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As prices go up on everything we pay for, it’s critical that we don’t overpay on any of the big bills we get. While you can’t do much about your rent or your mortgage, one big annual bill that deserves attention is insurance. I’ve made it my mission to pay as little as possible for […]

How much cash is too much cash? With the stock market at highs, there is a very strong temptation to keep cash “on the sidelines” for the right time to invest. I believe, in the long run, investing now is better than investing later. The massive risk of waiting on the sidelines is that you

There are hundreds, if not thousands, of data brokers collecting and selling your personal information: your name, phone numbers, email addresses, current and past addresses, relatives, social media profiles, property records, court filings, employment history, education records, and much more. I say “hundreds, if not thousands” because many brokers operate under multiple brand names and

You’re probably familiar with what you can do to protect yourself from identity theft. But this recent hack of Instructure & Canvas by ShinyHunters highlighted how important it is that I protect my children from identity theft. It’s less common because minors can’t enter into the same financial contracts as adults. A minor can’t open

Many money experts say you should skip the coffeehouse and make it at home. That’s a lot of effort that you have to do every single day to save a couple bucks. What if there was a way to save money all year, with a little bit of effort each month? Every month, I look

Raisin is a fintech company that partners with banks to offer high interest rates. They also run deposit promotions where they will give you a cash bonus for large deposits as long as you keep them there for 90+ days. Right now, there’s an offer with Everbank where you can lock in a 4.10% APY

Whenever you want to move brokerage accounts, you typically use ACATS to do it. ACATS stands for Automated Customer Account Transfer Service and it allows you to transfer assets from one brokerage to another. By doing it through ACATS, sometimes called ACAT, you can make the transfer without any tax implications. You’re moving shares from

A couple years ago, the warning signs of a recession were mostly talk. But in 2026, this concern is much higher and if you aren’t preparing for it now, you will not be ready. With the Iran war, tariffs, and general economic uncertainty, the likelihood of a recession in the United States is much higher

Most travelers check their passport expiration date before a trip, but another rule can cause problems at the airport: how many blank passport pages you have left. Many countries require at least one completely blank visa page for entry stamps or visas. Some require two pages, and a few destinations require three blank pages. If

Money decisions are hard because they always involve the future. If you’re trying to save for retirement, your lizard brain has difficult understanding that putting $500 away each month for 40 years at an 8% rate of return will result in $1.61 million. Your lizard brain wants to get that pizza. Or grab a beer

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