The Bottom Line
Small business is important to Central Oregon, and to Mid Oregon. Find tips and resources for business, and information about Mid Oregon’s commercial services and business members.
Keep Financial Resolutions This Year.
Bust the Mid-Winter Blues and Keep Financial Resolutions This Year.
I always spend part of the last day of the year trying to come up with a great New Year’s resolution. While I know most of them won’t be kept for a full 12 months, I like to state some kind of goal for myself. If nothing else, it makes me sit and think about my life for a few minutes. But making them doesn’t necessarily mean I will keep financial resolutions this year.
One of my favorite resolutions was one I made a few years ago to get in touch with old friends. This was a fun one and I probably contacted about five close friends I hadn’t talked to in years. It made me feel good and it was great hearing about their lives, jobs, kids, etc… I can’t say I’m still in touch, but I did what I set out to.
Changed Last Year
Last year, I decided, after a few financial hiccups, to really and truly get my finances in order. I started by laying out a budget for myself and signing up with Mint. This is a great, free online tool that tracks all your spending automatically so you can see exactly where your money goes. It was a real eye-opener and very helpful.
I learned a lot about better ways to manage my money, which had far-reaching effects: less stress, fewer calories consumed (I didn’t eat out as much), a great vacation, bigger savings and retirement accounts, and a less cluttered closet. All items in the WIN column.
Tips For a Great Next Year
I’d like to share a few valuable tips with you to help make 2015 a great financial year for you.
Get started:
- Write down everything you spend during a 1-week time period – everything. This will let you see exactly where your money is going.
- Cut the frequency at which you dine out in half – stay home and enjoy a simple home-cooked meal.
- Put your credit cards on ice in the freezer – it will force you to use cash to pay for things meaning you can only buy what you can afford.
Get serious:
- Transfer all your credit card balances to one card with the lowest interest rate.
- Stop going to the ATM every day – small withdrawals can add up fast.
- Shop around for the best home and car insurance deals – your plans should be reviewed every 6 – 12 months. Consider raising your deductibles to reduce your annual payment.
- Refinance your mortgage if there’s a lower interest rate available. Consider a 15- year instead of a 30. This can save you thousands over the life of your loan.
Get physical:
- Ride your bike or walk to save gas money.
- Cut your own grass and wash and iron your own shirts.
- Exercise at home or outside to save money on a gym membership.
Get creative:
- Plan meals ahead of time so you can shop once and use what you buy more efficiently.
- Clip coupons and use them! This is serious business and can save you hundreds of dollars each year.
- Stop buying donuts or coffee on the way to work, a candy bar at 2:00, drinks after work. Bring breakfast bars, make coffee at home or carry snacks with you to prevent unnecessary spending.
These are lots of ways to cut corners, trim budgets, shave interest rates and pinch pennies. Look for things that you can really live with so you’ll stick with them for 12 months, not just 12 days.
Need some help getting started? Check with Mid Oregon Credit Union for free financial workshops on the topics you need. Mid Oregon’s Financial Services Representatives can also offer suggestions to members on ways to trim your financial costs. Mid Oregon has affordable options on credit cards, mortgages and other financial products you use, including in-house insurance options from Cascade Insurance Center. Check midoregon.com or visit a branch for more details.
Raising Grandchildren Can Lead to Financial Challenges
Increasing numbers of grandparents are becoming primary caregivers to their grandchildren, a new role. Many have found raising grandchildren can lead to financial challenges.
Don’t Take On New Debt
Because many grandparents are in their 50s or older, it’s important to avoid taking on new, large debts or willingly sacrificing retirement savings plans—there’s not enough time to recover from major financial setbacks. Legal fees, child care costs, and housing demands can be overwhelming. To make ends meet and stay on track, experts urge custodial grandparents to accept assistance if it’s available.
Programs That Can Help
Assistance can come in many forms—grants, child care, and food stamps are a few of the ways government and private programs help custodial grandparents. Exactly what grand-families will qualify for depends mainly on:
* The form of custody arrangement
* Income and assets
* The state of residence
Tax Breaks?
A number of tax breaks also can leave more money in caregivers’ pockets. To claim most tax benefits, grandparents must qualify under Internal Revenue Service (IRS) rules. That generally requires that grandparents and grandchildren meet the definitions of a primary caregiver and a dependent, neither your income nor the children’s exceeds the limits, and no one else comes forward claiming the child as a dependent.
Check the IRS website at irs.gov for information about items that can help such as the Child Tax Credit, Dependent Exemption, Earned Income Credit, Child and Dependent Care Credit, Change in Filing Status, and tax breaks for education.
Taking steps to reduce money-related stress can allow grandparents to savor their new role as caregiver, even if raising a second family was never part of their original retirement plan.
To Avoid Scammers Be Wary of the Phone
While scams keep changing, the targets stay the same. Seniors continue to be the marks of a variety of low-risk crimes that prey on their sense of duty and exploit their fear of cognitive loss. We advise seniors, to avoid scammers, be wary of the phone.
FTC Data Tells The Story
The Federal Trade Commission’s Bureau of Consumer Protection logged 1.5 million consumer fraud complaints in 2018, with over $1.6 billion lost; Consumers who said they were 60 and older (older adults) filed 256,404 fraud reports with reported losses of nearly $400 million.
Retirees make ripe targets because they have access to cash via retirement savings and equity in their homes.
What To Do
Here is what to do to avoid being targeted:
- Ditch the landline. Phone scams continue to be a tremendous problem for consumers of all ages. Older adults reported that a phone call was the initial contact method in numbers four times higher than all other contact methods combined. One reason seniors are targeted is because they still use landlines—so they’re easy to find through commercially sold phone lists—and they often answer their phones.
- Sign up for AARP’s Fraud Watch Network alerts and check its online map. This will help you keep up-to-date on the scams happening where you live, as scammers frequently change the areas they’re targeting.
Aging Fraud Hotline
- Call the U.S. Senate Special Committee on Aging Fraud Hotline. If you suspect someone is a victim of fraud, call the hotline (855-303-9470) where fraud investigators can offer advice about how to proceed.
- Hang up. Whether it’s a purported relative imploring you to send money right away or a sweepstakes requiring you to pay taxes in advance—two common scams—say you’ll call back. Then research the situation. If the caller is putting pressure on you to pay immediately, it’s a scam.
- Frequently check the Security and Fraud Center at MidOregon.com. This gives you up-to-date articles about the latest in scams and prevention, and well as a tips and articles about becoming and staying safe and secure.