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I need to pick a retail market for school and I would like to know if there are any particular stocks that I should know about to pick. I would like a stock that is doing good.

Nordstrom does OK since it’s clientele tend to be recession proof,

Amazon.com will likely continue to perform well as the economy improves and Wal-Mart will trudge along,,

True Religion and Abercrombie & Fitch will likely to do better when the young crowd start buying stuff again,

Other than getting lucky retail stocks are pretty much a pick-em’ ,,,

Many banks let you pay your bills by check from their website at no charge. Many give you the option to use Quicken or Money to pay the bills, still using them to send checks for you, but initiating payment from your software vs from the bank’s website. Most banks charge for this type of bill payment, but it is undeniably more convenient. We had one bank which allowed us to use Quicken initiated payments at no charge, but I don’t know if this is still available anywhere. Whichever you use, once you pay your bills electronically, you’ll never go back.

I’m just your average joe middle class income. I need some software that tells me what to invest in, how much to invest and checks to make sure my financial house is in order. Any recommendations?

I don’t believe you’ll find software that gives you investment advice, if you want to track your finances you can buy quicken or microsoft money, or use the free site for Mint:
http://www.mint.com/

You need to do your own research to determine your risk tolerance, etc, and at least list a set of savings goals you have. Whether it’s short term savings, retirement, etc.

I am going to be teaching a class of high school students how to put together a personal budget. I am needing any kind of information that would help me be able to teach it to them. I’m going to do this over 2 class periods (1.5 hours each).

Will it be a weekly/monthly/annual budget? Pick 5-7 main categories that high school students might spend their money on or save for, such as vehicle gas and maintenance, clothing, movies, food, college, personal electronics, etc. Have them realistically estimate how much they spend on each given category in a week/month, then extrapolate how much they end up spending over a given month/year. Now, how much income does each student have, and how often. Have them extrapolate over the same time period as before.

If they are spending more than making, then they are "in the red" and will be in danger later of going bankrupt. If they are spending as much as they are making, then they are not saving for a future. If they are spending less than they are making, then they are "in the black" and should be making that extra money "work" for them. Sudden raises, birthday/holiday money, new jobs, etc. should not be taken into account as they are not stable.

You can even play a budgeting game, where you choose a fixed income, some mandatory (need) expenses, and some nonessential (want) expenses. Set certain guidelines for each expense, and see which student can budget the best without going "in the red" more than a certain number of times or at all.

Two softwares have caught my eye. This amazing looking software called YNAB http://www.youneedabudget.com/
and the second one is microsoft money.

Anyhow I want to know the difference the between the two and which one I should get. Any of you had any experiences with it?
Btw I have used neither. Also I’m a 21 college student who used to use Excel for budgeting but didn’t find it much helpful. I need something that will help me get on track and stop over spending!

Try Quicken by Intuit

How do I find someone to talk to in person about learning to manage my money better? I’ve seen a few investment offices around where I live, but I don’t know if I can call those people about basic money-management techniques. I’d like to talk to someone in-person instead of on-line or over the phone.

That’s a great question. There are a number of different types of people.

Accountants are great, especially for business related issues. Keep in mind that their fees are fairly high, so your chat will be expensive. Investment advisers are also good, but they’re going to want you to open an account.

Do you have any friends who are good with money? That’s obviously the best resource because it’s free and comfortable. A word of caution: don’t take every piece of investment advice your friends tell you, use your own judgment and always get a second opinion.

Some other good options are:
1) Continuing ed classes run by your town or county, often there are basic money management classes that will have teachers you can talk to.
2) Know any teachers or professors in business disciplines? Always a good option.
3) If your questions are tax related, you may find help at HR Block.

Good luck!

Florida law requires that the state and local budgets shall be balanced. True or false?

Most likely true. It’s the only way to run the "business" of the government.

I have a really big exam coming up and I need to know the problems associated with credit card use and the importance of budgeting?? Can anyone help me plz?

I only Buy stuff if i have the money for it .& pay with in the grace period

i have a 900$ unsecured Credit line @ 0.00% (0.00% only if paid with in the grace period of 25 days ) other wise it’s 19.95%

(i am new to credit(First Credit card) that is why it’s very low and high APR)

I may be moving 1500 miles away, I have a house that is mortgaged and don’t want to sell it. I will need to figure out a budget. I’m looking for an online budget planner/calculator based on my income/# of people in household/where I will be living. I’m not entirely sure I can afford to move without selling my house and I have to make a decision within a few days. Please help!

You should be able to make a fairly simple budget yourself. Here’s what I do (I use Excel on my computer, but if you have Quickbooks or Quicken there’s usually a budget feature)

Income (Do you have a job lined up already? Do you know what your pay will be? Use your take home pay for these calculations)
Less expenses:
Fixed expenses
– Current mortgage $XXXX
– Current home owner’s insurance $XXXX (if it’s not included in your mortgage)
– Current association fees: $XXXX (if you pay those)
– Current land taxes: $XXXX (if it’s not included in your current mortgage)
– Car loan: $XXXX (if you have a loan, does your lender allow the vehicle to be moved that far away permanently?)
– Car insurance: $XXXX (this may change when you move, contact your insurance agent)
– Other loans: $XXXX (student, personal, etc. if you have them)
– Credit card debt: $XXXX
– Rent at new location: $XXXX
– Savings (whatever you’re saving now, increase it if you can)
Unknown expenses:
– Utilities at new location: $XXXX (check the utility company websites for your new location. They may have an estimate calculator)
– Moving costs: $XXXX
Variable expenses
– Groceries: $XXXX (you could probably use the amount you’re currently spending, maybe add $50-100 if the new location is expensive)
– Gas/transportation: $XXXX (that one’s harder to estimate, but it should be fairly close to what you’re spending now. If you’re going to use public transportation, there should be a website that lists fares)
– Misc: $XXXX (Not knowing where you’re moving from or to, this one’s hard to guess. Make this a fairly large number as a fallback in case of emergency)

Those are the big ones that I can think of. If you usually use a budget, this shouldn’t be too hard. If you’re not, it’s a great tool to keep yourself financially healthy. What it comes down to is what do you bring home compared to what do you spend?

Make use of websites. Many states have a section of their website for folks who are moving there. There will usually be links or contact info for utilities, public transportation, possibly housing and school info, things like that. You might also try the state or city’s visitor bureau for information.

I’m looking for a great personal finance site to help me figure out where my little amount of cash is disappearing to.

OK, my first stop would be google.

Next, I would get myself educated about budgeting here:
http://www.freebudgetkit.com/

Then I would get smarter about investing here:
https://personal.vanguard.com/us/planningeducation/general

As to figuring out where your little cash goes to, only you can do that.
Every time you spend a penny, write it down. Write down when, where, and what you spent your money on. At the end of the month, tally it up into several categories. (Be as specific or broad as you want, fast food could fall to dining out and entertainment, or could be listed separately, your call)

At the end of the month, I will bet you will be very surprised to find out exactly how much of your take home pay you spend on unnecessary stuff in the $2 – $10 range.

I did this several years ago, and discovered that I was spending over $200 a month on coffee, bottled water, and snacks. Never realized that the $1.75 a day on a Starbucks would add up quite that severly.