Should I be saving for my kids’ college education?
Before deciding if you should (or can afford to) save for college, it’s important to get clear on your current financial standing. Saving for a future goal, like college, is fantastic, but if prioritizing that goal jeopardizes your own financial stability, you may want to focus on building a solid foundation for yourself first.
Using your FSA or HSA for pregnancy and baby things
Having a baby is expensive. Like REALLY expensive. Using your FSA or HSA to purchase eligible prenatal and baby items with pre-tax money is a good way to save a little money.
What should I do with my Tax Refund?
Getting a tax refund is a great problem to have. However, deciding what to do with it can feel overwhelming. Should you do something responsible with it? Or is this your opportunity to splurge on something exciting?
Recovering After Overspending
Once you realize that you went a little overboard with spending, the way you react afterward, or how you recover from it, can help minimize any negative impact and help you learn to better navigate future spending impulses.
Which Credit Card Payoff strategy is right for you?
When you have multiple credit cards or other debts, it can be confusing knowing which one to focus on, or if you should try to make progress on all of them simultaneously. With an understanding of the most common strategies, you can pick a plan that’s right for you.
What is My Federal Income Tax Rate?
Taxes are complicated. A common misconception is that whatever your tax bracket your income falls into, is the tax rate for ALL of your income.
Learn what portion of your income is taxed, and at what rates, to better understand and plan for the year.
New Year’s Habits
Instead of focusing on what outcomes you want in the new year, focus on what behavior changes you want to implement.
What to do with a Bonus?
Are you pre-spending your bonus? Spending it immediately? Or saving it for future spending? Creating a framework for how to use a bonus can reduce impulsive shopping, using the bonus as a catalyst to advance your financial life.
Planning for the Cost of Christmas
By creating a Holiday Spending Plan ahead of time, you can feel more confident that you are spending on the things that matter most to you, and that you aren’t spending more than you can afford.
Is a High Deductible Health Plan (HDHP) a good option for me?
If you have minimal medical expenses, a HDHP may cost you significantly less than a traditional plan, while still protecting you from financial ruin in the case of a major medical event.
What is the new student loan SAVE program?
Is the new SAVE student loan program a good option for you?
Student Loan Payments are Back
After years of repeated student loan pauses, federal student loan payments are, unfortunately, back. Make a plan to incorporate them into your spending.
Should my partner and I have a joint account?
There are many ways to manage money with your partner. By understanding what both you and your partner are looking for, you can create a system that best serves everyone’s needs.
How to plan for irregular expenses?
While you are never going to anticipate every expense, taking some time to map out MOST of them will help you be much more prepared when they inevitably come.
How can I avoid Lifestyle Creep?
Our spending tends to go up as our incomes do. Make a plan to ensure that your savings or investing also grows with your income.
Is a Target Date Fund Right for Me?
A Target Date Fund helps ensure that you are diversified in a way that is appropriate for your age (or for how far off retirement is).
Should you stop using credit cards while paying off credit card debt?
By switching to a debit card for your daily expenses, you separate out your daily life costs and your debt repayments. Seeing the immediate impact on your checking account balance makes it easier to avoid overspending.
Should I Open a Medical FSA?
FSA : Prepare for inevitable medical expenses and stretch your money further
What are the Medical Costs of Having a Baby?
Without knowing what your medical bills will cost it is particularly challenging to proactively prepare for them.
Is an Emergency Fund Really Necessary?
Unexpected expenses are inevitable. We may not know when, or how much they will cost, but it is naive to not anticipate that they are coming.