Posts

It’s easy and free99. Breakdown Ever walk away from your house and have that moment of panic - “Did I lock the door?” (for me it’s always the stove). In the time it took to read that sentence, someone could have been throwing your purchased personal information into, I dunno, Best Buy or something to open a line of credit in your name. Scary, right? Well, a credit freeze is something of a vault for your credit that most people don’t know about, and it’s actually pretty simple to set up (and free). ...

Who doesn’t love giving out interest-free loans to the government? Breakdown You know that feeling when you get your tax refund? That sweet, sweet deposit hits your account and suddenly you’re channeling your inner Scrooge McDuck, dreaming about diving into a pool of gold coins (the laws of physics don’t apply in McDuck land, don’t overthink it). But hold up - what if I told you that chunky refund check isn’t the financial win you think it is? In fact, it might be costing you more than you realize. Let’s break down why your “free” money from Uncle Sam isn’t exactly free, and more importantly, what you can do about it. ...

This three step method is not complicated but it is extremely effective at putting you in a position to financially succeed. Breakdown If you’re drowning in financial chaos (or just treading water), this is your rescue plan. Forget the 50 different money “hacks” you’ve heard about - most of that stuff is like rearranging deck chairs on the Titanic if you don’t nail these three fundamental moves first. Think of this as your financial triage - the “oh shit, what do I absolutely need to do right now” guide that works whether you’re making minimum wage or six figures. ...

A roadmap to your financial future Breakdown This is the first in a series of “Investing for beginners”, this one on the types of investment accounts with some explanations on how they work and which to use depending on where you’re currently at financially. Different investment accounts serve different purposes, with their own tax treatments, withdrawal rules, and sweet spots for your financial goals. The difference between throwing money in a regular brokerage account versus maxing out tax-advantaged options could literally mean hundreds of thousands of dollars over your lifetime. Let’s break down these financial vehicles before you accidentally drive your retirement savings off a cliff. ...

Let’s get your $..tuff together. Breakdown Just in time for anyone wanting another New Years resolution, I’m gonna go into how to get a “financial snapshot”, otherwise known as “Ughhhhhhhh”. Look, I know it sucks - but seriously, if you don’t know where you’re at you can’t know where you’re going /endFortuneCookie. Plus you can knock it out in an hour or two then immediately mark “Figure out my finances” off your resolutions list. We’re not solving all your money troubles here, the goal is to get the full picture - deciding to tackle any problems that may arise can come later. ...

Your (gov’t mandated) free credit report and how to do it. Breakdown Why should you consider running a credit report on yourself? Imagine someone rather unsavory in… I dunno, Louisiana, taking out a loan for a shiny new boat… in your name. Without your credit frozen, how would you even know? Credit reports reveal a wealth of useful information, from tracking your financial health to catching potential red flags like this. Additionally, at this point in our current technological cycle of “Everyone’s personal information has been leaked at some point and is purchasable online”, it’s a good idea to be proactive about checking on this stuff. In this week’s newsletter, we’re keeping it simple - walking you through how to pull your credit report and what surprises (good or bad 😬) you might uncover. ...

An explainer on interest and why it’s both awesome and terrible. Breakdown When it comes to personal finance, interest is one of the most potent forces as play. It can either propel your investments/savings to new heights or drag you down into an endless grinding cycle. Understanding the dual nature of interest, both its benefits and risks, is key to using it effectively. Let’s get to it. The Positive: Compound your wealth “Make your money work for you” - that’s interest in a nutshell. It’s the process of earning interest on your initial investment (or savings), plus the interest it has already earned (that’s the compounding part). Over time, this creates a snowball effect on your money’s growth. ...

What’s an employer match and should I do it? Breakdown You got a new gig and they’re offering you an employer match for your 401(k), what does it mean, how do I do it, why should I do it? We’ll get into the why’s here shortly and tackle the ‘what’ it is here first. Typically an employer will match something like ‘X% up to Y%’, so if they say they’ll match 50% up to 6% that is another annoying finance word choice that basically translates to “We’ll match 3%, but you’ve got to contribute at least 6% for us to do that”. ...

A summary on inflation and how it affects multiple aspects of our lives. Breakdown Why inflation happens and what is done to combat it on a country-wide economic scale is way beyond the scope of what I feel comfortable talking about (I am much too dumb). Not to mention there’s not a thing any of us can individually do to fix it. However, what inflation is and why should I care? That I can do. ...

A brief explainer on what your credit card interest looks like. Breakdown Credit card interest is typically very high. As of 2024, it’s around 24% APR (annual percentage rate), which is an annoying way of saying about 2% every month. You can take your credit card’s APR and divide it by 12 to calculate the interest that will accrue on your balance each month. That ‘each month’ aspect of credit card interest makes it easy to fall into debt quickly if you’re not careful. If you bite off more than you can chew, you don’t have much time to fix the situation before the interest adds up. Let’s get into it. ...