TessMore Finance Blog

Getting rid of federal student loan debt has just become easier — in many cases automatic — for borrowers with qualifying disabilities.  The U.S. Department of Education announced that it will automatically forgive federal student loans for at least 323,000 borrowers who have total and permanent disabilities. An estimated $5.8 billion in federal student loan debt will be wiped out through this initiative. “We are excited to see the Department of Education finally provide automatic discharges to the hundreds of thousands of disabled borrowers who have been entitled to this relief for years,” Persis Yu, director of the National Consumer Law Center’s Student Loan Borrower Assistance Project, said in a statement. The Department stated it plans to identify all eligible borrowers in September, notify them shortly afterward and then discharge the loans “by the end of the year.” While this initiative will be a big relief to the borrowers who qualify, there are many more who will conti...

I grew up using computers. When I was 6 years old, I was introduced to “Prince of Persia” on the iMac, which sparked a lifelong video game hobby. I never looked back. Over the years, I’ve accrued tons of outdated video games and consoles, which I let go to waste at first. They sat there collecting dust until I got a nostalgic second wind and turned them on. That reminiscent spurt would last about 20 minutes before I would get bored and place the games neatly back into the rectangular, dustless outline on the shelf where they would hibernate until I got nostalgic again. But that was before I discovered a few strategies to maximize my payout when I sell video games for cash (or gas and groceries). Using these trade-in tricks at GameStop can get you up to 48% extra cash for your video games. So if you need to fill up your gas tank by the end of the week or you need a boost to help you make rent, selling your video games (after you’ve finished them, of course) can be a great way to m...

Attending a major sporting event is at the same time thrilling and painful. The roar of the crowd is exhilarating as is watching your favorite players but that can be offset with finding a place to park, paying a fortune for a beer and hot dog, and scooting past a dozen people to get to your middle-of-the-aisle seat. Plus don’t forget how exhausted you are at work after driving home from a Monday night football game. None of those evils exist when you watch an NFL game from home. And if you know how to watch NFL games without cable, you even save money as you settle in for Sunday Night Football, Monday Night Football or even Thursday Night Football. Live Football After Cable Without cable — which you ditched because of the cost — you need to decide how you are going to stream NFL games. First, figure out what’s more important to you, seeing all the live NFL games, making sure you can see every game of your favorite NFL team or just watching the highlights. Let’s look at the option...

Warren Buffett is notoriously a good investor. Sure, he’s made some mistakes along the way (who hasn’t?), but whatever move he makes, you can bet he’s thought it through, and it will pay off — big time. Which is why when Mr. Buffett made his biggest stock purchase of the year into Apple, we thought, “Isn’t it too late to do that?” Apple is already trading at the highest price it ever has. It feels out of reach for us non-billionaires. But it turns out, that’s not the case. While we don’t have the ability to own $111 billion (yes, billion with a B) in AAPL shares, we can still get our hands on some — and reap the rewards as the market goes up. One of our favorite ways to get into the stock market and be a part of infamous big-tech returns, without risking billions is through a free app called Stash . It lets you be a part of something that’s normally exclusive to the richest of the rich — on Stash you can buy pieces of other companies — including Buffett’s choices — for as little as...

If you’re a Lyft or Uber driver, you already know how important it is to track your mileage and expenses. You’ll need that information come tax time to make sure you’re squeezing out every last penny in deductions. But rideshare drivers aren’t the only people eligible for mileage tax deductions. If you drive your personal vehicle for other kinds of paid work or use it for charitable, moving or medical purposes, you may also qualify for a standard mileage rate deduction. Back in the old days, tracking mileage meant pulling a crumpled notebook out of the glove box and hoping your pen wasn’t out of ink. But now there’s an app for everything — including mileage tracking. Here are our favorites. 7 Mileage Tracker Apps We Love These apps will help you stay on top of all the business miles you travel, so you can reduce your tax liability when it’s time to pay Uncle Sam. And you can try out most of them for free! 1. Everlance Everlance is a versatile app that not only tracks your mil...

Some of the links in this post are from our sponsors. We provide you with accurate, reliable information. Learn more about how we make money and select our advertising partners . So, you thought 2020 was bad? Just wait! OK, we’re kidding. Obviously, 2021 should turn out way better than 2020 did, right? There’s no way it could be worse, right? Right? Welllllllll… we hate to sound like pessimists, but if there’s one thing life has taught us, it’s that things can always get worse. Maybe COVID’s sequel shows up. Maybe the economy crashes again. Maybe our weird politics get even weirder. Maybe aliens land in Times Square. Just in case, we’ve got some proactive moves you should make to protect your bank account in case things go south. Before the next crisis gets going, let’s get started with the protective measures: 1. Save Up An Emergency Fund This past year has taught us the hard way that everyone should have an emergency fund. You need a place where you can safely stash your sav...

If you have a knack for teaching, a proliferation of online tutoring platforms have created numerous opportunities to make extra money helping students learn various subject material — from math and English to physics and political science. Tutoring online can be a nice side gig for current or former teachers and even college students who have great subject matter mastery and some teaching skills. While traditional tutoring requires you to meet up with local students face to face after school or on weekends, an online tutoring job allows you to teach students all over the world from the comfort of your own home. There are opportunities to have a flexible schedule and tutor students when it’s most convenient for you. 10 Great Companies for Online Tutors The following list highlights online platforms that offer some of the best online tutoring jobs around. 1. Tutor.com Established in 1998 and affiliated with The Princeton Review, Tutor.com helps K-12 students, as well as college s...