.What Is Bankruptcy, and How Does It Work?

by: Maurie Backman | Feb. 21, 2020

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When you're drowning in debt with no end in sight, you may start wondering if you should file for bankruptcy. There are both benefits and drawbacks to taking this drastic step, so it's important to know what you're signing up for. Here, we'll discuss how bankruptcies work and help you decide if it's the right route for you to take.

.11 Great Documentaries That Might Change The Way You Think About Money

BuzzFeed Tue, August 3, 2021

1. The Most Important Class You Never Had

What it's about: This 35-minute film follows eight personal finance educators around the country as they talk with high school students about important financial concepts. Plus the students and teachers also share personal stories about their relationships with money that are honestly super relatable. If you've ever wished you learned more about money when you were in school, this film is a great place to start.

2. Money Explained

What it's about: This limited documentary series by Vox explores five financial topics: get rich quick schemes, credit cards, student loans, gambling, and retirement. And it covers a lot of ground quickly, with super digestible 22-minute episodes. Plus it features narration from celebs like Tiffany Haddish and Jane Lynch. TBH my only critique is that I wish there were more episodes!

.$1M Is No Longer the Standard Nest Egg – Here’s How Much Most Americans Think You Actually Need To Retire

Gabrielle Olya Wed, August 4, 2021

A common financial rule of thumb is that you should have $1 million saved for retirement, but this piece of advice may now be outdated — you may actually need roughly double that. At least, that’s what most 401(k) plan participants believe. A recent survey conducted by Schwab Retirement Plan Services found that on average, 2021 plan participants think they need to save $1.9 million for retirement. But how accurate is this number?

$1.9 Million Is a Good Estimate for How Much You Will Need in Retirement

Nathan Voris, director of business strategy at Schwab Workplace Financial Services, thinks that the survey participants have a pretty accurate idea of how much they will need in retirement.

.Essential Money Tips for Surviving the ‘Pandemic Spiral’

By Gabrielle Olya February 18, 2021

Take a deep breath before you spend more.

In a story for The Atlantic, writer Ed Yong put forth the idea that, thanks to the coronavirus, America is stuck in a "pandemic spiral" that's destroying, among many things, their budgets.

"Many Americans trusted intuition to help guide them through this disaster," he wrote. "They grabbed onto whatever solution was most prominent in the moment, and bounced from one (often false) hope to the next. (...) The country is now trapped in an intuition nightmare. (...) Americans are walled in by their own unhelpful instincts, which lead them round and round in self-destructive circles."

.12 COVID-Proof Money Tips From Financial Planners

By Jaime Catmull February 22, 2021

Make sure your finances can withstand the pandemic.

The coronavirus pandemic has changed nearly every aspect of our financial lives. Many of us have lost jobs or work hours, seen our investments swing from highs to lows and changed the way we spend money, with many of our usual expenses (commuting, vacations, etc.) now off the table. With so much uncertainty still looming about how the pandemic will affect the economy going forward, it's important to make smart financial moves that can weather whatever is to come.

While some golden rules of money management still stand, other advice has changed due to all the uncertainty we've been facing in recent months. I spoke to financial planners to find out what tips they've been giving their clients to ride out the current crisis and be prepared for whatever the future may hold. Keep reading to check out this advice for yourself.

.More Stimulus Money May Be Coming Your Way – Here’s What To Do With It

Early tax filers may get a treat this year. If you’ve filed your taxes for 2020, you could be getting one of the “bonus checks” or “plus-up payments” the IRS distributed in the past two weeks, according to MoneyWise.

You may also be due to receive your third economic impact payment this week, as the IRS has been sending payments through the month of April, according to an IRS.gov press release. The press release states that a seventh batch of nearly 2 million Economic Impact Payments from the American Rescue Plan began processing April 23, with an official payment date of April 28. Some people may have seen the money in their account, marked as pending, prior to April 28.

The IRS says these funds total $4.3 billion across nearly 2 million payments.

.People Who Are Good With Money Avoid These Missteps

By Jake Schroeder

While there are hundreds of potential mistakes people might make with money, there are some financial moves that can really set you back. Between bad habits and wishful thinking, poor financial choices can happen all the time. This round-up can serve as your guide for what not to do when it comes to personal finance. From not saving for retirement to living beyond your means, here are some things that people who are financially stable don’t do.

Lose Track of Money

Money isn’t infinite. That’s why it’s important to keep track of where you’re spending it. If you don’t know where your money is going, it’s easier to waste it. Let’s say you’re paying for subscription services you don’t use. Before long, you’ve spent $1,000 on music streaming, and you had no idea. That $1,000 you didn’t use could’ve paid down a credit card.