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Retirement is often pictured as a stress-free reward after decades of hard work. But many retirees discover that the reality looks very different from the plan. Unexpected costs, emotional adjustments, and financial surprises can appear long after the paychecks stop. The truth is, some of retirement’s biggest lessons aren’t learned from financial projections; they’re learned […]

Update: This post is a work in progress as every step takes quite some time. As of early February, I’ve submitted a Written Appeal given what ChatGPT has provided and will update this post with the results when they come in. In Maryland, your home is assessed every three years and your property taxes are

The Olympic Winter Games are set to start on February 6th and end on the 22nd, with some preliminary events starting as early as the 4th of February. This year, the Olympics will be broadcast in the United States on NBC, which means you’ll need Peacock if you want to stream it. There are a

Founded in 2021, CD Valet is a searchable database of certificate of deposit rates created by John Blizzard through Seattle Bank, where he has been President and CEO since April of 2014. Though it was created through a single bank, it lists over 30,000 CD rates across the country. CD Valet’s strength is that it

Summary: Vanguard offers those with $500,000+ in assets a way to lend out those shares to earn additional income, called the Vanguard Fully Paid Lending Program. It’s an easy way to earn additional income if you hold shares in companies that investors want to short. Don’t expect to earn more but could provide additional income

Summary: Yes but it’s only a replacement for space heaters and can never replace an electric heat pump because they are far more efficient. If you can tolerate the extra work, noise, and hassle, a bitcoin miner may be a fun way to generate heat and bitcoin as a small rebate. Every winter, I see

Every year, the IRS updates various limits due to inflation. This covers everything from your tax rates and standard deductions to contribution limits for retirement accounts. Earlier this month, the IRS released the 2026 contribution limits for a variety of retirement accounts and despite their best efforts, it’s formatted like an encyclopedia. Here they are

If you’ve ever wondered how scammers know so much about you – your name, relatives, addresses, and even old phone numbers – it’s because of data brokers. And most of that information is public. If you want to fight back, you need to get your data deleted. It is a time consuming process so you

We live near Washington D.C. and one of the nice benefits of braving the beltway and within traffic is that you get access to a ton of free museums. All the Smithsonian museums in the area are free to enter (though some are timed entry so you just have to reserve a free pass) and

An old friend called me the other day and while catching up, we got onto the subject of investing. With all the uncertainty in the world, with artificial intelligence and large language models constantly evolving, and with market valuations as high as they are… what’s an investor to do? Where should we be putting our

Looking for something fun to do that doesn’t cost a dime? Whether you’re saving money, bored on the weekend, or just want to make the most of your free time, there are plenty of ways to enjoy life without spending a cent. Grab some friends—or go solo—and start making memories that don’t come with a

Gold has been in the news a lot since it’s shot up over 50% in value this year to the lofty price of over $4,000 an ounce. It was already big news when Costco started selling gold a few years ago, the recent run up in price has only made it even more popular. But

PFS Buyer Club is an organization that helps source in-demand items from their army of buyers. I’m one of those buyers. There’s no membership fee or anything to join the club, you just get in. If you want an invite, email me and I can get you one. And from time to time, PFS Buyer

If you use just a couple of credit cards, it’s easy to remember the best one to use and when. But if you have more than a few, juggling them can be challenging. Also, as card benefits are constantly being added and removed, changing with limited time promotions, keeping track of what is best becomes

The retirement account landscape seems like a mish mash of acronyms – 401(k), IRA, HSA, etc. If you’re new to this, as I was when I first started working, it can be overwhelming. Fortunately, there is an order of operations when it comes to saving for retirement. And it’s an order that works for everyone,

Our kids’ school sent out a list of summer reading programs that we’ll look to get our kids involved in. It’s great that so many books stores and organizations are getting in on the action that was once the domain of Pizza Hut and their Book It program! (and if you happen to live in

I haven’t paid an ATM fee in ages because I use an Ally Bank checking account. They will reimburse me $10 per statement cycle on fees charged by another bank when I use their ATM. They also have a partnership with Allpoint and MoneyPass so I can access my cash through those networks without paying

Planning for the future isn’t just about your finances; it’s about peace of mind for you and your loved ones. Whether you’re already retired or just thinking ahead, a well-prepared estate plan ensures your wishes are honored, your assets are protected, and your family isn’t left scrambling. Don’t leave important decisions to chance. Instead, take

This is how the travel hacking world works in a nutshell: Get a credit card with a huge welcome bonus Scour reward ticket calendars for amazing deals, which are often last minute Take advatange of transfer bonuses to get extra points And the hard part of all this, beyond the spending, is that it requires