tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5333863388039389947Fri, 05 Aug 2011 20:16:41 +0000The world's first and only personal finance blog for Actors and all other Artistshttp://finance4artists.blogspot.com/noreply@blogger.com (Spencer Moses)Blogger19125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5333863388039389947.post-3134102745925160857Sat, 06 Nov 2010 10:44:00 +00002010-11-06T06:44:33.772-04:00I've said it before but it's totally worth repeating:  Start a Roth IRA as soon as possible.  Even if you can only invest $50 a month when you start, it will help you in the long run.  Tonight I made a new friend while at a bar with some other friends.  She is a stage manager on a Broadway show.  She started a Roth IRA at the age of 22 when she graduated from college.  Since she started her Roth http://finance4artists.blogspot.com/2010/11/roth-iras.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Spencer Moses)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5333863388039389947.post-9209306137688984883Tue, 13 Jul 2010 17:04:00 +00002010-07-13T13:06:23.900-04:00If you're like me, you come home at the end of the day, empty out your pockets, and place most of the contents on a desk, table, or any other piece of furniture within reach.  Most days there is a good amount of change included in that pile of pocket-stuff.  Well, for as long as I can remember, I've always had a "change jar."  Sometimes I'm disciplined and immediately insert my change upon http://finance4artists.blogspot.com/2010/07/coins-in-jar.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Spencer Moses)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5333863388039389947.post-6616106193644517046Mon, 12 Jul 2010 21:03:00 +00002010-07-12T19:33:32.464-04:00Sometimes we need to save but it's tough to get into the habit of it.  That's why it pays to have a FREE online savings account at ING Direct.  They have an online account that automatically withdraws cash for you from your checking account (which can be from any bank) and puts it into your ING savings.  You can designate how much and how often.  For instance, if you decide to have it take $10 a http://finance4artists.blogspot.com/2010/07/automatic-savings.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Spencer Moses)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5333863388039389947.post-4048714660410840138Mon, 12 Jul 2010 03:26:00 +00002010-07-11T23:26:19.244-04:00Ok, "duh," right?  But for reals... if you buy the cheap brand of food, it's gonna taste identical... at least most of the time.  Well, often enough to make it worthwhile in my honest opinion.  I just got home from Food Emporium where I picked up some parmesan cheese.  And I was kicking myself the whole time because I knew I was going to pay more for it there than at Fairway, where I was just http://finance4artists.blogspot.com/2010/07/compare-and-save.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Spencer Moses)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5333863388039389947.post-3484604106589179973Sun, 11 Jul 2010 22:20:00 +00002010-07-11T18:22:06.159-04:00Yesterday I had the great fortune of taking a TV Hosting class taught by Jamie Carroll.  I was expecting to do the norm: get in front of the camera, get coached, get feedback, and sit and watch the rest of my classmates do the same. But it was so refreshingly different and inspiring.  We started the class by getting in a circle and going around discussing what our ideas were about our own kindshttp://finance4artists.blogspot.com/2010/07/creating-your-own-projects.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Spencer Moses)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5333863388039389947.post-7043319891138782636Wed, 30 Jun 2010 19:55:00 +00002010-06-30T15:56:50.118-04:00We all buy things.  Just about every day most of us buy some thing or another.  But how often do we buy used items?  Over the summer of '09 I was unemployed.  I wanted a set of dumbbells so I could workout in my apartment.  Over the summer I went on Craigslist and purchased dumbbells... pair by pair, using the subway and my rolling suitcase.  I ended up with a set ranging from 5lbs to 30lbs.  I http://finance4artists.blogspot.com/2010/06/buying-used-instead-of-new.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Spencer Moses)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5333863388039389947.post-3805377211150571789Sun, 20 Jun 2010 06:11:00 +00002010-06-20T02:33:48.267-04:00Today, while basking in the Central Park sun, I looked over and noticed a sign reading "Charge your phone here."  I was intrigued.  Not because I needed to charge my phone, but because I was in the presence of a really smart business idea.  I immediately went over and started talking to Victor, the man behind the plan. He sits out in the middle of Sheep's Meadow on a sunny day where tourists http://finance4artists.blogspot.com/2010/06/entrepreneurship.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Spencer Moses)2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5333863388039389947.post-438175505542580310Tue, 15 Jun 2010 00:31:00 +00002010-06-14T20:40:01.789-04:00This past week I was in Boston doing a reading of a really cool new musical called Unknown Soldier,  by Daniel Goldstein and Michael Friedman at the awesome Huntington Theatre.  While there, a fellow cast member asked me if I knew of a good credit card for transfering her high-interest rate balance.  I didn't hesitate: "Actors Federal Credit Union Gold Card!"  Why this particular card?  Well, http://finance4artists.blogspot.com/2010/06/balance-transfers-and-getting-new-card.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Spencer Moses)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5333863388039389947.post-147067807994419183Tue, 15 Jun 2010 00:02:00 +00002010-06-14T20:02:31.580-04:00There are lots of reasons to avoid using your credit card, if you aren't responsible.  One of the main ones is if you don't intend to pay off the balance in full at the end of the month.. especially if you have a high interest rate.  There is an exception: when you are in a "promotional" period and you aren't getting charged interest for 6 to 18 months.  However, if you still have a balance at http://finance4artists.blogspot.com/2010/06/link-worth-visiting.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Spencer Moses)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5333863388039389947.post-8760170184921300833Wed, 26 May 2010 23:56:00 +00002010-05-26T19:56:52.296-04:00As I was walking up the street, I came upon a phone booth with an ad on it.  The ad referred to Roth IRA's.  (See photo.) I've mentioned them before, but they bear repeating.  Roth IRA's.  If you don't have one, get one.  If you don't know what they are... google it, ask a friend, an adviser, a CPA, or look at my previous blogs and read up.  The sooner you have a Roth and start putting money http://finance4artists.blogspot.com/2010/05/roth-iras.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Spencer Moses)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5333863388039389947.post-329589851731874102Sun, 16 May 2010 15:24:00 +00002010-05-16T11:24:33.556-04:00We never think about it because it hasn't happened to us.  Yet.  Well, hopefully this isn't a problem any of us will ever have to encounter, but there is always a possibility of getting your online accounts hacked.  And below I'll be posting a link to an article that goes into a little more detail about online hacking at bank sites and what you can do to help prevent it.  One of the things it http://finance4artists.blogspot.com/2010/05/hackers-and-your-money.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Spencer Moses)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5333863388039389947.post-7133358696191517784Sun, 09 May 2010 22:42:00 +00002010-05-09T18:42:13.711-04:00Being a real estate agent in NYC, I've learned an awful lot about just how dishonest the real estate business is.  I've worked at three different companies and left them all for various reasons.  One thing the last two had in common: fake advertisements and fake photos of listings.  They would say in the ad "Upper East Side Gem, located in the east 70's."  They would post a photo or two of a http://finance4artists.blogspot.com/2010/05/real-estate-scam.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Spencer Moses)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5333863388039389947.post-3860721323810723577Thu, 06 May 2010 21:00:00 +00002010-05-06T17:00:38.250-04:00As I've mentioned before, it's good to keep cards around even if you don't use them much, because they don't hurt your score.  Sometimes they even help your score by reducing your debt to credit ratio.  Below is an article about why it's important to use that extra random card of yours once in a while. http://finance.yahoo.com/banking-budgeting/article/109451/dont-leave-credit-cards-unused?mod=http://finance4artists.blogspot.com/2010/05/another-article-about-credit-cards.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Spencer Moses)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5333863388039389947.post-3479439803397966267Wed, 05 May 2010 07:04:00 +00002010-05-05T03:08:07.149-04:00 If you're considering moving to or opening a new checking/savings account, you might consider ING Direct.  They now offer the ability to transfer money from your account to someone else's for no fee at all.  Of course, you should have the other person check and see if they incur a fee for having $ transfered to their account from an account outside of their bank.  Sometimes there is a $10 chargehttp://finance4artists.blogspot.com/2010/05/ing-allows-person-to-person-transfers.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Spencer Moses)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5333863388039389947.post-7334879245610288734Tue, 04 May 2010 23:46:00 +00002010-05-05T00:03:19.214-04:00If you're about to go apartment hunting, here are some helpful hints: 1. Know your credit score 2. Know your total income from last year and the year before 3. Have $500 cash readily available 4. If you have bad credit, have your guarantor lined up 5. Be ready to negotiate 1. KNOW your credit score! If you're dealing with a broker, one of the first questions they'll ask is "how is your http://finance4artists.blogspot.com/2010/05/shopping-for-apartment-in-nyc.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Spencer Moses)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5333863388039389947.post-153894707871260253Tue, 04 May 2010 22:59:00 +00002010-05-04T21:03:17.033-04:00Okay, another ratio you NEED to know about: Debt To Income. What does it mean? I promise it's super easy. You add up all the debt you have in terms of monthly obligations. Let's say you have a minimum payment of $130 on your credit card. Your car loan costs you $140 a month. And your student loan is $185 a month. That's a total of $455 a month in what's known as "debt servicing." Now, http://finance4artists.blogspot.com/2010/05/debt-to-income-ratio.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Spencer Moses)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5333863388039389947.post-8691063282360862283Tue, 04 May 2010 22:50:00 +00002010-05-04T22:21:02.443-04:00Many people would like to know what exactly is a "debt to credit ratio." It's really easy: Let's say you have a credit card with a line of credit for $10,000. And now let's say you owe $2,000 on that card. Assuming that card is the ONLY line of credit you have and you don't owe ANY other money to anyone else... then your debt to credit ratio is 20%. $2,000 divided by $10,000 is 20%, right?http://finance4artists.blogspot.com/2010/05/debt-to-credit-ratio.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Spencer Moses)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5333863388039389947.post-8272899241003715462Tue, 04 May 2010 07:31:00 +00002010-05-04T22:20:46.489-04:00Today, as my groceries were being bagged at Trader Joe's, the checkout clerk asked what my plans were for the night. "A little reading, I think, after I cook my awesome dinner of course." "Oh? What are you reading?" "Well, I'm reading a book about entrepreneurship and another one about personal finance." "Are you an accountant?" "No, just a nerd. I'm also consulting actors and teaching them http://finance4artists.blogspot.com/2010/05/credit-scores.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Spencer Moses)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5333863388039389947.post-4459773489848556161Sat, 20 Mar 2010 01:35:00 +00002010-03-19T21:37:06.033-04:00