35 minutes to riches

It's Money Magazine's 35th anniversary. In its honor, here are 47 smart ways to get on track to a rich life.

By Asa Fitch, Amanda Gengler, Josh Hyatt and Ismat Sarah Mangla

Factbox: Late fee penalty
Penalty fees for late payments more than doubled in the last 12 years - from an average of $13 in 1995 to $28 this year, with some fees even as high as $39.

Source: Consumer Reports

17 of 41

Escape late fees

Time it takes: 6 minutes

Why mess with checks and trips to the post office? Why risk a late payment when, according to Consumer Action, 85% of credit-card issuers impose penalty rates that average 24.5% if you're late on one or two bills? Pay bills online at your bank. First register at the site. Then gather your bills. Many bank sites have a pull-down menu of merchants; select yours and enter your account number. Or plug in the name, address and account number manually.

Credit score Raise your credit score Triple the return on savings Stop junk mail Freeze your credit Cut your credit rate Upgrade to a better card Add to your 401(k) Asset Allocation Buy a forever portfolio Find promising funds Track returns Check salary Retirement plan Life insurance Tax bracket Escape late fees Write bounce-proof checks Auto insurance Double-check your taxes Keep more of your paycheck Tax break for day care Pay less for your cell Cut drug costs No more waiting rooms Burn calories Be like Buffett Save for college Automate your savings Get credit, even in a crunch Read your mortgage Save on your mortgage Create an insurance record Curb impulse buys Spend consciously Slash recurring charges Boost your mileage Find it cheaper online Demand a lower cable bill Save on drinking water 35-second solutions

35th Anniversary

5 money dreams - a reality

For baby boomers, five cherished lifetime goals. And five smart game plans for making them come true. (more)

Your financial future - the next 35 years

Eight noted thinkers, from Vanguard founder John Bogle to tech futurist Ray Kurzweil, weigh in on what's ahead for investing, real estate, health care, work and more. (more)

How boomers really feel

Money Magazine's survey of nearly 3,000 boomers found that they are reinventing the American dream. (more)

Special Offer:

Live Quotes automatically refresh, but individual equities are delayed 15 minutes for Nasdaq, and 20 minutes for other exchanges. Market indexes are shown in real time, except for the DJIA, which is delayed by two minutes. All times are ET.
* : Time reflects local markets trading time. † - Intraday data delayed 15 minutes for Nasdaq, and 20 minutes for other exchanges. Disclaimer

Copyright © 2008 BigCharts.com Inc. All rights reserved. Please see our Terms of Use.
MarketWatch, the MarketWatch logo, and BigCharts are registered trademarks of MarketWatch, Inc.
Intraday data provided by Interactive Data Real-Time Services and subject to the Terms of Use.
Intraday data is at least 20-minutes delayed. All times are ET.
Historical, current end-of-day data, and splits data provided by Interactive Data Pricing and Reference Data.
Fundamental data provided by Morningstar, Inc..
SEC Filings data provided by Edgar Online Inc..
Earnings data provided by FactSet CallStreet, LLC.