Do you save enough for retirement? Will the savings good enough to help you maintain your current lifestyle? Will you be able to take a vacation now and then and not worry about spending on the trip? More importantly, do these questions bother you from time to time? If the answer is yes, then you have come to the right place to find out exactly how you can make the most of some of the best retirement savings plans available in the market. You must understand that it is not merely enough to stash cash away in a safe deposit box hoping it will be sufficient for the future. Most people are falsely comforted by the fact that they will get a pension to tide them over during retirement. However, the Government Accountability Office estimates that over 29% of the population above the age of 55 don’t get a pension and also don’t have a backup retirement plan in place. Retirement planning is a combination of saving and investing. The more you save, the better will be your total investment. The better you invest, the higher will be your return on income. The cycle of saving, investing, and reinvesting is a continuous process and need not necessarily stop even after retirement.

Paying credit card interest on a huge amount of debt is the last thing you want to deal with at the end of the month. Although credit cards allow you to buy products and pay for services at a future date, the privilege does not come cheap. Often, it happens that you might get carried away and shop for more than what you can afford, ending up in a huge debt trap. The debt has to be paid back within a stipulated time with interest. Failure to do so will affect your credit score and rating that will further affect your ability to borrow funds. A balance transfer is the only option at such a stage. You can convert your debt from a high-interest credit card to one that has no or minimum interest allowing you both time and opportunity to pay off debts at a future date. Three key benefits of a balance transfer include a lower rate of interest, better credit terms, and efficient debt consolidation in the short term. However, you must also take into account the downside of a balance transfer as the temptation to consolidate debt time and time will spiral you into financial turmoil in future.

With the usage and demand for credit cards evolving in the country, there is a fine line of difference between regular debit or credit cards and corporate prepaid cards, which specially cater to business owners. It has proven to be a great way to foster greater entrepreneurship initiatives since smaller businesses have lesser credit to start off work in the initial years. There are many more advantages such as regulating the expenses between a team or group of employees and keeping a track of it. The owner may load it with any amount of money he or she wishes to. They may also save money since prepaid cards have proven to be much cheaper than transactions in cheque or traditional cash. Here are the top two prepaid business credit cards: Netspend The Netspend Small Business Prepaid Mastercard® offers a variety of options to business owners on their corporate prepaid card such as having as many as 10 subaccounts after verifying their ID and being able to have a maximum balance of $25,000. Employees may spend up to $5,000 a day. This prepaid business credit card may be issued within 7-10 days of application and no annual fees are charged for the same.

A business credit card is a card which can be used for fulfilling the financial requirements of your business as opposed to personal use. Banks and credit card providers have various options for businesses of all sizes. Read on to know more about the top business credit cards of this year. The best business credit cards are as follows: CitiBusiness ® /AAdvantage ® Platinum Select ® World Mastercard The annual fee for this card is $99, which is waived off for the first year if the eligibility criteria are met. The APR on this card varies from 17.49% to 25.49%. The rate is dependent upon your creditworthiness. It is one of the best business credit cards and has a great offer of 70,000 miles of travel if you spend $4,000 in the first four months of getting the card. Bank of America ® Business Advantage Travel Rewards World Mastercard ® credit card It is one of the best business credit cards for businesses wherein there is a lot of travel involved. It comes with an offer of 0% APR for the first nine billing cycles, and after that, the rate of APR increases to a reasonable varying rate between 12.99% and 22.99%.

Technology has made it possible for investors to use online calculators to determine the amount of investment needed for specific returns at the end of a particular period of time. The calculator is easy to use and offers an estimate with only a few inputs required on your part. What is an immediate annuity? An immediate annuity may be purchased when you make a lump sum payment. The annuity starts a month after you make the lump sum payment. They are basically contracts that help you save and then generate income out of the savings. The amount you save and invest will determine the amount of annuity you receive. If you wish to receive a larger amount in the form of an annuity, you will have to invest a larger sum for it. How does it work? An annuity is a payment you receive for the rest of your life. You may choose to set it up for a specific number of years and your beneficiaries then receive the same if you do not survive the years. In other words, it is like setting up a single lifetime income that you receive from the amount you invest. You need to determine the amount you wish to receive every month, quarter, or year, and make an investment accordingly.

The standard of living has improved dramatically, and what was once deemed unattainable is within our arm’s length now. Call it evolution or simply an increase in the purchasing power that is conferred on us, we can actually buy that house we always wanted or the car that we spent crushing on in our teenage years, provided we have a decent credit score. When we hear the word “credit”, the image of a shiny card conjures in our minds, and this glossy, powerful credit card has the ability to help us buy whatever we have set our hearts on (reasonable things). Credit cards have revolutionized the world, and it’s not a hyperbole. In addition to allowing the users to reap the benefits the particular credit card offers, it also allows you to create the perfect credit score by paying all the credit bills on time, and this exemplary credit score will go a long way in helping you in your future (buying) endeavors. Another important factor that has heightened our preference for the credit card are the amazing offers that accompany it. Often, people usually sign-up for a credit card to revel in the benefits it offers, and this is one of the major incentives that dominate an individual’s desire to sign-up for credit cards.

Money market mutual funds are a viable option if you want to invest extra cash in a relatively safe, low-risk deposit with liquidity. Through money market funds, your money is invested in high-quality debt for the short term. So, your money is comparatively safer than in mutual funds.  The best money market funds today offer decent expense ratios, a fair yield and are low risk as they invest in government-backed securities. Here are five such funds for you.  Invesco Premier Portfolio Fund (IMRXX) With a minimum buy-in of just USD 1000, the IMRXX is an accessible fund for many investors. It primarily invests in short-term instruments issued by banks and other financial corporations with top credit ratings. It also partly invests in U.S. government-issued debt securities.  Fidelity Money Market Fund (SPRXX) If you are a regular investor looking for a fund that has low to zero minimum investment, then the Fidelity Money Market Fund is for you. The fund has a varied portfolio, with a quarter of its assets invested in financial services companies’ instruments. It also invests in domestic and foreign-issued money-market securities, governmental securities, and repurchase agreements.   Vanguard Federal Money Market Fund (VMFXX) Launched in 1981, the Vanguard Federal Money Market Fund (VMFXX) is a conservative government money market fund that aims for the preservation of capital and earning of current income.

The market is filled with a plethora of credit card companies waiting to sell their product. They all provide prospective customers with the same kind of deals with respect to reward points and how it may be encashed. Prospective cardholders have options ranging from travel miles, gift cards, cash back on online portals, or maybe an extra percent of reward points on all purchases, where credit card companies provide reward points. Hence, make sure you compare credit cards as well as their reward programs before applying for the same. But considering the diverse choices that are available, how should you select one that is right for you? Perhaps, the below-mentioned tips will make it easier for you to compare a credit cards rewards program. Analyze your spending pattern The first step towards purchasing a credit card is to learn and evaluate your own spending pattern. This enables you to chart out where you may be using the credit card. This is because a person’s expenditure showcases where he/she has spent maximum money in a month. It could be for shopping, gas, or travel. Evaluate the types of rewards and calculate cash backs Once you are clear on what kind of expenses you have, browse and compare credit cards rewards programs that provide you with discounts or cash back on those specific requirements.

The full retirement age is the age when an individual becomes entitled to receive unreduced retirement benefits. It is also known as ‘normal retirement age’. No matter what the retirement age is, you can start receiving retirement benefits from the early age of 62, or even as late as 70. Ithe n case of early retirement It is possible for you to retire between age 62 and the full retirement age. If the benefits have started early, they will be decreased by a margin of a percent for every month before your full retirement age. To understand how it works, you need to take a look at the full retirement age chart. The chart shows the reduction amount assuming the monthly benefit of $1000 at full retirement age. Based on your year of birth, you can determine the benefit and the amount of reduction in case you retire between 62 and the full retirement age. You can use the full retirement age chart to make an informed decision. You need to consider the benefits that might be available to you if you retire at the age of 62 or later. Keeping the same in mind, you can make a decision on when you wish to stop working.

If you have an impeccable credit record, you can get your hands on some of the best credit cards that offer reward points for every transaction. That said, some of the popular value-for-money credit cards offer more than just reward points—think huge savings on shopping, dining, traveling, and much more. Here’s a list of our top five picks of the best reward points credit cards. Citi Custom Cash Card You can earn 5% cashback on purchases in the top eligible spend category, up to the first $500 each billing cycle, and 1% cashback thereafter with this credit card. You can earn unlimited 1% cashback in all the other categories. Another benefit of the Citi Custom Cash Card is that there is no annual fee, and you get an introductory 0% APR on balance transfers and purchases for 15 months. Chase Sapphire Preferred® credit card The Chase Sapphire Preferred® credit card is a perfect choice if you travel often. You can earn 2X points on travel, dining out, or takeout and one point per dollar spent on other purchases. Plus, you earn 100,000 points if you spend $4,000 in the first 3 months of account opening. And the points are worth 25% more if you redeem them for travel.

Shares that trade for less than $5 per unit (or even under 1$ in some markets) are generally referred to as penny stocks. These stocks are a popular trading option among investors. They are low-value stocks, typically shares of small companies. Penny stocks have a very low market capitalization and are usually listed on a smaller exchange. Here are insights on the top five penny stocks in the country: Sesen Bio Sesen Bio is a clinical biopharmaceutical healthcare firm that specializes in targeted fusion protein therapeutics for cancer treatment. This late-stage company aims to improve the life of cancer patients through its innovative approaches. The company’s top product is Vicineum—a targeted fusion protein designed as a bladder cancer treatment to overcome the disease. With its fusion protein treatment options, the company aims to find solutions to select and kill cancer cells while minimizing toxicity to healthy cells. Sesen Bio has a market capitalization of about $145 million. Its share prices usually trade for less than a dollar. Wrap Technolgies, Inc. Wrap Technologies is a public safety technology and service company and is a subsidiary of Megawest Energy Montana Corp. The company serves customers across various countries. Its robust products, including the handheld remote restraint system and the law enforcement training system, can help guards, police officers, and security officers in defending themselves and dealing with threats or individuals perceived to be dangerous without causing injury.