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Are they talking about: a) stated salary; b) gross income before taxes; c) Federal "Adjusted Gross Income; or what?

It really depends on the context of articles. However, when discussing personal finance generally it is referring to gross income. There are plenty of people who reads Forbes and Fortune magazines in the high income bracket with little earned income (salary).

Best wishes.

Even though we are in a recession there are some good things to learn from it. I think one of the most important thing is proper money management and saving, we live in society that is so materialistic. Now with the recession people are actually using budgets and cutting back. Another good thing about the recession, it pays to be nice to people in general. You never know if someone has the ability to get you a job interview after you have been laid off or help you get back on your feet. Finally, people are realizing how important family is to them. What are your thoughts?

i totally agree with you and luckily i have not been laid off nor has my husband. i have needed two jobs just to make it anyway which is sad but whatever.
i am going to pay off the last bit of credit card debt i have and make sure i have money in the bank in case the worst happens.
i agree and it is going to be refreshing for me not to feel bad if i have to buy a used car and not feel that someone else is better than me because they drive a BMW or Audi. I"m going to think about the BMW drivers and how they can’t afford to pay the mortgage on their vacation home ’cause there’s no more Bush in office and i’m going to say BOO HOO too bad they can’t buy themselves a third car this year or fly to the Bahamas for spring break.

I have written an article about investing for people who have no experience/little experience. How can I publish it on Yahoo Finance?

Finance doesn’t require experience, it requires life-skills, maturity and personal goals.

If you haven’t covered these in your article (things like having an emergency fund, avoiding debt, buying a home instead of renting), then I would just do the world a favor and delete your article and start over.

If you have included these things, try to turn it into a book and get paid for it.

I was reading an article about consumer spending through the previous holiday season. They refer to people opening their wallets up more. Why does societal confidence have to be connected with spending?

Consumer confidence refers to people’s opinions about whether the economy in general and their personal finances will be better or worse in the future. When people are feeling optimistic that they have a good financial future, they are willing to spend money. When they think the future may be bad, for example, if they feel that they may lose their job, they save money and don’t spend it.

I have an assignment to interview 3 different people. I need to know what their job is and how they work with money. What are their money management skills? Thanks!

I work in a grocery store and handle all the money and the financial paperwork.

As for my personal finances, everything like checkbooks come out to the penny, everything is filed and color-coded, and I carefully budget my money so that I am always under budget. I am 26, and unlike most people my age am not doing too bad.

But yes, I am organised and painfully detailed to the point that would drive most people insane to open my desk either at work or at home.

I am considering employing the services of a Financial Advisor. What exactly do they do? Are they helping you budget? Improve your credit? Invest your dollars? What can I expect, as I need to make sure I get my money’s worth!

Thanks!

The essence of Personal Financial Advising

So the answer you are looking for as you read this is "What specifically is http://personal-financial-advising.blogspot.com/. This term means different things to different individuals and I’m here to inform you about what Personal Financial Advising is and how it can help you on your way to personal financial freedom.

The NAPFA defines Personal Financial Advising as situation where industry professionals help people to manage their money for both the the near future and long term by helping them in deciding which stocks, bonds, and mutual funds to invest in. This is an excellent definition of Personal Financial Advising in general terms but does explain everything.

Personal Financial Advising is needed when someone needs assistance in managing their money but does not have the time, knowledge, or resources to do it in the most effective way. When this happens a Personal Financial Advisor is needed.

The goal of a Personal Financial Advisor is to help their customers in attaining all of their financial goals. A Personal Financial Advisor should be involved in all areas of a customers financial situation beyond their day-to-day situations. In doing this one might be involved in helping customers invest for retirement, invest for a childs college, make the proper general investment choices, or even help with home loans (mortgages) or car loan advice.

When people uses a Personal Financial Advisor there is often a charge associated with the use of services. Often times though the charge is greatly outweighed by the financial gains one sees from the advice they receive.

In the end Personal Financial Advisors is just as they seem. They are simply advisors who give clients advice on how they should handle their finance so that their money works for them instead of them working forever because they don’t have any money. When it comes down to it, it is ultimately the individuals decision on how they want their money to be handled. Personal Financial Advising is a great tool for anyone who wants to experience financial freedom but does not have the knowledge, time, or resources to do it on their own.

I hope this article has at least give you an idea of what Personal Financial Advising is. This article was very brief on the topic of Personal Financial Advising and a book could most certainly be written to explain it in full detail.

If you have any questions about what Personal Financial Advising please feel free to visit my newly started blog regarding it. I plan to post information about it, including advice, every couple days.
http://personal-financial-advising.blogspot.com/

If you could have any application on your IPhone to help you with your personal finances what would it be? I’ve had issues keeping my finances straight despite trying checkbook apps and various budget apps. I’m wondering what works for other people.

I wouldnt use ANY finacial app on a cell phone or PDA of any type.

Seeing how easy they are to lose or get stolen, why subject yourself to having your personal information compromised???

I often see that one of the best money management tools in sports betting is to use flat betting at a 2%-3% percentage rate of your bankroll. When determining this amount do you feel it is better to go with the starting bankroll for each day, or if you will be making many wagers in a month period of time, is it better to use the beginning bankroll percentage amount for the beginning of that month. When do you adjust percentage to use?
Lets say the bankroll is $200.00 and will not be replenished. Anywhere from 5 to 10 wagers are made each day. Would you use the day to day bankroll amount, say at 2%, or keep a steady wager amount until the next month then recalculate? Do you recalculate daily?

Question? When to adjust your percentage.

Answer? It doesn’t matter.

Money management is irrelevant if you can’t pick winners.

You can adjust your bet % every bet you place if you like…most people keep it the same when they are winning enough to cover vig AND profit.

I am making the assumption that you are new to this as this is a newbie type of question. Since you are new, my advice to you is forget about money management and learn how to pick winners first. Once you know you can win enough to profit long term, work money management into your strategy.

My friend is being forced to pay the full amount for a semester at her community college in NYC. She had dropped out because she needed to take the time to go to therapy which is a medical urgency and priority. The school still believes that she owes them the rest of the money (the rest of $3,000 per semester). Their reason is that they lose money when people drop out after claiming a seat. I feel that she has a valid excuse to leave and doesn’t owe the money. She is an international student and I feel that they are taking advantage of her. Please give me advices, school related blogs, legal blogs/contact, emails, info etc. Thanks.

Most colleges do have compassion for their students, but they also have a fiduciary duty to manage their finances with prudence. It’s not unusual for a student who needs to withdraw for whatever reason late in the term to be charged. You didn’t state when precisely she withdrew, but if it happened recently and she’s attending a college that operates on the typical late August / early September to early / mid December term then she’s attended the majority of the semester already. A major factor to consider is whether she went through the proper steps to officially withdraw for the rest of the semester, or whether she simply stopped attending class. Most colleges require you to submit a form requesting to withdraw from the term explaining why. In cases of a medical, psychological, or personal emergency then some sort of letter is sometimes required to verify the need for the leave. Usually, when the withdrawal is approved a student is made aware of their financial obligation and the impact the leave will have on their transcript. Did your friend talk to her academic advisor, the financial aid office, and others about her need for a medical leave? It seems like she would have been advised about the situation so she wouldn’t be in shock about still owing funds.

I am in remission for Hodgkin’s Lymphoma and have problems with my lungs as a result of intensive radiation to my chest, and so when I was hospitalized for a serious case of pneumonia during the winter quarter I was urged to withdraw for the rest of the term. I didn’t want to withdraw, and fortunately I recovered to the extent that it wasn’t mandatory, but if it had been, I still would have been charged tuition fees. This was quite literally a life-or-death situation at one point because my temperature had reached 108 and I was in intensive care. At my university (Stanford) students who need to take a leave after the start of classes receive a pro rated refund up to the term withdrawal deadline. After the withdrawal deadline, it’s rare for a refund to be given. I believe they do make some exceptions, but as a general rule, you have to pay. In the circumstance of a medical or personal withdrawal they will list on your transcript that you’re on a university-approved leave so it won’t be marred with W’s.

I am sympathetic about your friend’s situation, but I don’t think her college is being cruel or unreasonable with her. Consider things from their perspective. If she hadn’t enrolled in those courses, chances are someone else could have taken her spot and paid for them. Why should they have to lose out on that money when it wasn’t their fault? Almost every college has their policy about withdrawing from the term and the fees owed on their website and in their student handbook, so she should have been able to find out this information for herself before decided to withdraw. Also, though I do realize that therapy can be very necessary, it doesn’t constitute a medical or even a psychological emergency. If she had been hospitalized for mental health reasons that would be another matter. I would encourage her to try to have a calm conversation with her financial aid office and see if they would be willing to work with her. She might want to ask her psychiatrist or therapist to write a letter on her behalf explaining the need for therapy. This probably isn’t going to be of significant help, but it might help a bit.

Best wishes to her. You’re a good friend to be concerned about her and willing to help.

~ skylark : )

I started using Microsoft Money but it isn’t set up for people who are in trouble. I had to create a catagory for late fees, etc. I has some forcasting capabilities but I want something that can really lay out a budget week by week for us. It would be nice if it even had features for making letters requesting interest knockdowns and such. Does such a personal financing for dummies software kit exist?

Well unfortunately I have never heard of a program such as you are asking for, however, I do believe you may have something here. Perhaps a brief letter to Microsoft could put you in a position to pioneer such a software.
Good luck in adventures. I would love to see the end product.