When it comes to savings, have you started a budget? Do you know what budget means? I lived most of my life without budgeting and only looked at what my salary brought in and making sure I can pay all my expenses. Whatever was left at the end of the month, I put into savings. So, that doesn’t sound too bad given that I didn’t spend more than I could afford, right? I’ve been fortunate that it hasn’t put me…
Financial independence, according to Wikipedia, is the status of having enough income to pay one’s living expenses for the rest of one’s life without having to be employed or dependent on others. In other words, do you have enough money to live without working? Majority of the population is a no. But if you are able to say yes to this question, then you have reached financial independence. You are not dependent on a job to financially survive. First of…
I was taking my daughter to soccer practice and she pops a question to me. How come we don’t do UberEats or DoorDash? Another opportunity for me to give her another financial lesson. I love these small talks. I repeated to her that nothing in life is really free and every penny counts. And that goes for UberEats or DoorDash. If you want someone to deliver you food, it will cost you. I told her I’m your personal UberEats. Why…
One of the beautiful ways of having that retirement cushion is to invest in your retirement through your 401K, IRA, Roth IRA, or TSP (401K version for federal employees). One of the benefits of enrolling in your employer’s 401K/TSP plan is that they typically contribute a percentage to it. I’ve had employers who match 3% of my contribution up to 5%. Why wouldn’t you want to enroll in a 401K/TSP plan? Besides the pre-tax benefits and employer additional contributions benefits,…
When I look back at my childhood, I wish my parents taught me more about money, the value, and ways to save or invest. I know that in the 80’s and 90’s, it was a different time. Money was harder to come by. Investing wasn’t as easy as opening up a Webull or Robinhood account and start trading. But I wish I had learned more of the fundamentals and foundations earlier on. Train yourself early. I love my parents and…
I tell my children that nothing in this world is free. But is that true? You can find great deals but what if you can go shopping, come out with some items, and not spend any of your money? Jackpot! Free! Free! Free! I’ve have a few scenarios where I received some things at no cost and it’s one of the best feelings. Coming out without having to pay a dime! What’s better than a freebie? ***Disclaimer*** You do have…
Ever ask yourself, why don’t I have enough money even though I have a good wage or just got a promotion? Where’s my money going? You make enough but you need more, why? You’re not alone. Parkinson’s Law says “work expands so as to fill the time available for its completion.” What on earth does that mean? Where did the time go? Have you ever said that when you took a day off or had a plan to do certain…
Some might say that putting your money in the stock market is like gambling. You put your money in hoping to get a positive return. Just like gambling at a casino…you can come out with more money, less money, or with nothing. Gambling is fun. It’s entertaining. But your odds are like 50/50. Not very appealing. But is the stock market a gamble? I’ve been investing in the stock market for a long time whether it was my 401K or…
My daughter was so excited when she saw that Starbucks was having a Buy One Get One (BOGO) offer and she wanted to go and get 2 drinks for the price of 1. I said that’s great and give your brother the second one. Luckily, Starbucks is walking distance from us so she went to get the deal. She came back and said I have something to tell you. Ok, my first question was going to be what drink did…
I like to make references between having good finances and having good health because there are characteristics that are similar and strategies for having good health can also be applied to having good finances. I’ve had major health issues recently and I’m making a change for the better by eating better, knowing what I’m eating, how much I’m eating, and exercising. I lived a lifestyle that wasn’t good for my body and I tried to make some changes here and…