Champ Money

How is your job outlook?

Are you concerned about the future of your position? Possible advancement within your company? Or even job layoffs? Will your company still have a need for you?

The current employment climate does not allow for complacency. You can never guarantee your continued employment with any company, but you can increase your job security by enhancing your skills. Work toward becoming a leader rather than a follower. Projects will continue – and projects need managers.

You can earn an online Project Management certificate from Saint Joseph’s University and become the person who is chosen to lead. When you can manage projects and ensure deadlines are met, you become an essential part of the business – one that is much harder to replace.

Saint Joseph’s Project Management coursework will provide you with the essential skills to effectively schedule, budget for, and manage all projects more effectively, no matter your industry.

Don’t become easily replaceable, become invaluable.

During this economic downturn, are you still planning for the future?

While most people are rightfully looking at thier immediate financial situation, many are overlooking their investments in the future.

Eventually, the economy will rebound – with or without the help of the government. And when it does, your investments should be primed for good returns.

Microsoft was trading at an 11 year low in recent days. Many of the most desirable stocks are at similar lows.

Just as with housing, stocks are a buyers market right now. Exercise precuations and research before purcasing any stock. But, make the right decisions now and you’ll be looking at a much brighter future.

Even in the current tight housing market, America remains a very mobile nation, with citizens moving and relocating as much as ever. In fact, there is an increase in relocation as people seek better employment opportunities.

Many of them are using the increasingly popular moving pods to make the whole process of moving easier than ever. The more you can do on your own during the move, the more money you’ll save.

Are you considering diet pills as part of your weight loss program this spring?

The added help provided by safe pills, when purchased from reliable sources, can provide the boost you need to lose weight quicker than exercise or diet alone. This can be especially helpful when spring and summer bikini season sneaks up on you unexpectedly.

Just do your research and use only as directed.

Secondhand and resale thrift shops are the new exclusive boutiques of the day.

The “in fashion” now seems to be whatever was the best deal, not what has the best designer name. This makes perfect sense in the current economic climate.

Visit your local thrift shops the next time you’re shopping for clothing. More often than not, you’ll be surprised at what you find there – including those designer lines, but at much lower prices.

If you happen to be looking for the perfect gift for a child – whether your own son or daughter, your grandchild, or even a birthday gift for a friend, we suggest that you consider a personalized gift.

In a recent experiment, we ordered one of several personalized books from a wonderful little company called Frecklebox (frecklebox.com). We wanted to evaluate the product, as well as measure the reaction of the child receiving the personalized book.

Honestly, we were very pleasantly surprised.

Having ordered personalized gifts in the past, we’ve found that often times the quality is lacking. Further, the companies providing the items didn’t exactly provide great customer service or quick delivery. For these reasons, we expected more of the same with Frecklebox.

We were wrong.

The test item in our evaluation was a personalized book – although Frecklebox has many choices of personalized items, including books, coloring books, posters, and even videos.

The delivery was very quick, and the book was packaged perfectly.

The quality of the book is what surprised us more than anything. Everything from the paper and choice of inks, to the cover appeared to be very high quality.

Not only was the child’s name on the cover, it was included within the storyline of the book, on practically every page. This is more personalized than we’ve seen from any of the competitors.

The child very much enjoyed the story, especially with the inclusion of her name throughout. After all, who wouldn’t love being the star of a book – especially when it includes unicorns?

After reviewing the book, we recommend Frecklbox, without hesitation, for personalized gifts for children.

In fact, the prices for these great items are so reasonable that they would even make the perfect personalized party favors for your birthday party guests.

We’ve mentioned this before, but it’s worth repeating…

The decline in gasoline prices is temporary.

While the current prices are a welcome relief, they won’t last for long. When the time comes for a new vehicle you should still consider the most fuel efficient auto that will fit your needs.

You may have seen one of the recent television commercials about Mesothelioma. However, many people still don’t know what it is – even those who are at higher risk of getting it.

Mesothelioma is a cancer that can occur in individuals who have been exposed to asbestos. This is a very serious cancer, and like many cancers, one that should be addresses as early as possible.

If you have been exposed to asbestos at any point in your life, we encourage you to learn more about Mesothelioma.

Are you over insured?

Too many people waste tremendous amounts of money on insurance premiums they could be saving money on.

Life Insurance – if you don’t have any dependents, you don’t need life insurance.

If you aren’t super rich, you probably don’t want an annuity either. The profit margin on annuities are obscene and the salesman gets paid first.

Car insurance – go with at least $1000 deductible. You don’t want to bother the insurance company for less and they don’t want to be bothered either. Obviously, you need to have that amount of cash available to deal with any small issues.

Did you know that you can prepare and e-file your income tax completely for free this year regardless of your income? Last year the IRS had strict limits on who could use free tax prep software.

If you want to file for free, go to http://www.irs.gov and you’ll see a list of participating software vendors.

Be aware that certain vendors won’t let you do the free prep and e-filing if your income is above $56,000/year, so take note of each one’s individual restrictions. But you’re guaranteed to find some that certainly will this year. Select vendors will also allow you to do your state income tax as well.