Dangers of Automatic Bill Payments On Your Finances
We are all busy these days. There are new emails waiting to be checked, Netflix shows to binge watch, Instagram updates from friends of what they had for lunch, or The Donald’s latest tweets to read. With so many things vying for our attention, automatic bill payments can be really appealing. You spend five minutes setting it up, and you never have to see or manually pay another bill again!
With automatic bill pay, you can set up auto payment plans for all your bills. Your utilities, mortgage, phone, internet, cable, auto, or any other regular payments can be automatically deducted from your bank account at your scheduled date, freeing you from missed payments and late fees. But is it a smart idea?
There are many banks, brokerages, credit unions, and insurance companies that are offering HSA accounts these days because 97% of HSA accounts are in cash. All this money sitting in accounts are allowing these companies to make loans with that money to earn more money while only giving you a fraction of interest back in return. With interest rates being so low, those who keep their HSA funds in savings accounts are actually losing money to inflation as health care costs continue to increase each year. This is why it is better to find a provider that lets you invest your HSA savings.
For most people, unless you live in a city with great public transportation or within walking or biking distance to work, you will probably need a car to get you where you need to go.
As open enrollment for the Affordable Care Act begins this month, whether you get your insurance from the Health Insurance Marketplace or through your employer, now is a good time to consider your health insurance options for next year if you haven’t already. You may have seen plans that are listed as HSA-eligible. What many people don’t realize is that HSAs are one of the best ways to save for retirement.
The National Park Service has announced a proposal that could more than double the entrance fees at 17 of the most popular national parks to generate badly needed revenue for infrastructure improvements.
Costco members join the warehouse club for a variety of reasons. For $60 a year, you get access to great deals on electronics, clothing, food, alcohol, office supplies, tires, hearing aids, and so many free samples you can skip dinner later. What if you have no need or the space for an entire year’s worth of toilet paper? Is it worth the membership fee to join Costco only to save on gas and never even step foot inside the warehouse?
If you are a cable internet service subscriber, do you rent or own your cable modem? If you are renting your modem, you could easily save up to $120 a year by purchasing your own modem.
Water used to be free. Actually, it still is. I remember when I first saw bottled water for sale. It seemed like the most inane thing ever. Why would anyone actually pay money for water when it could be found for free at home or at water fountains? When I was in grade school, we would all line up at the water fountain after coming back inside from running around during recess. I’m pretty sure we all turned out (mostly) ok. Little will I know, by 2016 the U.S. bottled water industry will sell $16 billion in water and bottled water will become the most popular bottled beverage.
One of my favorite sites and apps for saving money, GasBuddy, has announced their new payment option Pay with GasBuddy to help drivers save money every time they fill up their tank.
In today’s busy world where we want our email, media, and social networks to be accessible anytime and anywhere, our mobile phones are considered indispensable. If you go to any airport or conference, you will see dozens of people huddled around outlets trying to get a few more minutes of precious battery life.