Archive for January, 2009

It would be ludicrous to visit a podiatrist if you’re having chest pains. Just as all doctors are not made equal, not all financial advisers are suited for your individual needs.

Say, for instance, you’re a 35-year-old married man with two young children. Your financial circumstance would look quite different from that of a 61-year-old nearing retirement. As a result, you would need different strengths from a financial planner.

Uncovering areas of expertise is just one objective when seeking someone to help manage your finances. At the start of a new year, many people will look for professional help to orchestrate their financial moves. Doing so blindly, however, could potentially leave you in a deeper hole than when you started.

It pays to take precautions, ask the right questions, and identify and stay focused on your goals.

“People tend to get a little too carried away about what miracles the adviser might be able to work for them,” said certified financial planner, Don …

Continue reading Do you need a financial planner? Take this quiz to find out »

As much value as one can find in Kroger’s 10 for $10 specials, there is only so much one household can consume. Coupon-crazed shoppers can cut hundreds of dollars from a grocery bill and store up packages and goods in kitchen pantries, but even that can become overwhelming.

Why not help someone else in need?

Photo by Elissa Eubanks

That’s the question Kris Bleiler — known among her friends as Krissy the Coupon Queen — asks herself. Her answer has been to give, and keep on giving. Featured by The Atlanta Journal-Constitution along with 11 others as Holiday Heroes, Bleiler gives generously from all that she saves and accumulates while coupon shopping. AJC reporter Rosalind Bentley writes:

Each week, Bleiler clips hundreds of dollars worth of coupons from newspapers and buys dozens of bags of groceries and household staples. Then she quietly distributes care packages to families in need.

“She goes to the grocery store every single day with those coupons and buys like $100 or …

Continue reading Coupon shopping that saves you — and others in need — hundreds »