7 Tips to Choose the Right Life Insurance
If you’ve ever been confused about life insurance, you need to read or listen to Money Girl episode 228, “Should You Buy Permanent or Temporary Life Insurance?” I tell you who needs life insurance, make sense of the different kinds of life insurance, and give you 7 tips to know which product is right for your situation. Which type of life insurance is best is a hotly debated...
Read MoreHow Getting Married Affects Your Finances
In Money Girl episode 227 “Getting Married: How Does It Affect Your Finances?” I answer a question from a podcast listener named Britt. She’s trying to understand how getting married would affect her boyfriend’s eligibility for student aid and their tax situation. Getting married is one of the most important decisions you’ll ever make. Not only is choosing the right...
Read MoreHow to Generate More Income Using LinkedIn
Money Girl episode 226, “How to Make More Money Using LinkedIn” is about how to leverage LinkedIn to make more money in your job or business. There are so many great ways you can use LinkedIn to connect with influential people and potential customers, but I’ve found that most people are clueless about them. For my article and podcast I spoke to a LinkedIn author and expert named...
Read MoreDon’t Break These 3 Money Rules
This week’s Money Girl blog article and podcast, “3 Money Rules You Should Never Break,” was submitted by Ted Hunter, author of Money Smart: How to Spend, Save, Eliminate Debt and Achieve Financial Freedom. It’s a back-to-basics article about the fundamental ways to stay on top of your financial game so you can accomplish your goals and achieve success. Have you ever felt...
Read MoreIs it Smart to Pay Off Debt Early?
On Money Girl this week, I answer a question from a podcast listener named Donna. She wants to know whether it’s smart to pay down her debt early or if she should use her extra money for other expenses. This is a question that comes up frequently. In “Should You Pay Down Debt Early?” you’ll find out how you can solve this common dilemma by asking yourself three questions...
Read MoreHow to Maximize Your Eligibility for Student Financial Aid
On the Money Girl blog and podcast this week, I give you strategies to qualify for the most student financial aid. When you understand how financial need for students is calculated, you’ll maximize your eligibility for loans, grants, and work study programs and have more flexibility to pay for the rising cost of tuition. Episode number 222, “8 Ways to Get the Most Student Financial...
Read MoreSmart Ideas to Improve Your Personal Finances
This week on Money Girl new graduates can get great tips to start their lives on the right financial foot. You can read the blog post or listen to the free Money Girl podcast. Here are some additional resources that can help anyone improve their personal finances: Earn as much interest on your bank accounts as possible by using a high-yield checking or savings account at an FDIC-insured...
Read MoreActive vs. Passive Investing: What’s Right For You?
The topic on the Money Girl blog and audio podcast this week is “Can Being a Lazy Investor Pay Off?” When it comes to investing there are two broad strategies or philosophies: active investing and passive or lazy investing. In the post, I discuss what the financial researchers have discovered about the effects of active and passive investing on many different portfolios. Find out...
Read MoreTools to Reform Your Money Mindset
I wanted to cover an important topic this week on the Money Girl blog and podcast: your money mindset. It’s one of my favorite topics because the results you get in your financial life are a result of your beliefs and thoughts around money. When you don’t have the best mindset, you don’t get the best results. Sometimes you might not even realize when your money mindset is...
Read More10 Facts About 401(k) Plans You Should Know
My Money Girl blog post and podcast this week is “10 Things You Should Know About 401(k) Plans.” Workplace retirement plans can be complicated because they come with lots of rules and regulations, plus employers have some flexibility in how they set them up. Many people have retirement plans at work, but they don’t fully understand them. Being familiar with how a 401(k) or a...
Read MoreHow to Find Multiple Sources of Income
Fellow personal finance writer Kimberly Palmer took the reins for Money Girl episode 218 and wrote a great post called “How to Find a Second Source of Income” where she offers some great ideas and tips to get you thinking about how to create a multi-streamed income.. Kimberly is the author of Generation Earn: The Young Professional’s Guide to Spending, Investing, and Giving...
Read MoreHow Much Money Will You Need to Retire?
On this week’s Money Girl Podcast and blog you’ll find great information about how to get prepared for retirement. You know that the financial decisions you take (or don’t take) today directly affect your future financial security. If you’re like me, understanding how expensive retirement will be is the perfect motivation to crank up your investment contributions. But how...
Read MoreWhen It’s Bad to Contribute to an IRA
The Money Girl post that I wrote this week, “Should You Contribute to Both a 401(k) and an IRA?“, tells you about a little twist in the IRA rules that can reduce or eliminate the tax benefit of a traditional IRA when you or your spouse are covered by a retirement plan at work. Find out the income thresholds for each tax filing status where this limitation on deductions applies. If you...
Read MoreConsider Taking a Personal Money Day
“Why You Should Take a Personal Money Day” is a guest article written by J.D. Roth who blogs at GetRichSlowly.org and is the author of Your Money: The Missing Manual. The article and audio podcast have six great recommendations for tasks that are sure to bring you excellent payback for months and years to come when you take a day off from work to work to tackle them. It’s just...
Read MoreHow to File Your Income Tax Return
This week on Money Girl is the third and final session of my Tax Boot Camp series: “7 Last-Minute Tips for Filing Your Tax Return.” You’ll learn everything you need to know to get the job done on time, so you stay out of trouble with the IRS. All the Money Girl posts are available in text or audio on the Money Girl Web site. You can also subscribe to the Money Girl audio feed on...
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