Investing Resources
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You can count on Provident's Financial Consultants* to help you with your investment and insurance needs. But for some general advice and tips to help you with your investing and retirement planning, please check out the links on this page. If you have any questions, your initial consultation with a professional, experienced Financial Consultant is free. Just call (800) 632-4600, ext. 2487.
Reference
Learning Library
- Year-End Tax Planning Tips You may not be able to avoid Uncle Sam, but with careful planning, you may be able to minimize the tax bite. Here are a few year-end tax planning strategies.
- 10 Money Saving Ideas These days its more important than ever to save money for your future and for that of your family. Here are ten ideas to help you along.
- Are You Saving Enough? Most individuals understand that in order to achieve significant financial goals, they must learn to make saving a significant part of their lives. As a nation, however, how successful are we at saving?
- Five Tips For Folks Over 50 As you get older, your investment strategy changes. Here are 5 tips for those entering their silver years.
- Choosing Your Retirement Benefit Distribution Consider carefully how you want your benefits on your pension funds to be paid out during retirement. The distribution methods you select may impact your family for years to come.
- Retirement Reminder When figuring out how much money you'll need to live on during retirement, remember to budget for "wants" as well as needs. Such as...
- Withdrawing Money without Penalty Consider carefully how you want your benefits on your pension funds to be paid out during retirement. The distribution methods you select may impact your family for years to come.
- Plan Now, and Retire in Comfort The best way to ensure a comfortable retirement is with early planning. Here are some general guidelines to get you started.
- Building Wealth: It's Never Too Late Tips on how to improve your prospects for a comfortable retirement, if you didn't start saving early enough.
- Increase Your Savings to Achieve Your Financial Goals It is important to make saving a habit. We'll show you ways to jump start your savings program.
- What Makes Your Portfolio "Tick"? Market trends aren't the only things that affect how well your investments perform. Here are six more factors that make a difference.
- Five Steps to a Healthier 401(k) Don't let the investments in your 401(k) get out of whack. Follow these 5 steps to keep your 401(k) "in the pink."
- Protect Your Retirement When Leaving Your Job Changing jobs? Wondering what to do with the money in your existing employer-sponsored retirement plan? We'll help you out with some tips.
- Five Key Aspects of Family Financial Management Focus on these 5 areas to help preserve the financial security of your family, send your children to college, prepare for a comfortable retirement, and more.
- 529 Plans Offer Tax Benefits When Saving for College 529 Plans are a great, tax-smart way to save for your child's future education. Read more to find out why.
- The Financial Rewards of Aging Learn what the key ages of your life are, in relation to retirement accounts and Social Security.
Other Sites
Media Resources on the Web
The following links are to resources outside of the Provident Credit Union Web site that may also help you with your investing and money management. Provident does not control the content on any of the following links:
Net Worth - Kathleen Pender - RSS Feed
- EDD cuts back phone help to the jobless EDD cuts back phone help to the jobless
The California Employment Development Department said Thursday that it will no longer staff its unemployment insurance call centers in the afternoons beginning Monday as a result of federal funding shortfalls.
Starting May 20, EDD personnel will take calls from unemployed workers from 8 a.m. to 12 noon, Monday through Friday, except state holidays.
The current telephone service hours are 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. By directing all available staff to answer phone...
- Federal unemployment benefits cut Federal unemployment benefits cut
More than 400,000 Californians will have their weekly federal unemployment benefits reduced by about 17.7 percent starting April 28 as a result of the federal budget cuts known as sequestration.
The cuts will affect only federal benefits, which start after someone has exhausted their regular state benefits, which typically last up to 26 weeks.
The cuts will not be implemented for unemployed individuals collecting benefits in the middle of a federal extension...
- Bank mess like Cyprus' unlikely in U.S. Bank mess like Cyprus' unlikely in U.S.
The Cypriot government's willingness to impose losses on insured as well as uninsured bank deposits highlights the fact that deposit insurance is only as good as the government standing behind it.
Little fear of contagionThat could explain why investors worldwide, at least for now, are shrugging off fears that a collapse of its banking system could spread to other eurozone countries.
The two countries have long-standing ties and their leaders deny wide...
- Costs to consolidate student loans vary Costs to consolidate student loans vary
Any student loans guaranteed by the federal government can be consolidated together into a federal direct consolidation loan.
If you ask a lender that made FFELP loans for a consolidation loan, the lender might say it no longer offers them (which is true) but fail to mention you could consolidate FFELP loans into a direct consolidation loan.
When you consolidate federal loans, the interest rate on the consolidation loan is the weighted average of the r...
- Fixed-maturity bond funds may ease rate worries Fixed-maturity bond funds may ease rate worries
For bond investors worried about what will happen to their principal when interest rates rise, a fixed-maturity bond fund is one solution.
Bond risksWhen you buy a bond, you are making a loan to the issuer, who promises to pay you a certain interest rate for a certain length of time.
At the end of that period - the maturity date - the issuer repays the par or face value of the bond, typically $1,000.
Bond funds mitigate this risk by pooling in...
- Students take hit unless Congress acts Students take hit unless Congress acts
San Francisco Chronicle
Copyright 2013 San Francisco Chronicle. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Updated 12:09 pm, Thursday, March 14, 2013
[...] rather than extending it again or letting it expire, some financial aid experts want Congress to overhaul the rate-setting process for all government-guaranteed college loans.
[...] students also had the option of...
- Household incomes, net worth rising Household incomes, net worth rising
The government released two reports last week showing continued improvement in household incomes and net worth.
The Internal Revenue Service reported that adjusted gross incomes rose 3.1 percent in 2011 from 2010, based on preliminary data in the IRS winter 2013 Statistics of Income Bulletin.
Net worth, as reported in the Fed's quarterly Flow of Funds report, measures the value of household assets minus debts.
Historically, this report showed a slow stead...
- Home buyers face dilemma with shortage Home buyers face dilemma with shortage
[...] if you wait, you could end up paying an even higher price and a higher interest rate if you need a loan.
The median price paid for a new or resale home or condo in the nine-county Bay Area was $415,000 in January.
The shortage comes at a time when demand is rising in the Bay Area, not just from regular buyers but from investors, second-home buyers and foreign buyers, especially from Asia.
'Heck of a wreck'The result is stories like this: A 1,500-...
- Is it too late to get in on stock surge? Is it too late to get in on stock surge?
[...] they have mostly missed the bull market that began in March 2009.
Since the time the financial crisis hit in late 2007 through the end of last year, individuals pulled $431 billion out of stock mutual funds and poured almost $1 trillion into the perceived safety of bond funds, according to Lipper.
"If you started investing in the 1990s, your experience is two bear markets and a housing bubble and burst," says Charles Rotblut, a vice pr...
- Dow is rising, and sky isn't falling Dow is rising, and sky isn't falling
The market goes to new all-time highs days after we fall off the sequester cliff, said James Paulsen, chief investment strategist with Wells Capital Management.
Paulsen was referring to the automatic federal spending cuts that took effect at midnight Friday after Congress and the president failed to come up with more targeted reductions.
Potential crisesThe automatic cuts, known as sequestration, are only the latest in a string of potential crises that ha...
- Community college shopping simplified Community college shopping simplified
Students shopping for a four-year college or university can find a wealth of reviews and ratings comparing them on anything from SAT scores and acceptance rates to dorm food and party scenes.
The California Community Colleges Chancellor's Office is about to release some new reports that should make comparison shopping a bit easier, at least when it comes to academic and career achievement.
Within a month, the office will issue a report comparing the medi...
- California gasoline excise tax to rise California gasoline excise tax to rise
The legislation required the board to adjust the excise tax by March 1 each year to achieve revenue neutrality, with the change taking effect July 1.
Because the sales-tax rate is a percentage, not a per-gallon amount like the excise tax, sales-tax revenue varies considerably based on gasoline prices and consumption.
The annual adjustment is based on several factors including how much the sales tax actually generated over a two-year look-back period and...
- Jobless, students face sequester threats Jobless, students face sequester threats
People receiving federal extended jobless benefits could see their payments reduced by up to 9 percent or more starting around the end of March if Congress fails to block automatic spending cuts scheduled to take effect Friday.
Some college students also could get slightly less federal financial aid in 2013-14 under the planned reductions.
Jobless benefitsThe White House says people receiving federal extended unemployment payments - which start after...
- Government credits make working pay off Government credits make working pay off
The government provides a broad array of safety-net programs to the poor and unemployed, each with its own set of elaborate rules that rival the tax code in their complexity.
Other benefits that are available only to people with minimal income and assets - such as cash welfare payments, food stamps, Medicaid/Medi-Cal, and housing and child care subsidies - begin phasing out when income increases.
The earned income tax credit and child tax credit can re...
- Academy of Art eligible for Cal Grants, judge says Academy of Art eligible for Cal Grants, judge says
The academy estimated that 100 new and 350 returning students would have been eligible for grants in 2012-13; it says it spent $1.3 million on replacement scholarships.
Even though the academy would have qualified for 2013-14 grants based on its 2011 graduation rate of 34 percent, the commission was planning to keep it out of the program for a second year because its 2011 rate still had not been made final by the Education Department, accordi...
Personal finance news - CNNMoney.com
- Class of 2013 grads average $35,200 in debt Between ballooning student loans, credit cards and money owed to family members, graduates of the class of 2013 are facing an average $35,200 in debt, a Fidelity survey found.
- Best deals in investing Money magazine's Best Deals on Everything: Your guide to the latest bargains in the investing world, from beer can makers and ETFs, to Chinese technology and more.
- Most outrageous tax cheats From a restaurant owner who hid cash receipts in "seasoned octopus" boxes to a self-proclaimed governor of Alabama who buried gold coins in his yard, here are some of the wildest tax fraud investigations the IRS has undertaken in the past year.
- Amateur investors tap 401(k)s to buy homes Read full story for latest details.
- Best deals on tech Money magazine's Best Deals on Everything: Your guide to the latest bargains in videocams, tablets, flat-screen TVs and more.
- Gen X on track to be worse off than Boomers Read full story for latest details.
- Best deals on food and drink Money magazine's Best Deals on Everything: Your guide to the latest bargains in Bordeaux, coffee, lobster and more.
- How I lived very cheaply for a day Read full story for latest details.
- Will insurance cover genetic testing, preventive surgery? Women who discover they carry a hereditary gene mutation that dramatically increases their risk of breast and ovarian cancers face big decisions and the possibility of tens of thousands of dollars in medical costs.
- 3 skills to teach your teen about money Read full story for latest details.
- Where to auction off your stuff Read full story for latest details.
- Retirement savers lose $117,000 to unexpected events Unexpected setbacks, ranging from stock market declines to suddenly supporting an adult child, have taken a major hit to Baby Boomers' retirement savings, according to a recent survey.
- Money 101 Are you saving enough for retirement? Do you have the right mix in your portfolio? Make sure you're on the right track with Money 101 -- 23 lessons in all.
- A fresh look at annuities Read full story for latest details.
- Home appraisals no longer derailing sales Read full story for latest details.
- Your new office BFFs: Think young Read full story for latest details.
- Who will pay more under Obamacare? Young men Read full story for latest details.
- Gigabytes to go: Choosing the right mobile computer Read full story for latest details.
- 2-year-old West, Texas victim's long road to recovery After getting severely injured from the West, Texas fertilizer plant explosion, two-year-old Ariana Gassaway has a long road to recovery ahead of her.
- Help your parents get home care Read full story for latest details.
SmartMoney.com: Homepage
Fool.com Headlines
- Things Are Going Great for Wabtec But even the best of breed may not be the best idea for your portfolio.
- Why Chrome Is Google's Secret Weapon It gives Google a lot of power.
- Lockheed Wins Contracts for Anti-Submarine Warfare, Anti-Missile Defense Total value of four contracts awarded to Lockheed could approach $200 million.
- Pentagon Buys Computer Printers, Laser Illuminators, and a Robotic Sub These are just a few items on the DoD shopping list Monday.
- Here's What Fairholme's Bruce Berkowitz Has Been Buying It can pay off to keep an eye on what the successful investors have been up to.
- Dow Sputters as Rally Runs Out of Steam On a day filled with acquisitions, the Dow fell back slightly as investors wait to hear from Ben Bernanke on Wednesday.
- Is Yahoo! Stock a Better Bet Than Google? Yahoo's acquisition of Tumblr may have the company in the headlines but it shows a key weakness in the company's business.
- Ensco Declares Fresh Dividend The company keeps its payout steady.
- Qihoo 360 Can Hurt Baidu This Way Qihoo 360's blowout quarter featured surprisingly soft search revenue. This may be problematic for Baidu.
- Alvarion Widens Loss in Q1 Revenues dropped by over 45% on a year-over-year basis during the quarter.
- How Lowe's Hopes to Become No. 1 The home-improvement retailer reports on Wednesday, and it's hoping to break out of its rival's shadow.
- Will Google, Tesla & Others Have a Bidding War for this 19-Year-Old? Will Google, Tesla & Others Have a Bidding War for this 19-Year-Old?
- Cisco Stock Among Dow's Biggest Losers After a run-up last week, Cisco stock made a move lower today.
- Is This the Future of Android? HTC hints that it might release a device running stock Android, shortly after Samsung did just that. A future full of stock Android devices would be great for Google, but terrible for manufacturers.
- Carl Icahn Is Going to Lose a Lot of Money on This One Nuance Communication doesn't make bad products. But it's a very, very bad stock.
- hhgregg Q4 Net Drops 82% but Beats Estimates The company squeezes past analyst projections by a margin of $0.02.
- The Case for Big Bank Stocks in Your Retirement Account Banks may be a great dividend play in the long-term.
- Chemed Keeps Dividend Steady The company will again dole out $0.18 per share.
- Yahoo!'s Big Buy Yahoo just made a very big purchase. But will it end up paying for itself?
- Is Apple Finally Adopting OLED? The Mac maker may at long last be looking to use OLED displays in its gadgets, although to a smaller extent than Universal Display investors may be hoping for. Will OLED ever be ready for iPhone prime time?
- Google Prepares to Resurrect the Dead The Nexus Q died a quick and silent death last year, but now it's time for Google to bring it back to the land of the living. This time around, Big G needs to do it right.
- Newpark Resources Wins Kuwait Deal The company could take in as much as $75 million in revenues under the five-year contract.
- Shocker: Apple's Next iPad to be Thinner and Lighter Apple's predictable playbook calls for the fifth-generation iPad to lose some bulk and weight. The new models are expected out this fall, which will help the company defend market share in the high end.
- FDA Green Light = Surprise Share Surge Did this FDA decision really justify a big stock pop?
- 5 Stocks Under $10 Worth Buying These five stocks are trading in the single digits, but they may not stay that way for long.
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