Pay Yourself First

15 Tips to Pump Up Your Too-Small Emergency Fund

To dig in and build your emergency fund, you need to address both your income and expenses.

To increase your income, consider some of these tried-and-true or off-the-wall ideas:

Adjust your withholding. If you regularly get a hefty refund from the IRS, you may want to adjust your withholding to put you closer to the break-even point on your tax bill. You can divert the extra income directly to savings.

Pay yourself first. Set up an automatic transfer from your paycheck into your savings account every week or every month and you'll be less likely to notice the missing cash.
(did we mention your Credit Union can help?)

Get a temp or part-time job. It's the most straightforward way to bring home some extra cash.

Offer your services to parents or pet owners. Responsible, reliable babysitters, pet sitters, and house sitters are hot commodities in many areas.

Sell your stuff on Craigslist or at a yard sale. If you've got clothes, computer equipment, musical instruments, or just about anything that you're never going to use again, you can usually find a buyer.

 

READ MORE: http://www.dailyfinance.com/2013/06/24/emergency-fund-savings-tips/

Don't Tax My Credit Union

“Don’t Tax My Credit Union” is a national campaign dedicated to ensuring Congress doesn’t raise taxes on 96 million credit union members nationwide and preserves financial choice for American consumers. Join us today to share your story and tell Congress: Don’t Tax My Credit Union!

READ MORE:  http://www.donttaxmycreditunion.org/

News From Kirby Kangaroo

Hey Kids! Want to win $$ this summer?  Check out this link from Kirby Kangaroo! And don’t forget – get the free Kirby Kangaroo Game on your smart phone!  Just in time for summer!

READ MORE: http://www.kirbykangaroo.com/stories.php?PHPSESSID=daf9ab24e5ac699e9d53720dff801462#YouCanWin

Ten Ways to get ahead of the game this Summer!

Summer doesn’t need to be a write-off. Here are 10 ways you can use those months to get ahead of the game:

1. Conduct your personal annual review.

There’s something seemingly magical about the calendar year end that has us all trapped in its spell. We see the turn of the year as a time for reflection and a time to plan the year ahead. But the reality is, the calendar year-end is an entirely mechanistic construction.

An annual review (looking back at what you learned, what you achieved, what you missed out on, and rearranging priorities for the incoming year) is an incredibly useful exercise, but there’s absolutely no reason your need to conduct it in the middle of a much-needed holiday, and during what is a busy time for all of us.

Do what I do. Move your personal annual review to the summer. You still get to review the entire previous year, but you also get to do it in a much less frenzied state, and with much more likelihood that you will actually implement the lessons you learn (remember all those never-happened new years’ resolutions?).

2. Read.

Most of us read less than we ought to. Time constraints notwithstanding, there’s something about cracking open the spine of a book (or double-clicking on an ebook file) that sparks low-level guilt pangs in many leaders. The sense that there must be something more important, or urgent, to do robs us of the opportunity to learn from others.

Read more: http://business.time.com/2013/07/02/10-ways-to-be-productive-in-the-summer/#ixzz2XzRdH4XP

Odd Jobs: 10 careers you didn't know existed                                                                  

 

These ten unusual careers will make people ask, "Wait, you do what?"

1. Pet psychologist. "Hey, puppy, what do you see in this ink blot?" Even little Rufus can have mental-health problems, so pet psychologists assess disorders, prescribe meds, and help with behavioral therapy.
2. The nose. Those with a strong olfactory sense are trained to recognize and concoct perfumes from up to 2,000 smells.
3. Forensic accountant. In what has to be more exciting than tax season, forensic accountants investigate and analyze financial evidence for legal proceedings and trials. They may also testify in court as expert witnesses.
4. Fashion-trend forecaster. Cloudy with a chance of hot pants? Fashion forecasters use their instincts and keen observations of society to advise designers, manufacturers and retailers on trends and products that could be the next big thing.

READ MORE!