7 Ways That Consumers are Wasting Money

By Ryan Gillis

Wasting money doesn’t actually mean you are bad with money, it just means that like millions of other Americans, you spend too much money on things that can be easily made less expensive, reports MSN.com.  MSN outlines the 7 most common budgetary mistakes:

1. Investing in expensive mutual funds 

Mutual funds that charge high fees take large percentages of your returns, so it would be wise to look for mutual funds that charge a low fee rates annually.  Any mutual fund that charges less than 0.5% in fees annually is a good number to look for.

2. Ignoring your credit score

A low credit score means less money in your pocket.  In many cases, the lower your credit score the more money you will pay on interest rates, and other expenses such as auto insurance premiums.  A low credit score can even effect whether or not you get job as some employers take credit score into consideration when hiring.

3. Failing to lower your rates

Many consumers just accept the interest rates that are paying when in reality if they only asked for a lower rate, especially on credit cards, it may actually be effective.  In the case of mortgages, car loans and student loans refinancing is the best option for lowering rates.

4. Overpaying for car insurance

Reducing car insurance premiums is not very difficult with a little bit of effort.  Auto insurance companies offer a lot discounts, and comparing rates of insurance companies online takes just a few minutes.

5. Buying brand name products

Once consumers get past all of the slogans and fancy commercials, the product that brand name companies put is basically the exact same same as off brand ones.  Off brand labels can also save the company a great deal of money, and offer similar quality.

6. Buying too much life insurance

The key to buying life insurance is to only buy the coverage you need at the cheapest price.  For this reason term life insurance insurance is more popular than a whole life policy.  As lifestyle conditions change, it , may helpful to alter your coverage or even eliminate it all together.

7. Failing to take the company 401k match

Many companies have programs in place where they will match employees 401k contributions to a certain extent.  In order to take full advantage of these contributions, it is necessary that the employee contribute a certain amount.  By not taking advantage of these programs, employees lose out on free money.

For more information, visit http://finances.msn.com/saving-money-tips/6930544.