Marriage and Careers in a Bad Economy – September in Review

September started off kind of slow but ended up a crazy month!  Let’s hope we don’t see many more months like it in the future.  Here’s a recap of the roller coaster ride of September here at Money Smart Life.

Money and Marriage

As the summer came to end we included some of the lessons learned from summer weddings in our marriage and money series.  Connie took a look at ways to save money on wedding dress, wedding pictures, and wedding receptions.  Erik covered paying down debt in marriage, buying life insurance for married couples, joint checking accounts for couples, and budgeting for newlyweds.

Career Tips

I was pretty busy looking for a better job, choosing the best job for me despite a lower salary, working hard during my last two weeks to get everything done, and learning from my co-workers.

Taking a new job is a major life change that involves a lot of financial decisions so we took a look at career finances.  We started off by covering relocation expenses and also included other job change expenses.  One of the major concerns when working for a new employer are the benefits that they offer so Erik talked about disability insurance, employer health insurance coverage, and health insurance plans.

We also covered rolling over your 401k and a question about company stock.  Another thing that comes to mind when starting a new job or career is how stable the work is so we answered some frequently asked questions about federal unemployment assistance.  One option people have if they lose their job is to work for themselves, Connie wrote about working from home and home based businesses for busy parents.

Troubled Economy

Of course the big news last month was the horrible performance of the financial markets and the credit crunch that captured the attention of the country and hi-jacked the presidentail election. I didn’t want to dwell on the crazy financial tornado because I’m sure you’re probably tired of being bombarded with it’s news on TV and radio the events are so monumental they can’t be ignored.

I started off by addressing the Lehman Brothers bankruptcy and Merril Lynch buyout which we all hoped was enough financial failure for one month.  As the cycle of bank failures continued I took a look at consumer’s reaction to the AIG bailout and stock market drop.  As the financial mood worsened I shared my thoughts on the Wall Street bailout and what I was doing about it in my personal life.

As banks failed left and right I did a survey of the online saving accounts that are FDIC insured and ran across FNBO Direct as I looked for stable banks.  It turns out that FNBO Direct looks to be a great place to put your money, the online savings account is not only financially secure but also offers one of the best interest rates around.  I actually just signed up for an FNBO Direct account two days ago and I’ll write more about that next week.

Although the federal bailout bill was passed by Congress at the end of last week, no one really knows what the immediate future holds for the economy so I covered money tips for a bad economy.

Deals and Reviews

Despite the financial turmoil and starting a new job I was able to launch a new money saving deals section of the site where I highlight ways you can save money or make some extra money.

In terms of reviews, I took a look at how you can get a free credit report by using your American Express Blue Cash card.  I’m also considering applying for the Blue Sky from American Express card to pay for my business travels.

Ben Edwards, the founder of Money Smart Life, saved up enough to buy a Nintendo back when he was 12 years old. When he used the money to buy shares of Wal-Mart stock instead, he knew he wasn't like the other kids... His addiction to personal finance has paid off for his family and now he's helping you to afford the life that you want. Check him out on the web at Google Plus, Twitter and Facebook.

All posts by Ben Edwards