Personal debt problems can arise from numerous circumstances, including health crises, theft, property damage, or loss of income. These situations are beyond the debtor’s control and arise through no fault of his or her own. But in other cases, it’s our own purchasing decisions that contribute to amassing a burdensome amount of debt, and it’s entirely avoidable.
Debt and the American way of life have become synonymous. From the 1850s when the Singer sewing machine company first introduced installment loans so that more homes could purchase its revolutionary appliance, a rising standard of living and debt have gone hand in hand.
Consumer debt surpassed $14 trillion in the beginning of 2019, and it’s a trend that’s showing little signs of slowing down. Home mortgages, student loans, credit cards, payday loans, home equity loans, personal loans, car loans — it seems there’s no shortage of ways to dig yourself into a financial hole.
The employer-sponsored 401(k) has largely replaced the company-funded pension plan as the primary source of retirement savings for most Americans. Unlike a pension, however, 401(k) benefits are not automatic. Employees must choose whether or not to participate and then decide how much to contribute and how to best invest their contributions.
Risk tolerance is a term you may have heard about when determining your investment strategy. While you might picture activities such as rock climbing or jumping out of an airplane when you think of risk, it has a different meaning when it comes to investing.
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