A recent Bankrate.com study widely reported on Monday, August 18, 2014 said 36 percent of Americans have $0 saved for retirement and 36 percent of working Americans have $1,000 or less saved for retirement. Amazingly, 14 percent of people age 65 and older have less than $1,000 set aside for retirement, and a “well duh” moment occurs when we learn that percentage increases with the decrease in age.

Among many financial problems, America is in the midst of a retirement crisis not seen since the fall of modern day Greece, which we suppose wasn’t all that long ago. Studies show that half of all Americans today retire with $25,000 or less in their retirement accounts. While that’s scary enough, it’s not as scary as the retirement of generations to follow Baby Boomers whom many financial advisors advise to not plan on Social Security for supplemental income in their on golden pond years.

We moved into our condo seven years ago. We were very excited, as this was our first home purchase; it was a blank canvass; it was below our budget and met our architectural aesthetic. Another reason why we were so excited was because we bought into a condominium. Neither of us particularly loves yard work, painting and fixing things. David’s handy, but I’m not. I led a cushy life when it comes to home repairs and maintenance and it’s not fair for David to do it all. So, naively, this is one of the reasons we bought into a condominium with a homeowner’s association (HOA) and a property management company. We thought that among all of them they would handle most home maintenance issues.

Spring is in the air and we’re excited! Between participating in yesterday’s Runnin’ of the Green here in Denver and spending the rest of the day at our favorite rooftop bar, we were outside most of yesterday. It was a nice day of exercising, relaxing and spending time with friends in the warm sun. For us, that’s the best aspect of the warmer weather.

Another of the many benefits of spring and summer weather is the money generating opportunities that spring up just as surely as the cottonwood that ignites our allergies. We often talk about ways to control spending and saving a dollar here and a few dollars there. We discuss ways to pay less in fees and how to be a more efficient consumer. 

There are two sides to a balance sheet, however. There is the expense side, but there is the income side. Today we want to talk about ways to make more money through an existing hobby or skill or even through simple willingness and capability.

You did it!  You graduated, searched high and low and landed your first job.  It’s time to celebrate.  Go out big this weekend with your friends or, maybe, buy that car you’ve had your eye on lately.

Hold up!  Not so fast.  Yes, you have your first “real” job.  It’s likely, however, that you won’t make the money an NFL All-Star makes.  What should you do?