Your credit score is one of the most important numbers in your financial life. So much so, people try to get a “perfect” credit score of 850. Here’s the thing… a perfect score and an almost perfect score are the same. Someone with a 800 and an 850 will get very nearly the same interest […]
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How Long Does Negative Information Stay on a Credit Report?
The software engineer in me never liked the idea of credit scores. Here’s this number that’s supposed to define your likelihood of defaulting on a loan but it doesn’t include anything about your ability to pay? It doesn’t include income anywhere. It doesn’t include your non-debt obligations (like rent). It doesn’t include any trends, like […]
How to Cancel Any Service in 5 Minutes
I hate dealing with customer service. Between the waiting and the semi-scripted verbal dancing, it’s a real waste of time. I know why I’m calling. The poor rep knows why I’m calling. Yet we still need to do this dance where he (or she) tries to retain me. Then I wait for a fantastic offer […]
How to Find the Best Checking & Savings Account
The center of my financial network map is my primary bank account, a checking and savings account at a single bank. The checking account is my primary account, where I pay my bills and receive deposits. The savings account is where my money sits when I don’t need it for checking. It earns a little […]
Best Credit Cards for College Students
When you’re establishing credit, it’s very hard to get a credit card. It’s a classic catch-22. Credit card companies don’t have enough information about you so they’re hesitant to give you a card. You can’t build credit without having some credit… so what can you do? Fortunately, credit card companies make allowances for students. They […]
15+ Flexible Side Hustles to Earn Extra Income
Not everyone wants to quit their job, travel the world, or retire early. I get it. When I quit my job, I enjoyed it. The commute wasn’t great (I did client work and often had to brave the DC Beltway) but it gave me a sense of purpose, fulfillment, social interaction (my co-workers were awesome), […]
4 Places to Find Big and Small Scholarships for College
Scholarships for college are available in so many places, but many students don’t realize it! Today, I’m going to share four places to find big (and small) scholarships for college. I’m passionate about this topic because I’ll never forget the day I received an e-mail saying I won a scholarship for my entire study abroad […]
How to Get Free Airport Wi-Fi and In-Flight Wi-Fi
One day, wi-fi will be free, fast, and ubiquitous in the United States. Capitalism has brought us many great things but free wi-fi is not one of them. In fact, capitalism likely is contributing to us NOT getting free wi-fi. We just got back from a trip to England and there are loads of free […]
Average Income in America: What salary in the United States puts you in the top 50%, top 10%, and top 1%?
You’ve probably heard of “the 1%.” They’re the absurdly wealthy who have more wealth than the remaining 99% (based on data from Credit Suisse). But what does it take to be in the 10%? 20%? Is it still stunningly wealthy? Or does the line drop quickly? We know that the average net worth of Americans […]
Betterment Review 2017
Imagine that there’s a professional investment management service that will manage a very small portfolio, and do so at a fraction of what it will cost to hire a traditional human investment manager? What you’ve described is known as a robo-advisor and Betterment was one of the first in the industry. The platform will create […]
20 Best Bank Promotions & Bonus Offers: Minimum $100 New Account Bonus – September 2017
For as long as I’ve known about banks, they’ve been competing for deposits. When you think about the economics of running a bank, it’s easy to see why. When someone deposits money in a checking account and you pay them 0%, it’s a free loan! Banks then keep whatever is the reserve requirement (say 10%) […]