Top Financial Advice to Help You After Graduation

Being a graduate may seem all rosy on the surface; however, it is certainly just the beginning of a rat race wherein you need to struggle for a good couple of years to prove your mettle. Needless to say, your first task is to get yourself a decent first job. This, in itself, is a challenging feat with thousands of other graduates vying for a spot that only can enjoy. However, at a certain point, after acquiring your very first job, you may have to pay careful attention to your finances for several reasons. Although the sound of being independent may seem like music to the ears, you need to realize that there is immense responsibility on your shoulders as well. To make sure that you make the best of your financial resources from your first job after graduation, this compilation of financial tips will help you in the process.

1.) Ensure that you save more and spend less:

This is the most important rule that every recent college graduate must swear by. Although you have landed your first job after graduation, your career can take a turn for the worse if you do not handle it with care. The first step to ensure this is by saving all the money you earn instead of splurging it on things that you do not require. Although you have finished your graduation, you must continue living like a student by being far more frugal than you may want to. By doing this, you stabilize your career for the near future. Essentially, you must save a lot more than you actually spend. Besides, you must make sure that you spend only for what is an absolute necessity. The rest of your money should be transferred to a savings account. You will be surprised at the interest you will receive in the coming years. it is an excellent way to add value to your savings.

2.) Avoid using a credit card; save up for emergencies instead:

A credit card may seem like the only means of salvation but you must realize that it can cause more harm than good. While it can take care of an emergency situation, it can lead to horrid financial troubles later in life. Therefore, it is best that you do not resort to this means for providing for an emergency fresh after your graduation. Instead, you could save up a small amount every month to build up an emergency fund that can be used if you meet with emergency situations like an accident.

3.) You should be prompt in the payment of your student loan:

It goes without saying that paying for college can be a daunting task and therefore, most of the students prefer to opt for a student loan to get them through graduation. Some students prefer waiting it out before repaying their loans. However, you must refrain from doing so. Being prompt is the key and therefore, you must ensure that you start paying off your student loan immediately to avoid being hit by interest rates that will cause your overall balance payments to rise. You must meticulously plan out the time that you will require to pay off your debts in order to be on the safer side.

4.) Take advantage of your employee benefits:

If you are an employee of a reputable firm, you will avail of impressive employee benefits that will help you save an enormous amount. This is particularly helpful for you since you have only just recently graduated and are not completely equipped to handle every financial situation well. Therefore, employee benefits like health insurance, life insurance and other such benefits can help you immensely when you are just starting out.

Author’s bio:Patricia Wilkinson is an employee with a well known firm. She graduated 3 years ago and has a professional degree in finance with the help of graduate schemes. Besides, she is also a blogger of http://www.graddiary.com/ and loves to eat. She also loves reading extensively on finance and always stocks up on the latest financial journals and magazines.

Unsustainable Cost of Cancer Drugs

This year, the US Food and Drug Administration has approved several cancer treatment drugs such as Afatinib, Denosumab, Trametinib, Dabrafenib and Lenalidomide capsules among many others. This may be a breakthrough development in the field of medicine, considering the fact that more and more drugs each day are being developed in order to treat cancer. 
Unfortunately, all things come with a price. And when it comes to Cancer drugs, nothing comes cheap.

Why Cancer Drugs are so expensive

The high cost of cancer drugs is among the major issues in the healthcare industry. However, there are several factors related to the development of a single drug which makes it expensive. 

• The cost developing the drug itself, from preclinical research to generation of data and testing, is very high.
• Since most cancers are incurable, each patient is treated with an approved agent either sequentially or in combination, thereby creating a virtual monopoly.
• Because of the development of new drugs, the ‘older’ drugs are viewed as a substandard treatment.
• The very nature of cancer makes patients and physicians more willing to pay the price of treatment.
• There is an incentive or reimbursement when chemotherapy and more expensive drugs are resorted to even if there are cheaper alternatives available.
• Certain agencies are prevented from taking economic and cost-effective considerations when approving new cancer drugs. 

Cancer medication and expenses

Cancer drugs can hurt a lot of people’s pockets. A treatment for Kidney cancer called Afinitor cost $3,995.00 – and that’s just one drug! According to a paper signed by 120 leukemia experts from all over the world, there has been a dramatic increase in the price of cancer medications. In Sweden alone, drug therapy is supplied to patients at no cost resulting to 80% survival rate in 10 years. This is opposed to the United States or any other countries where patients will shoulder the expenses. 

Because of the costs involved, around 10% of the patients fail to take their prescribed drugs simply because they cannot afford it. As a result, their chances of survival are greatly reduced.

What can we do about it?

There are many ways that can help alleviate this situation. It is important to maintain a balance between autonomy on physicians prescribing a treatment and costs incurred by the society. This can be done by improving national guidelines that allows both patients and physicians to choose the most cost-effective methods available to them. By providing transparency on the cost-effective options available, people can make better treatment decisions.

Also, price regulation is necessary. In terms of funding the development of a new drug, a lot of money is also spent on marketing the product. Why should the public shoulder these costs when it won’t benefit them at all?

Another solution would be the creation of nonprofit generic companies. As long as companies for profit exist, expect cancer drugs to be at a higher cost. By having philanthropic foundations fund the manufacture and distribution of life-saving drugs, expenses for medications will be greatly reduced. At the end of the day, harmonizing health care affordability and profits will provide greater benefits in the long run.

How Using a Water Ionizer Can Save You Money

We all know how healthy water is for our bodies and many are turning to bottled water rather than tap water. There are many reasons for this including the chemicals that are typically added to traditional tap water. The problem is that bottled water is expensive no matter where you buy it. Purchasing a water ionizer may seem expensive but the overall savings are amazing. If you are wondering how a water ionizer will save you money, look no further.

Medical Bills

Ionized water has been proven to decrease the levels of cancer causing free radicals in our body. Free radicals are found in our bodies and in our environment. Simply breathing in air can increase your chance of being diagnosed with cancer. By drinking ionized water, you can help flush the free radicals from your body in a natural and simple way. In addition to neutralizing free radicals, you can also increase weight loss due to the antioxidant properties of ionized water that help to remove the toxins from your body. 

Bottled Water

Many people find bottled water to be more convenient as well as healthier than their traditional tap water. The problem with bottled water is that it is expensive to purchase in the quantity you are supposed to consume daily. Most people consume over three bottles of water each day, which is ninety bottles per month. If you buy your water by the case, you may spend over sixteen dollars per case, which typically will last one person a month or less. By purchasing a water ionizer from bawellwaterionizers.com you can save hundreds of dollars a year. 

Recycling Costs

If you are environmentally conscious or live in an area that requires you to recycle, you may spend hundreds of dollars on recycling your water bottles. With a water ionizer, you can purchase a reusable bottle and fill it with water from your ionizer. This will cut the amount of plastic bottles you will be paying to recycle each month. If you choose not to recycle as a way to save money, the damage plastic bottles will do to the environment is tremendous. 

Look Younger

More people are turning to cosmetics and surgery to look younger. By simply drinking ionized water, you can look younger without expensive beauty products or surgery. Ionized water with its antioxidant properties can help rebuild skin cells and increase the elasticity of your skin. Wrinkle creams, facelifts and tummy tucks will be a thing of the past once you see the benefits of ionized water. Get the same younger look at a fraction of the cost with no surgery required. 

Filter Replacement

Standard water filters require you to change the filter approximately once a month. In addition to that, most water filters only last a year or two before you need to replace them. A water ionizer is built to last ten to fifteen years with the filter only being changed twice per year. Although the filters tend to cost more than a regular filter, you will save money throughout the year by replacing it less frequently.

How an Inheritance Funding Advance Could Help Your Family

Are you expecting an inheritance that you may not immediately receive? If you need to pay for expenses while the paperwork moves through the courts, there is a reliable solution. Although many inheritances are resolved quickly, inconsistencies in the will could mean you are waiting months before the funds are available. 

While you wait for a judge’s ruling, bills pile up and cause their own set of issues. On the other hand, an inheritance funding advance is easy to obtain, and it provides you with upfront cash to help you pay for what you need. 

Why Do You Need an Inheritance Advance? 

Losing a loved one is never easy, but when they leave behind dependents, being unable to access the money they left behind can create hardships. This is especially true if the inheritance will be used to pay for an elderly relative, children or a relative living with disabilities. However, there are several reasons why an inheritance can be delayed. In some cases, this delay can last for several years. 

Why is My Inheritance Delayed? 

When a person dies, the courts can become involved for several reasons including wrongful death or inconsistencies around the cause of death. In some cases, it can take coroners several months to determine why a person has died. 

This means that the death certificate is on hold, and this delays dispersal of any inheritance monies. Nevertheless, the primary issue that can delay an inheritance includes probate court and inconsistencies in the will. In some states, probate court is called surrogate or orphan’s court. 

Can I Get an Inheritance Loan for an Intestate Death? 

When someone dies, the estate that they leave behind is dictated by the last will and testimony. In this case, this is referred to as a testate. Sadly, when a person dies and does not leave a will behind, this is termed as an intestate death and all property falls into the courts’ hands. In these cases, an inheritance loan can still be obtained upon review by a lending agency. 

How Do Inheritance Advances Work? 

When you apply for an advance on an inheritance, the paperwork is carefully reviewed by loan officers. Although you may not understand the legalese of the process, the trained professionals involved will help you determine why you are accepted or denied. Once the application is approved, the next step is dispersal of the loan. 

Typically, a bank will give a loan and charge an interest rate along with a monthly repayment plan. On the other hand, when you use an inheritance loan service, they typically charge a fixed rate. This means that you will get your estimated inheritance advance in a lump sum minus the fees of the loan agency. When the inheritance is finally approved by the courts, the loan advance company will collect what is owed to them. 

What If I Do Not Get My Inheritance? 

In rare cases, the people due for an inheritance are denied their benefits from the courts. This action can be appealed, but it certainly makes everyone nervous. If this occurs, the proper course of action is to repay the loan as if it were distributed by the bank. 

Regardless, most people do not need to worry about this unique mishap. Instead, many satisfied customers will tell you that getting an inheritance advance beats paying late fees and discontinuation fees from overdue bills. For all of these reasons, when you need an advance on your inheritance, do not hesitate to utilize a company like Inheritance Cash Advance to call on the advice of professionals.

How Having A Good Credit Score Can Help You With Retirement

One of the most important factors of overall financial health is having a good credit score. While most people are fully aware how important it is during their working years, many do not realize how important it is after they retire. There are five important reasons why your credit score will continue to be important, even after you have retired.

Mortgage Refinance

One of the most significant reasons to keep your credit score high is so you have the opportunity to refinance your mortgage in the future. As mortgage interest rates move up and down, there could come a time when you will want to refinance your mortgage to take advantage of lower rates. If you do not have a good score, you will likely not qualify for the lowest possible rates.

Co-Signor

Many retired individuals would be great options to co-sign mortgages, auto loans, and student loans for their children and grandchildren. Regardless of the assets that you have accumulated, or the defined income that you have from social security or pensions, you will not be able to co-sign a loan if you have a poor credit score.

Insurance

During retirement, you will have to continue to maintain auto insurance, homeowners insurance, and maybe even life insurance policies. Insurance companies are continuing to place more of an emphasis on credit scores when determining insurance premiums. Because of this, you could end up spending hundreds of dollars more on insurance over the course of a year.

Senior Living

Another important way that your credit score could be important is if you choose to move into a senior living facility. Many of these facilities confirm credit scores to ensure that you will be reliable to pay rent each month. If you have a poor credit score, you may be denied admissions or will have to pay a higher entrance fee deposit.

Other Debt

During retirement, you may still want to take out some debt to make larger purchases. With a good credit score you will qualify for the lowest rates on auto loans, personal loans, and credit cards. With a low score, you will likely pay much more in interest.

In conclusion, having a good credit score even when you are in retirement will continue to be important. For those that have poor credit scores, it can still be improved through the help of a credit repair service. For more information on the benefits, you should read more testimonials from Lexington Law, which are written by actual clients that have benefits from a credit repair service.

The Four (or Five) Most Powerful Retirement Investment Weapons in Any Retiree’s Arsenal

If I had a dollar for every word I’d ever read in internet articles on retirement saving and investment that failed to provide some of the best advice on the subject, I probably wouldn't have time to write this, what with all the yacht trips and jet setting I’d be busy with. Not that I’m not as big a proponent of traditional investment strategies as anyone in the financial industry. In that respect, and all others, I’m a proponent of playing to your strengths. 

For instance, one of my pet specialties is Qualified Recognised Overseas Pension Schemes or iExpats for British pensioners. Although the details are a little convoluted (and boring) for our purposes here, it’s a tax-saving system and perfect example of taking advantage of a niche financial opportunity. Like lower income savers taking advantage of the “Saver’s Credit” tax reward or looking into any of the preferential financial options available for veterans. 

So what is this sage advice that’s so conspicuously lacking from all those articles? Well, it involves the four (or five) most powerful tools in the retiree’s toolbox (a lot of metaphors happening here): Age, Experience, Time and Wisdom. And hopefully, Passion. Those tools can be employed to build a retirement investment-business that’s not only lucrative but can prove to be a blast as well. Here, at least, is a description of those tools. It’s on your to pick them up. 

Passion. This is the biggie and the crux of the whole system but paradoxically it’s not necessarily entirely essential for success. What I mean is: following a passion into a practical business endeavor is a great foundation for success. If you’ve been fascinated by and involved in, say, antiques, if you decide to start a business dealing said antiquities you’re guaranteed to have more than just a clinical, financial motivation in that business. 

The same goes for any other hobby that can turn into money- collecting coins; classic cars; comic books; firearms and/or other weapons; becoming a fishing or hunting guide; selling produce, preserves, starts or expertise from the time you’ve spent in your award-winning garden; mending or making clothes, or following your eye for fashion and tailoring to the local thrift stores to resell your finds online, whatever. Nothing motivates profit like passion. However, even a keen interest and a level head can succeed where real passion lacks. In the case of a business in which you might be tempted to acquire something or make a decision that’s not entirely economically viable in response to that passion, being dispassionate can even be a benefit. 

Age. Age may seem to be interchangeable with “Experience” and/or “Wisdom” but that’s not strictly the case. One of the benefits of Age beyond the accumulation of Wisdom and Experience, is potential customers assumptions that you’ve accumulated those attributes. Which guide is the average person going to assume knows the local lakes and streams like the back of their hand after years of fishing them- an old-timer or some young whipper-snapper? Who are they going to assign years of worldly knowledge and expertise to? Those presumptions can be used in your favor. 

Experience. This one’s pretty self-explanatory. With Experience (hopefully) comes expertise. Years of indulging your hobby has given you a level of expertise or at knowledge on the subject. Sometimes your pre-retirement job comes in handy as well. Working in contracting, construction, inspection, maybe working for the city or one of the utilities, real estate and a number of other areas may have given you the tools to make good money flipping or renting houses. Maybe you hadn’t previously considered turning your ability to often spot a solid or compromised foundation by eyeballing it into a cash-generation engine. 

Wisdom. Wisdom differs from experience here in a sort of abstract way. It’s like intuitive Experience. Wisdom is what warns you that a deal seems shady; a renter seems untrustworthy; a neighborhood seems set for revitalization; a buy is a steal or a bust; where the trout, bass, buck or birds will be, etc. Hopefully, of course, that wisdom also tells you when your distrust of a renter is based on an old prejudice or snap judgment, when you are just telling yourself that a buy seems like a steal because you want whatever’s being sold and so forth. 

Time. It seems like one of those cruel ironies that after years of working and (hopefully, again) stuffing that 401(k), you’re finally able to quit work, kick back, relax and… become bored. Now that can be put toward your passion, or at least interest, keeping you busy with something fun and getting you paid for it! Nowadays, starting a business often doesn’t even require the investment, time, headache and risk of establishing a brick and mortar space for your endeavor- it can be as easy as setting up a website or logging in to eBay. That saves you more time for your work; if it can be called that. Do you ever regret not following a passion down a career path before you retired? Well, why not give it a shot afterward! 

Mario Vitanelli is a freelance writer and blogger who specializes in international politics and finance, retirement and investment. His areas of expertise include European economic policy and expat pension. When away from his keyboard, he enjoys photography and appreciates the rest of the Vitanelli family’s endless patience with his football dependence.