Thought I'd Share: 2011 Black Friday Deals
Friday, November 25, 2011
Here ye...here ye! All the Black Friday deals....in one spreadsheet!
Thought I'd Share: 2011 Black Friday Deals
Thursday, November 24, 2011
HAPPY THANKSGIVING!
Remember to take the time (today and everyday) to reflect and think about all that you are thankful for. I want you all to know I'm thankful for you, for reading, appreciating and even critiquing 25andretiring. I am also thankful for all of the encouragement I've gotten regarding this blog and my growth. Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!
Have a blessed and safe holiday!
And be sure to check out my blog at midnight...I will have a post including ALL of the Black Friday deals...spreadsheet style (so yes, you can filter!!!). It's the most amazing thing ever!
Monday, November 21, 2011
Fast Forward: Where to Invest in 2012
Awesome article: Make Money in 2012
This article talks about where the market is going in 2012. Where you should probably look to invest. And what to look out for. Take a gander!
This article talks about where the market is going in 2012. Where you should probably look to invest. And what to look out for. Take a gander!
Friday, November 18, 2011
Just In Case You Were Thinking About an MBA...
I've been running into a lot of articles lately about why MBAs are a bad investment right now. The amount they cost (and the amount of debt you leave with) isn't worth the return on the investment (i.e. your salary once you leave the program). This has been noted especially true for the top tier business schools. So what's the solution? Lower tuition? I highly doubt that will happen...
Take a look: MBA Costs Soar
Take a look: MBA Costs Soar
Wednesday, November 16, 2011
Match.WRONG
Okay, so this post requires me to be a little open and honest with you guys...but eh, what the hell, it's MUCH too funny not to share.
I recently, as in 2 days ago, signed up on Match.com, to give this online dating this a try...for the second time. Yes, I signed up for the 1st time while I was in public [accounting] and traveling 70% of time time. I think I lasted 30 days before I was completely disgusted and mortified that this could possibly be the pool of men I have to choose from. My initial reasoning for trying it out was because work didn't allow me to meet anyone...well outside of work. And two people I worked with met their boyfriend/husband on Match so I thought maybe I should take the stick from out of my *blank* and give it a try.
This time around, I decided...okay this could be a fun way to meet people during the winter months. Maybe, just maybe, there would be some cool cats on there. Keep in mind that I'm very picky when it comes to guys, probably much more picky than I have the right to be. It's cool though, I'm working on it. lol.
Anywho, day two and I get an email from some 38 year old man that reads:
I love you lady i live downtown chicago i,m a dj love me some oldschool and new2 so if you like a friend and a best friend or aman you can holla@yo man that me like going out to movie ' show ' bowling ,staking ,walk to the lake so if you need some thing like dat in your lyfe e.mail me and i will do the rest you feel me lady my queen is needed…
Seriously.
Seriously.
SERIOUSLY?!
After reading through it once, I had to send it to my bestie to decipher what the hell this guy was saying to me and she came up with:
I love you lady
I live in downtown Chicago
I'm a dj
I love old school and new school too
If you want a friend, a best friend, or a man--give me a call
I like movies ("the show"), bowling, skating, walks on the beach/lake
So if you enjoy these things too, e-mail me and I will gladly do the rest
Do you understand?
I need someone in my life that I can treat like a queen...
I just...I can't.
I recently, as in 2 days ago, signed up on Match.com, to give this online dating this a try...for the second time. Yes, I signed up for the 1st time while I was in public [accounting] and traveling 70% of time time. I think I lasted 30 days before I was completely disgusted and mortified that this could possibly be the pool of men I have to choose from. My initial reasoning for trying it out was because work didn't allow me to meet anyone...well outside of work. And two people I worked with met their boyfriend/husband on Match so I thought maybe I should take the stick from out of my *blank* and give it a try.
This time around, I decided...okay this could be a fun way to meet people during the winter months. Maybe, just maybe, there would be some cool cats on there. Keep in mind that I'm very picky when it comes to guys, probably much more picky than I have the right to be. It's cool though, I'm working on it. lol.
Anywho, day two and I get an email from some 38 year old man that reads:
I love you lady i live downtown chicago i,m a dj love me some oldschool and new2 so if you like a friend and a best friend or aman you can holla@yo man that me like going out to movie ' show ' bowling ,staking ,walk to the lake so if you need some thing like dat in your lyfe e.mail me and i will do the rest you feel me lady my queen is needed…
Seriously.
Seriously.
SERIOUSLY?!
After reading through it once, I had to send it to my bestie to decipher what the hell this guy was saying to me and she came up with:
I love you lady
I live in downtown Chicago
I'm a dj
I love old school and new school too
If you want a friend, a best friend, or a man--give me a call
I like movies ("the show"), bowling, skating, walks on the beach/lake
So if you enjoy these things too, e-mail me and I will gladly do the rest
Do you understand?
I need someone in my life that I can treat like a queen...
I just...I can't.
Do You Know What Your 401K is Doing?
For those of you who invest, or would like to start, the end of the year is a good time to take a look at your portfolio and figure out whether you want to shift things around in the near future. If you have a 401k or other retirement savings vehicle, this is absolutely something you should be doing at least once a year (if not more). Take a look at the funds you have your money going towards and ask yourself the following questions:
1) How did they do this year? Are they making money or losing money?
2) Are the riskier funds providing a larger return that the less risky options?
3) Am I diversified enough, for my age, income level, and how much I would like to save by retirement?
Most financial analysts would recommend investing a bit more aggressively while you're young, single, and have no kids. This is definitely the approach I take. What dose investing aggressively mean? Essentially, it's putting a larger percentage of your money in more risky investments (i.e. stocks are more risky than bonds).
Most 401k's (I've never seen one that doesn't) invest in mutual funds...which appear to you as these names you have never heard...like, American Funds Mutual Fund. Half the time, I don't know what they are either...so the thing I pay the most attention to is whether the funds I pick are fixed income, large cap, mid-cap, or small cap:
(in order from lowest to highest risk and return)
1) Fixed Income: these funds invest in bonds, which we should know are much less risky than stocks. Because of their very small risk, the return is also very small. If you're young, your retirement portfolio should not include a ton of fixed income funds. As you get older, it should include more.
2) Large-cap: These funds include companies with a market capitalization of about $8 billion or more. These are your very large companies who have been around for a while and have strength in the market. They're growth is pretty steady and therefore their returns are as well. These mutual funds will present less risk than the other two.
3) Mid-cap: This is the most popular choice for a lot of people because it represents the "middle-of-the-road" funds. The market cap for these funds are between $1B and $8B. They include companies that may offer a bit more return that a large cap because they're slightly smaller, a tiny bit newer, and a little more risky. I read in an article, that you can compare a mid-cap fund to a mid-size vehicle. It offers some of the benefits of the compact car (small-cap fund) without being as massive as an SUV (large-cap fund). I like this analogy. hehe.
4) Small-cap: This is where the money is at! lol. This is the most risky of the four options. These are new, baby, start up companies, with market caps below $1B. What does being new mean? The growth of these puppies can sky rocket (which means nice big returns for us), but due to their limited history, the financials are not as strong and therefore they can easily fail. So this is where you have the biggest risk but also the biggest return (or biggest loss).
The percentage of your money that you invest in the different types is totally up to you. I tend to be okay with taking on more risk while I'm living footloose and fancy free, so I put almost nothing in fixed income, very little in large cap, maybe about 30% in mid cap and about half in small cap funds.
I will say that the more risky you go, the more often you should probably check your portfolio. Don't go moving things around every month...funds will have peaks and valleys, but you don't want to have 50% of your investment going to a small cap fund that's losing you a lot more money than you'd like for years on end. Alternatively, when you see a small cap getting you big returns, you might want to shift more money there while it's riding the big return wave.
The key here is that it's important to monitor what your retirement savings are doing (especially in this economy). You don't have to fully understand every little thing about the funds. It just takes a little common sense (and blog reading) to know what looks good and what looks bad.
Found this for the really cool kids: The Best Mutual Funds and Exchange Traded Funds
Happy Investing!
1) How did they do this year? Are they making money or losing money?
2) Are the riskier funds providing a larger return that the less risky options?
3) Am I diversified enough, for my age, income level, and how much I would like to save by retirement?
Most financial analysts would recommend investing a bit more aggressively while you're young, single, and have no kids. This is definitely the approach I take. What dose investing aggressively mean? Essentially, it's putting a larger percentage of your money in more risky investments (i.e. stocks are more risky than bonds).
Most 401k's (I've never seen one that doesn't) invest in mutual funds...which appear to you as these names you have never heard...like, American Funds Mutual Fund. Half the time, I don't know what they are either...so the thing I pay the most attention to is whether the funds I pick are fixed income, large cap, mid-cap, or small cap:
(in order from lowest to highest risk and return)
1) Fixed Income: these funds invest in bonds, which we should know are much less risky than stocks. Because of their very small risk, the return is also very small. If you're young, your retirement portfolio should not include a ton of fixed income funds. As you get older, it should include more.
2) Large-cap: These funds include companies with a market capitalization of about $8 billion or more. These are your very large companies who have been around for a while and have strength in the market. They're growth is pretty steady and therefore their returns are as well. These mutual funds will present less risk than the other two.
3) Mid-cap: This is the most popular choice for a lot of people because it represents the "middle-of-the-road" funds. The market cap for these funds are between $1B and $8B. They include companies that may offer a bit more return that a large cap because they're slightly smaller, a tiny bit newer, and a little more risky. I read in an article, that you can compare a mid-cap fund to a mid-size vehicle. It offers some of the benefits of the compact car (small-cap fund) without being as massive as an SUV (large-cap fund). I like this analogy. hehe.
4) Small-cap: This is where the money is at! lol. This is the most risky of the four options. These are new, baby, start up companies, with market caps below $1B. What does being new mean? The growth of these puppies can sky rocket (which means nice big returns for us), but due to their limited history, the financials are not as strong and therefore they can easily fail. So this is where you have the biggest risk but also the biggest return (or biggest loss).
The percentage of your money that you invest in the different types is totally up to you. I tend to be okay with taking on more risk while I'm living footloose and fancy free, so I put almost nothing in fixed income, very little in large cap, maybe about 30% in mid cap and about half in small cap funds.
I will say that the more risky you go, the more often you should probably check your portfolio. Don't go moving things around every month...funds will have peaks and valleys, but you don't want to have 50% of your investment going to a small cap fund that's losing you a lot more money than you'd like for years on end. Alternatively, when you see a small cap getting you big returns, you might want to shift more money there while it's riding the big return wave.
The key here is that it's important to monitor what your retirement savings are doing (especially in this economy). You don't have to fully understand every little thing about the funds. It just takes a little common sense (and blog reading) to know what looks good and what looks bad.
Found this for the really cool kids: The Best Mutual Funds and Exchange Traded Funds
Happy Investing!
Thursday, November 10, 2011
Job Hunt: How far are you willing to go?
During my daily browse of CNN Money, I saw a pretty interesting article:
I Doubled My Salary in North Dakota
I have quite a few associates/friends who are job hunting right now and most are having a pretty hard time finding jobs in major metropolitan areas. This article led me to ask myself how far I would be willing to move for some (or double) bigger bucks.
A newly discovered oil patch in small town North Dakota has attracted tons of oil business and therefore many new workers. The article showcases some pretty hefty salaries for blue collar jobs not needing college degrees. Imagine being the manager of a fast food taco joint making almost $100k a year. Or a young oil field worker, making upwards of $120k per year. All of these people moved from their hometowns (where jobs were scarce and pay was minimum wage) specifically to N.D. to take advantage of the up-and-booming economy.
I've run into some conversations recently around moving to low-populated areas to find jobs and make more money. A colleague of mine said his daughter moved to Idaho after college to become a public grade school teacher. She makes about $60k a year (I think that's better than a lot of teachers starting out). Maybe the new "thing" is to move to these desolate places your first year or two out of college, stack up some money and experience, and then make a move to the Chicagos, DCs, and New Yorks of the world.
So how far are you willing to go for the big bucks? As the age old saying goes...no pain, no gain.
I Doubled My Salary in North Dakota
I have quite a few associates/friends who are job hunting right now and most are having a pretty hard time finding jobs in major metropolitan areas. This article led me to ask myself how far I would be willing to move for some (or double) bigger bucks.
A newly discovered oil patch in small town North Dakota has attracted tons of oil business and therefore many new workers. The article showcases some pretty hefty salaries for blue collar jobs not needing college degrees. Imagine being the manager of a fast food taco joint making almost $100k a year. Or a young oil field worker, making upwards of $120k per year. All of these people moved from their hometowns (where jobs were scarce and pay was minimum wage) specifically to N.D. to take advantage of the up-and-booming economy.
I've run into some conversations recently around moving to low-populated areas to find jobs and make more money. A colleague of mine said his daughter moved to Idaho after college to become a public grade school teacher. She makes about $60k a year (I think that's better than a lot of teachers starting out). Maybe the new "thing" is to move to these desolate places your first year or two out of college, stack up some money and experience, and then make a move to the Chicagos, DCs, and New Yorks of the world.
So how far are you willing to go for the big bucks? As the age old saying goes...no pain, no gain.
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