Most SI Covers – As most of us bask in the caloric afterglow of the Superbowl, the Giants are soon to be gracing the covers of SI around the country. The cover of Sports Illustrated has been a dream and a curse for athletes since its beginning in 1954. Of course any up-and-coming sportsperson would love to have the honor of joining the greats on the SI cover list– but it can come with a price.

There has long been a superstition among professional athletes that being on the cover of Sports Illustrated before a big event is bad luck. The magazine eventually did a study of this so-called phenomenon and found that 37% of athletes that graced the cover of SI suffered a misfortune or decline in their performance weeks after their cover photo was published. This even included the death of Indy 500 winner Bob Sweikert. Spooky!

Most SI Covers

Still, the magazine remains one of the most popular in circulation. With 3.5 million subscribers and 28 million weekly readers, it’s safe to say that the magazine won’t be going under any time soon.

As of now, the athletes with the most SI Covers are as follows:

Michael Jordan – 57 times

Muhammed Ali – 38 times

Tiger Woods – 24 times

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar – 22 times

Magic Johnson – 23 times

Tom Brady – 19 times

Kobe Bryant – 17 times 

As far as which teams have been on the cover of the magazine the most, the New York Yankees take the cake with 71 times total.

I really do love watching and reading about sports. Truth be told, I’m not much of an American football fan, but I watched the Superbowl last night and seeing the Giants win was great (as a New Yorker). Walking home from the party, all the streets in my neighborhood were peppered with Giants fans, still yelling happily about the win, and dozens of car horns honking into the night. I guess “having a team” can often be a fantastic way for people to feel connected to where they live and with one another. At least that’s how it seemed last night– people were talking to strangers as though they felt like they were now kindred spirits.

You might not like sports, but you have to admit that it’s definitely a morale booster for many people. For me I guess it’s just pure fun. I don’t endorse the obscene salaries nor often awful behavior of many pro-athletes, but I appreciate them for their skills and for entertaining the masses.

Most SI Covers. Source: Wikipedia

Most SI Covers

Wedding Planning Checklist – Planning a wedding is about the most involved event anyone can ever imagine to be involved with. That is why the mega-rich can pay professionals to do it! For the normal folk the planning is in our hands.

Wedding Planning Checklist

If you read here regularly you will know I am a big fan of lists. I’m always telling people to make lists so of course when it comes to such a big event as a wedding a list is exactly what you need! Not only does it keep you organised it will also give you that sense of achievement as you check items off one by one and complete whole sections.

Wedding Planning Checklist

Just think of all the stuff that needs doing from the proposal to the big day, it’s a huge set of tasks and if you don’t put some sense to it all you will be in a whirlwind of serviettes, flowers, venue visits, chicken dinners and will seriously blow any budget. List-it all accurately and you’ll probably come under budget, yes it is possible!

A few tips

• Before finalising your list you should lay out a few simple overall rough lists and use this to set out your brader budget. Put sections like wedding party $xx as an example. Each of these sections can be expanded and it’s easier than going for it in one go.
• An editable Google doc tied in with spread sheets can be shared amongst and edited by a few people and you can share with close friends for tips and help finalising the lists, budgets and details. Of course you can print out hard copys to put on the fridge if needed and update if any changes get made.
• Don’t get so anal that you spend all your time editing the list. Things change so just use notes and be careful to track everything but don’t go overkill.

A Sample Wedding Planning Checklist

The list can be daunting if you don’t get some help and examples. An amazing list has been compiled by FrugalBride.com and can be seen below.

9-12 Months

Announce Engagement
Select Wedding Date
Hire wedding consultant/coordinator
Determine type of wedding: location, theme, # of guests, formality, time of day
Determine budget & how expenses will be shared
Buy a daytimer to keep track of appointments & events
Develop a record keeping system for payments
Create an approximate # guest list
Decide if you will be inviting children or not
Select and reserve ceremony site
Select and book Officiant/Priest/Minister/Rabbi
Select and book reception location
Select and order bridal gown
Determine colour scheme
If ceremony or reception is at a home, arrange for any home improvements
Obtain, passports, visas, birth certificates, any documents need for travel and/or marriage licenses

6-9 months

Select and book caterer, if needed
Select and book photographer
Select wedding party
Give wedding party a list of their responsibilities
Select and buy attire or bridesmaids & flower girl
Select and buy attire for mothers of the bride and groom
Select and book ceremony musicians
Select and book live band or DJ for reception
Select and book videography
Select and book florist
Register for your wedding gifts (this can be done sooner)

4-6 months

Schedule fittings for custom made bridesmaids gowns
Arrange marriage prep-courses, if necessary
Reserve rental items
Select and book decorator
Finalize an A and B list of guests
Select and order invitations and other wedding stationary
Set date, time and location for rehearsal dinner
Select and book honeymoon night suite
Arrange accommodations for out-of-town guests
Start planning your honeymoon
Shop for your wedding gifts to each other
Shop for your wedding gifts to your wedding party
Shop for your wedding gifts to your parents
Buy shoes, lingerie and accessories for the bride
Buy shoes and accessories for the bridesmaids
Select and order wedding bands

2-4 months

Take formal engagement picture
Select and order wedding cake
Order party favours/bombonniere
Select and order decorations
Purchase honeymoon attire and luggage
Select and book wedding day transportation
Start addressing your invitations
Plan activities for out-of-town guests (optional)
Go on trials and book wedding day hair and makeup. Bring your headpiece and wear a white shirt
Obtain marriage license (expires in 3 months)
Send out your invitations
Select ceremony readers
Select ushers to seat your guests
Select guest book attendant
Select your MC
Mail invitations to shower
Get photography permit, if needed

6-8 weeks

Maintain a record of RSVP’s and early wedding gifts
Maintain a record of shower gifts and send thank you’s
Purchase all ceremony and reception accessories: guest book, toasting glasses, garter, ring pillow, etc.
Select and reserve wedding attire for all gentlemen
Mail invitations to rehearsal dinner
Plan bridesmaid luncheon
Select your something old, new, borrowed, blue

2-6 weeks

Finalize all food and beverages for wedding
Finalize all ceremony details with Officiant
Finalize all rehearsal arrangements
Finalize all floral arrangements
Final fittings for yourself and bridesmaids
Make a wedding day itinerary
Give a copy of the itinerary to your wedding party and vendors
Finalize all details with all your vendors
Decide order of receiving line and head table setting
Contact guest that haven’t replied
Pick up wedding rings
Give photographer a photo checklist
Visit reception site for floor plan
Create reception seating plan
Give musicians a list of your music selection
Inform attendants when and where to pick up attire
Determine VIP seating for ceremony seating
Print out seating cards
Pick up honeymoon tickets

1 week

Give caterer/reception venue final tally of guests
Pack of your honeymoon
Wrap reception flavours/bombonniere
Arrange mail collection while you are on honeymoon

Day of rehearsal dinner

Drop all wedding accessories and decor off at ceremony and reception locations
Make sure you bring all gifts that will be handed out at dinner
Make sure you have all final payments in envelopes for wedding day
Pack over night bag for honeymoon suite
Make sure wedding party has their itinerary
Make sure gentlemen have black socks
Go to church for rehearsal
Review VIP seating with ushers at ceremony location

Wedding Day

Most of the details will be on your wedding day itinerary
Eat breakfast
Pack anything remaining on your “To Bring” list in cars
Make sure Maid of Honour has groom’s ring and Best Man has bride’s ring
Make sure you have your marriage license, photo permit and Special Occasions Permit, if needed
Put your engagement ring on your right hand
Use your wedding day itinerary to get you through the day on some sort of trouble
Remember to look around and soak in the views of the day you planned so long and hard for.

If you have any experience with preparing wedding lists and weddings in general and have some tips to share or anything to say please share below in the comments.

Related: Planning a wedding on a budget

Thanks for reading – Wedding Planning Checklist

December Pending Home Sales – So what happened with homes this past December (2011)? Was it positive for the outlook, negative or just blah! Lets take a quick look.

December Pending Home Sales

December Pending Home Sales

Each month realtor.org publish an update to their Pending Home Index which tracks closed contracts on properties throughout the United States. November 2011 saw a rise from the previous month to bring it to a 19-month high. Sadly December saw a 3.5% drop from 100.1 to 96.6.

A drop is never good but of course it isn’t always as simple as that. December was the holiday season, the winter and a typically slower month for house closures and sales. If you compare apples to apples December 2011 was still 5.6% higher than December 2010, hurrah we can celebrate again!

Of course the shape of the housing market is odd right now and even with these figures I wouldn’t go ahead and declare everything ok. Interest rates are low but mortgages are hard to get with a huge amount of requirements and lending stop-gaps in some cases. Of course this sort of makes sense but since the banks were all bailed out they should be working for the people and in some cases it seems they are working harder on preserving their wickedly huge profits and bonuses instead!

I wouldn’t buy a home right now because I feel it could go either way, even over the long term. That is of course unless I had hard cash to lay down. I think the way the financial industry has gone cash is and should be the only way forward even for such big purchases. That is just what I think though!

How do you think Decembers pending home sales affects the economy and what does it say about the housing market. I am no expert so always benefit from your opinions.

Related: November Previously Owned Home Sales

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Investment Gurus and Their Strategies – How many investment products have you purchased and followed from the gurus of the industry? If you are interested in striking it rich with investing then I bet it is quite a few. Now ask yourself how many of the outlined strategies have made you as successful and rich as the gurus themselves?

Investment Gurus and Their Strategies

Investment Gurus and Their Strategies

I think after all these years of stocks and shares with their ups and downs that investing directly into the stock market is no one secure than gambling on horses. Like horses you can study strengths, weaknesses, past-performances and every other minute detail but you can’t say with absolute certainty what the outcome will be tomorrow. To deny that investing is simply gambling is just kidding yourself.

That doesn’t mean you shouldn’t indulge but you should know what you are doing, play with money that won’t be missed and know when to stop. So of course in the learning to know what to do phase it is easy to turn to a guru, someone who has proved their worth and seems to have an innate ability to pick the right color and number with amazing accuracy.

That opens up a huge money-making market for books, financial products, services and systems to sell to millions of willing students ready to step into the gurus shiny loafers. Of course very few people actually manage to fill the shoes and probably more often than not end up in a position closer to shining the shoes of the guru who sold the unbeatable system.

None of us buy into these strategies thinking they are unbeatable, well no-one with any sense anyway. However I still think they are often oversold and come with far too many plain sight guarantees (of course the small print always tells more of the truth). The numbers game of the market isn’t something that can be gamed with one strategy and the people who are often in the mega-success category rode a lucky wave or entered in the right-time-right-place. For every talented person that succeeds there are probably 100 similarly talented people struggling to get by or just pulling in a modest liveable profit from playing the game.

All I am saying is buy all the books you want, join all the systems you want but realise the full story is likely never there (many gurus don’t even use the strategy they recommend) and tread carefully. Investing can be a sensible addition to your financial arsenal but it isn’t a one-way golden ticket to that beach hut in the Bahamas.

I’d love to hear what you think about my little rant.

Related: Long Term Investing Strategies

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Who can access your credit report? If you are under the impression that no one apart from you can have access to your credit report then you might want to reconsider because various entities and organization can have access to your report.

Who Can Access Your Credit Report, Legally?

Who Can Access Your Credit Report

The credit reporting regulation of each country details who can request access to your credit report and also specify that the company should have a justifiable cause to check your credit report. If an organization or person acquires a print of your credit report under fake pretense; they can be fined as well as imprisoned.

The entities or organizations that can access and carry out credit record checks are intended to have a legitimate business requirement to be able to go through the credit records. Your credit report can be officially reviewed by one of the following individuals or organizations.

You: you can examine your credit information at anytime.

Employers: they are allowed to check your credit report while doing the background verification, before employing you.

Court and government agencies: they can review your credit if it is pertinent to a court case or required by the government agencies for authentication purpose.

Utility and mobile phone companies: before providing their services, they view your credit report to ensure that you can pay them their monthly dues.

Child support agencies: they have the authority to analyze a credit report in order to establish the parents financial potentials of making payment to support the child.

Landlords: they have the lawful rights to evaluate a prospective renters credit report.

Credit card companies: they would want to inspect your credit report before deciding to offer you credit and to decide the terms.

Insurance companies: they scrutinize credit reports mostly while underwriting an insurance plan.

Collection agencies: collection agencies or lenders can study your report with the intention of collecting the arrears or repayments you have defaulted.

Though these organizations can legally check your credit information; you need to remember that you have the right to deny or determine who can access your credit report. You have to be practical and proactive to safeguard your credit report data from illegal access.

This post was supplied by a guest, I hope you enjoyed it. Do you have any thoughts or comments to add?

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Will I Ever Be Able to Retire? – I’ve looked a lot on this blog about how much is needed for retirement and when to retire and all that stuff but what about me. Of course it would be great to be able to cut back and eventually retire from having to earn money but will I actually be able to do it?

Will I Ever Be Able to Retire?

Will I Ever Be Able to Retire?

I started my life very haphazardly when it comes to cash and through a number of mistakes I ended up in quite serious debt. I still carry some of that debt to this day but it lives in a debt management program which is paid off, interest free, on agreed terms with the creditors. I keep the payments up and the creditors are happy. It means that until that is 100% paid off I can’t really keep any savings, any extra money earned is supposed to go to pay off the debt and of course that is fine and the debt will be paid off sometime soon.

It means I will be starting at age 31 with pretty much nothing saved for retirement. If I plan to retire at 65 that gives me 34 years to amass an amount that will see me through to 100.

I try to ignore interest in the equation and work out the sums in todays money. Theoretically the interest will bring the cash up to the value of the day I retire, well in an ideal world.

Estimating that I would need $30k per year to live in retirement and with plans to live until 100 (that would be nice!) it means I would need (35*30,000) just over $1 million! Ouch! Of course I need to look at inflation and up that yearly $30k to match the corresponding increase in inflation which makes it even more difficult to calculate exactly!

Somehow that means I need to be trying to save somewhere along the lines of $31,000 per year to reach that sum. I don’t work for a company so i can’t expect matched contributions, I could enter into a retirement plan where the government matches some of the money and gives the cash a tax-free place to stay so of course the sums come down a bit then but I don’t like the idea of entering into the mine-field of retirement accounts, of course if I want to sensibly meet the goal, I will have to!

So, yes I will be able to retire but it is going to be a hard slog. On-top of retirement savings I will need to save general savings for life, pay taxes and try to live life as I do already.

Luckily in my line of work I may not need to retire, If things fall a little short I may find myself working onto 70 or beyond, of course health issues or even death could strike by then but I am trying to keep myself healthy and safe to try and avoid such things!

Will you ever be able to retire? (read our post of the same name here).

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Will You Ever Be Able To Retire - I am sure you have asked yourself will you ever able be able to retire many times before, probably many times a month! Retirement by large has been defined by an age or particular period of life when in fact retirement could take place at any time during a persons life.

Will You Ever Be Able To Retire

Will You Ever Be Able To Retire

The answer to the question should be an emphatic yes every time the question is asked. The key to retirement is not age, but money and how much of it you need to live your life without worrying about not being able to pay your bills or meet your financial obligations.

You could retire at any point of your life, but the question is could you afford to retire? Most people cannot afford to retire at the age of 65 the same way they were not able to afford to retire at the age of 25.

Related: How Much Do I Need to Save for Retirement?

The easiest way to figure out how much money it would exactly take you to retire it to figure out what your projected lifespan is going to be, calculate how much it would take on a yearly basis to fund the kind of life style you would like to live and then multiply the two factors.

The number you reach is the amount it would take for you to retire. This number goes down every day you are not retired. You can reach retirement at any age. The average person cannot afford to retire, because they have not planned for it.

Most people believe there will be someone else to take care of them during retirement in the form of a pension or social program. Retirement is not out of reach for the person that really wants to retire. It only takes serious planning and action.

Will I Ever Be Able To Retire?

I didn’t start preparing for retirement very early. I really wish I had but I am certainly serious now about making sure that I can retire if I ever chose to do so. Right now I love working online and luckily it is a job that I can’t see myself having to stop unless I face serious health issues (fingers crossed). Blogging is a career anyone can do and everyone who has time, should! I don’t think I should rely on the blogging to get me through but it could be a nice cherry on top of cash I have saved for retirement.

I would love to hear your thoughts and comments.

Thanks for reading - Will You Ever Be Able To Retire?

Canada Mortgage Rates Forecast 2012

Fixed mortgage rates are at an all time low in the United States, and the  2012 forecast for Canada seems just as promising. As I mentioned in an article last week, fixed mortgage rates hit a record low at 3.94% in America. This all-time low is also There are many factors that affect both fixed and variable mortgage rates, and many experts are able to project what the year 2012 has in store for home buyers.

The outcome looks good. Rate Supermarket has a panel of experts that evaluate the market and are able to make fairly accurate estimates for the weeks ahead by analyzing trends both in the national and international market. While rates currently are as low as 2.5-3.18% from certain mortgage brokers, Rate Supermarket believes there’s a chance home buyers/owners will experience the same if not lower in 2012.

Canada Mortgage Rates Forecast 2012

Let’s take a look at what experts are saying is the projected forecast for both Variable/Fixed Mortgage rates in 2012.

Variable

It seems as though variable mortgage rates are going to stay as low as they’ve been fairly steadily. This is the result of the steady GDP numbers, inflation being near the target range and the impending economic doom. It seems like the Bank of Canada is unlikely to increase rates, especially around the holidays/new year.

Fixed

It seems as though there’s going to be steady or dropping fixed mortgage rates for Canada in the next few months. There are many explanations as to why this will be, best explained by the Rate Supermarket panel:

“With no quick fix on the horizon for the European debt crisis, the global economic outlook continues to be pessimistic causing downward pressure on longer term bond yields. Couple this with decreased demand for home loans during the busy holiday season, and it is likely that fixed mortgage rates will stay low or even drop further.”

It seems as though Canadian mortgage rates, both fixed and variable, are looking promising for 2012. The housing crisis has been and seems like it will continue to be for buyers.

Canada Mortgage Rates Forecast 2012

So what do you think of these forecasts? If rates stay low it could keep the market steady for buyers and it may well help any slumps from staying for too long. On the other hand there is a deficit of foreclosed homes to sell on for cheap, not as bad in USA but more than normal. The whole real estate business has been in a strange places for years now and personally I think 2012 is going to be throwing some curveballs at us too!

Related: How Much House Can You Afford

Canada Mortgage Rates Forecast 2012

401k Father Ted Benna Disowns Them – When Ted Benna started offering the 401k a little over 30 years ago he didn’t realise that his little tax loophole system would become what it has to the American retirement dream.

401k Father Ted Benna Disowns Them

Ted Benna became known as the father of the 401k for his work in bringing plans to people to help them save for retirement based on the 401(k) section of IRS code. Essentially a loophole that could allow employees to save for retirement with huge tax benefits. The systems were supposed to be simple, much like pensions, and for quite some time that was exactly how they stayed.

401k Father Ted Benna Disowns Them

However Ted Benna recently spoke out about the ‘monster’ he created saying he was proud to be the father but that the system had gotten too complicated. Maybe he didn’t so much disown his creation but he does seem to be wishing that the simplicity had not been lost.

Benna feels that the myriad of complex options and the way the system works needs legislation to help people use the plans correctly. He is advocating for mandatory enrolment, no option to cash-out when changing jobs and for a 1 percentage point contribution increase per year. He thinks this could be achieved through legislation. I am sure as a regular person you find trying to understand a 401k quite difficult!

He thinks the plans are great but only really of benefit to people who stay long term with a job (20-30 years) and as the creator I guess we should be taking his concerns and comments seriously.

I think whenever anything gets too complicated it ends up in problems for a large percentage of users. Sure for those people that can really grasp it the benefits may be huge but it is supposed to be something for the general populous and I think Benna’s suggestions may make the system perform a lot better overall. I know maybe making things mandatory isn’t the right way but making 401k retirement plans highly encouraged and with a stronger emphasis on choosing risk-free routes for people who don’t have the full knowledge of the market really could save some people from poor decisions.

More about Benna’s comments can be read on MSN.

What do you think about Ted Benna’s comments? Is he over-the-hill and not understanding the modern market or do you think he is trying to do the right thing? Do you have a 401k and do you fully understand where you money is going and what it is doing?

I look forward to your thoughts and feedback.

Related: Retirement Magic Number Calculator

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Tips to Save More 2012 – Considering that for many people a major resolution of 2012 was to save more money, I thought it would be good to go over some basic tips that would help accomplish this goal. For those living paycheck to paycheck, it’s hard enough to live comfortably now let alone have enough to start saving. It can be challenging, but with careful planning and some lifestyle changes, you too can start saving cash and make 2012 a prosperous and fruitful year.

Tips to Save More 2012

Let’s take a look at some of the best tips to help you save more money in 2012. By accomplishing some of the following, you’re sure to be on the right path to saving money.

Make a List of Your Expenses

First and foremost, it’s important that you write out a list of all your expenses to have a better understanding of how your money is being spent. It’s easier this way to not only see where you money is going, but to also determine if there’s anyway to lessen or get rid of some of these expenses. For example, I have Netflix streaming and pay for the service of renting the DVD disks. Truth be told, I only use the streaming, so it probably would be prudent of me to get rid of the DVD rental service. There’s $120 bucks saved a year.

Change the Way You Eat

One of the best ways to save money is to plan out your meals for the week. By coming up with a set meal plan, allotting a budget, shopping at the grocery for only those items and nothing more, you can really save some serious cash. I try to do this every week and stick to my meal plans. I find it to be incredibly effective at saving money. It’s also important that you stop eating out as much as you might be doing. If you’re trying to save serious money in 2012, I would recommend not going out to a restaurant, or eating anything that you haven’t prepared at food, more than 1-2 a month.

Cut Out Bad Habits

Bad habits are often times the way a lot of our money gets blown. Cigarettes, alcohol, junk food, soda– these are all ways we’re wasting our money and not doing any favors to our bodies. If you’ve got a bad habit, consider 2012 the year to kick it. Even if it’s drinking a soda every day– that’s $2 a soda x 7 days = $14 a week. $14 x 52 weeks = $728.00 a year! Just cutting out your soda habit and putting that money in the bank means you’ll have a savings account $728.00 richer!

Become Greener, More Efficient

Tips to Save More 2012

Not only will you be doing the Earth a big favor by making your life more green, but you’ll also be doing wonders for your bank account. Walking and cycling instead of driving will save you big on gas money and be great for your heart and your gas money budget. Sealing up your home will help keep the heat in and your gas/electric bill lower. So will switching to energy efficient bulbs or just keeping your lights off whenever you’re not in the room. One of the best parts of going green is that in most circumstances it is synonymous with energy efficient, which means saving big money for you.

There are so many great ways to save money in 2012. Make sure that you take the time to really reflect in where you can trim expenses, or what kinds of lifestyle changes you can make to help you save money and then get started! Not only will you be on your way to starting a nice savings account, but it’s more likely that it will improve your quality of life as a whole.

We would love to hear your saving tips for the coming year. Thanks for reading – Tips to Save More 2012