Hello Financial Goal-Setter, Recently, I was talking to a woman about one of my SMART financial goals. I had been telling the person about my SMART goal to decrease my regular monthly grocery bill. The woman chuckled, “Aren’t all goals smart? I mean, unless you have some dumb goal, like to rob a bank?” So, […]
Tag: money
What is a Side Hustle?
Dear Not Making Enough, As a financial wellness instructor, I have been hearing a lot of people talk about not earning enough money. You know, I am going to just say it…That stinks! What can you do when you don’t earn enough money? Well, one option is to start a side hustle. What is a […]
Having Your Taxes Prepared
Dear New (or Relatively New) Tax Payer, So, you are planning on having your taxes prepared, and you’re wondering what to take with you. Well, since, at the time that I am writing this, I am an advanced level IRS-certified tax preparer, I can share some information that should help you. This is going to […]
Managing Personal Finance Risk
There is risk involved in all investing. Don’t let that stop you from investing. Instead, spend some time thinking about how to manage the risk. Read here to get some ideas.
Ingredients of Building Wealth
What are the ingredients of building wealth? Read here to find out the four ingredients that you need.
Three Reasons You Should Learn To Do Taxes
Dear Young and Learning About Money, There are three reasons you should learn to do taxes. Let me start by telling you about how I was led to the first reason. Going back a few years, I knew nothing about how to do taxes. Sure, I knew some things that could save me money on […]
10 Things Everyone 30 and Under Should Know About Taxes
Dear Relatively New To Thinking About Taxes, I think that there are at least 10 things everyone 30 and under should know about taxes. Let me start by telling you how I came to that conclusion. I was a teenager when I got my first job. The thought of having new money was so exciting! […]
Keeping Up With The Joneses
Hello Dear Young Friends, Not long ago I wrote to you about conspicuous consumption. This week, I am writing about a related personal finance stumbling block called “keeping up with the Joneses.” Are you familiar with that expression? Just in case you are not, I will start with the meaning. What Does Keeping Up With […]
Understanding Checking Accounts
Hello Dear Young and Wondering About Checking Accounts, So, someone told you that all you need is a savings account. But, then someone else told you that you need a checking account. Then finally, someone told you that no one writes checks anymore. Now, you are confused about checking accounts. Well, today, I am going […]
Conspicuous Consumption
Welcome Back Young Friends, Today’s letter is inspired by a message that someone sent me at the beginning of the year. On the surface, the message was about Birkin bags. But at the root, the message was about conspicuous consumption. In case you don’t know what a Birkin bag is, it’s a handbag. These bags […]