Taxes are a headache. Audits are worse. Nobody wants to deal with the IRS sending a letter, asking for records, and possibly demanding more money. But is an audit something most people should actually worry about? My CPA friend Bo from The Crunch has gone through IRS audit data to separate fact from fiction. Bo…
Saving money isn’t complicated. People just make it that way. You don’t need another budgeting hack, a fancy app, or a financial guru telling you to “cut back on coffee.” What you need is to stop wasting money on things that give nothing in return. Most people don’t realize how much cash slips through their…
When buying a house, many people are aware that they can negotiate the price. Some might even consider asking for a home warranty to be included in the deal. Home warranties are a common negotiation point because agents often receive commissions for selling them. But here’s the thing: you can negotiate much more than just…
Taxes feel confusing when you’re just starting out. Forms, deductions, credits, it all sounds like a foreign language. Mess up, and the IRS might take more than its fair share. Get it right, and you could keep thousands in your pocket. A recent survey found that 44% of tax filers stress over doing their taxes,…
Most people want to get rich, but few ever figure out how. Warren Buffett didn’t just figure it out, he mastered it. In 1999, when he was worth around $30 billion, someone asked him straight up: How can I do what you did? His answer came at the 1999 Berkshire Hathaway Annual Meeting, as reported…
Saving money isn’t complicated, but a lot of people still struggle with it. Paychecks come in, bills get paid, and somehow, there’s never enough left over. The problem isn’t always income, it’s the habits that drain money before it even has a chance to grow. More than half of American workers say setting aside cash…
As a Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) with over 20 years of experience in finance, including managing Investment Risk and Investment Product Teams, I’ve seen countless individuals make costly mistakes with their 401(k) plans. A 401(k) is a powerful tool for building retirement wealth, but many people fail to optimize its potential. Below, I’ll outline some…
I have heard so much advice over the years that people consider to be “good advice”. But if I had listened to all of this good advice, I would not have been able to retire young. By ignoring good advice, I was able to reach my goals. “You Have Too Much Debt, You Are Going…
Retiring early is more than just a dream, it’s a reality that many people can achieve with the right plan. If you’re like me, you’ve thought about leaving the 9-to-5 grind before the traditional retirement age. I am a Chartered Financial Analyst who retired at 42. I can tell you firsthand that reaching financial independence…
Tax season isn’t exactly anyone’s idea of fun. But what’s worse than filing taxes? Overpaying them. The good news is you don’t have to spend hours sorting receipts to save money. The tax code is full of deductions available to anyone, no itemizing required. According to IRS data, about 90% of taxpayers claimed the standard…
Money isn’t disappearing, it’s leaking. It’s not the big expenses that ruin budgets, but the small, ignored costs that sneak in and pile up. The problem isn’t earning too little, it’s letting these financial leaks go unnoticed. Nearly 40% of Americans would struggle to cover a $400 emergency, and it’s not always because they don’t…
For what it’s worth, I became a liquid millionaire at age 38 and then retired at 42. With over two decades in financial services, a CFA designation, and a mix of real estate and investment strategies, I reached financial independence without gimmicks or shortcuts. Unlike Dave Ramsey, I have financial credentials, I never declared bankruptcy,…
Becoming a millionaire might seem like a distant dream for many, but the truth is, it’s more attainable than you might think. Contrary to popular belief, most millionaires didn’t inherit their wealth, nor did they necessarily attend prestigious universities or possess extraordinary investment skills. Instead, they built their fortunes through smart financial decisions, discipline, and…
Frugal living gets a bad reputation. People hear “frugal” and think of extreme penny-pinching, boring budgets, and saying no to everything fun. That’s not the reality. It’s about spending with purpose so money stops slipping away and starts working for you. Dave Ramsey has spent decades teaching people how to take control of their finances….
The first time I read Rich Dad, Poor Dad as a teenager, it felt like someone had handed me the secret playbook to building wealth. The idea that financial freedom wasn’t about grinding away at a job but about owning assets that worked for you? That stuck with me. It pushed me to think beyond…
When I was a teenager in the 90s I spent hours in the library, flipping through every investing book I could get my hands on. Warren Buffett, Benjamin Graham, and the other greats made wealth-building sound almost too simple. What stuck with me most about Buffett wasn’t just his investment strategies, it was how he…
