Budget - Financial IQ by Susie Q

A plan showing targets for income and expenses over a fixed time period, such as a month or a year.

Investing in Bonds March 19, 2019

Bonds are a common investment for people targeting a low-risk investment portfolio. One of the pieces of advice I gave my kids (see others in this post) is to never buy anything you don’t understand. In this post, I’ll tell you what you need to know so you can decide whether investing in bonds is appropriate […]

Susie Q

How to Budget Step 9 – Monitoring your Budget March 14, 2019

You may have thought you were done when you created and balanced your budget. However, there is one very important step left in the budgeting process – making sure you are living within the guidelines set by your budget, i.e., monitoring your budget. That is, are you earning as much income as you planned? Are […]

Susie Q

Traditional vs Roth Retirement Plans March 12, 2019

The difference between Roth vs Traditional plans for retirement is primarily about tax rates. Other differences relate to when you can or must withdraw your savings. With one exception, the same withdrawal rules apply to both 401(k)s and Individual Retirement Accounts (IRAs), so I’ll refer to both 401(k)s and IRAs collectively as Roth and Traditional plans. […]

Susie Q

How to Budget Step 8 – Refining your Budget March 7, 2019

Very few people have a balanced budget on the first try. This week, I’ll talk about how to refine your preliminary budget if it isn’t in balance. I have been very fortunate in that it has been a long time since I found it challenging to meet my financial goals. Also, I don’t know the […]

Susie Q

Social Security: How Much Will I Get in Retirement March 5, 2019

Social Security is a key pillar in most American’s retirement plans, especially those approaching retirement. Many younger workers, though, have serious concerns about whether they will receive any benefits at all. Even at current levels, Social Security benefits are not enough to support most people. Understanding what impacts your Social Security benefits and how much […]

Susie Q