TessMore Finance Blog

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 . We’re big on investing. It’s an important way to grow your money and set yourself up for retirement someday. But is it dangerous to be too obsessed with the stock market? You bet it is. Our financial advice columnist, Dear Penny, recently heard from a reader whose husband stopped funding his 401(k) so he can bet on the stock market, instead. Is it OK that he’s stopped contributing to his 401(k) so he can trade stocks? the reader asked. How do I ask him what he’s actually investing in? I’m worried that he’s gambling money that we need for our retirement. That’s not the way to go. Here are five safer ways to invest and grow your money. 1. Just Steadily Invest Like a Normal Person Instead of betting all your money on the stock market, just steadily invest in it. Take the long view. The stock market is unp

Tax time is officially upon us: The Internal Revenue Service began accepting and processing 2021 tax year returns on Jan. 24. Whether you’re anticipating a refund or dreading the bill, you’ll want to mark some important dates on your calendar. First, you should receive your W-2 forms in the mail soon if you haven’t already. You know, those little sheets of paper showcasing your wages and tax — all the money that’s been taken out of your paycheck. The deadline for employers to send out W2 tax documents was January 31. But you still have a few months to figure out how you’ll file your taxes. This year, the IRS is giving most taxpayers until April 18, 2022 to submit 2021 tax returns or an extension to file and pay tax owed. When are Taxes Due in 2022? April 18. That’s when you need to file your 2021 tax returns. Fun fact: The universal “Tax Day” is April 15. But the deadline was pushed to April 18 this year because of Emancipation Day, a holiday in Washington, D.C. There are a c

When it comes to remote work, everything changed in 2020. You know how it happened. The pandemic struck and employers who weren’t already allowing remote work were forced to do so. The pandemic continued and employees continued to stay at home. Then, as vaccinations became widely available and covid rates dropped, employers saw the benefit of  employees working remotely. Remote work, which a decade ago was a benefit employers could dangle in front of candidates, has become a standard practice in many industries. But depending on where you live and where the company resides, you might face some difficulties finding a remote job. That’s because of state restrictions surrounding remote work. So why do some remote jobs have state restrictions? 4 Reasons For State Restrictions For Remote Jobs Brie Reynolds, a career services development manager at FlexJobs – a site featuring millions of flexible remote work opportunities – offers some insight into these restrictions. “It’s a little

When I first started investing, I was enamored by Initial Public Offerings (IPO). There was always fanfare around a new stock joining the stock market, sometimes execs got to ring the bell, and they often jumped in price. Much like everything else with the stock market, there is always a bit of gamesmanship involved. IPOs tend to immediately jump in price because: Bankers tend to list the stock a wee bit low so they get good press when it jumps Bankers offer some pre-IPO shares to their most lucrative customers as a “wink wink” thanks for the biz Pedestrian companies don’t tend to IPO because there are cheaper ways to get funding than selling equity That said – IPOs are still sexy and if you’re wondering how you could get a piece of the action, you may have heard of something called IPO Access . Table of Contents How Does IPO Access Work? 30 Day “Flipping” Rule Remember: IPOs Are Speculative! Other Brokers Offer This Too What about Pre-IPO Shares? Access Isn’t Guara

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 . It’s more than just a fresh coat of paint. The Exxon Mobil Smart Card has undergone a true performance boost under the hood to give account holders even more gas savings and in-store perks than other gas station cards. The new Smart Card+ doubles the savings of the company’s previous card. The savings have been throttled up from 6 cents off per gallon to 12 cents off for premium gasoline and 10 cents off for other fuel grades. The new Smart Card+ rewards you with 5% back as a statement credit on the first $1,200 spent per year on in-store purchases and car washes at Exxon and Mobil branded locations. Besides the savings at the pump, the Exxon Mobil Smart Card+ still doesn’t impose an annual fee on account holders — that means you don’t have to pay back all of those savings at the end of the year. Avoid

Do you dream of living in Europe? Of sitting in cafes, eating pastries and learning a new language? Ashley Fleckenstein did. But, like most young Americans, she didn’t have the money to just pick up and go — or the right qualifications to get a full-time job abroad. So Fleckenstein decided to become an au pair, an international nanny who typically provides live-in child care services to a host family. If you’re young, open-minded and love children, it could be your ticket to living abroad. What’s an Au Pair? An au pair is a young person — usually a woman — between the ages of 18 and 30 who provides child care for a foreign host family in exchange for room, board and cultural exchange. You’ll also receive a small weekly stipend. Au pairing originated in Europe more than 50 years ago with an agreement between European nations. Today, au pair programs exist all around the world, though the majority of au pair jobs are in Europe and Australia, making it a low-cost way to live in

You can purchase Samsung products with zero interest and use one of the several flexible payment plans. You need a good credit score of around 700+ to be eligible for the Samsung credit financing program generally. Let us discuss what is Samsung’s credit financing program, its credit score requirements, and other payment plans. What is Samsung Financing? Samsung financing is a revolving credit line facility to its selected account holders that are offered in collaboration with TD bank. Account-holders can purchase Samsung products using the available credit. It means customers do not need to apply for a credit line with a bank. They can directly avail themselves of this facility from Samsung. The Samsung credit facility is a revolving credit facility. It means once an applicant is approved, there is no need to apply for financing again. This financing facility is separate from Samsung’s buy now, pay later (BNPL) facility. BNPL is a zero-interest program that is offered to all c

Dogelon Mars or ELON coin is a new addition to the already growing dog-themed coins. It is another dog meme coin that has entered the cryptocurrency market recently. It is an ERC-20 token on Polygon and Ethereum. It has grown in popularity considerably with around 1 million community followers already. ELON coin’s market capitalization has already made it rank at 127 out of thousands of available cryptocurrencies. Let us discuss what is Dogelon Mars coin and is it a good investment for you? What is Dogelon Mars (ELON) Coin? Dogelon Mars is another cryptocurrency that is built on Ethereum and polygon. It was introduced in April 2021 and its owners are unknown like many of its predecessors. Dogelon Mars is a meme coin that is dog-themed. It is closely associated with its predecessor Dogecoin. However, the founders deny any official association with Dogecoin or Elon Musk. Dogelon Mars (ELON) is built on blockchain technology. It is a relatively newer and appreciating cryptocurrenc

Are you a teen wondering how to invest? Or the parent of a teen wondering whether or not you should let your teen invest? There are many reasons why teenagers should consider investing their money. However, there are also some important things you need to know before you start investing as a teen, from understanding investment risk to the types of investment accounts that are available. This article will share some investing essentials teens and their parents need to know before getting started. Table of Contents Why You Should Invest as a Teenager 1. You’ve Got Less Financial Responsibilities 2. You’re Sheltered from Making Investing Mistakes 3. Time Is on Your Side How you Should Invest as a Teenager Low Risk Investment Choices Moderate Risk Investment Choices High Risk Investment Choices Understanding Investment Diversification Best Companies for Investing as a Teenager Acorns Ally Invest Fidelity Stockpile FAQs About Investing As A Teenager Investing A

Learning from a diverse set of people helps to expand your viewpoints, sharpen your empathy and increase your knowledge base. Likewise, the personal finance gurus you follow online and on social media should ideally represent different cultural backgrounds. We’ve created this list of eight Black financial influencers listed who are enriching the personal finance space with their unique perspectives and expert advice. Whether you’re looking for a new podcast to listen to, a personal finance book to read or a course to improve your financial literacy, check out these money gurus. 8 Black Financial Influencers to Follow Time for some inspiration: 1. Tiffany “The Budgetnista” Aliche Tiffany Aliche — better known as “The Budgetnista” — is a former preschool teacher who used her financial know-how to bounce back from job loss, foreclosure and debt to grow a multi-million-dollar business based on personal finance education. Aliche created an online school, the Live Richer Academy , an

When initiating a new homeowners insurance policy, the result can always be a gamble. Will my insurance premium be too high? Should I worry about coverage limits? Will I need to purchase additional coverage? All these questions come to mind when researching insurance carriers. And if you’re a dog owner, you’ll have one more: Will my insurance company restrict my dog’s breed from coverage? And even if they don’t, will they cover dog bite claims if my dog bites a neighbor? While these questions might be new to you, they are certainly not new to insurance providers. In 2020, insurance companies paid out roughly $854 million for liability claims pertaining to dog bites and other dog-related injuries, according to a 2021 analysis by the Insurance Information Institute. Unfortunately for insurers, those costs continue to rise. Although the total number of nationwide dog bite claims decreased in 2020 from the previous year, the average cost per claim rose by 12.3 percent. The trends over