Personal Finance and Investing

Financial planning at its smallest denominator is essentially what you’d like to have and how you plan to get it. That may be oversimplifying things just a bit, but sometimes when you look at things stripped away of all of their jargon, it’s a lot easier to understand it. So, in order to begin planning your financial future, make a list of everything you’d like to have. Whether it’s the freedom to take a vacation whenever the fancy strikes you or the ability to retire without having to worry about eating out of garbage cans, write it down.

Now, let’s work on how you plan to get there.

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Every season, we bring you the top to-dos to get your financial life in order. The snow is starting to melt, the flowers are beginning to bloom, and your finances are ready for a rebirth. Here are the key items on your spring to-do list:

Our lives aren’t the same as they were a few months ago, so our budgets shouldn’t be, either. Go to the LV Budgeting Tool to make sure you’re sticking to your current budget, or create a new one if your lifestyle has changed.

We recommend you do this once every season, because keeping up with your credit score is a good way to make sure that your credit history is free from errors or mishaps. It’s

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As news of bank failures continues, and government officials are debating a $700 billion bailout plan, many consumers are starting to worry about the state of their pension plan. If you have it invested in the wrong stocks, you could end up losing it all, or at the very least, a large portion of it. Here are some great tips to help you protect your pension in the midst of a credit crunch.

The first thing to do is to get in touch with a personal finance advisor. They do ask for fees in most cases, but working with one can help you develop strategies to keep your pension safe.

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A change is gonna come… and if you are a renter, it could be great news for your credit report.

Experian, one of the big three credit bureaus, began including rental payment data on consumer credit reports in January, and will affect the Experian credit score and VantageScore. It’ll be a good addition to most consumers’ credit toolbox, but as with all big changes, there could be a downside.

Right now, Experian has gathered rent payment history from large property managers of approximately 8 million residents nationwide, but reporting rental data could easily become a more widespread practice amongst credit bureaus. Getti

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