TessMore Finance Blog

When it comes to helping out small businesses, cash is king. The best way to make sure your local mom-and-pop bookstore or coffee shop stays in business is by shopping there as possible. But for those of us on a budget , extravagant spending sprees aren’t always an option. So let’s take a look at some budget-friendly strategies to support your favorite small businesses. Write Positive Reviews During the height of the Covid-19 pandemic, one of my favorite local restaurants requested that customers leave positive reviews on Google and Yelp. Several people had recently left negative reviews, complaining about the restaurant’s mask policy. These negative reviews were dragging down their rating average. I went online, left a five-star review and noticed that several other people had also left positive reviews. Pretty soon, their average rating was higher than it had ever been. Posting positive reviews can have huge implications for a small business to attract more visitors, especially i

I recently flew to Cincinnati, Ohio to attend the second-annual EconoMe Conference. I had one of the best weekends of my life. I can't say that the conference itself was the reason for this peak experience. There's no question that I enjoyed interacting with the speakers and attendees. As the video below demonstrates, the main-stage talks were both entertaining and educational. The conversations at the venue were great too. I reconnected with old friends and made some new ones. But while I enjoyed EconoMe, the conference was mostly incidental to making my weekend great. EconoMe was merely the vehicle for bringing everyone together so that I could experience the laughter and conversations I enjoyed for five days. Turns out that EconoMe was also the vehicle for one of those oh-so-rare moments when all of the disparate strands in my life — all of my hopes and fears and recent objects of rumination — weave together to produce something spectacular, a sort of personal Big Bang. T

You probably know that paying down debt is good for your credit score. But there’s a persistent myth about credit card balances and credit scores. Some people say that carrying a small balance from month to month somehow helps your credit score. The idea that carrying a balance helps your credit score is totally false. Read on to learn the facts about how your balance affects your credit score. How Your Credit Card Balance Affects Your Credit Score There are five things that determine your credit score. These credit score factors break down as follows: Payment history (35%) Credit utilization (30%) Average age of credit (15%) Credit mix (10%) Hard inquiries and new credit (10%) As you can see, your credit utilization , or the percentage of open credit that you’re using, accounts for 30% of your credit score. The rule of thumb is that you don’t want your credit utilization ratio to climb higher than 30%. If you can get it to 0%, that’s ideal. Here’s where it gets a bit tric

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 . Women hustle. It’s in their DNA. If you’re a woman, you know how to work hard and overcome the obstacles that come up along the way. You’re willing to do what it takes to provide for your family, even if that means putting in a little more elbow grease than what most people are comfortable with. But sometimes, because of family obligations or other life events, finding extra time can seem next to impossible. That’s where side hustles come in. And you may be wondering if there are ways for women to make money online, especially because you need to work from home. The answer to that is yes … check out No. 2 especially. And No. 6. And No. 17. Sides hustles are great for women looking for ways to make money around their kids’ schedules, such as during school hours, nap time, or in the evenings. They give you th

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 the most wonderful time of the year and for many of us, it’s also the most expensive. Finding the ideal gifts can be challenging and end up hurting your wallet more than you’d like. It’s enough to fill even the most savvy shopper with dread. You might have been able to avoid buying some gifts last year since your office probably didn’t have a holiday party with a white elephant gift exchange, and your friend group may have skipped the secret Santa due to concerns about COVID. But 2021 is different. While the pandemic is still with us, people are more comfortable gathering now that vaccines are available. The pandemic will affect gift-giving in other ways this year, though. Factory shut-downs early on in the pandemic caused shipping companies to cut their schedules to accommodate for what they expected

Insurance premiums can be a sizable expense. We make monthly payments with the expectation of receiving substantial benefits later on in life. But what do you do if your insurance company goes out of business? Getting a refund isn’t always going to be an option. The impact can be worse for life, long-term care, and disability policies. Here are some options if your insurance company declares bankruptcy. Table of Contents Can an Insurance Company Go Out of Business? Insurance Company Ratings Insurance Company Bankruptcy Process Insurance Company Rehabilitation Transferring Insurance Products Insurance Company Draws on Its Cash Reserves Reinsurers State Guaranty Funds What To Do If Your Insurance Company Goes Out of Business? Keep Paying the Premium Monitor Insurance Communications Consider Switching Insurance Products Final Thoughts Can an Insurance Company Go Out of Business? In recent memory, one of the more notable insurance company failures was American