I’m a Financial Influencer: These Are the 6 Most Common Money Questions I’m Asked

I’m a Financial Influencer: These Are the 6 Most Common Money Questions I’m Asked

Nicole Spector  GOBankingRates

With general financial literacy and better financial planning exploding on social media, millions of folks are turning to financial influencers to get their money questions answered without breaking the bank.

What are people the most curious or confused about? What are they reaching out to financial influencers to find out about? And how do financial influencers answer their queries or point them in the right direction?

GOBankingRates spoke with Jeff Sekinger, a financial innovator and entrepreneur, and the CEO and founder of Nurp LLC. Sekinger courts a following of 1.1 million on Instagram.

These are the six most common money questions he’s asked — along with how he answers them.

Retirement Planning: Whether you're planning for retirement, dealing with a significant life event or simply looking to make smarter financial decisions, a financial advisor can offer the expertise and guidance you need. Here are some compelling reasons why you should consider a financial advisor -- even if you're not wealthy.

‘How Might a Trump Presidency Impact the Economy?’

Sekinger is constantly spammed with burning questions about money. A common one recently revolves around Trump. Specifically, if Trump is re-elected, how would his presidency impact the economy? More specifically, which markets, sectors and companies could benefit?

“A Trump presidency could have significant implications for the economy and markets,” Sekinger said. “Some investors are optimistic that Trump’s policies, like tax cuts and deregulation, could boost the economy and markets. Others are more cautious, citing concerns about Trump’s trade policies and potential geopolitical instability.”

According to Sekinger, companies that could benefit from a Trump presidency are the energy, financial and defense sectors.

“On the other hand, companies in sectors like healthcare and technology might face headwinds,” Sekinger said.

‘What Do I Need To Know To Be A Successful Young Investor?’

Everyone on the path to financial freedom needs to be investing. Investing can be complex, and naturally, people have questions. Commonly Sekinger is asked what you need to know to become a successful young investor.

“As a young investor, time is on your side,” Sekinger said. “Take advantage of compound interest by investing as early as possible, even if it’s just a small amount each month. Consider contributing to a Roth IRA or your employer’s 401(k) plan. Also, educate yourself about investing and avoid getting caught up in get-rich-quick schemes.”

‘How Can I Build Wealth While Managing Student Loan Debt?’

To Read More:  https://news.yahoo.com/news/finance/news/m-financial-influencer-6-most-140125604.html    

Warren Buffett: 6 Best Pieces of Money Advice for the Middle Class

Warren Buffett: 6 Best Pieces of Money Advice for the Middle Class

John Csiszar  Fri, May 2, 2025  GOBankingRates

For one of the richest people in the entire world, Warren Buffett, the CEO of Berkshire Hathaway, is surprisingly down-to-earth. He famously lives in the same modest house in Omaha that he bought in 1958 for $31,500, and his favorite meal for breakfast is McDonald’s. Between that and his folksy, easy-to-understand wisdom, it’s no wonder that “The Oracle of Omaha” is so popular with the general public.

************************

Investors no doubt also love his enviable track record, which has more than doubled the average annual return of the S&P 500 since 1965, an incredible run. The bottom line is that when Buffett talks, people listen. With that financial prowess in mind, here are six of the best pieces of financial advice for the middle class offered up by the man, the myth, the money legend.

Pay Yourself First

Buffett isn’t the first or only one to recommend “paying yourself first,” but he’s a vocal advocate of it. He approaches the problem of prioritizing savings through wise budgeting. As the billionaire puts it, “Do not save what is left after spending, but spend what is left after saving.”

The idea behind this philosophy is that if you wait to sock away savings until after you’ve spent all your money in a given month, it’s highly likely that you’ll find there’s nothing left. But if you instead save your money first, you’ll have to budget what’s left so that it stretches to cover all of your expenses.

This serves the dual purpose of forcing you to cut down on needless expenditures while at the same time forcing you to build up savings, even on a smaller salary. Some middle-class Americans feel that they don’t earn enough to save, but when you flip the equation on its head like Buffett suggests, you might find out that you can save much more than you imagine.

Reduce Your Unnecessary Expenses

On the topic of budgeting, Buffett says that one of the keys to financial prosperity is simply to reduce your unnecessary expenses. But how do you know which ones?

How do you know which ones are unnecessary? If you force yourself to live on a tighter budget, you’ll see right away which expenses you prioritize in life and which ones might be extra costs that you don’t really need. Over time, even a little amount of savings can build into a large amount.

To read more:  https://www.gobankingrates.com/money/financial-planning/warren-buffett-best-pieces-of-money-advice-for-the-middle-class/

How Much Inheritance Will Ruin Your Kid?

How Much Inheritance Will Ruin Your Kid?

How Generational Wealth Impacts Productivity And Happiness

Sean Kernan

When my family lived near the Cavalier Country Club in Virginia Beach, we were the token middle-class family in the neighborhood. Many of the houses had hedged bushes, carefully carved into eccentric geometric shapes, and sports cars sitting unashamed in their driveway, announcing their owner’s achievements to all.

And despite this clear class divide, I got along great with the boys around me. Some were only 10, but had fathers that were entirely grey haired, and mothers who looked barely out of high school. I noticed the peculiarity of it but never connected the dots on what these unions meant.

Some of these boys were well-adjusted and great. Others were quite spoiled, and I often wonder what came of them. They were agitated and disobedient in school, often getting into fights on the playground.

Had wealth bestowed a sense of privilege upon them? Did they already feel exempt from the rules and any acts of discipline?

Per the Global Health Report for 2023, the United States has 22.7 million millionaires (38.2% of the global total, with China in second at 10.2%). Many of these people are well past one million and cruising into eight and nine figures of net worth. And it leaves us with an interesting predicament: Many scions of vast fortunes are quite young.

And while this might not be a problem many of you sympathize with, it should nevertheless invoke thought about how your worldly assets should be addressed with your children, or the lack thereof.

How should we think about our inheritance?

Lynn Chen-Zhang’s 8-year-old son came home from school one day and said a student asked him, “Why do you study so hard?”

Classmates were saying his parents were rich, so there was no need to work so hard. Her son was on to something. Their father, Charles Chen-Zhang, owns one of the largest financial advisory firms in the country and was already a known philanthropist.

Realizing these questions were continuing, as classmates knew of their family (mainly through gossiping parents), the Chen-Zhangs decided to sit their children down and have the money talk.

They told their two boys, “We’ll support you both in getting as much education as you’d like, but from then on, you are on your own.” Which translated to zero inheritance.

Whether this was a scare tactic or a true threat, they worked. Both sons are now thriving in their finance careers, independent of their father’s company.

This trend is common. I spoke with a peer, Matthew, who is 49 and runs a successful medium-sized business which he just sold for a substantial sum. He told me, “My children don’t even know how much money I just made. Nor do I intend to let them know.” Of note, he lives a humble life and does not flash his wealth by any means.

But most parents don’t face this severe of a dilemma. The average inheritance in the US is “only” $46,200 per census data, with 85% of inheritances being below $250,000. Which isn’t nothing.

The game changes with the ultra-wealthy

TO READ MORE:  https://www.yahoo.com/lifestyle/story/how-much-inheritance-will-ruin-your-kid-003747274.html

https://creators.yahoo.com/lifestyle/story/how-much-inheritance-will-ruin-your-kid-003747274.html

7 Key Signs You’re Wealthier Than You Think

7 Key Signs You’re Wealthier Than You Think

Caitlyn Moorhead  Tue, April 29, 2025 GOBankingRates

Controversial but consummately successful podcaster Joe Rogan once said he felt like he’d “made it” financially when he had enough money to eat at a restaurant at night without feeling guilty and stressed about what it cost the following day.

Rogan’s net worth is now estimated at $200 million, which is all the money in the world — unless you’re Elon Musk. That makes Rogan’s $200 million fortune he made bloviating opinions less than 0.05% of Musk’s $391 billion fortune he made buying cars and rocket ships.

The point is that how you feel about wealth is subjective and can come from many sources. In a country where more than half of all six-figure earners reportedly live paycheck to paycheck, how do you know if you’re rich, or at least richer than you think? Here are eight key signs you may be wealthier than most Americans.

You Make More Than the Median Earner

Your salary, of course, plays a significant role in your ability to accumulate wealth and has a lot to do with how you measure up to the masses.

“The median household income in the U.S. is around $75,000,” said Joel Ohman, certified financial planner and CEO of Clearsurance. “So, if you make more than that, your income is higher than half the people in the country.

“Of course, how far $75,000 takes you will depend on where you live. For example, you have a lot more buying power with $75,000 a year in Glendive, Montana, than you would in Orange County, California.”

Since the cost of living varies so dramatically from one place to the next, area median income (AMI) is a more accurate yardstick to measure your comparative wealth.

HUD Loans by commercial property financing firm Janover offers a state-by-state AMI breakdown with metro, non-metro and total AMI variants. Fannie Mae has a map-based AMI lookup tool that allows for much more granular and local detail.

You’ve Met the Standard Saving Milestones

Even the most impressive income is no indication of wealth if you spend more of it than you make, which so many high earners seem to do. The more accurate barometer, then, is how much you have in the bank.

“If you’re making higher than an average salary and have saved four times your annual income, and you’re in your 20s, you’re doing very well,” said Ohman.

Ohman’s benchmark is exceptionally high. The standard guideline is to have the equivalent of your annual salary saved by age 30, three times your salary by 40, six times by 50, eight times by 60 and 10 times by 67.

Several studies have shown that more than half the country is behind on those milestones, so even being on par with your decade’s goal lands you a spot among the more affluent half.

You’re Not Drowning in Outstanding Financial Obligations

TO READ MORE:  https://finance.yahoo.com/news/signs-wealthier-think-152349259.html

Financial Independence vs. Financial Freedom: Know the Difference, Build Both

Financial Independence vs. Financial Freedom: Know the Difference, Build Both

Jordan Rosenfeld   Sun, April 27, 2025   GOBankingRates

The terms financial independence and financial freedom are tossed around a lot when discussing goals related to security and wealth building. Do they mean the same thing? And more importantly, how do their definitions affect your financial life?

While they’re closely related — and often part of the same journey — they aren’t the same thing, according to Melissa Murphy Pavone, CFP and founder of Mindful Financial Partners.

Here’s how to understand the difference — and what it takes to build both.

Financial Independence: The ‘Enough’ Threshold

Financial independence means you’ve accumulated enough assets to cover your lifestyle without relying on traditional employment, according to Christopher Stroup, CFP and owner of Silicon Beach Financial. “It’s the foundation, as your money works for you.”

In other words, Pavone said financial independence means “work becomes a choice, not a necessity.”

Financial Freedom: Unlocking Possibility

Financial freedom builds on that foundation, Stroup said, allowing you “flexibility and control.” This could look like a variety of things, like “the ability to take a sabbatical, fund a passion project or change careers without financial pressure,” he said.

In a nutshell, “Independence provides security; freedom unlocks possibility,” Stroup said.

Financial freedom can also bring a sense of peace or ease because you can “live life on your own terms,” according to Autumn Knutson, CFP, founder of Styled Wealth and a CFP Board Ambassador.

A Real-World Scenario

To illustrate the difference, Stroup offered this example: Imagine an early employee at a growing tech company who leverages stock options, invests bonus income and avoids lifestyle creep.

“They reach financial independence in their 40s, but they achieve freedom by shifting into advisory work, traveling more, and spending time on causes they care about,” he explained.

TO READ MORE:  https://www.yahoo.com/finance/news/financial-independence-vs-financial-freedom-131605427.html

Bizarrely, Gold Is The Opposite Of The Bitcoin Effect Right Now

Bizarrely, Gold Is The Opposite Of The Bitcoin Effect Right Now

Notes From the Field By James Hickman (Simon Black)  April 28, 2025

You’ve probably heard the story.

As the legend goes, on a late-summer morning in 1929, Joseph Kennedy — patriarch of the famous Kennedy family — was headed into his office in downtown New York City. As he sat for a quick shoe shine, the young boy buffing his shoes, barely a teenager, eagerly offered him stock tips.

 Kennedy listened politely, but inside, he felt a jolt of alarm.

Supposedly he rushed to his office, dumped his entire stock portfolio, and moved heavily into cash. And just weeks later the stock market collapsed.

 There’s a good chance this story isn’t true; I’ve often heard it told with Sir John Templeton in place of Joe Kennedy... and when urban legends can’t even get their protagonists straight, that’s usually a sign of fiction.

 Curiously, however, a similar thing actually happened to me.

It was March 2009— six months after the Global Financial Crisis kicked off that wiped 50% off the S&P 500.

 I was living in Punta del Este, Uruguay at the time and was coincidentally getting my shoes shined before heading to the airport for a trip to Asia.

 The shoe shiner, an elderly Uruguayan man, asked me what I did for a living. I mentioned something about finance, at which point he cautioned me to avoid the stock market.

 At that point the S&P was at its crisis-era low... and would go on to nearly 10x over the next 16 years.

 Another story that is true is from August 1979: Businessweek magazine famously declared "The Death of Equities," capturing the widespread view that stocks (which had suffered in the 1970s) would continue to languish.

Yet the stock market was just about to unleash a multi-decade bull run.

 In April 2019, the same Businessweek ran a cover asking, "Is Inflation Dead?", again capturing the popular idea that there would never be inflation again. That turned out to be 100% incorrect.

Then there was the famous Bitcoin craze in November 2017: families across America spent their Thanksgiving holidays opening up Coinbase accounts and bidding up the price of Bitcoin to its (then) all-time high. Crypto subsequently entered a multi-year bear market...

Anytime I see popular bandwagons, I become nervous. And I’m starting to see some signs of that with gold.

 One glaring signal is that Costco— which sells gold to its customers— sold out its most recent inventory of American Eagle Gold Coins in less than four days. Gold demand is surging among retail investors.

Dealers are reporting crazy volumes. The media is talking about gold daily now, whereas in the past they used to go weeks or months without a mention of gold.

 The Wall Street Journal even ran an article this past weekend entitled “How to buy gold”.

 Big investment bank analysts who, heretofore had ignored gold or been extremely bearish, are suddenly its biggest champions. Even the notorious Goldman Sachs is now projecting nearly $4,000 gold this year.

 And only a handful of analysts are bearish.

Look, we’ve been talking about gold for years... and in particular since 2023 when it became obvious that there were long-term catalysts.

It’s pretty easy to understand: central banks around the world are trading in their US dollars for gold, simply because they don’t have confidence that the dollar will last as the global reserve currency.

 And central banks don’t have a lot of options; there are only so many non-dollar asset classes that can absorb hundreds of billions of dollars worth of capital flows. Gold is one of the most convenient.

I’ve explained before that, because of these capital flow trends and catalysts, we could easily see $5,000 or even $10,000 gold over the coming years.

 But at the same time, the trend line for the gold price has been incredibly steep ever since its low in 2022. And, again, there are now signs that a retail gold mania may be forming.

I’m not saying that gold is too expensive or that it’s time to sell. These short-term market trends are extremely difficult to predict, and I tend to ignore them.

 Instead, I focus on the long-term big picture. And that’s a lot easier to see: the US fiscal situation is in major decline. The government is doing very little about it. And the rest of the world is already diversifying away from the dollar.

All of these trends are good for gold.

 Who knows what investors will do over the next few months? But over the next five years, you can make a very strong case that central banks will continue to buy gold and send the price higher.

 At the same time, I recognize that it’s difficult for some people to buy an asset when it’s at/near its all-time high... especially when it may suffer a short-term correction.

 This is why we’ve been writing about an alternative to gold; because, while gold is near its all-time high, many gold companies are still undervalued relative to gold itself.

 I’m talking about really solid, profitable gold miners trading at less than TWO times forward earnings. It’s ridiculous.

 In a way it’s the opposite of the crypto phenomenon with Microstrategy (MSTR)— the company which primarily owns and holds Bitcoin.

 Microstrategy (technically now called “Strategy”) owns 553,555 Bitcoin worth $52 billion. That’s pretty much their biggest (and nearly only) asset.

 Yet the MSTR’s market cap is $92 billion.

 In other words, the Bitcoin-related company is worth nearly double the amount of Bitcoin it holds. This makes no sense.

 With gold, it’s the opposite. Gold is near its all-time highs... but the gold-related companies are cheap and undervalued.

 Some investors are starting to notice— for example, multiple precious metals companies we have published in our investment research service have risen by 40-60%.

 One has more than doubled in price... yet is still trading at a forward multiple of just 2x.

 So, gold is bizarrely the opposite of the Bitcoin effect with Microstrategy: gold is at a record high, but gold companies are cheap. I’ll say it again— this is not going to last 

To your freedom,  James Hickman   Co-Founder, Schiff Sovereign LLC

 https://www.schiffsovereign.com/trends/bizarrely-gold-is-the-opposite-of-the-bitcoin-effect-right-now-152700/?inf_contact_key=d4ae7d46f485af16ae3e89540a8231548dcae2ba3297e07f93219ba341147496

I Grew Up Rich: 6 Money Lessons I Learned After I Lost It All

I Grew Up Rich: 6 Money Lessons I Learned After I Lost It All

G. Brian Davis  Sat, June 29, 2024

An oft-cited statistic states that 70% of wealthy families lose their riches by the second generation, and 90% lose them by the third.

Why? Because the first generation earns it, the second generation spends it and the third finds itself back at square one.

It turns out that earning money and shepherding money long term require two different skill sets. All too often, no one in any of those three generations learns how to protect and grow wealth long term.

“I grew up in a wealthy family where my grandfather was the chairman of the largest textile processing mill in our city,” explained Muhammad Ali, sales director at George Digital. “Our business, established in the 1950s, was a significant player in the industry from 1970 to 2001 … However, our fortunes drastically changed, and by 2012, my father’s income dwindled to just $300 a month.

“In 2013, amidst our financial crisis, I developed an interest in programming. Unfortunately, we couldn’t afford a laptop, and we had to live with my grandparents, along with my father’s brothers and their families. This challenging period taught me several invaluable lessons about money and resilience.

“Eventually, I was the first person among my grandfather’s children and grandchildren to get a chance to study in the U.S.

“Here are some key money lessons I learned after losing it all.”

Diversify Your Income Streams

“Our family focused solely on the textile business, and when it failed, we had no backup.

“In 2015, I came across Russell Brunson’s book ‘DotCom Secrets,’ which sparked my interest in an online business. By September 2016, Adam C. Miller introduced me to the world of digital marketing. Despite the lack of resources and guidance, I persevered, slowly learning about digital PR … I also delved into local SEO (search engine optimization) and e-commerce business models.

“After our family’s textile business shut down, there was no one to restart the hosiery textile business. However, years later, I decided to reignite this passion to continue my family legacy and started Molani Enterprises, a textile sourcing and trading company. Alongside my ventures in PR and e-commerce, reviving the textile business was a way to honor my family’s history and rebuild our presence in the industry.”

Maintain a Financial Cushion

Everyone needs an emergency fund. Whether you keep two months’ or two years’ worth of living expenses in it depends on how stable your income and expenses are, but you need that cash cushion to carry you through the inevitable nasty surprises that life throws at you.

“Always keep cash savings to cover basic living expenses and emergencies. This reserve should not be touched for business investments. This lesson was crucial for me, as I witnessed bad financial decisions during our business downfall, where more money was sunk into a failing enterprise.”

Seize Opportunities

They say that when an opportunity knocks at your door, it does so dressed up like work.

To Read More:

https://www.yahoo.com/finance/news/grew-rich-6-money-lessons-210008891.html

The 7 Worst Things You Can Do If You Owe the IRS

The 7 Worst Things You Can Do If You Owe the IRS

By  Jennifer Taylor  GoBankingRates

You’re in debt to Uncle Sam. This probably isn’t a great feeling, but you have to face it.

Maybe you have the money to pay your tax bill or perhaps you don’t. If not, you have many options, so don’t take any of the following.

Using a Credit Card To Pay Your Taxes

Charging IRS debt to your credit card might be easy in the short term, but doing so can be a costly choice.

“The IRS interest rate changes quarterly, but it’s hovered around 8% in recent years,” said Brad Paladini, tax attorney and owner of Paladini Law, a tax law firm. “Credit card interest is usually around 22%, meaning that if a taxpayer uses a credit card to pay their taxes, they are paying almost three times as much in interest than if they paid the IRS directly.”

Failing To Stay in Compliance With the IRS

“The IRS is usually very willing to arrange a resolution for past-due tax debt, whether it be an installment agreement, an offer in compromise or hardship status,” Paladini said. “But the IRS requires that the taxpayer remain ‘current’ with the taxes.”

Going forward, he said this means you’ll need to file all returns on time and pay all future taxes on time.

“If the taxpayer fails to do so, she’ll default whatever arrangement was made with the IRS,” he said.

Ignoring the Problem Until It’s Too Late

“Taxpayers will know there’s an outstanding tax debt, but will ‘bury their head in the sand’ and ignore it,” Paladini said. “Eventually, the IRS will wipe out their bank accounts or garnish their wages to recoup their money.”

If it comes to this, he said it will be much harder to try and resolve than if you had proactively reached out to the IRS to settle it.

Not Understanding Your Options

If you owe money to the IRS, Paladini said, you have six payment options, including an installment agreement, offer in compromise, currently non-collectible status, penalty abatement, innocent spouse relief and bankruptcy.

“Each of these options has separate requirements,” he said. “Trying to navigate that path on your own can be extremely difficult.”

If you need help navigating what’s best for your unique situation, he said you should reach out to a tax professional.

Failing To File

“When you owe and you do not file by the tax deadline, then you will be penalized for failing to file, unless you file an extension,” said Kathy Alfaro, owner and tax strategist at Alfa Tax Service. “If you fail to file by the extension deadline, then you will pay a failure to file penalty.”

She emphasized the importance of knowing the rules.

“When you owe and you do not pay by the tax deadline, then you will be penalized for failing to pay,” she said. “There is no extension for this penalty. This is why filing an extension with a payment will help.”

To Read More:

https://www.gobankingrates.com/taxes/tax-laws/worst-things-you-can-do-if-you-owe-irs/?utm_term=related_link_1&utm_campaign=1267849&utm_source=yahoo.com&utm_content=2&utm_medium=rss