Paying Off Debt — What Actually Works
Paying off debt is one of the most common financial challenges I have helped people work through, and one of the most misunderstood. I have been in some type of a finance role my entire life. Along the way I…
Tag wealth building
What Researching One Stock Actually Looks Like: A Walkthrough Using Johnson & Johnson
In a recent post, How to Research a Stock Before You Buy It, I walked through the framework — what to look for, what matters, and why. This post is meant to accompany that one with a real stock research…
How Many Stocks Should You Actually Own?
In How to Research a Stock Before You Buy It, we covered the basics of figuring out whether a company is worth owning. Once you start putting that knowledge to work, the next question is — how many stocks should…
How to Research a Stock Before You Buy It
In my last post, ETFs and Index Funds vs Individual Stocks, we talked about when it makes sense to start adding individual stocks to your portfolio. If you have decided you are ready to take that step, the natural next…
ETFs and Index Funds vs Individual Stocks: Which Is Right for You?
If you have read What Is an ETF? and Index Funds vs ETFs, you understand how to get into the stock market with one simple investment that instantly diversifies your money across companies and/or technologies. The next question almost every…
Index Funds vs ETFs: What’s the Difference (and What Actually Matters)
If you have learned what an ETF is, you have probably come across the term: index funds. In What Is an ETF?, we discussed the confusion of where to put your money once you have started saving it. Stocks, bonds,…
What Is An ETF? A Simple Beginner’s Guide
If you have started saving money — or are starting to think about it — or are sitting on money you have been afraid to invest — the next question is simple: What do you actually do with that money?…
Start Saving with Your First Paycheck
As retirement is likely not on your mind when receiving your first paycheck, it is easy to think that saving some of that first paycheck doesn’t really matter. This is why it is so important to start saving with your…
The Beginner’s Guide to Building Wealth
Introduction Most people think building wealth is out of reach—and because of that, most people don’t think about it at all. That mindset is a big reason why so many people live paycheck to paycheck. This beginner’s guide to building…
How to Stick to a Budget (Even If You’ve Failed)
If you have ever made a budget, used it for a few weeks, and then completely ignored it, you are not alone. Budgets are a lot like New Year’s resolutions. They start with great intentions but fizzle out quickly. Most…
The 50/30/20 Rule: The Budgeting Formula That Simplifies Your Finances
Introduction: Budgeting Made Simple At BUDGETING 101, I speak to how important it is to budget your expenses on the path to building savings. I personally budget my life across 30 items (personal savings, college fund, auto repairs, food, entertainment,…
How to Break Free from Financial Stress and Build a Better Future
I recently came across a survey from 2020 titled Mind Over Money, conducted by Capital One and The Decision Lab. It provided helpful insights on financial stress relief for those struggling with monetary concerns and looking for advice on how…
Understanding Cap Rates: A Beginner’s Guide to Real Estate Investing
If you’re starting your real estate investing journey, you’ll quickly come across the term Cap Rate. This is short for Capitalization Rate. While not a perfect science for evaluating properties, Cap Rate is a great starting point to assess a…
How Much Should You Really Spend on a Car?
Introduction There are a wide variety of opinions on how much you should spend on a car. While there are formulas to help guide you—and I’ll share a few in this post—the truth is, beyond the math, it comes down…
Retirement Savings 101: What’s Your Magic Number?
At first, it felt too early in the life of this site to write about retirement savings—but today, it suddenly felt like the obvious topic. Why? Because saving and building net worth makes more sense when there’s an end goal…
10 Budgeting Mistakes Costing You Money
Introduction: Is Your Budget Leaking Money? If you couldn’t tell from Budgeting 101, I strongly believe the key to building wealth starts with a budget. Unless you’re making more money than you know what to do with, you need a…
Avoid Market Timing Mistakes with This Simple Investing Strategy
I’ll say this many times: I’m not here to give you stock advice. I’ll share what I personally do, what I’ve done, and even the trades I’ve made—but my goal is to educate you. I want you to understand key…
Trying to Time the Market? Here’s Why That’s a Costly Mistake
There are many approaches to investing in stocks: day trading, value investing, growth investing, index investing, dividend strategies, and more. In the spirit of diversification, your portfolio might contain elements of several. But regardless of your investing style, one strategy…
Breaking Down the Mortgage Debate: 15-Year vs. 30-Year
Much of this site is about helping you save money and build long-term wealth. Along those lines, let’s talk about one of the most underrated tools for doing just that: the 15-year mortgage. When people think about buying a home,…
Rent vs Buy: Key Factors to Consider
One of the biggest financial decisions most people make is where they will live. Should you rent, or should you buy a home? Both renting and buying have advantages and disadvantages that will impact your life, lifestyle, and financial future.…
What are Dividend Stocks?
Introduction Dividend stocks are a type of equity investment that can provide investors with a steady stream of income. These stocks are issued by companies that regularly share a portion of their earnings with shareholders in the form of dividends.…
Your Credit Score is Important
Building a good credit history has been discussed at Starting Early: Why Financial Habits Matter, but what is a credit score, why is it important and what can you do to improve it. What Is a Credit Score? According to…
Start Your 401K Early: Why It Matters
When you’re young, it’s easy to think of retirement as something far off in the distant future. However, the truth is, that the earlier you start saving for retirement, the better off you’ll be in the long run and starting…
Basic Introduction to Investment Property
One of the main reasons I launched this site is because I’ve seen so many people make poor financial decisions, often struggling to live comfortably—let alone retire with peace of mind. I firmly believe we cannot rely on Social Security…
Duplex – The Power of Two
If I could go back and do things differently, one of my first wealth-building moves would have been to purchase a duplex. It’s one of the smartest ways to step into real estate ownership while also setting yourself up for…
Budgeting 101
Why Budgeting Matters Budgeting is most often viewed as a means to allocate one’s income to monthly expenses. You might view budgeting separately from saving, but they go hand in hand. How can you properly plan to save if you…
Your 401K is NOT a Savings Account
You might think the subject of this post is an obvious concept, but you would be surprised how many 401(k) early withdrawal requests cross my desk that are simply meant to cover unexpected expenses. This is truly why I felt…
What To Look For In a Savings Account
Choosing the right account starts with understanding what to look for in a savings account. Most people immediately think about account features such as interest rates, ATM availability, and FDIC insurance. However, before looking at those details, you should first…
Top Ways to Save Money
Apart from inheriting money or winning the lottery, saving money is one of the most important steps toward financial freedom. While the concept is simple, many people struggle to put it into practice. Recent data shows how common this challenge…
Starting Early: Why Financial Habits Matter
Developing strong financial habits early in life is one of the most important steps toward long-term financial stability and independence. Financial literacy, building and understanding credit, recognizing the value of financial freedom, and developing strong money habits are all important…
