Signup to receive email updates
Authors
Recent Posts
Categories
- #TBT
- Apps
- Author
- Kathy Sweedler
- Karen Chan
- Kimberly Nute-Jones
- Paul McNamara
- Jennifer Hunt
- Guest Authors
- Pam Atkinson
- Sasha Grabenstetter
- Camaya Wallace Bechard
- Banking
- Budgeting
- Credit and Debt
- Credit Report
- Electronic Security/ Identity Theft
- Estate Planning
- Events
- Financial Exploitation
- Going Green
- Health Care
- Holiday Spending
- Home Ownership
- How to Choose/Purchase a ...
- Income Taxes
- Insurance
- Investing
- Job Loss
- Kids and Money
- Online Banking
- Organizing Finances
- Paying for College
- Podcasts
- Reduce Spending
- Retirement Planning
- Saving Money
- Shopping
- U. S. & Global Economy
Links
- SUBSCRIBE to the Plan Well, Retire Well E-Newsletter
- Choosing a Financial Professional
- More for Your Money: Using Your Money Wisely
- Long-Term Care: Talking, Deciding, Taking Action
- Dealing with Clutter
- Reference to specific external websites, products, companies or trade names does not imply endorsement by University of Illinois Extension, nor is discrimination intended against any that are not listed.
Blog Archives
- February 2019 (2)
- January 2019 (3)
- December 2018 (3)
- November 2018 (4)
- September 2018 (4)
- August 2018 (3)
- July 2018 (4)
- June 2018 (4)
- May 2018 (1)
- April 2018 (2)
- March 2018 (3)
- February 2018 (3)
- January 2018 (3)
- December 2017 (2)
- November 2017 (3)
- October 2017 (2)
- September 2017 (4)
- August 2017 (2)
- July 2017 (3)
- June 2017 (3)
- May 2017 (2)
- April 2017 (3)
- March 2017 (2)
- February 2017 (5)
- January 2017 (3)
- December 2016 (4)
- November 2016 (3)
- October 2016 (4)
- September 2016 (2)
- August 2016 (3)
- July 2016 (5)
- June 2016 (2)
- May 2016 (6)
- April 2016 (2)
- March 2016 (3)
- February 2016 (8)
- January 2016 (5)
- December 2015 (3)
- November 2015 (6)
- October 2015 (4)
- September 2015 (3)
- August 2015 (6)
- July 2015 (4)
- June 2015 (5)
- May 2015 (4)
- April 2015 (5)
- March 2015 (5)
- February 2015 (8)
- January 2015 (4)
- December 2014 (4)
- November 2014 (6)
- October 2014 (3)
- September 2014 (4)
- August 2014 (5)
- July 2014 (5)
- June 2014 (5)
- May 2014 (5)
- April 2014 (3)
- March 2014 (4)
- February 2014 (5)
- January 2014 (6)
- December 2013 (5)
- November 2013 (5)
- October 2013 (5)
- September 2013 (5)
- August 2013 (4)
- July 2013 (5)
- June 2013 (4)
- May 2013 (5)
- April 2013 (3)
- March 2013 (5)
- February 2013 (3)
- January 2013 (2)
- December 2012 (3)
- November 2012 (3)
- October 2012 (4)
- September 2012 (3)
- August 2012 (5)
- July 2012 (4)
- June 2012 (5)
- May 2012 (3)
- April 2012 (3)
- March 2012 (4)
- February 2012 (5)
- January 2012 (3)
- December 2011 (5)
- November 2011 (3)
- October 2011 (4)
- September 2011 (4)
- August 2011 (4)
- July 2011 (5)
- June 2011 (3)
- May 2011 (3)
- April 2011 (4)
- March 2011 (5)
- February 2011 (14)
- January 2011 (5)
- December 2010 (4)
- November 2010 (4)
- October 2010 (4)
- September 2010 (2)
- August 2010 (4)
- July 2010 (4)
- June 2010 (4)
- May 2010 (3)
- April 2010 (6)
- March 2010 (5)
- February 2010 (4)
- January 2010 (4)
- December 2009 (2)
- November 2009 (4)
- October 2009 (4)
- September 2009 (3)
- August 2009 (4)
- July 2009 (6)
- June 2009 (4)
- May 2009 (2)
- April 2009 (3)
- March 2009 (3)
- February 2009 (4)
- January 2009 (4)
- December 2008 (4)
- November 2008 (3)
- October 2008 (6)
- September 2008 (5)
- August 2008 (5)
- July 2008 (5)
- June 2008 (4)
- May 2008 (5)
- April 2008 (4)
- March 2008 (4)
- February 2008 (4)
- January 2008 (5)
532 Total Posts
follow our RSS feed

Friday, September 14, 2018
The Gift of Gift Cards
I often joke that I am a terrible gift-giver. I have a hard time picking out the right gifts for friends and family. If you are like me and you struggle with finding the best gifts for the people in your life, gift cards may be the perfect solution! Gift cards provide a seemingly easy way to shop for others. It is hard to tell if buying gift cards reduces the time and energy we put into picking...
Thursday, July 26, 2018
Bad decisions I made with my money
Last month, I wrote about some of the things that I have bought or done with my money that I think were well worth what they cost . So it's only fair that this month, I look at the opposite: mistakes I made with my money. I suppose I should be writing about things I bought that weren't worth it, but I had a hard time coming up with that lis...
Friday, July 20, 2018
Ads, Ads, Ads: Digital Advertising on Our Social Media Pages
There has been an important focus on digital advertising on social media platforms. For those of us who grew up prior to the advance we now see with technology and streaming services, we had to sit through all the commercials if we wanted to watch our favorite shows. Marketing strategies have changed to expand the reach and keep up with consumer behaviors. Additionally, we have seen a lot in th...
Monday, July 16, 2018
Should I ask for donations instead of birthday gifts?
There seems to be a recent trend, thanks to Facebook, of asking for donations for your (or someone else's) birthday instead of gifts. For the last two years, we have asked for donations to our son's birthday instead of toys or gifts that he might play with for a few minutes and then forget about. Here are some items to consider if you've been wanting to ask for donations for your birthday or a...
Thursday, June 14, 2018
Is Gardening Garbage or Great?
For the last two summers, my family and I have had a garden in the backyard. We take the time to till the soil, plant the vegetables and herbs, then wait. This summer I want to track my spending and see if my time and money it's really worth having a garden. This year we planted: 7 tomato plants (roma, heirloom and cherry) 4 bell pepper plants 1 jalap...
Monday, March 12, 2018
Pay Down Debt or Invest My Money?
Should I pay extra on my student loan or invest in a Roth IRA? Build up an emergency savings fund or pay off my credit card debt? Pay off my mortgage or put more money in my 401(k) retirement plan? In one form or another, the trending question lately has been, "Is it better to pay down debt or build up savings and investments?" Like many real-life questions, the answer is not black and...
Friday, January 5, 2018
Invest in Your Future!
Happy New Year 2018! The New Year offers opportunities for a fresh start and new resolutions. As you reflect on possibilities, I encourage you to include investing in your personal finance as a high priority for 2018. We choose to do many things with our time and energy, and it's easy to let our finances become "another day" activity; however, time spent today will reap many benefits in the fut...
Tuesday, December 19, 2017
Investing 101: Mutual funds can make investing simple
You don't have to have a lot of money to get started investing. You don't even have to buy stocks and bonds to be an investor. And you can reduce the risks associated with owning individual stocks and bonds. It almost sounds too good to be true, doesn't it? But a thing called mutual funds can do all that. This is the third post in a series about the basic...
Monday, November 20, 2017
Investing 101: How many kinds of risk are there?
This is the second in a series about the basics of investing. Last month, we met Aunt Jane and George. Their investing experience helped us learn about stocks and bonds. This month, they'll illustrate the risks that stockholders and bond owners face. Next month, they'll learn how to invest without having to buy individual stocks or bonds. To find all the posts in this serie...
Friday, October 20, 2017
Investing 101: A story that will teach you about stocks and bonds
Many of us choose investments for our IRAs or 401(k)s without really understanding what we're doing. So over the years that I've been teaching about personal finance, I started using a story that would help listeners understand stocks and bonds – without me ever using the words. So sit back with a cup of coffee (or even better, hot chocolate) and meet Freddie. Freddie wants to s...
Tuesday, August 22, 2017
Buyer's Remorse: The Consequences of My Quick Decisions
Anyone who knows me, knows that I tend to overthink things. I'll research even the smallest decision. Major decisions can take forever. I like to joke that I do my buyer's remorse before I make the purchase: I'll already know what the potential disappointments are, or trade-offs I've made, before I hand over the credit card. No surprises! On the one hand, I know that this is ho...
Wednesday, June 21, 2017
I want to start investing. How much of my savings should I invest?
I was recently posed this question by a workshop participant I'll call Rick: "I have accumulated some money, and it is all in bank accounts. I feel like I should have some part of it invested in things like stocks and bonds. But how much? And how do I get started? I'm worried that stock prices seem like they're very high right now, but the interest I'm gettin...
Monday, December 5, 2016
Holiday gift cards-Beware the Scams!
Over the years, gift cards have become a favorite gift. You don't have to worry about color or size, and there is one for every taste. Shipping costs are minimal, and you can purchase them almost everywhere. If you get a gift card for somewhere you don't shop, or for a store that's not in your area, there are websites where you can sell or exchange them for cash. However, gift cards hav...
Thursday, October 27, 2016
My Decision to Retire - Revisited
Four years ago, I announced my retirement here on the blog . I talked about the decision-making process that I went through, and the kinds of financial information that I used. (If you're reading this, you probably know that I was lucky enough to return to Extension on a part time basis and continue writing for the blog.) Four years into my so-called...
Wednesday, January 27, 2016
Transitions: Strategies for your 401(k)
Deciding what to do with your 401(k) when you leave your job could be one of your biggest financial decisions. Same goes if you have a 403(b), 457, SEP or SIMPLE plan. I'm hoping you already know that, unless you absolutely can't put food on the table without it, you do NOT want to cash out your 401(k) or any other retirement plan when you leave your job. You got that, right? An...
Monday, January 4, 2016
Reflecting on 2015 ... Moving Forward in 2016
During the holidays I had an amazing opportunity to travel to Maui. As I walked along the beach, listening to the surf and marveling at the full rainbow over the ocean, I thought about where I am in my life and what I'd like to do in 2016. I believe in the value of reflecting on what we've done as well as setting goals for the future. In this mood, let's take a quick look at the Pla...
Friday, November 13, 2015
Plan Well Retire Well Wins National Award
I'd like to take a minute to toot our own horn. The writing team behind the Plan Well Retire Well blog just won two awards for Internet Education Communications from the National Extension Association of Family and Consumer Sciences (NEAFCS) at their annual conference held November 2-5, 2015 in White Sulfur Springs WV. We received first-place in the Central regi...
Thursday, April 16, 2015
Dear Young Friend: Investing Your Long Term Money
Dear Karen, We've talked about the need to keep some money handy for expenses, and some more where I can get to it in case of an emergency. So what do I do with Bucket #3. I'm still a little uncomfortable with the idea of investing. It seems like the stock market has been a bad place to have your money pretty often over the last few years. Your Young Frien...
Saturday, February 28, 2015
The Magic of Saving Money
Saving money can be magical. Start small, contribute regularly, and through compounding returns amazing things happen! Compounding returns is a fancy way of saying that money in savings and investment accounts earns MORE money for you – it works for you. In a savings account, you earn interest. In an investment account you earn returns such as dividends, interest, and growth in value. These ret...
Thursday, January 29, 2015
Dear Young Friend: Three Buckets for Your Money
I have been talking with a young friend about a lot of different financial topics over the past couple of months. I realized that the challenges my young friend faces are the same things that almost all young adults deal with. Over the next few months, I'll be sharing some of our conversations. Maybe you're wrestling with some of the same questions. Or, like me, maybe you have a young frien...
Wednesday, September 17, 2014
Tax Uncertainty? Tax Diversification to the Rescue
Diversification is the first rule of investing. You knew that, right? But have you thought about tax diversification? Yep. Smart investing isn't just what you own, it's where you own it and how it gets taxed when you take it out. From a tax standpoint, you have three different types of accounts: Regular (taxable) accounts, like your checking and savings accounts and accounts with...
Sunday, August 24, 2014
What to do with your 401(k)? Consider costs, investments, and services
The decision of whether to leave money in your old employer's retirement plan, or to move it to your new employer plan or an IRA, doesn't always have an obvious answer. Last week , we looked at factors concerning your age and when you want to have access to your money – or be required to begin distributions. Today, we'll talk about comparing costs, investmen...
Thursday, August 21, 2014
What to do with your 401(k)? Think about when you want your money.
You retired. Or changed jobs – maybe several times. So did I. And at many of those jobs, we had a 401(k) or some other type of retirement plan. If your account held less than $5000, you may have been forced to make a quick decision about what to do with the money. Otherwise, you probably did what many of us do so well: procrastinate . Maybe now is a...
Friday, May 16, 2014
About those savings bonds…
I am one of the 55 million Americans who own savings bonds. Almost all of those bonds are the old-fashioned paper ones, like mine. And my guess is that most of us do the same thing with our savings bonds: put them away and forget about them. That's okay for a while, but any financial asset needs to be reviewed periodically. I did that last week, and here are the things I thought about....
Monday, April 21, 2014
I Love Money Smart Week
I love Money Smart Week! As Karen Chan mentioned in her blog post on March 12th, Money Smart Week is the best time of year...