Emergency preparedness - Floods, Landslides, and Emergency Hotlines

The rainy season is here again! ... or almost here, anyway.

While storms and heavy rains might not come for a few weeks or months more (or they might; who knows?), I wanted to share this public service/advisory from the DENR Mines and Geosciences Bureau
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6 After Death Expenses And The Best Ways To Prepare For Them Financially

Death is inevitable... and actually very costly!

It causes such a big financial hit that it should be one of the most discussed expenses on par with tuition, food, and gasoline.

However, the opposite is true. For most of us, there is no discussion about the topic - let alone any sort of preparation. It's very understandable; our mortality - or that of our loved ones' - just isn't a nice topic.

It's a bit of a shame though, because most of the ways to prepare for this eventuality don't actually conjure images of death. For the most part, it's just more of the same: emergency funds and insurance.
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7 Signs of Great Personal Finance Management

Disclosure: I adapted these from 7 Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen R. Covey.

Most of the time you know your finances are in good shape if you have money - little to no debt, positive net worth, etc.

But to get there, there's a whole host of tips, rules, guides, advice, etc. that you can follow. But how can you judge if you're really doing great?

Maybe you're following some rules and ignoring others.

Maybe you're actually doing the right things now, but your finances are just bad because it took a beating from the time when you weren't so responsible.

Maybe you're an uber-sophisticated investor, but your family is strictly savings-account-only. If your finances are entwined, how do you evaluate that?

When investing (in anything), having a good system, process, or set of guiding principles is the best way to ensure long term success. The same is true for almost everything else in life, including personal finance.

So I figured these 7 habits would make great "road signs" to let you know you're on the right path, regardless of the current state of your finances.
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