End-of-Life Planning for Your Home

Alexis Bennett

Ever thought about what will happen to your home after you shuffle off this mortal coil? Sounds a bit dark, right? But let’s face it, planning for the end of life isn’t just about wills and funeral arrangements. It involves a lot more, including what’s going to happen to your beloved abode. Whether you’re living in a classic mid-century, a cute little bungalow, or a chic apartment, it’s essential to include your home in your end-of-life planning. And that’s what we’re going to discuss today. Sit tight, because this might just be one of the most thought-provoking, life-changing articles you’ll read in a while.

Lending Money To Family: 10 Pieces of Advice for Setting Boundaries

June 27, 2023 by Saad Muzaffar

Hey there, moneybags! It’s time to get your financial act together and be mindful of your own situation. If your family hits you up for a loan, how do you set effective boundaries with them? After someone asked for advice, I grabbed the ten best tips from the discussion to help with the situation.

1. Know Thyself Financially

Consider letting the person know clearly if you cannot lend money. However, remember that you are not obligated to lend money, and it is okay to prioritize your own financial well-being.

One of the Toughest Things to Master for Your Financial Health

by Todd Kunsman  Financial Health

When it comes to your life, you want to stay physically and mentally healthy. And this also applies to your personal finances, which is commonly called your financial health.

While your physical and mental health is far superior to your financial health, it’s still crucial to work on this too. And as I know and you may too, finances can cause some serious stress. That financial stress can then put a toll on your body, mind, and relationships.  Yet, when it comes to your personal finances and financial well-being there is one area that is critical to master: self-control. The challenge is, it might be the toughest thing to be consistent with throughout your lifetime.

Keep These Financial Records in Your 'Go Bag'

Lisa Rowan

But even if you don’t live in a hurricane-prone area like I do, there’s no excuse for not having an emergency kit ready for the worst-case scenario, whether it be a wildfire or a flood or an earthquake.

Beyond evacuation essentials like clothing, toothpaste and a flashlight, you’ll also want to have a substantial amount of financial information on hand.  This information can help you make payments, access assistance, and otherwise go about daily life during or after an emergency. Since cell phone or internet service may not be available, it’s important not to rely on just having your username and password memorized to access various financial services.

9 Little Ways to Be Better with Your Money

By Chris Reining

Some random guy from the internet emailed me wanting to meet up. This happens more than you think, and usually I’d say no because saying no to everything was the only way to protect my time so I could focus on my goals in life.  But now that I have my time back I’m starting to say yes. So we meet up and he’s not weird or anything like that, and we talk about a lot of stuff but one thing really stuck out: How broke we used to be.

When you’re in your 30s you start forgetting about your early 20s. How hard it is being an adult and trying to make it on your own. He’s telling me about selling his saxophone for money, and that makes me remember when I had to borrow money for my first apartment.

Beware the Advice of the Rich

Chris Reining

Does it seem like everyone but you is becoming fabulously rich and famous?

It makes for a good story. Someone goes from living out of their car to driving a Ferrari. The problem is when they go on to say their success is a result of their morning routine or this one book they read or some random tactic.

You’ve probably heard business icons or celebrities giving this advice. It typically goes something like: “Look, all you need to do is this one thing, and then you’ll be rich and famous too.”

The Effects of Trauma on Personal Finance

Tawnya Redding  02/11/2023  Money Lessons

A plethora of things effect our personal finances and the development of our financial habits.  From family, to culture, to media, to unprecedented global pandemics, our money lives are constantly being molded and shaped by things both within and beyond our control.

While the majority of things that help shape our financial lives are relatively easy to see (but not necessarily to change or resist), there is a silent epidemic running throughout the world. One that affects as many as 70% of people in the U.S.

This silent epidemic is trauma.

What Everyone forgets About Money

By Chris Reining

Washing dishes was how I earned my first paycheck. When you’re 15 years old and don’t get money from your parents to buy things then you have to work. So there I was scrubbing dishes in the filthy kitchen of a small family-owned Italian restaurant, and it’s where I learned a little life lesson.

Work is nothing more than trading time for money. A medium of exchange.

You provide one hour of time to an employer and they provide an hour’s wage. I quickly discovered teenager’s time isn’t worth all that much, a measly $4.25 per hour.

The One Tiny Habit That Leads to Wealth

Kathleen Elkins 

Chris Reining's career started out according to plan. "I was working in IT and it was my dream job for a while," the now 38-year-old tells CNBC.  He bought a condo and a BMW and shopped at Whole Foods every week: "I was living a pretty good lifestyle. But in my late 20s, I started becoming a little disillusioned with the whole 9-to-5 grind. It was so repetitive."

 Reining, who is based in Madison, Wisc., wanted something different, he says: "The freedom to do what I want to do, when I want to do it."