Most recent articles about money. See all ›
- 7 Best Books on the Psychology of Money
The 7 best books on money psychology, ranked by how much they change your behavior — from Housel’s Psychology of Money to Kahneman — plus a one-page checklist turning each big idea into a rule. - What Should You Do If You Cannot Make Your Mortgage Payments?
Can’t make your mortgage payment? The 30/90/120-day timeline to foreclosure, why your first call is your servicer (ask about forbearance), and the free HUD counselors at 800-569-4287. - What Are the Basics of Bond Investing?
Bond investing basics: what bonds are, the types, what a 1% rate move does to prices, and the reinvestment risk that catches retirees off guard. - Avoid a Tax Hit When You Sell Your HomeThe $250,000 and $500,000 home sale exclusions erase most tax bills. A worked example shows the math, plus what happens when gains exceed the limit.
- Which Tax Documents Should You Never Throw Away?
Which tax documents to keep forever, how long the IRS actually requires records, and why scanned copies with real backups beat a filing cabinet. - What Are the Tax Advantages of Buying a Home?
Homeownership tax breaks like the mortgage interest deduction only help if you itemize, and with the 2026 standard deduction at $32,200 for couples, many buyers get no tax benefit at all. - What Are Signs That a Business is Financially Healthy?Ten signs a business is financially healthy — plus the mirror-image red flags, like revenue rising while cash flow doesn’t. And a five-minute health check any investor can run.
- How to Calculate How Much You Will Pay in Property TaxesProperty tax calculation guide: the formula step by step, why two identical houses pay different taxes, and a $400,000 worked example with monthly budgeting.
- When Debt Collectors Call: Know Your Rights and Negotiation Tactics
Collectors can call — but Regulation F limits them to seven calls per seven days per debt. Your validation rights, and how to settle for 25-40%. - It’s Expensive Being PoorBank fees, check cashing, and high cost debt quietly add roughly $1,000 a year to being poor. Here is the math, and the first step out.
- How to Cut Your Food Bill Without Sacrificing Nutrition
Cut the grocery bill without cutting nutrition: what the hidden extras really cost per year, and the pantry-first shopping habit that kills waste. - Do You Still Owe Money if Your House Is in Foreclosure?Foreclosure does not always end the debt. A worked deficiency example shows what you might still owe, plus how California and Oregon limit collections.
- What Are Some Signs That a Business Is Under Financial Stress?Nine signs a business is under financial stress, plus the Altman Z-Score that combines five of them, and a 10-minute balance sheet checkup you can run.
- What To Do When You Don’t Trust How Your Partner Handles The Household FinancesMoney tension with a partner needs structure, not just talks: a 30-minute monthly money date plus an account setup that fits how you actually live.
- What can the Marshmallow Test teach us about investing?
The marshmallow test links delayed gratification to better outcomes, but a 2018 replication cut the effect size sharply. The money lesson: build systems, not just willpower. - Why the PE Ratio Matters More Than the Stock PriceThe PE ratio beats the stock price as a valuation tool. This guide adds the Shiller CAPE for cycle-smoothing and a two-minute sanity check before you act.
- Leave Your Investments Alone to GrowChecking your portfolio too often invites emotional mistakes. Missing just the 10 best market days can cut long-term returns in half, so patience is the edge.
- What is an Amortization Calculator and How Can It Help You Decide Between Renting and Owning?An amortization calculator reveals what a mortgage really costs. A worked example shows where each payment goes, and how $200 extra a month saves $111,892.
- Why Long Term Loans Can Cost You Far More Than You ThinkLong loans mean lower payments but far more interest. See the real 30-year versus 15-year math, the 84-month auto loan trap, and when longer terms win.
- What’s the Difference Between Economics and Finance?Economics studies how systems allocate resources; finance decides how money gets invested. See how both answer the same question, like whether to refinance when rates move.
- Why Compound Interest Is Hard to UnderstandA penny doubled daily for 30 days ends at $5.3 million — your brain can’t picture it. Why compounding fools us, and why starting early beats being clever.
- What are the key metrics value investors should focus on when reviewing an income statement?
Value investors read the income statement for revenue growth, margins, and net income, but owner earnings and the share count behind EPS tell the rest of the story. - What are Intangible Assets?
Intangible assets like brands, patents, and software drive most of the S&P 500’s value. This guide covers what they are, how they’re counted, and their risks. - What Are the Key Metrics Value Investors Should Focus on When Reviewing a Balance Sheet?Key balance sheet metrics for value investors: book value, debt-to-equity, the current ratio, cash reserves, three red flags in the footnotes, and a five-minute checklist.
- Why Is Media Literacy Important to Understand as an Investor?Media literacy helps investors spot hype, pump-and-dump pipelines, and biased coverage. Learn a three-question filter for financial news and keep your strategy disciplined.
- Feeling Bearish on the United States? Buy VXUS to Diversify Your US PortfolioVXUS gives US investors low-cost access to thousands of international stocks. This guide covers what it holds, what it costs, and a worked 70/30 rebalancing example.
- How Does the Corporate Tax Rate Affect Your Stock Investments?The federal corporate tax rate is 21 percent after the 2017 cut from 35; the 2025 OBBBA kept it there, while a 15 percent global minimum now reshapes multinationals.
- What is the Minsky Moment?The Minsky Moment is when overconfidence and leverage snap. Who Hyman Minsky was, how his theory explains 2008, and what investors can learn from it.
- What Does It Mean to Be Financially Literate?
Financial literacy means budgeting, saving, investing, and managing debt wisely. Starting early matters most: $300 a month at 8 percent becomes roughly $447,000 in 30 years. - How to Create a 529 Savings PlanHow to open and fund a 529 college savings plan. The 2026 contribution limits, the Roth rollover rule, and the funding order that saves most.
- What Do You Even Do?What do you even do in early retirement? In two years I skipped 2,600 meetings and learned it’s less about what I do than what I don’t do. An honest answer to the question retirees dread.
- What Does It Mean for a Business to Have a Large Competitive Moat?
What is a competitive moat, and how do you spot one? Learn Buffett’s one-question pricing-power test and the three forces that erode even wide moats. - Warren Buffett’s Educational Cartoon: Secret Millionaire’s ClubWarren Buffett’s Secret Millionaire’s Club teaches kids money basics through cartoons. Turn episodes into real lessons and see what parents should know first.
- Selling Overvalued Stocks: Insights from Warren Buffett and Peter LynchBuffett and Lynch on when to sell: watch intrinsic value, know what you own, and sell when the thesis breaks, as Buffett’s 2020 airline exit showed.
- Strategies to Keep Emotions Out of Your Investment Decisions
Keep emotions out of investing: the 2020 panic-sale math that cost sellers 34 percent, plus a written pre-commitment contract for your money. - What Does the Jobs Report Tell Us About Our Economy?
How to read the monthly jobs report: the two BLS surveys behind the headlines, and an analyst’s walkthrough of August 2026’s 162,000-payroll surprise. - The Psychology of Shopping Addictions
Shopping addiction math: $300 a month in impulse buys becomes $36,000 over ten years, or about $49,700 invested. How to break the cycle. - What Does It Mean to Be the Executor of a Will?Being an executor means probating the will, settling debts and taxes, and distributing assets, a process that often takes a year or more and carries real personal liability.
- How to Create an Emergency Fund While Being a College Student
College students can build an emergency fund on a tight budget: start with $500, define real emergencies, automate savings, and route windfalls into the fund. - What’s the Difference Between Institutional Investors and Retail Investors?Institutional vs retail investors: 1% fees vs 0.1% creates a $370,000 gap on $100,000 over 30 years — and 13F filings let you peek at the giants. The breakdown.
- The Welfare Trap: Understanding and Overcoming Financial DependenceA $5,000 raise that costs $7,000 in childcare benefits leaves you $2,000 poorer: that is the welfare trap’s benefit cliff. How to do the math before accepting a raise.
- Tax Implications and Penalties of 401(k) WithdrawalsAn early $20,000 401(k) withdrawal costs more than the 10 percent penalty. The math on lost compounding, plus the smaller RMD penalty under SECURE 2.0.
- Credit Suisse: What Went Wrong with the Global Investment Bank?Credit Suisse’s 2023 collapse was set up by 2021’s $5.5 billion Archegos loss and the $10 billion Greensill funds freeze, ending with a 16 billion franc AT1 bond wipeout.
- The Dot-com Bubble: What It Was and Why It MattersThe dot-com bubble in full: what caused it, the Pets.com cash-burn test for spotting manias, and what separated survivors like Amazon from the wreckage.
- What to Do When You Finally Hit Your FI Number
Hitting your FI number is the start, not the finish. Price the one-more-year trade ($6,200 a year on $1.5M) and stress-test against three shocks. - How to Invest While Working a Minimum Wage JobOn minimum wage you can still invest: $20 a week from age 25 can become about $460,000 by 65, and the Saver’s Credit matches part of it.
- How to Find a Reputable Tax Advisor in Your AreaA good tax advisor pays for themselves: an S-corp election can save a $120,000 freelancer $4,000 a year. Know 2026 fee norms, verify credentials, and interview before hiring.
- How to Handle a Large Cash InheritanceA large cash inheritance is income-tax-free, but the decisions are not. Pay debt, fund emergencies, invest wisely, and mind state inheritance taxes.
- Why You Should Be Recording Your Net Worth Every MonthTrack your net worth every month. New: exactly what to count and what to skip, plus how the monthly number exposes lifestyle creep before your budget does.
- Giving Your Children the Financial Future You Always WantedSecure your child’s financial future with compound interest, a low-cost 529 strategy, the SECURE 2.0 529-to-Roth escape hatch, and knowing the custodial account handoff date.
- Does It Make Sense to Get Dental Insurance?Is dental insurance worth it? The self-insurance math: $360 a year in premiums versus $200 for cleanings, plus waiting periods and annual maximums to watch.
- Learning to Spend Again
After financial independence, spending is the hard part: the 4% rule says $40,000 a year on a $1M portfolio survived the worst markets on record. Permission, in math form. - What Happens to Treasury Bills if the US Government Defaults?Has the US ever defaulted? A 1979 glitch delayed T-bill payments — technically a default. What delayed payments, market turmoil, and higher rates would mean for your T-bills.
- What is Earnings Contraction?Earnings fell three straight quarters in 2022-2023, yet the S&P 500 rose 20% that year: prices follow where profits are going, not where they have been. What earnings contraction means for you.
- Does Rent Ever Go Down?Yes — a vacant unit in January or a winter lease renewal can turn into a discount: $100 a month saved is $1,200 a year. How to negotiate your rent.
- Should You Consolidate Your 401k Plans?Consolidating old 401k plans simplifies your life, but know the rules first: SECURE 2.0 ended Roth 401(k) RMDs in 2024, and indirect rollovers carry a 20% withholding and 60-day deadline.
- Can the Average American Afford a Home?At a $407,200 median new-home price, buyers need around $95,000 a year, but median household income just hit a record $87,460. The 5 percent rule tells you when renting wins anyway.
- Use This Script to Lower Your Utility BillsRead your bill before negotiating: supply vs. delivery charges, and how 18 states with retail electricity choice let you shop for a better rate.
- How to Protect Your Social Security Number
Protect your Social Security number with free weekly credit reports from AnnualCreditReport.com, a credit freeze, and a my Social Security account claimed before criminals do. - Side Hustles for People Over 40: Earning Extra Income in Your Golden Years
Side hustles for people over 40 that fit your life, plus the after-tax math on a $100-an-hour gig and why build-once hustles beat hour-trading. - Want to Invest in Apple, Nvidia, Microsoft, and Palantir? Buy VGT InsteadVGT holds Nvidia, Apple, and Microsoft plus hundreds more, for 0.09 percent a year. What an index fund fixes, and the one sector risk it leaves behind.
- Understanding the Cost of Food DeliveryA $30 delivery order really costs about $45 once fees and tip stack up. Ordering pickup instead skips most of those fees and keeps restaurants’ commissions in their pocket.
- Lyn Alden’s Investment Strategy
Lyn Alden’s ‘Nothing Stops This Train’ thesis: persistent deficits force fiscal dominance, so own scarce, cash-flowing assets and be cool on long bonds. Her macro-to-portfolio method. - What Is the Difference Between Compound Interest and Simple Interest?Compound interest versus simple interest, worked side by side: $10,000 at 7% for 30 years grows to $76,123 compounded but only $31,000 simple.
- Buying a Home When Interest Rates Are High: What You Need to KnowHigh rates change the math on buying: $400,000 costs $228,409 more at 7% than 4.5%, and how points and buydowns can buy the rate down.
- What Should You Do If You’re Unable to Make an Upcoming Car Payment?Missing a car payment means late fees immediately and a credit report mark at 30 days that lasts seven years. Here is the full timeline, the true cost of one missed $450 payment, and what to do first.
- How to Roll Over Your 401(k) to Another AccountRolling your 401(k) to an IRA is not always the win it looks like. When to leave it, the 20 percent withholding trap, and the backdoor Roth catch.
- What Should You Do When You or Your Partner Lose Their Job Unexpectedly?Job loss survival guide: the first 72 hours checklist, what unemployment actually pays, the order to tap accounts, and why your old 401(k) can wait.
- A Beginner’s Guide to Mr. Money Mustache’s Top Money-Saving TipsMr. Money Mustache’s top tips plus the savings-rate math behind early retirement: a 50% savings rate can mean financial independence in about 17 years.
- The Mustachian Way vs. Traditional Financial Planning
The Mustachian Way runs on savings-rate math: 50% saved means ~17 years to financial independence. Traditional planning outsources the discipline, at a fee. - Tax Deductions: Expenses That Reduce Taxable IncomeTax deductions reduce taxable income. Updated for 2026: standard deductions, the $40,400 SALT cap, new OBBBA deductions, and a worked itemizing example.
- Understanding Capital Gains Tax: How to Minimize Your Tax BurdenFor 2026, couples pay 0% on long-term gains up to $98,900 of income, and losses face a $3,000 yearly limit. How to time sales and harvest losses.
- Understanding Tax Credits: A Guide to Saving Money on Your TaxesTax credits cut your tax bill dollar for dollar, from the EITC and Child Tax Credit to 2026’s $17,670 adoption credit, but refundability rules and deadlines decide what you actually keep.
- Overspending on Your Wedding May Lead to DivorceThe Emory study behind the wedding-spending claim: 3,151 couples, inverse association with divorce, and why starting debt-free matters more.
- What Should You Do When the Stock Market Is Crashing?Market crashes are normal. Learn why staying invested wins, the arithmetic behind the market’s best days, and how to write a crash plan in advance.
- What’s the CRSP U.S. Large Cap Index?The CRSP U.S. Large Cap Index holds the top 85% of U.S. stocks. The one-ticker way to own it (VV at 0.03%) and how the index stays honest.
- Why the S&P 500 Outshines Individual Stocks Like NVIDIA for Long-Term InvestorsNVIDIA’s run is tempting, but index investors already own it. Cisco’s 25-year cautionary tale, and why the S&P 500 wins for long-term investors.
- The Rise of Fintech: How Technology is Changing the Financial IndustryFintech made finance cheaper and easier, then startup funding crashed from $140.8 billion to $39.2 billion. What survived the shakeout, what it really saves you, and why Mint is gone.
- Debt Snowball vs. Debt Avalanche: Which Method is Best for You?Snowball vs. avalanche with real numbers: the avalanche saves about $156 in interest here, and Kellogg research explains why closing accounts beats optimizing rates.
- How to Create a Budget That Accounts for Credit Card DebtMinimum payments keep you in debt for decades. Run the avalanche and snowball numbers, use balance transfers wisely, and budget your way to freedom.
- Penny Stocks Aren’t Cheap: Why Low Price Doesn’t Mean High ValuePenny stocks look cheap, but reverse splits, manipulation, and brutal recovery math make them expensive. The S&P 500 offers a steadier path to long-term wealth.
- The Downsides of Investing in Real EstateReal estate’s hidden costs and leverage make it riskier than it looks. See what a $250,000 rental really costs versus an index fund, and why leverage cuts both ways.
- How to Avoid Paying Private Mortgage Insurance (PMI)Private Mortgage Insurance protects lenders when your down payment is under 20%. This guide covers what PMI costs, how to avoid it, and the cancellation rules.
- Why You Should Use a Credit Card Instead of Cash$1,500 a month at 2% cash back is $360 a year for spending you would do anyway. The honest math on rewards, plus the times cash still wins.
- How to Get Your First Credit CardGetting your first credit card: use the authorized-user shortcut, apply strategically, and know what to do if you get denied.
- When Is It a Good Idea to Refinance Your Mortgage?With 30-year mortgage rates near 7% in September 2026, refinancing only pays for some homeowners. Learn the break-even math, the 2026 rate picture, and when waiting is the smarter move.
- Barbell Investment Strategy
The barbell strategy pairs ultra-safe Treasury bills with small speculative bets. A worked $100,000 example shows why the asymmetry favors the patient. - What Are the Pros and Cons of the 60/40 Portfolio?The 60/40 portfolio’s pros and cons: five decades of returns, what the 2022 stress test taught, and the annual rebalancing step that keeps the strategy honest.
- What Are the Pros and Cons of Warren Buffett’s 90/10 Strategy?Warren Buffett’s 90/10 strategy puts 90% in an S&P 500 index fund and 10% in short-term bonds. See what it did in 2022 and what he actually wrote in 2013.
- Life After Achieving Financial IndependenceReaching financial independence is only half the job. The hard parts nobody posts about, plus the work-optional middle path that arrives years sooner.
- How to Avoid the “I’ll Save Later” TrapWaiting to save is costly. Learn why the next raise never fixes it, how compound time builds wealth, and how defaults can do the saving for you.
- Why You Shouldn’t Check Your Stock PortfolioConstant checking feeds emotional decisions. Research shows the most active traders lagged the market by wide margins, so try a scheduled quarterly review instead.
- What Are Some Good Ways to Handle Financial Stress Emotionally?
Financial stress is normal, and it is manageable. Learn to triage bills when money is short, run a 15-minute weekly money check, and take practical steps to regain control. - Which Credit Card Is the Best for Groceries?Which credit card is best for groceries? The Blue Cash Preferred’s 6% rate, its streaming rewards, and the supermarket fine print, versus flat-rate runner-ups.
- Trending Financial Independence BooksFive financial independence books are trending at Winchell House. Find the one that matches what is broken in your money life, and read it with a highlighter.
- How to Find a Reputable Financial Advisor in Your AreaFind a reputable financial advisor by verifying credentials, reading their Form ADV, understanding exactly how they are paid, and asking five pointed questions before you hire.
- How to Avoid Buyer’s Remorse After Making a Big PurchaseHow to avoid buyer’s remorse after a big purchase: the 30-day rule, cooling-off discipline, and how to tell remorse apart from a genuinely bad buy.
- How to Choose a Mortgage Lender When Buying Your First HomeFirst-time buyers should compare lenders using the standardized Loan Estimate, understand rate lock periods and float-down options, and negotiate rates, fees, and terms.
- Why Are Auto and Home Insurance Costs Rising?Auto and home premiums keep climbing. We break down why, what to do about your deductible, and how insurer pullbacks in disaster-prone states shrink your options.
- How Can I Lower My Phone Bill?Switching from a $90 plan to a $25 MVNO plan saves $780 a year. Here is the math on what that compounds into, plus how to port your number safely.
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