Category Archives: Money

3 Reasons You Should Open an Investment Account

3 reasons you should open an investment account

The stock market isn’t for everybody. Or is it?

Playing the stock market can be a high-risk, high-stress prospect. The past couple of months prove there are absolutely no guarantees.

Despite this, even with today’s volatile market conditions, it’s in your best interest to start investing. Here are 3 reasons you should open an investment account!

Continue reading 3 Reasons You Should Open an Investment Account

New Venture: Bakersfield Real Estate Investment

bakersfield real estate investment
4 bed / 1.75 bath, 2,113 sq ft. Built 1928.

PRAKTICALA is excited to announce its latest venture, a Bakersfield real estate investment property!

We picked up this property in downtown Bakersfield, CA, late last year. It had great bones and a fantastic floor plan, but was in serious need of updating and repairs. I decided it was the perfect opportunity to combine my passion for DIY projects and my jack-of-all-trades disposition.

Fast forward a few months, and the project is up and ready for sale!

The transformation is incredible. Check out more photos below!

Continue reading New Venture: Bakersfield Real Estate Investment

PRAKTICALA’s Favorite Deals for Black Friday 2017!

black friday 2017
Recycled illustration from last year.

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone! Here are just a few of PRAKTICALA’s favorite deals for Black Friday 2017 (check back regularly for updates).

Movies

War for the Planet of the Apes (Blu-ray) – $8 at Amazon

X-men: Days of Future Past 3D (Blu-ray) – $7 at Amazon

Alien: Covenant (Blu-ray) – $9 at Amazon

Harry Potter: The Complete 8-Film Collection (Blu-ray) – $30 at Amazon

Video Games

Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End (PS4) – $15 at Target

Style

Beckett Simonon – many shoes $149 by clicking here and using promo code VIP149 (see our recent review for their Durant brogues here)

Home

Lodge 10-inch Cast Iron Skillet – $10 from Amazon (I now cook almost exclusively with this)

Simplisafe – $200 off the Beacon home security package, or 15% off any other new system package

Stay tuned for more Black Friday 2017 deals throughout the weekend!

PRAKTICALA’s Favorite Black Friday Deals for 2016!

 

black friday deals for 2016

Happy Thanksgiving from PRAKTICALA to all our readers! We hope you enjoy the holiday with friends, family, and good times.

If you’re like us and are pinching pennies this season, here are some of our favorite Black Friday deals for 2016 that won’t cost you an arm and a turkey leg! No need to set your money on fire like in the reused illustration above! Check back throughout the weekend for updates!

Continue reading PRAKTICALA’s Favorite Black Friday Deals for 2016!

Why You Should Increase Your Credit Card Limits

increase your credit card limits
Not so fast, hotshot. How’s your credit??

Having excellent credit is essential for the budget-conscious layperson. Whether you’re buying a new car, applying for a home loan, or starting a new business, a fantastic credit score could mean the difference between landing your dream car/house/job and trudging home in defeat, empty-handed.

There are obvious ways to keep your credit high – paying bills on time, not maxing out credit cards, and so on. But there’s another lesser-known but simple way to boost your credit score, and it only takes a couple of minutes!

Continue reading Why You Should Increase Your Credit Card Limits

Review: Montblanc Star World Time Swiss Automatic Watch 109285

montblanc star world time swiss automatic watch

Today I’m going to take a look at the “next level” (for me, anyway) of watches – the Montblanc Star World Time Swiss automatic watch!

Continue reading Review: Montblanc Star World Time Swiss Automatic Watch 109285

PRAKTICALA’s Recommended New Year’s Resolutions!

PRAKTICALA has had an exciting year –  we’ve experienced a lot of growth and exposure, and had the opportunity to shoot all over the world.

#LaRecoleta #cemetery #BuenosAires #Argentina #Nikon #D90 #photography #travel #business #UCI #MBA #prakticala

A photo posted by PrakticaLA (@prakticala) on

With 2016 upon us, I’ve put together a few simple and practical suggestions for how to be fitter, happier, and more productive in the new year. Please enjoy PRAKTICALA’s Recommended New Year’s Resolutions!

Continue reading PRAKTICALA’s Recommended New Year’s Resolutions!

Deadline for Roth IRA is April 15

Actually photo of money. Just kidding.

If you haven’t already, make your Roth IRA contributions for the 2014 tax year before April 15!

In contrast to other forms of retirement investments, Roth IRA is a taxable contribution; however, whereas traditional earnings from investments will be TAXED TO THE MAX, your earnings (which you can withdraw any time after age 59 1/2) will be TAX FREE. If you start young (in your 20s) and max out your Roth contributions every year, this sum will very likely be quite sizable – almost certainly in the millions, even at a conservative rate of growth. Also, when you retire, you will probably be in a higher tax bracket, meaning you’ll have to fork over more of your income to Uncle Sam. Chyeah right!

The annual maximum contribution in 2014 is $5,500 – although it may increase over the years as inflation goes up. Mere peanuts!

You can invest through your existing bank, or open a new account online easily. The “big three” are always good choices – T. Rowe Price, Fidelity, and Vanguard – but other investment firms can work just as well too. Their online apps will have a wealth of tools for research and forecasting, so you can make informed investments – or you can just go with their in-house advisors’ top picks. These are super old guys with decades of experience in their field; it’s hard to go wrong.

You can read way more info on Roth IRA at Get Rich Slowly.

Don’t put it off, you only have two days left!

Any tips? Leave one in the comments!

How to Save Money on Eating Out

OMG. Oh my gouda. (Gouda not pictured.)

Dining out at restaurants is expensive. Like really expensive. Even if you go with “cheap” options like fast food, you are still spending at least 99 cents on a drink that costs less than a penny to make (about five-thousandths of a cent, to be exact). If you opt for more expensive offerings at dine-in restaurants, you can easily drop ten or twenty bucks (or more – especially if you order alcoholic beverages – more on that later).

The best way to save money on eating out is by… eating at home! Surprise! No really, wait, there’s more to this strategy.

Continue reading How to Save Money on Eating Out