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Family Finance Favorites
When Will The Economy Recover
Before the recession was even officially proclaimed, top of everyone’s mind was when will the economy recover. And now that it has officially been declared to have begun in March 2020, we are even more focused on the recovery. While our state governors, President Trump and now President-Elect Biden put together committees to work on…
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Economy and Politics: 10+ Talking Points Neither Party Will Give You
With the 2020 Presidential election looming just weeks away, it has become increasingly difficult to get straight and direct answers from either candidate or party. Instead, we get spin and the pros of every policy, as they dodge the question or change the subject entirely when it comes to talking about the downsides or risks…
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10 Revealing MLM Statistics No One Ever Tells You
You just got a DM from a friend from high school you literally haven’t seen or spoken to in a decade… and before they’ve even finished their schpiel, you’re wondering, “Is this an MLM?” MLMs, short for multi-level marketing businesses, also known as network marketing or direct sales, and sometimes less favorably (and inaccurately) referred…
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How to Calculate How Much House I Can Actually Afford
First time homebuyers, and even experienced homebuyers who may be buying in a new area or buying into a higher price point, often ask me how much house they can really afford or how much of their income their mortgage should be. The key to answering these questions is understanding that the total cost of…
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Your Top 10 Income Tax Questions and Answers
This time of year, most families’ biggest financial concern is filing income taxes. In 2018, a brand new tax bill took effect and brought in sweeping changes to many family’s personal income taxes and lots of questions with it. A year later, I’m still getting lots of inquiries about it, so this week, I’ve put…
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Your Average Family Budget Breakdown FAQs
When I first published the example of a family budget based on the Consumer Expenditure Survey data, I knew there would be questions, requests to dig into various parts of the data more, and the need for clarifications. Here are the questions I’ve been asked most often about the average family budget breakdown, and the…
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Where Should You Keep An Emergency Fund?
The first major step on the Family Finance Road Map to free yourself from credit cards and adding to your debt is to build an Emergency Fund. But where to keep that emergency fund is this week’s follower Ask Me Anything topic. Every day, I get lots of great questions from followers across social media,…
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How to Shop at Aldi
Learn the ins and outs of how to shop at ALDI, the international discount grocery chain, to save money on your family’s grocery bill. When it comes to budgeting, many families single biggest struggle is grocery spending. You try to save money by meal planning, you make lists, you try to eat in instead of…
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How Much Money Should I Save for Retirement
Once your budget is under control, the next most common question I get is “How much should I save for retirement?” Our retirement plan is likely to look a lot different than it did for our grandparents, and even our parents… and most of us aren’t saving nearly enough!
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Is This A Good Time to Buy a House?
One of the best things to come out of hosting a daily LIVE Q&A for all of you on Instagram is the insights I get into your most pressing questions. And right now, lots of you want to know is this a good time to buy a house? Many of your concerns are colored by…
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Where To Invest Money: ETFs vs. Mutual Funds vs. Index Funds
In our current crazy, economic environment, I’ve been hosting a daily LIVE Q&A on Instagram every weekday at 10AM ET. One question I’ve been asked over and over and over again goes something like this: “Should I invest in an Index Fund or a mutual fund?” or “ETF or Index Funds – which is better?”…
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How to Become a Millionaire
The most commonly searched terms around this concept are all about “how to become a millionaire fast” or “how to become a millionaire overnight” or even “how to become a millionaire in 5 years.” Everyone wants to get rich quick… but what Chris Hogan found after interviewing thousands of millionaires in America for his latest…
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20 High School Seniors Ask: How to Prepare for College Financially
I remember my college search process, the campus visits, and final choice like it was yesterday… my thought process went something likes this: I deserve to go anywhere that accepts me. Cost barely registered in my decision-making – and certainly not because my parents could afford it. My mom just kept telling me “we would…
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My 10 Favorite Money Books for Kids
After sharing my 20+ Favorite Finance Books for YOU… I got lots of requests to share a similar list of money books for kids. So I teamed up with my friend Lauren at Happily Ever Elephants to share just that! As the child of a kindergarten teacher, I grew up in a house full of…
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4 Simple Money Lessons All Kids Should Know
This is a sponsored post on behalf of BusyKid.com. As always, opinions remain 100% my own. Read on to learn how these basic money lessons are the perfect introduction to finance for kids at any age, and how the BusyKid app can help you successfully implement them all! Birthdays. Christmas. Back to School. Weekly errands.…
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Lazy Mom’s Quick and Easy Shepherd’s Pie
One of my favorite, go-to meal plan ideas for Fall and Winter is Shepherd’s Pie… but seriously, who has time to cook the filling, make mashed potatoes, put it all together, and then, bake it all over again??? Here’s how I make all the same flavors happen in 30 minutes or less for a quick…
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10 Best Things to Buy At Costco
When it comes to saving money on groceries, I swear by two things: meal planning and Costco! For families, you can save tremendously on your grocery budget by buying right and buying in bulk… and there’s no better place to do it than Costco. Just before the holidays, I asked my Instagram followers what the…
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How to Save Money At the Grocery Store
When it comes to budgeting, many families struggle with sticking to their food budget every month. There are lots of ways to lower your monthly grocery spend: you can save money on groceries by meal planning, eating in instead of eating out, but you can also learn how to save money at the grocery store…
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Budgeting Your Time to Maximize Your Mom Schedule
If you’re a busy mom who feels like your days are passing in a blur, while your to-do list grows faster than you can ever seem to keep up with, this one’s for you. While it may seem as a stay at home mom in particular, you should have all the time in the world,…
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How to Protect Your Children: 10 Things to Know About Will vs Estate Planning
No one likes to think about their own mortality. However, once you have children who depend on you, it becomes essential. If something happens to you, what will happen to them? How do you make sure they are protected and financially provided for? I was recently asked about wills during a weekly Ask Me Anything…
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The Ultimate Guide to Finance for Baby’s First Year
Congratulations, your precious baby is finally here. Now the real fun begins! While you may have purchased everything on your baby registry list, there are many family legal and financial tasks you cannot actually begin until your baby arrives, and some come with significant time sensitivity. So even if you’ve been preparing for a baby financially…
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