TessMore Finance Blog

Let’s save some money! Here are 104 ways to save money . Why save money? Well, so you can afford your future. So you won’t have to rely on credit to get you by. So you can do some fun things. There are lots of reasons to do it. Why 104? Because it’s double my other list, 52 Ways to Make Extra Money , and I like a challenge. Okay, let’s get started with the savings! To make it easy, I’ve broken the different ways into handy categories: Ways to Save Money Fast Want to save money fast? Get ready to hustle and cut back on unnecessary expenses. 1. Return Things What did you recently purchase that you could return? Past the refund date? Don’t have a receipt? Who cares. Try anyway. Returning things you no longer need or want will help you get back some of the money you spent on them. This is a quick win. 2. Score a Signup Bonus Have you tried capitalizing on sign-up bonuses? Look for some right now. With some companies, you can earn more than $100 just by registering and following a...

Over the years, there has been an increasing emphasis on ensuring that companies can regularly draft budgets and ensure that performance metrics are undertaken to facilitate a proper productive culture within an organization that can ensure all budget-related issues are duly solved. In this regard, it is also important to ensure that the budgets are drafted with proper surety and implementation so that the underlying budgeting objectives are duly met. Therefore, given the tantamount importance of budgeting, companies must take this task very seriously and plan their budgeting-related controls well in advance. However, the question that arises when it comes to budgeting is the fact that how often budgets are created and reviewed. It can be seen that budgeting reviews are mostly contingent on the nature of the budget itself, in addition to the respective agreements that are supposed to be drawn when it comes to budget reviews. How Often Should a Budget be reviewed? The simple answe...

There are many things to think about when you decide to switch employers, including what will happen to your 401(k). The good news is that your retirement savings don’t disappear like your other employer-provided benefits, such as health insurance and paid leave. You have several options for managing your old 401(k) and similar retirement plans, so your portfolio can continue building wealth and achieve your long-term financial goals. How to Handle an Old 401(k) In most situations, you get to decide how your old 401(k) plan will be managed after completing a career transition. It doesn’t matter if you quit, get fired, or are laid off. Here are 5 of the most common 401(k) options. Do Nothing The default option is to leave your existing 401(k) with the same provider until you’re ready to transfer it or start receiving distributions when your balance exceeds $5,000.  However, employers can exercise the following rights with smaller balances: Balances between $1,000 and $5,000...

For many years, Bronnie Ware worked in palliative care. Palliative care is the medical care you get when you are afflicted with serious and often terminal illnesses. She spent a lot of time with people in their final three to twelve weeks of their lives. And it is through that experience that she wrote an amazing book called The Top Five Regrets of the Dying . (the book originated as this blog post ) The five regrets are: I wish I’d had the courage to live a life true to myself, not the life others expected of me. I wish I hadn’t worked so hard. I wish I’d had the courage to express my feelings. I wish I had stayed in touch with my friends. I wish I had let myself be happier. One common thread among those five regrets was how often we simply conformed to our perception of society’s expectations. It is really easy to fall into “old patterns and habits.” Working too hard, being too serious, not doing frivolous things, hustle your face off, etc. Society is exceptional at pus...

We’ve done the research, and these are the only 5% CD rates available today. Don’t waste time with low-interest CDs. It’s true. There are 5% CD rates. These haven’t been around for long, but they’re here. You can even lock in 5% for 27 months. I might buy one myself to participate. Can You Get 5% Interest on a CD? Yes. Here are the current CD rates at or above 5%. If these CDs don’t work, we’ve made other suggestions below for places to save your money. Sallie Mae – 27 Month CD – 5.00% Signature Federal Credit Union – 6 Month CD – 5.00% Can You Get 6% on a CD? Not at this time. CD rates are rising. But we’re not quite at 6% yet. I will update this page if and when rates get to 6%. Won’t that be something?! Even though we’re only at 5% interest rates, that’s still an incredible opportunity to save your money in a secure account. Where Else to Get High Interest These 5% CDs are some of the highest rates you’ll see in a savings product. For instance, there are some high yield...

Hello, my friends. I hope this new year is treating you well. It's been excellent for me so far. Soon I need to announce the 2023 Ecuador chautauqua about money and meaning , but before I do I'll give a brief update on what I've been up to. Deciding to extend my sabbatical from Get Rich Slowly indefinitely has been liberating. The moment I committed to this, it was as if a heavy load were lifted from my back. I'm able to pursue other passions now without regret. I don't feel guilty. I don't feel like I need to give myself “permission”. I just do what I want, and it's awesome. Isn't this what financial independence is supposed to be? How I Spend My Time My food and fitness choices have remained strong now for six weeks. (Official start date of my re-dedication to health? December 13, Taylor Swift's birthday.) I'm lifting weights three times per week. I'm walking roughly five miles per day. I'm doing yoga. My alcohol consumption is way ...

A recently published survey showed that 46% of Americans between the ages of 40 and 49 had taken money out of their retirement plans. One of the advantages of retirement savings plans is that the contributions you make are generally tax-deductible. But on the flip side, those taking distributions will need to pay income tax on those withdrawals, and many will also be subject to a 10% early withdrawal penalty. How can you withdraw from your 401(k) without a penalty ? We’ve come up with nine ways to make this happen. Table of Contents 9 Ways to Withdraw from a 401(k) Without a Penalty 1. Regular Disbursements at Age 59½ or Later 2. Total and Permanent Disability 3. Pursuant to a Qualified Domestic Relations Order (QDRO) 4. Series of Substantially Equal Periodic Payments (SoSEPP) 5. To Pay Unreimbursed Medical Expenses 6. Certain Distributions to Qualified Military Reservists Called to Active Duty 7. Plan-to-Plan Rollovers 8. Separation from Service 9. 401(k) Loan How ...

When your ideal client reads your website, do they know you’re talking to them? Do the words on the page reveal their story in a way that jolts them to action? When I’m writing anything, whether it’s an article like this one, copy for my homepage, an email to a client, or any business writing, I focus entirely on the business owner who’ll be reading what I’m writing. I do this because I want to inspire them to action. I want them to feel supported and equipped to take the next logical step toward building a business that serves themselves, their employees, customers, and community. Writing copy for your website can be a frustrating and overwhelming task when you’re not used to writing marketing copy in general. I know I’ve spent plenty of hours staring at a blank screen or typing out words for my homepage that I end up erasing because they’re boring. And yet, you know your business and customers’ needs better than anyone on the planet, so you’re the best person to know if the copy ...

The lender of last resort is usually central banks that offer loans to banks and financial institutions facing financial difficulty or are considered highly risky. In the United States, the Federal reserve bank acts as a lender of last resort to institutions that do not have alternative means of borrowing. Failing such institutions would negatively impact the economy. Similarly, the Reserve Bank of India holds the position of lender of last resort in India. Recently, a large private bank went into a situation where it had too many bad loans amid cooked books. RBI came into play and provided a line of credit and other assistance to stabilize the financial system. The lender of last resort protects individuals who have deposited funds and prevents customers from withdrawing out of panic from banks with temporarily limited liquidity. Private commercial banks usually do not borrow from lenders of last resort, as that would indicate that the bank is experiencing a crisis of its own or ...