Saving to buy a home? Toss out the money jar. Here are 5 ways to invest your down payment while you continue saving to purchase your first house. Saving to buy a home is both exciting and overwhelming. When my wife and I were saving to buy our first home, I thought we’d never have […]
In the world of tax-advantaged retirement savings accounts, there are plenty of options. But the two most commonly-used options are the 401(k) and the IRA. Both come in traditional (save taxes on contributions) and Roth (save taxes on withdrawals) options. While there are many similarities between a 401k and an IRA, there are also some […]
It all started with a simple question about dividends and mutual fund fees. A listener to the podcast named Stephanie wanted to know if a fund’s returns were after fees and dividends. (They are.) After I learned more about Stephanie’s finances and career through several email exchanges, I popped the question. No, not that question. […]
If you have self-employed income in addition to your regular job, can you contribute to a SEP IRA even if you have a 401k at work? This question hit home for me a few years ago due to the income generated from this website. To get right to the point, the answer to the question […]
We face countless personal finance decisions every day. They range from the seemingly trivial (should we go out for dinner) to the more impactful (how much should we spend on a home). Yet each of these decisions work together to over a lifetime to define our finances. Over the course of running this blog since […]
Credit card companies are constantly closing loopholes to make airline rewards less valuable. Taxes, fees, and limited availability all eat into the value of your credit card miles. But as airfare gets ever more expensive, one credit card reward becomes more valuable – companion tickets. Many of today’s top airline reward credit cards offer free […]