4 Surprising Steps to Achieve Your Long-Term Financial Goals

Once I had some appreciation of the value of financial goals, my first real financial goal was to pay off all of our high-interest debt. It was a very tangible, real goal — a nice short- to medium-term goal for which I could easily track my progress, easily figure out things to do each day to move me toward that goal and achieve success within several...

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Survey: Majority of Americans Are Confident They Can Cover Expenses This Year

The Covid-19 pandemic and resulting shutdown measures have resulted in a deep recession for the global economy. Despite this, we found the majority of Americans are either very or somewhat confident about their finances for the rest of 2020, according to a new survey conducted by The Simple Dollar. That confidence doesn’t mean precautions aren’t being...

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A Home Insurance Guide For Multigenerational Families During Covid-19

In 1940, about one-quarter of the U.S. population lived in homes with three or more generations of their family, forming what is known as a “multigenerational home.” But after World War II, the significant expansion of suburban housing developments and the concept of the “nuclear family” took hold. At that time, it became customary for children to move...

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Why You Should Try Microsoft’s New “Money in Excel”

Recently, Microsoft released a powerful personal finance spreadsheet add-on for its Excel spreadsheet program, called Money in Excel. The name is a throwback to Microsoft Money, a separate software package for personal finance tracking that Microsoft discontinued many years ago. Now, it exists as a rather powerful spreadsheet template, one that I recommend...

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How to Support a Charity With Your Insurance

As people look for ways to donate in today’s climate without overextending their financial resources, many are getting creative and turning to providers they already use. Numerous providers partner with charities, organizations and initiatives as part of their corporate social responsibility commitment. Whether it’s through companies providing home,...

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How to Make Money From Your Hobbies

A few years ago, I went through a period where I longed to spend more time on one of my favorite hobbies: tabletop gaming. I really like sitting down with friends and playing a board game or a card game or a roleplaying game. The social experience, the thinking process, the handling of the components on the table — all of those things, and more, appeal...

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How Should You Prepare For the End of the CARES Act?

What’s inside? Here are the questions answered in today’s reader mailbag, boiled down to summaries of five or fewer words. Click on the number to jump straight down to the question. 1. CARES and relocation money 2. Car financing question 3. Hello Fresh or Blue Apron? 4. Letting term life insurance expire 5. Low-cost backpacking 6. Paid off...

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12 Things to Inspire You in July

Once a month (or so), I share a dozen things that have inspired me to greater personal, professional, and financial success in my life. I hope they bring similar success to your life. Please enjoy the archives of earlier collections of inspirational things. 1. Robert Fritz on the path of least resistance “You are like a river. You go through life...

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3 Ways to Keep Going When You Feel Like Giving Up

There are times — and for many of us, 2020 has been filled with them — where we feel like giving up on our dreams. There are a lot of reasons for that feeling. It might be simple frustration or dissatisfaction with the world at large, causing us to feel like our old goals are now meaningless. It might be that changes in the world have seriously altered...

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19 Black-Owned Banks and How to Support Them

Banking Black isn’t a new concept, but it’s gaining momentum amid the rise of the Black Lives Matter movement. But what does it mean to bank Black? According to the Urban Institute, a Black financial institution provides services to minority communities and is 51% or more Black-owned. Black financial institutions have been around for centuries, with...

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