That’s where parents can still play a part with the steps below, and help their college-bound children prevent overspending and stay in control of their money.

Write out a Budget

Most college freshman have no idea what a budget looks like, so parents, put one in writing and pack it with the rest of their belongings. If you’re interested in putting something together that you kid can’t claim to ‘lose’ then setup a spreadsheet in Google Docs. You can use Excel in there, and both you and your kid can be in there together updating and sharing.

With this system, you can not only see what they’re spending their money on, but you can move things around with them on the phone so they can see why you’re segmenting their spending.
By having a document detailing how much money to allocate towards everything from books to pizza, your future grad will know when they’re close to overspending. Now, if only it was possible to make a budget for parties.

Get a Prepaid Credit Card

Instead of giving your freshman student spending money in cash, give them plastic in the form of a prepaid credit card. They work just like any other credit card, but the balance is simply how much money you put on it.
Cards like the REACH card make it possible to control how much your student spends. For example, by adding money onto the REACH card monthly your student will have to spend it wisely to make it last- and once they use it all they’ll need to update you. If you tie this in with your Google Docs (or physical) budget sheet, then they’ll be able to really know what it’s like to keep within the bounds of a “salary” when they graduate and get into the real world.

Open a Joint Bank Account

With a joint bank account, both parent and student can deposit and withdraw money. This arrangement makes it easy for you to institute a weekly or monthly allowance for your student. You will also be able to track when withdrawals are made and how much each one is for, as well as wire money in case of an emergency.
However, keep in mind there is the risk of your student overdrawing while trying to pack on that freshman 15, resulting in expensive bank fees.

Buy Cheap Textbooks

Buying textbooks is one the easiest ways to overspend in college since they can be very expensive. Before purchasing them, students should first attend class to see if the books listed in the syllabus will actually be used.
When you do buy them, opt for used editions; they may even have the most important stuff already highlighted. Also, steep discounts on textbooks can be found from online booksellers like Amazon. This way, your student isn’t overspending, but rather saving.
Some other sites to consider:

• AbeBooks
• ValoreBooks
• BigWords

Furnish from Home

Dorm rooms are typically small and plain-looking to begin with, so there is no reason a college freshman should overspend trying to furnish one. Instead, your student can raid your home basement or garage for old appliances like a mini-refrigerator or microwave.

Many colleges will rent out similar appliances, but not at the cost of “free from home.”

Tracking your Spending

There are many sites out there (including certain banks that offer online banking options) that can automatically take where you’re spending and consolidate it into a report. This way, you can see if you’re spending too much money on clothes, food, drinking and what have you. Then you can adjust your budget accordingly and cut out extra spending where necessary.

If you’re looking setup and track your goals, there are many excellent resources out there that can guide and help you.

Conclusion

In all of the excitement of starting college, both students and parents can get carried away, but it can come at a cost.

By taking some of the steps discussed above, college freshman can avoid overspending and keep their savings high like their grades.

How did you or your college student prevent overspending?

Technorati Tags: Colleges and Universities, controlling school spending, Education

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If you want to understand index graphs and use them effectively to trade stocks, it’s going to be like everything else in life: You get good with practice. First, find the trend. The stock will be trending upward, downward, or staying flat (labeled consolidating).

If there is a trend present, you would like to know how long the trend would last and if the stock has already gone through a pullback. Stocks that are trending have pull backs that allow buyers to purchase a stock that’s trending upward with a low risk buying opportunity or stock that is trending downward with a low risk shorting opportunity. Stocks can trend strong or weak, and you can use the Average Directional Index (ADI) indicator to judge a stock’s strength.

You want a high reading from the ADI Indicator because when a stock is weak, a trading range can develop, making a stock unpredictable.

Elliot Wave Theory

The Elliot Wave Theory posits that a stock goes through five waves. Wave one breaks the stock from a downward trend, beginning a new upward trend. Wave two is the first pullback; this is the time to make your investment if you are not already holding the stock. Wave three enjoys the longest and strongest upward trend. Waves four and five are not nearly as strong as wave three and may be punctuated with a pullback. If you get into a stock at this time, you may make some gains, but nothing too exciting.

Moving Average (MA) and Volume

Moving averages determine a trend direction by smoothing out price data. The price data leads, and the moving average indicator is formed from that price data. It is a lagging trend indicator that can be used to find support and resistance. Moving averages of 20, 50, and 200 days are commonly used to show support or resistance for an occurring trend in a security. If a stock’s advance is supported by the moving average for a period of time, and then the stock begins to break downward, resisting the moving average could cause alarm. You can compare moving averages; if the 20-day MA is above the 50-day MA, the stock is trending up. If the 20-day MA is below the 50-day MA, the stock is trending down. Volume is simply how much of the stock is being traded. A high volume of trading on an upward trend reflects confidence in a stock, and vice versa on a downward trend. Make sure to know whether you want to be a long-term investor or a short-term trader and identify your strategies accordingly.

Technorati Tags: Average Directional Index, Market trend, Moving average, Pullback (differential geometry), Stock, Support and resistance

Creativity is the special ingredient that can make a career fun. If you have a job that allows you to foster your creativity when inspiration strikes, you’ll not only enjoy work, you’ll be better at what you do. Plus, you can even do most creative jobs as a freelancer, adding more freedom to your workday. Here are some careers perfect for the creatives at heart.

Designers

As a designer, you get to let your inspiration create an entire environment. Whether it is a virtual space or a building, you can use your creativity to hone each line and curve on the surface. Being a designer allows you to transfer art from the canvas to the real world. Some jobs that fall into this career category include the following:

• Graphic design
• Interior design
• Web page design
• Video game animation
• Architecture
• Color consulting
• Waterscape design

Publishing

Almost every facet of the publishing industry requires some creativity; however, writing and editing careers are usually the ones with the most freedom. While writing fictional works like “Harry Potter” often seem to be the most creative source of writing, a person can do other jobs that will allow plenty of creative liberty.

Copywriters merge advertising skills with non-fiction information in a way that entices readers to learn more about a company or a product. Editors often act as muses, inspiring writers to produce better work. If you want to work in publishing, consider one of the following jobs:

• Copywriter
• Editor
• Cover artist
• Literary agent
• Magazine director
• Book promotions

Consulting

Are you an expert in your industry? Do you have the ability to present boring information in a fun way? If so, consulting may be just what you need to do for your career. Consultants tend to share some common abilities:

• They have excellent presentation skills.
• Consultants understand how to incorporate different media into presentations.
• They have the ability to modify their presentations based on the crowd.
• Consultants can travel on a regular basis, as the job demands.

You can offer your consulting services for everything from scrapbooking and other hobbies to running a small business. As a consultant, you will inspire those you work with to excel.

Teaching

Every teacher has the ability to bring a creative side to the classroom. In fact, creativity may be the only thing that motivates your students to learn the syntax of a sentence or the multiplication table. Some teaching careers require a muse more often than not, including the following:

• Art teacher
• Drama teacher
• Music teacher

Curators

Some museums and art galleries allow for more creativity than others, but as a curator, you will design an exhibit, or even an exhibition to attract attention. Depending on your specific job duties, you may need to use your creativity to help children learn about the things in your museum or gallery in a fun way.

With so many fun careers available, there is no reason why you have to be a starving artist. Just find a career that lets you be creative. There is creativity to be found in almost any line or work.

Technorati Tags: creative jobs

1. Not shopping around for your own car insurance.

The fact is, you may benefit by doing this rather than just staying with your parents’ insurance. For one thing, the coverage provided by your parents’ insurance may either be too much (although you may have to keep certain types of coverage because of your age or the type car you are driving) or not enough (this may be a problem if you are attending a college somewhere other than your home state).

Even more serious than this one is not having car insurance at all, which is shockingly common with recent high school grads. Not only is it illegal, but you open yourself up to lawsuits and expenses that you may not be able to meet.

2. Responding to every credit card offer you receive.

There are plenty of groups who will try to sucker you into signing up with their credit card, offering you a free t-shirt or discount when you apply. However, the interest rates will quickly deplete your resources, and the availability can lead to binge spending. Additionally, you can cause problems with your credit score. Once you open a credit card account, you begin building your credit history, and each credit card you have is considered an open account. If you have to take out a loan, having many open accounts can go against you.

3. Not taking advantage of free stuff offered on campus.

This can include such things as advertised study sessions. If you take advantage of the study sessions, you can save on tutoring fees, because someone in the group will likely be able to help you. Also, if you are struggling in a class and you don’t take advantage of study sessions, this can hinder college graduation and even get in the way of receiving financial aid.

4. Not applying for every scholarship you can.

Although you might think this is something you should have done before now, the truth is that scholarships will be available all through your college years. Take advantage of each one that you think you even might be eligible for.

5. Not taking advantage of internships.

Sure, you don’t get paid anything, but a price tag can’t be placed on the experience you gain. You’ll more than make up for your unpaid service when you’re able to negotiate for a higher salary simply because you already have experience.

When faced with a financial decision, take a few minutes to really think about it. If you’re not sure it’s a good one, don’t be afraid to ask for help from those who have more life experience than you do.

The concept of cloud computing has been around for well over a decade, yet the idea has only just begun to cling onto mainstream technology. Much of the reason for its increasing popularity is its application in saving businesses time and money. If you’re not yet using the cloud, it’s well worth reviewing ways it may help reduce your costs and improve your efficiency. Here are just a few items to look at.

Eliminate the Need for an IT Department

Anything that’s run in-house is going to require advanced IT support. This is especially true for anyone running their own servers, hosting their own software, and trying to create personalized synchronization protocols. Whether you’re trying to do something simple like use IMAP controls on your email accounts or something advanced like setting up an intranet-based information framework, IT staff members are required.

One of the great benefits of the cloud is that it provides its own IT support. This isn’t a costly measure, either — it’s included in your monthly fees. To put it simply, the more you move to the cloud, the fewer IT expenses you’ll have.

Lower Software and Hardware Costs

The “traditional” method of getting software is to purchase individual licenses for each workstation that needs it, requiring a substantial investment in both time and money. Cloud software has far more elastic licensing terms, and typical subscriptions are usually made accessible by mid-sized groups (often twenty to fifty accounts) at the default price mark.

Similarly, “traditional” storage or servers means purchasing a lot of additional hardware. Cloud storage or servers allow you to get all of the benefits of traditional variations, but it does so at a substantially lower cost.

Eliminate Crossed Wires

One of the great problems with the synchronization protocols created in the 90s is that they create many “crossed wire” issues. If two people tried to edit a document simultaneously, the project would implode. If too many groups tried to access the information at once, the entire system might crash.

Cloud-based systems eliminate crossed wires in almost every sector. Collaboration is simpler because edits are visible in real-time, built-in chat features can be used to ensure effective communication, and scheduling can be run off of a synchronized platform.

Create a Safety Net

More than ninety percent of businesses will experience a critical data failure (broken hard-drives, crashed servers, outright computer failure, etc.) within the next five years. For that reason, a safety net for data is more than a “nice bonus” — it’s practically mandatory.

Cloud storage can automatically synchronize all of your important data, keep a track record of previous document versions, and make recovery simpler than ever before. Considering the amount of time and expense that typically goes into escaping from data loss disasters, this safety net can be a real life saver.

Whether you’re a start-up or an established corporation, using cloud computing is a wise choice. There are many great options that can suit your exact needs and budget. You simply have to explore them to find the right solution for you.