 Organize and plan your wedding with this comprehensive wedding checklist. Tasks are organized based on time frame. Because the list is in Excel, it's easy to use and modify. This listing includes almost 100 individual tasks, each task has been categorized with other common tasks to be completed at the same time. Read more and download this template 1 Comment  Previously we released our Proof of Cash template which is designed to cover a full year with one reconciliation. However, sometimes completing a reconciliation as complex as this requires it be completed on a more granular level. Which is why we've created a template that will allow you to complete the process monthly - plus each tab is linked to the previous tab which will aid in completing the process efficiently. Read More and Download the Monthly Proof of Cash Template here. Need to know how to perform a vertical analysis of an income statement? Have a look at this template and get off to a quick start. Read more and download this template 
 Auditors love the idea of a four-column bank reconciliation also known as a Proof of Cash because of its ability to shed light on error, misstatements and fraud. Template includes example data and helpful hints in completing a Proof of Cash. Download this template here  Commonly accountants are required to report a 5 year schedule of commitments, such schedules are susceptible to error as these calculations are preformed manually and summarized information is entered or start and end dates are off. This template has been designed so that information can be entered one time and the formulas will update each year (as the 'Year End' date is updated). The example above shows a simple 5 year lease commitment schedule. Read more & download this template  Looking for a checklist to help you get organized for your next camping trip? Use this list and customize it to fit your needs. Give a copy to one of your emergency contacts so they have all of your contact information in case of an emergency. Also, take a copy along on your trip so you'll have a backup if needed. Download this Camping Checklist here  What do you need to pack for your next trip? Use this travel checklist to get organized. Includes packing list, trip details, emergency contact info and a place for notes. Read more & download this trip checklist here  For most Americans, net worth has seen tough times over the last few years. The Associated Press reported on December 8, 2011 that the average household net worth fell by 4% recently. What about your personal net worth, has it gone up, down, or stayed flat? Is it positive, or negative? What should it be and what does it mean? The Basics: Lets start with the basics - net worth is simply your assets (cash, investments, vehicles, housing, etc) less your debts (credit card, mortgage, etc). Most people can figure their net worth out in less than 30 minutes, yet few people seem to track the progress of their net worth. Interpreting Net Worth: Generally, a positive net worth is better than a negative net worth - the larger the net worth becomes the more financially secure you become. A lot of people look for rules of thumb (i.e., if I'm X years old and my income is $Yk then I should have a net worth of $Z); however, I've yet to find a rule of thumb that can be applied as a broad stroke and really make sense. I agree it is interesting to see exactly how you stack up. In fact, as I was recently preparing my own net worth calculation, I was looking for some net worth statistics just to see how my personal balance stacked up. Now, you can't simply look at the numbers reported here, you have to consider the time from which they represent, what was the market doing during that time compared to now etc. If you're anything like me, then you too may find it's fun to see how you stack-up against these figures. But really, what does your net worth say about you? Well, here are some general interpretations: Negative Net Worth - Do you have an emergency fund established? Maybe you don't because you're not sure the best way to begin. Or maybe you have a well established emergency fund, and want to know if you're maximizing the returns without introducing unnecessary risk. Find out how to get started, what to do once established, see how we've allocated our emergency fund and what type of risk/reward we're getting.
My Story Several years ago, my wife and I decided that we were "financially flabby" - a conclusion we came to after reading The Total Money Makeover, by Dave Ramsey. At that time we had just recently purchased a new car, we used credit cards for all of our spending needs, and thought so long as we were putting "some" away for retirement each month we were ahead of the game. We were doing so much, so wrong! As we began to educate ourselves, we realized that buying a brand new car probably wasn't the best idea given our finances, our credit card spending led to very loose spending and at the end of the year (or month for that matter) we really couldn't figure out where all of our money had gone. We also realized that we could be saving so much more if we simply cleaned up our spending habits. Probably more importantly, we figured out that we really didn't have an emergency fund in place should something unexpected happen. Knowing it was time for a change we immediately started keeping a personal budget and started working on establishing an emergency fund (using Dave Ramsey's The Seven Baby Steps). Here are the first baby steps 3: |
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