Articles by Oxygen Financial
You lost a piece of your luggage, and it could not be found. You not only lost your luggage, but two of your favorite shirts and your best cologne/perfume. What happened to all of your stuff?
It ends up in a warehouse called the Unclaimed Baggage Center in Scottsboro, Alabama. This original concept began in 1970 when founder Doyle Owens had an innovative idea, 300 dollars, and a used pick up truck. Today, the store offers a unique shopping experience and the opportunity to discover lost treasures from around the world! The store occupies over 40,000 square feet, and stocks over 7,000 items.
oXYGen Financial, the premier boutique financial services company for generation X and generation Y is now featured every Thursday morning at 8am on Atlanta’s Rock 100.5 The Regular Guys in a segment called “How NOT …
Windstorms, Hurricanes, and Tornadoes–Are You Covered?
Tornadoes, hurricanes, and other windstorms can cause lots of damage to your home and its contents. But will insurance cover your losses if one of these storms strikes your home? The answer is that it depends.
Understanding Long-Term Care Insurance-
It’s a fact: People today are living longer. Although that’s good news, the odds of requiring some sort of long-term care increase as you get older. And as the costs of home care, nursing homes, and assisted living escalate, you probably wonder how you’re ever going to be able to afford long-term care. One solution that is gaining in popularity is long-term care insurance (LTCI).
How to Save Money on Your Auto Insurance
You may have good reason to complain about the cost of your auto insurance, but have you tried to do anything about it? If you’re resourceful and willing to do a little homework, there may be plenty of ways to lower your premium. And we’re not necessarily talking chump change–a few simple steps can sometimes save you hundreds of dollars a year.
Financial Tips for Unmarried Couples
If you are in a long-term, committed relationship, you have many of the same financial concerns as married couples. However, you lack many of the legal protections and advantages that married couples enjoy. Here are some tips that can help you and your partner stay on the road to financial security.
If you’re already saving for college, you’ve probably heard about 529 plans. 529 plans are revolutionizing the way parents and grandparents save for college, similar to the way 401(k) plans revolutionized retirement savings. Americans are pouring billions of dollars into 529 plans, and contributions are expected to increase dramatically in the coming decade. Where did these plans come from, and what makes them so attractive?
Enjoy this weeks
How Not To Go Broke with Kile Lewis of oXYGen Financial – 09/17/09
In 2008, Sallie Mae reported that 84% of all students had a credit card. The average balance on these cards skyrocketed from $2,169 in 2004 to $3,173 in 2008 according to Sallie Mae. With so many credit card companies parking there tables on college campuses trying to sign kids up for credit cards it caused recent legislation to be enacted in May that will change the credit card game.
In October, the IRS will go about announcing how much you can put in your 401(k) for 2010. For 2009, the maximum contribution is $16,500 for people under 50 years old, and $22,000 for people who are over 50 years old. Generally, the calculation is based upon the 3rd quarter inflation rate vs. the inflation rate one year ago.
For many years, the rule of thumb for first time homebuyers was to put 20% down when you bought your first house. Over the past decade we saw that rule pretty much fade away. Attracted by no money down loans, it was easy to qualify to get into a home that was likely to be several hundred thousand more in value than you could probably afford.
But this is a dangerous time, experts say, because a trader’s inflated ego can get in the way of sound investing decisions. The thrill of buying a winning stock can keep them from selling that stock and locking in profits. “The human mentality is to want to have a winner,” says Todd Salamone, senior vice president of research for Schaeffer’s Investment Research. “It’s psychologically hard to admit you’re wrong.” Meanwhile volatility, after seemingly taking the summer off, has started to return to the stock market. The CBOE Volatility Index, known as the VIX and a commonly-used guage of the market’s volatility, was as low as 22 in mid-August, but popped up above 30 last week.
Health Savings Accounts (HSA’s) were approved by Congress in 2003—part of the largest expansion of government intervention in medicine in 40 years—and became law in January 2004. Almost six years later, most American still don’t understand their health insurance choices. You can’t overlook considering whether an HSA is right for your family. Remember that an HSA is a different plan than the Medical Savings Accounts (MSA’s) which were introduced in 1996.
With almost 1.5 million people nearing their end of the unemployment check, the big questions will be what happens next? If we are depending on the large corporations to create new jobs, then we will be waiting for a long time. Big companies have been spending the last year figuring out how to reduce costs in order to meet the expectations of their shareholders. After working 16 years for a large company, I learned restructuring is just another way to say cost cutting.
Even if you on line bill pay, you better check your bills. While all companies are needing to find ways to increase their revenues, small fees and charges may be on your monthly bills that you haven’t looked at yet.
IN this episode, another in our continuing series titled “Strange things charged online to my credit card that I didn’t ask for and can’t get refunded.”
I recently took my family to go see one of the new animated movies. I didn’t realize that the main animation would be at the ticket office. With the price being $13 for an adult ticket, and $11 for children, we were out roughly $60 before we even entered the theater. For some of you, that may be a weeks worth of groceries!
To be a good CEO of your family finances, you need to begin thinking about having a quality financial plan. Your income statement is one very key part of the heart and soul of your company. We know that you will have to make purchases, and every month I’d like to bring you the items in that given month which should be on sale. Since most of our family financial decisions are either reactive or impulsive, having a good list on your calendar about when to purchase an item may help you pocket additional money every year.
Enjoy this weeks Dollars and Sense with Kile Lewis from oXYGen Financial with the Regular Guys – Dollars and Sense Radio on 100.5 FM in Atlanta every Thursday Morning at 8 a.m – 09/30/2009
It won’t be long before it is holiday time, and people will be looking for stocking stuffers and gifts to get for the family. One great website I found and use is called www.1saleaday.com. It is very simple as each day it only sells three items. One item is in the wireless area, one in the watch arena, and one deal of the day that is randomly selected. Recently, I purchased a Field and Stream men’s black rubber watch that typically retails for $34.99 for less than $10.
Generation Y’s goal? Wealth and fame. Eighty-one percent of 18- to 25-year-olds surveyed in a Pew Research Center poll released today said getting rich is their generation’s most important or second-most-important life goal; 51% said the same about being famous.
One great website I found and use is called www.cellfire.com. It is a really cool digital coupon site that works geographically based upon your zip code. Once you have downloaded the program from the internet, all you have to do is show the cashier the coupons, and it is easy as that. Locally, large chains such as Kroger grocery stores and Hollywood Video are participants of the program. In your area, there may be other local vendors that are on the network.
Should you finance your company with a credit card?
Haven’t we learned anything yet? There is always a price to pay when you borrow debt.For every $1,000 in unpaid credit card debt, a start-up business increases the probability that it will close by 2.2% on average compared with having no such debt, economics researcher Robert H. Scott said in a report released this month.
9 financial tips for Generation Y. Perhaps not surprisingly, more than half of employees between 21 and 32 say that they’re living paycheck to paycheck, according to a recent survey by insurer Metlife. Nearly three-fourths of respondents are concerned about making ends meet.
Fortunately, you can get off to a sound financial start with these nine tips.
Join Ted Jenkin, Co-CEO and Founder oXYGen Financial, Inc. – live September 8th on 790 The Zone – Click here to join in LIVE at 9:25 am
There has always been an allure about joining a local country club. With how things are going in the overall economy these days, now may be the perfect opportunity to venture into that country club that you always wanted to join, but thought that you could never afford. Many of the upper-end country clubs today have either reduced or waived their overall initiation fee, which is the first hurdle for most people.
Enjoy this weeks Dollars and Sense with Kile Lewis from oXYGen Financial with the Regular Guys – Dollars and Sense Radio on 100.5 FM in Atlanta every Thursday Morning at 8 a.m – 08/27/2009
Beginning this month in August and future months going forward, the credit card accountability responsibility and disclosure act will go into effect and it phases in over roughly the next 13 months. There are many different mandates, but I wanted to share 10 with you that I thought would be of significance as you plan your personal finances.
Its official, the 2nd Qtr of 2009 set the All-Time record for single family home sales, eclipsing the 2nd Qtr of 2005 by a wide margin. Many people don’t realize that the 1st Qtr of 2009 also set the All-Time home sales record, and the 4th Qtr of 2008 was nearly a record. Home sales in June were up 137% over 2008, a trend we’re seeing regularly throughout SW Florida.
Kile Lewis, Founder and co-CEO of oXYGen Financial on the popular morning radio program The Regular Guys at 7:30 a.m. every Thursday on 100.5 FM in Atlanta. Dollars and Sense with Kile Lewis of Oxygen Financial
Top 10 First Time Homebuyer Mistakes! 1.Buying more house than you can afford. Typically, you don’t want your mortgage payment to be more than 28% to 34% of your monthly income. For example, if your monthly income is $5,000, a total mortgage payment of $1,500 will be in the ball park. Of course, you need to include all of your overall debt payments which should never be more than 40% to 45% of your overall bills.
Top Ten reasons NOT to buy bottled water – oXYGen Financial
Listen every Thursday morning at 8am for Dollar$ and Sen$e with The Regular Guys.
Kile Lewis, Co-CEO and Founder of, oXYGen Financial has financial tips on how you can save money and help you Breathe Easier®.
Lately, I’ve been thinking of canceling my gym membership. What I’ve found is that most people do not use their gym membership to its full capacity, especially for as much as we all pay for it. My membership is a dollar a day, which is approximately $35 dollars a month including taxes. How often do you go to the gym in a month? Is it worth $35 a month? I haven’t been to the gym for about two months and I usually go once every other month and I know for a fact that I have not use it like I should. If you do use your gym membership—that is awesome, you are definitely getting your money’s worth!
Cristina Briboneria Private CFO™ oXYGen Financial, Inc.
Request a FREE consultation: www.oxygenfinancial.net
Have you ever been in an accident? Do you have car insurance?
Last Friday, I was in an accident in a Kroger’s Parking Lot. The …
Despite the old saying “opposites attract,” scholars have found that in almost every way imaginable, people tend to choose mates who look, sound and act as they do. But in the area perhaps most fraught with potential conflict — money — somehow, some way, people gravitate toward their polar opposite, a new study says.
