Budgeting

For the past year, investors have been asking themselves whether they should be betting on gold or Bitcoin. Whether or not they’ve won depends on their outlook. The meteoric rise of Bitcoin made a lot of people wealthy overnight, but the volatility of Bitcoin plus its immaturity as an asset mean there’s a lot of uncertainty and risk. By comparison, gold has behaved the way it always does – as a reliable store of wealth.

Bitcoin is facing new challenges, though its valuation is still incredible compared to just a year ago. Governments are finally starting to catch up with the rise of cryptocurrencies and are introducing regulations. News that the Japanese FSA had warned Hong Kong-based Binance, a cryptocurrency exchange, about operating in Japan without registration set back Bitcoin prices late in March and more crackdown headlines could adversely affect Bitcoin in the near future. There has also been talk in Washington D.C. of updating U.S. regulations for cryptocurrencies, particularly introducing new anti-fraud measures.

But regulations are short-term concerns and when you take the long view on gold, you have to consider thousands of years of history as a store of wealth. Many investors are concerned that destructive technology is more likely to radically alter Bitcoin in the long future than any technological upheaval occurring that would alter gold. Based in a man-made system, there’s little reason to believe Bitcoin will be relevant in its current form 50 years from now. On the other hand, people have been trying to hack gold for hundreds of years, ever since alchemists first claimed they could make gold out of lead. Gold, which is made in dying stars, has only ever been successfully made on Earth one atom at a time in a supercollider.

Gold isn’t going anywhere and whatever the live price of gold today the precious metal is going to maintain its value centuries from now. Investors should pay attention to the ups and downs of gold. Active investors can trade gold and silver or gold and Bitcoin to gain from day-to-day price changes, but long-term, gold is a forgiving asset.

For the foreseeable future, gold and Bitcoin are likely going to co-exist. It remains to be seen whether Bitcoin will become the kind of store of value that gold has proven itself time and time again. In the meantime, it’s easy to buy gold with Bitcoin thanks to online gold dealers like Silver Gold Bull. They allow you to directly trade gold and Bitcoin the way that you might exchange gold for silver and vice versa. Easily exchanging assets directly, without having to convert to cash, saves you costs and fees. Look into buying gold with Bitcoin through Silver Gold Bull if you’re looking to convert your cryptocurrency funds into an asset that’s known for stability. Every portfolio needs to be rebalanced from time to time. You can avoid overexposure to fluctuating Bitcoin prices by converting that excess Bitcoin directly into gold coins and bars.

The woman your kids call ‘Mom’ deserves only the best things on Mother’s Day. There’s only one problem: the best things tend to be expensive. When spoiling the most important woman in your kids’ lives puts a strain on your budget, you need to think outside the box on the big day. If you want to help your children pamper Mom without going over budget, use these smart Mother’s Day tips to your advantage.

Tap into the true spirit of Mother’s Day.

Mother’s Day is one of the biggest shopping days besides the holidays, but it wasn’t always that way. Anna Jarvis, the woman who started it all, created Mother’s Day to celebrate what mothers do for their families. She recommended children spend time with their mothers on the big day.

“You’re thanking your mother for all the sacrifices she has made for you. So if you can’t be at home that day, you send her a handwritten letter,” said Katharine Antolini, a professor at the West Virginia Wesleyan College who wrote her dissertation on Mother’s Day.

Though old-fashioned, this idea of Mother’s Day reflects what mothers want today. According to a Mediabrands survey, nearly half of all responding mothers want to spend time with their family on Mother’s Day, while only four percent looked forward to receiving gifts and treats.

Curate a family experience.

Instead of buying an elaborate gift, clear your schedule so you and the kids can spend time with mom on her day. Some thoughtful ways to spend the day together include:

• Watching a movie. Let mom finally choose what flick the family watches on Netflix. Cater the movie with all her favorite snacks, making sure there’s enough to share with everyone.
• Experiencing spring. Mother’s Day arrives at a beautiful time of the year when most flowers are just starting to bloom. Take the family to a local botanical garden or butterfly conservatory and spend the afternoon marvelling at nature’s bounty.
• Treating her to a homemade meal. Though family dynamics are changing, most families still expect mom to put food on the table. If this holds true for your family, surprise her by cooking her favorite meal with the kids. While everyone is occupied in the kitchen, let her relax in the tub with a bath bomb, a book, and a glass of wine.

Have a backup should things go off track.

Even when spending the day at home, your Mother’s Day plans can end up costing more than you planned. When you go over budget, you’re leaving your family unprepared should other expenses come your way. A loan is a great solution to your cash flow problems, but it can be tough for a young family to secure it through conventional means. When you’re struggling to make ends meet, get a fast installment loan online to help you through your financial crises. Only online lenders like MoneyKey provide financial assistance online. These lenders remove many of the barriers restricting families from getting the help they need with quick and convenient online loans.

You can help your kids pamper their mother without having to bust your budget. Put these tips to the test this Mother’s Day, and keep your expenses low by spending quality time with this special lady.

It doesn’t matter what reason has been cited, divorce can have all sorts of repercussions on men. A routine which may have lasted for decades has effectively been thrown out of the window, and what often happens is that guys are left to stroll around the golf course on an August afternoon in a bid to fill the hours.

Of course, there’s far more to it than this. This is something that Bob Mims Memphis has discovered, and the findings from his work are interesting to say the least. Some of these findings have arrived from university-esque studies, while others have been found through reports in the community. Let’s now take a look at the typical effects of divorce on the modern-day man.

It takes men longer to adjust emotionally than women

Men are often regarded as having less emotional sensitivity than a woman, but studies have found that they actually struggle to adapt to their new situation more than women. It’s understood that a man will really struggle to cope with the loss of a social connection and intimacy, which are areas which a typical woman will be able to grasp more quickly. There is also an issue about finances here, with men tending to struggle more now that the finances have been divided (and ultimately been reduced).

Men will remarry more quickly than women

Following on from the previous point, this next one sounds almost strange. However, once a man has got over the initial period of emotional instability, it appears as though they will tend to remarry a lot more quickly.

This is what a different study revealed, with divorced men much more likely to walk down the aisle at a quicker rate than their divorced ex.

Men can be more negative about divorce

Like most of the points we have talked about, there might be an element of surprise with this next point as well. Once again, as men are seen as the less sensitive type, it’s generally assumed that they will “get on” with things and ultimately spend more time doing the things they enjoy (like heading to the golf course!).

However, research has suggested that they are more negative about the prospect of divorce, and will often try and reconcile before finally accepting the situation. Again, considering the statistics regarding remarrying, this can be quite a tricky point to understand for many.

Shared parental responsibility often means that the dad plays a significant part in the child’s life

Fortunately, divorce doesn’t always have to end significantly badly for children in the middle of things. It has been found that those dads who have shared parental responsibility are much more likely to participate in their child’s life, than so called “deadbeat” dads. This doesn’t just relate to the time they spend with them either, but also the money they pledge towards their development. In other words, it truly is an equal split between both parents – which is often debated.