I love “behind the scenes” of any business. It could be something as mundane as a laundromat, I eat that stuff up. One of my favorite “behind the scenes” episodes of any program was one titled 129 Cars on This American Life. In 2013, This American Life goes to a car dealership in Levittown, NY […]
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6 Target Store Hacks to Save More Money
Target is one of the most popular stores in America. With over 1,800 locations across the US, this brand is a staple for many families’ shopping routines. I’m a sucker for Target’s item quality, selection, cleanliness, and (usually) friendly employees. Competing retailers like Walmart are known for their rollbacks and cost savings (and people!), but […]
8 Ways to Save for a Down Payment on a House
When I was in my twenties, I had no idea how anyone under the age of forty was able to save up for a down payment on a house. It was the early 2000s, townhomes were going for about $250,000-$300,000. I was making a great salary of $60,000/year but I had no idea how I […]
How to Maximize Chase Ultimate Rewards (2018)
Ask a lot of travel hackers for the best rewards program and they will likely all say the same – Chase Ultimate Rewards. (for what it’s worth, I’m not a travel hacker, I just play a bad one on the internet) I wanted to see what the hype was and I got the Chase Ink […]
Chime Bank Review
What if I told you there was a bank that combined the features of a high yield online savings account with the automatic savings of a microsaving app? What if I told you they gave you a debit card with cashback rewards, access to 24,000 no-fee ATMs, and you could pay your friends? Plus they […]
7 Income Producing Assets You’ve Never Heard Of
They say that millionaires have 7 streams of income. And most of them are boring. Common examples of income-generating assets include your classics like real estate (rental income, depreciation benefits, equity appreciation) and dividend stocks (dividend income is taxed favorably), which I love. But every so often, there’s one in there that sounds as exciting […]
4 Different Budgeting Strategies to Try This Year
I’ve tried many, many different budgeting strategies, budgeting apps, and budgeting programs. (It’s just one of the perks or sometimes one of the drawbacks of being a financial writer obsessed with finding the best budgeting system out there.) I’ve learned that finding the right budgeting strategy for you really depends on your goals, your stage […]
Capital One 360 Review
One of the first online bank accounts I ever opened was ING Direct. ING Direct was the online bank of ING Group, founded a Dutch multinational corporation founded in 1991 (through mergers), and their high interest rates were the talk of the financial world. Back then, the only bank that offered high-interest rates were credit […]
10 Best Short Term Investments – Safe & Low-Risk Options
Every few weeks, someone emails me asking for the best short-term investment. They’re usually saving up for their first home and they want that money to work for them, not just sit around. They don’t want to throw it in some bitcoin or anything crazy like that, they just want some kind of return on […]
50,000 Rapid Rewards Points Offer for Southwest Visa Credit Card
I love Southwest Airlines. We live about 20 minutes away from Baltimore Washington International Airport (BWI), one of Southwest’s “hubs,” and the vast majority of our flights are on Southwest Airlines. When it comes to an airline’s rewards credit cards, I’d argue that there are few cards are generous as the Southwest Rapid Rewards Credit […]
38 Fun Frugal Things You Can Do This Weekend!
The best things in life are free, right? Too often we hear the word “frugal” and immediately think “deprivation.” Or “boring.” But the truly frugal know that affordable living isn’t about restricting yourself. There are plenty of fun things to do that don’t cost a lot, or any, money. Frugal people don’t hide away in […]