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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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

December 6, 2023   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.”

How Crooks Convinced Her To Put $17,500 Into A Bitcoin ATM To 'Secure' Her Money

Susan Tompor, Detroit Free Press  Mon, April 21, 2025  USA TODAY

Stacy Hazinski received one of those annoying text messages that claimed she was about to be charged $114.02 for something she didn't buy. So she called the number, supposedly for her Apple Pay account, to make sure that she didn't get stuck with the bill.

She got stuck talking to scammers.

One simple phone call set off a scheme that ultimately enabled someone to steal her entire income tax refund and drain her savings account at a local credit union.

Filing her taxes early in the year essentially meant little, she told me at her Michigan condo, because now she has nothing to show for it.

She's out $17,500 in all.

'The money came so fast': What An NBA All-Star Learned After Going From Millions To Bankruptcy

Sara BelcherPodcast Writer   Mon, April 21, 2025  Yahoo Finance

As a three-time NBA All-Star and former NBA Champion, Antoine Walker is one of the best basketball players of the 1990s and early 2000s. But his early success came with some difficult financial lessons.

Walker was signed to the Boston Celtics at just 19 years old. Throughout his 13-year athletic career, it's estimated he earned as much as $108 million — a large portion of which came from a six-year $71 million contract he signed at just 21.

How to Find Your Money ‘Why’

By Katherine Fusco March 9, 2022

There are lots of reasons to spend money, some good, some bad, most compelling. Of course, this is by design.  Not spending money, though… that’s a trickier thing. The reasons not to spend—or to save, if you’d like to put it more positively—are often vague, rooted in a fuzzy sense of what one should do.

When people are tired or temptations are especially aggressive (hello, holiday season!), the vague thought: I should pay off my debt, crumbles in the face of beautiful store displays or delicious scents wafting from strategically open bakery doors.