What Good Financial Influencers Have in Common
There is no shortage of financial influencers today, whether on YouTube, in the blog space, those podcasting, or on other forms of social media. Unfortunately, not all influencers are a force for good, and it can be difficult to tell who to listen to in this crowded landscape. There are several characteristics most positive influencers […]
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Fear Mongering of the Financial Media Explained
The news of today is designed to generate as many views and clicks as possible by exploiting our fears and biases. One famous example is the teaser, “What’s in your tap water that you need to know about?” Almost everyone uses tap water in some capacity, and would definitely want to know if anything is […]
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How Will the Election Affect Your Finances?
Every four years, the United States votes to elect a new House of Representatives, one-third of the Senate, and potentially a new president. The two political parties have different agendas, and policies implemented with new representatives and a new administration will affect your financial life. It’s normal to feel anxious or nervous about the election, […]
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Dangers of Not Following the Financial Order of Operations
Money doesn’t come with an instruction manual, and it can be difficult to know how to optimize every dollar. The basics are simple enough; saving for retirement is good, high-interest debt is bad, but what about beyond the basics? High-level financial mistakes, like putting your kid’s college fund before your retirement or paying off low-interest […]
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How to Make the Most Out of Your 401(k)
Congress created what we know today as 401(k) plans by adding a provision to the Revenue Act of 1978 which allowed employees to avoid taxation on deferred compensation. The plans didn’t begin to take off until 1981, when the IRS started allowing employees to fund plans through payroll deductions. The rise in popularity of 401(k) […]
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6 Things You Should Never Cheap Out On
It feels great to get a deal on something, but there are some things in life you shouldn’t look for the best deal on. There are times when saving money can actually cost you more in the long run. Being smart with your money and finding value doesn’t necessarily mean choosing the lowest price. Here […]
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3 Money Mistakes That Could Devastate Your Finances
Some financial mistakes are more harmful than others. It’s extremely important to get the big stuff right. Not only do you build a solid foundation, you also create a margin for error so that smaller “mistakes” don’t hurt as much. For example, if you get the big things right, like steering clear of high-interest debt […]
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How to Use Behavioral Finance to Your Advantage
We often don’t recognize the underlying factors and biases that affect our financial decisions. It’s easy to see where your problems lie; maybe you spend too much, save too little, or have more debt than you can handle. Recognizing your problems is the easy part. It’s much more difficult to understand the biases and behavioral […]
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3 Flaws in Dave Ramsey’s Investment Strategy
Dave Ramsey has helped millions of Americans with debt, which is no easy task. Over 5 million have participated in Financial Peace University, and over 4 million high school students have participated in Dave’s personal finance program for high schoolers. Dave’s understanding of the psychological impacts of debt, and how it affects our behavior, has […]
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What Makes a State Great to Live In?
Financially, states are very diverse, too.
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