a stranger how much is the right amount is like asking a Londoner how much it costs to commute from Chicago to New York. He/she would more than likely reply with some follow-up questions such as “Will you drive or fly?” and “Where are you now?”

In the same vein, when it comes to how much you need to save for retirement, you need to put some things into consideration for effective planning, including:

• Your current financial status.

• Your anticipated retirement lifestyle.

• How much you stand to collect from social security?

• When do you plan to retire?

• Your investment options.

For early retirement, some financial planning experts suggest between 10-15% of your current income. Whether you’re pursuing early retirement or not, the best way to determine your savings level is to create a retirement limit plan and to do the math to see if you’re still on course.

The rule of thumb is that after you’ve calculated what you believe you possibly need during retirement, multiply the amount by 25. For instance, if the amount is $20,000 per annum, you’ll need 25 × 20,000 = $500,000 to retire comfortably. In contrast, if you’ll receive a $5,000 annual pension and another $5,000 in Social Security benefits, you’ll need only half of the $20,000 per year from your savings account. Therefore, you’ll need just $250,000 saved, which is a good amount for retirement.

Set A Guide For Your Retirement

The majority of the news about retirement nowadays is negative – you may have to work longer because Social Security won’t be enough to save you, and with a longer life span, your savings may not last. This sad commentary may spur you to give up and abandon your retirement goals. But, this approach is likely to complicate things in the long run.

The truth is that having an hitch-free retirement isn’t all about being wealthy, but more about investing your assets wisely. The steps you need to consider in formulating an effective retirement strategy include:

1. Setting your retirement goals to include what you wish to achieve and your financial needs.

2. Creating a financial retirement budget to achieve your objectives.

3. Getting online help from professional financial planners, counselors, financial institutions, and digital applications that could help transform your funds into investment vehicles for a financially stable retirement.

Conclusion

Now you’ve got one or two tips to set you up on the way to plan efficiently for your retirement without hiccups. If you’re finding it difficult to draw a proper retirement plan, consider hiring a financial advisor to help you outline your retirement plan and guide you accordingly.

You may also try out digital apps that are sometimes free to use and quite efficient.

However, for those who are not so tech-savvy, selecting the best apps to help plan your retirement early could be difficult since not much information is provided about them in the popular app stores. To this end, we compiled a list of the best applications to help you plan for your retirement.

Apps to help go into early retirement.

While going through the list, you’ll find many useful apps with unparalleled features for your benefits.

Are you frustrated by the amount of money you spend buying businesses checks? Have you been looking for ways to save on these expenses? Then I am glad you’re reading this post.

With the ever-rising cost of doing business, you’d want to ensure that every penny counts. One way of doing that is making sure that you spend the least amount on checks.

The ever-tightening budgets leave no room for unnecessary expenses and motivate businesses to find favorable deals. This includes reconsidering your way of ordering checks.

Here you’ll find our tips to help you save money when buying checks. Read on and learn more.

Avoid Buying Checks from Banks

While banks offer an easy and convenient way to get more checks, it is probably the last place you should go. As with many things today, you’re likely to pay extra dollars for the convenience when you order checks from a bank. Thus the need to explore other options.

Though paper checks are losing in popularity, some people still use them for paying rent as well as other payments. Not all merchants accept credit cards or electronic payments.

As of 2012, 18 billion checks were written in the US alone. This is according to Federal Reserve.

Banks will charge $20 or even more for a box of checks. You can save up to 50 percent when you buy checks from online printers.

Don’t know how? I’ll explain it.

It is important to understand that banks do not print checks themselves. Banks are in the business of savings and checking accounts, credit cards, loans and digital banking.

Banks hire large scale printers to print your checks. Remember the printing companies are in the business of making a profit out of your order, banks feel they need to make money for the time they spent acting as middlemen between their customers and the printer.

Therefore, when you order your checks from a bank, they will be marked twice before reaching you.

Besides, due to the high costs of processing checks, banks do not want their customers to write checks. Banks would rather see their customers use other methods of payments such as electronic payments.

The high prices of checks from banks are meant to push consumers to depend more on online payments over written checks.

Order Your Checks Online

Ordering checks online is a great way to save money when buying checks. But don’t worry. Checks from online printers are just as good as those offered by banks.

According to Check Payment Systems Associations, all reputable companies produce checks that met the industry standards so that banks and other merchants can accept them.

With online printers, you are assured of fast business checks delivery in a secure and easy process.

Security is Key

If you are going to spend more on a check, it should be because it comes with more security features. Check payment is a method prone to a lot of fraud.

The main reason that makes some businesses shy away from buying business checks online is security concerns. Most of them consider ordering checks from banks safe while ordering online risky. But this is not always the case.

This can only be true if you’re ordering your checks from non-reputable websites. Reputable check websites are just as secure and safe as banks.

In fact, most online check websites use the same printers like the one used by the banks, only that they eliminate the middleman to make it less costly for you.

Therefore, conduct due diligence before deciding to buy your checks from a particular website.

You can do this by looking at the padlock icon available at the right-hand side of your check, just below the “amount’’ box.

If the check contains this icon, it is an indication that it has been approved by the Check Payments Systems Association, an association left with the responsibility of ensuring the security of checks.

CPSA will not give this symbol to check printers that haven’t included a minimum number of security features to protect consumers from altered or duplicate checks.

Checks bought online can even be more secure than those obtained from banks. Some check printers give consumers the opportunity of buying checks with extra security features, such as micro printing, thermocon imaging and chemically reactive paper.

While you might be charged an extra fee for these features, but considering the level of security that comes with, it is worth it.

Before ordering checks online, be sure to understand the process, including the amount of time it will take before you get your check.

Life insurance is a mystery to many people. Knowing when to get a policy and how much cover you may need often stump those looking to help protect their family’s financial future. There seem to be no shortage of insurance companies to choose from, so how can anyone know that they’re getting the best deal?

For many people, the cost of life insurance is important. Research presented by the Financial Services Council in June 2019 found that 28% of New Zealanders felt life insurance policies were too expensive. With household budgets already stretched thin, this comes as little surprise.

Though the cost of life insurance may be important, it’s only one factor to consider. The policy with the lowest premiums may not be the right fit for your needs. For many Kiwis, finding flexible cover that’s backed by a trusted and caring life insurer may be just as important as price.

Other factors when choosing life insurance

There are many factors that may come into play when you choose a life insurance policy. After price, the company selling the policy could be the most important.Going with a trusted insurance company may play just as a big a part in your decision making as finding the right price point.

When comparing life insurers, you may want to look at these four factors:

1.Who issues the policy?

Life insurance in NZ can be sold directly by the insurer themselves or through a distribution partner. This information is often found on the company’s website and in the policy wording. You could also learn this through news items or press releases (such as this one, announcing that Momentum Life had received their life insurance licence).

This information may matter, as it could affect the amount of money your family can claim in the future. Insurers often limit how much cover you can have with them, even if you bought the policy from two different brands. If you have more than one life insurance policy that’s backed by the same insurer, the benefit paid under one of those policies may be reduced.

2. What’s the insurer’s Financial Strength Rating?

Choosing a life insurance company may feel like an exercise in trust. You’re paying money now and trusting that the business will be there in the future. How can customers know the company they pick will be there when they need them?

A Financial Strength Rating is an indicator of how healthy an insurance company is, including how well placed they are to pay future claims. This rating is provided by independent financial reviewers and can help give customers more confidence when taking out a life insurance policy. In New Zealand, this information must be placed on the company’s website by law and in the policy wording.

3. Independent awards or quality marks

Life insurance companies typically aren’t shy about singing their own praises. However, this could help you decide who to go with. Awards can give customers important information about a life insurance company.

Industry awards may be a good indicator of how well an insurance company is performing, as well as how innovative or forward-thinking their business is. Insurers may also receive awards from independent companies recognising their strong customer service or community involvement. NZ insurers can also receive quality badges, such as the WriteMark, that demonstrate their commitment to customer care.

4. Customer reviews

Word of mouth can be great for all types of businesses, and life insurance is no exception. Reading customer reviews could help you get a better sense of the service you might expect after taking out a life insurance policy.

Customer reviews can vary depending on where you find them. A Google review could be left by anyone (even someone who’s never held a policy with the company), while reviews on Feefo only come from real, verified customers. You may also want to take some negative feedback with a grain of salt. Customers are much more likely to voice a complaint than sing a company’s praises. However, if the feedback for an insurer is overwhelmingly positive or negative, then this could be a good signal of how well they treat their customers.

Finding the right life insurance policy can be tricky, but knowing what to look for could help you make this decision. The above tips could help you narrow down your options and find cover that works for you and your family.

Do you know what your finances will look like five years from now? Life is full of ups and downs, and financial uncertainty can be both personal and universal. It’s hard to know where you’re going to be down the line, no matter how carefully you’ve planned.

Causes of personal financial uncertainty include:

• Losing your job
• A decrease in income such as a pay cut or losing a client as a freelancer
• Injury or medical emergency, including medical bills and loss of income
• The need to care for aging parents

But even if your own prospects are positive and nothing unfortunate happens, the global economy can take a turn and leave you in the lurch as well. Some common causes of recessions include:

• Popping of an asset bubble, when overvalued values suddenly correct, leaving owners drowning in debt
• Rising interest rates that make banks less likely to finance debt
• Political causes, such as trade wars or regional tensions leading to reduced jobs and economic activity

Invest for Uncertainty

You can invest to plan for uncertainty. One of the chief benefits of investing in gold is that it gives you a tool you can use in downturns both personal and global. Whether you’re suffering personal financial troubles or the market as a whole is turning against investors, gold is a great way to ride through tough times.

How Gold Performs as an Asset Class

The last two recessions have both began with the bursting of an asset class. In 2000, it was the dot.com burst that caused $1.7 trillion to disappear from publicly traded internet companies like Cisco, AOL, and Yahoo. In 2008, it was the collapse of the real estate market – a fairly normal real estate bubble burst that spiralled into a global debt crisis.

Both times, gold prices improved dramatically. You can expect gold to perform well when other asset bubbles burst, especially if bullion is coming off a period of low prices or deflated prices. Investors have a chance to add precious metals at a low price and profit from the double-helix effect of riding through tough economic times.

Looking ahead to the near future, after a decade-long expansion, the stock market is due for a correction. Investing in gold now can help you get through the uncertainty unscathed.

Asset Liquidity

Gold is a liquid asset – meaning that it can be quickly converted to cash with little to no loss in value. Keep in mind that this is mostly true of gold bullion: 1 oz. coins and bars, as well as other forms with bullion-grade purity. Jewelry is not a sure investment bet.

But if you have the metal in bullion form, you can pretty much always find a market for it and sell quickly at no loss to value. When you run into personal financial trouble and you need to cash in an asset, you need to recoup the value. There’s no controlling when personal financial issues can come up; if you need to sell shares, but the company has just released poor quarterly earnings, you’re out of luck.

Investing in gold is a smart move for anyone who wants flexibility and security. Invest carefully today for a more comfortable tomorrow.

What do you mean by p2p lending?

Peer to peer lending is basically a method which connects lender and borrower. The process begins when an investor is interested in lending loans and they search for their match with borrowers who want the same amount. Thus people invest in p2p lending.

P2P lending has become so common and popular because it reduces many barriers for both lenders and borrowers. While small business units or borrowers can easily find their loan through it; on the other side it is also very convenient for the lenders to find their borrowers.

Before understanding any tip to invest in the secondary market you must be very clear what secondary market is all about?

Start your journey, now is the best time to take your first step towards a profit guaranteed marketing strategy. In today’s market, there are uncountable registered platforms for peer to peer lending system; In Crowd Reviewed they share all that you’d like to know about the P2P platform. Like In 2017, laws have been passed for p2p lending. In 2018, 12 platforms have been documented for legal p2p lending. It is calculated that the world P2P lending trade is valued $3.5 billion-global in 2013 and at $64 billion in 2015 is expected to reach nearly $1 trillion by 2050.

This is clear proof that the faster you start investing in P2P lending is more the profitable it will be.

What is Secondary market?

It is basically a modern marketplace where already issued loans, debuts or any other insurance can be bought or sold by the marketing company. The marketing company buys or sells insurance not from the issuing company. Insurance is firstly issued by companies in the primary market then it comes to the secondary market for sale. Some precise examples of the secondary market are the NYSE (New York Stock Exchange) and NASDAQ.

Some details of secondary marketing

If any seller is in need of money for any emergency then he can easily sell his insurance to the buyers since there is a lot of demand in the market.

The prices of the market are automatically arranged and re- adjusted due to the high number of transactions each day. The transaction expense is also very less owing to large market.

Saving money takes a lot of effort for some people, but with secondary marketing, anyone can easily save his/her money safely.

Since the secondary market has become a high source of finance so there is a high regulation in the secondary market by the government. It assures that your money is completely safe there.

Importance of secondary market

It is a good indicator of a country’s economy. Any change in the stock market is reflected in the economy.
It gives a very smooth working experience to companies who can easily buy and sell insurance from the market.
It gives a chance for investors to set up their business of investing securities and getting returns.

One of the most profitable businesses in the secondary market is through P2P transactions, also known as peer to peer investment.

The UK is known for ages for its strong economy. One of the most common investment methods in the UK is P2P lending. The best P2P lending platforms are in the UK. From 2008 – 2009 there was an imbalance in the UK’s economy. The imbalance was recovered by p2p lending only. It has a huge potential in maintaining a country’s economy. Due to the best rates and its ability to sustain, P2P lending has become a huge success.

Why should you invest in peer to peer lending?

P2P lending providers charge very little for finding a borrower which is matching with the lender. But instead, the profit that is earned is much more compared to the charges applied. No other bank or other marketing methods can give you such a profitable deal. This characteristic makes peer to peer lending the best marketing strategy for small businesses. P2P lenders give you a chance to give the role of your bank to yourself. You can simply land and borrow money through this system according to your own rates.

The main benefit of peer to peer lending transactions is that in any other kind of transaction of lending loans, the banks play the main role. In P2P, the role of bank is eliminated. As a result, the profit is much higher for both parties.

Build up your business slowly

When you first start investing start it in a decent and smart way. The right procedure is that you must start with small investments with a large number of borrowers. Divide your total investment into small amounts and lend each amount to different borrowers. So that if by chance there is some surprising irregularity in paying loans you won’t get panicked since the amount is relatively small. Check out the profile of the borrowers minutely before lending money, because you must be aware of the profile of the person you are lending the money.

Start investing and stick to it

It’s really not clever to keep your money ideal since your ideal money will not generate any profit. So instead of that invest your money for a profitable business. P2P lending is a safe way of lending securities where you can easily get your money return whenever you require them. Investment in peer to peer lending is more profitable when kept for a long time. The plans which are invested for a period of 24 or 36 months are the most profitable plans in P2P lending.

Recycle your investments

Peer to peer lending is a type of investment where the investor starts earning from the next month onwards after investing. But to play smart you must reinvest your earnings to spread your business further. Instead of enjoying your little profits plan beyond and earn great profits.

These are the three mantras to earn great profits in peer to peer lending.