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 . If you have a low credit score — or even no credit at all — you know how detrimental it can be to your finances and life goals. It can stop you from opening a credit card or buying a house. And if you can get approved for a loan, the interest rate will likely be through the roof — costing you thousands of dollars more than you should be paying. For example, two people leasing the same car, on the same terms, but with different credit scores could see a difference of $6,000 in their total payments. It’s wild! Yet the traditional ways of raising your credit score can take time, money and effort. But a debit card — yes, a debit card — called Extra can help raise your credit without any of the traditional hassles. And it could give you rewards like a credit card, too. Get the Benefits of a Credit Card (With

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 . Everything has changed over the past year, and we’ve changed, too. We’ve learned some hard lessons. We’ve adopted some new habits and dropped some old ones — especially when it comes to our spending. There are things we simply don’t buy anymore. We just don’t see the point — we’ve officially parted ways with these products. Here are some things we’re just not buying anymore — and one surprising thing we’re buying more of. 1. Name-Brand Food We don’t know about you, but we’ve been cooking a lot — like, A LOT — and we keep finding that the store brands or generic brands largely taste the same as the more expensive brand-name products. Or close enough, anyway. Big brands spend big money to get their products in front of customers, whether through ad campaigns, partnering with rebate apps, or paying for prim

If between 2009 and 2020, you purchased fresh or frozen raw chicken for the purposes of preparing a meal, you may be in line for an unexpected payday. A class-action lawsuit against several chicken-processing companies has been settled to the tune of $181 million. All you have to do to get your share is fill out a form . And then wait. You likely won’t be alone because chicken is one popular protein. It comes in second in annual consumption to red meat, but the gap is closing . According to the National Chicken Council, chicken consumption continues to grow in the U.S. In 2009, the first year of date range for this settlement, Americans ate 80 pounds of chicken per person. In 2020, that number grew to almost 100 pounds. The companies named in the suit (Fieldale Farms Corporation, George’s, Mar-Jac Poultry, Peco Foods, Pilgrim’s Pride and Tyson Foods) were charged with conspiring to fix the supply of chicken to maintain a certain price level, a violation of federal and state consum

A doctor’s waiting room is a great place to encounter someone with a bug you don’t want. But you can actually avoid stepping into one when you need care. Fortunately, there are a number of great telemedicine options that offer comprehensive online services. Telemedicine is also often more affordable than in-person treatment, especially if you don’t have health insurance. 4 Affordable Telemedicine Options It might be difficult to address major medical concerns via telemedicine. Still, they might help put your mind at ease or take care of other problems. 1. Amwell Amwell hosts a wide range of medical professionals, including general physicians, specialists and mental health care providers, all of whom you can connect with 24/7. You can access services like nutrition counseling and pediatrics and breastfeeding support. You can even chat with a licensed psychiatrist. Costs vary depending on what kind of services you need, but they start at $79 for a general urgent care visit. Your c

Buying a house has been sold as a major part of the American Dream, but for many people, it doesn’t make sense for financial or lifestyle reasons. There are some good reasons to buy a house, but it’s important to examine your reasons before you make one of the biggest financial decisions of your life.  Here are 5 guidelines to help you decide if you’re ready to buy a house. Will you live there for 10+ years? Is your total monthly housing cost lower than 28% of your gross monthly income? Have you saved a 20% down payment? Are you OK if the value of your house goes down? Are you excited about buying? Will you live there for 10+ years?  When you buy a house, a long time horizon matters because of the enormous fees involved in buying and selling a house. There are closing costs, taxes, furniture, realtor costs, and maintenance.  Closing costs for selling a house run around 10% of the house’s selling price . This means that if you sell your house for $300,000, closing could co

“We’re Hiring.” “Join our Team.” “Interview. Get a Free Meal.” Marquee signs at restaurants around the country show food service employers are still desperate to fill thousands of jobs — and they’re upping their offerings with signing bonuses and higher wages. Average hourly wages for non supervisory positions in the food and beverage industry surpassed $15 in July, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. We checked out Indeed, Glassdoor and chain restaurant websites to find the ones offering the best pay and bonuses. If you’re looking for full- or part-time work, consider these employers first. 7 Restaurants Offering Signing Bonuses or Higher Pay McDonald’s: 65,000 jobs McDonald’s raised hourly wages for all of its existing employees and new hires earlier this year to $11 to $17 for entry-level positions. It can’t mandate the same for franchises, which make up 95 percent of all stores, but it is encouraging them to raise their wages, too. It’s also hoping to entice n

Starting your own small business isn't easy, but you're more likely to turn a profit if you take the necessary steps before going to market. If you're an aspiring entrepreneur who's ready to put your idea into action, you'll need to run down a checklist of necessary to-dos ahead of opening day. Check out our video above on ten steps every future business owner should take, as recommended by the Small Business Association . Email Marketing to Invoices, Find All Kinds of Tools For Your Business Needs Learn More The post [VIDEO] 10 Steps to Create a Small Business appeared first on CentSai . from Earn Money – CentSai https://ift.tt/3kfg2GN

When it comes to premium travel credit cards, the Platinum Card by American Express is one of the most well known and one of the best. But if the idea of a $695 annual fee makes you pause just a little bit, perhaps you are searching for an alternative to the Platinum Card by American Express. Don’t get me wrong – it’s a great card but if you aren’t up for that annual fee, or perhaps you aren’t using all of the benefits and want to know what else is available – I’m here to help. There are plenty of alternatives that provide similar perks for a smaller annual fee. We’re sharing potential alternatives to Amex Platinum, the details on each card and what they might have to offer you, and why you might want to stick with the Platinum card depending on your usage.  Table of Contents American Express Platinum at a Glance Best Alternatives to American Express Platinum 1. Chase Sapphire Reserve 2. Mastercard Black Card 3. Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant American Express Card 4. U.S. Ban

Starting a regular budget is one of the best things that you can do to improve your overall financial health. But one of the most important ways to stay financially disciplined is to STICK to your budget. This is one of the hardest things to do, and anyone that tells you that they never go over their budget is probably lying. If you have ever had an expensive day or weekend where you fell off the budgeting wagon, here are some tips to help get you back on track. Nobody is perfect The first thing to remember is that nobody is perfect. Again, there is likely nobody in the world that sticks to their budget 100% of the time. The thing to remember if you have an expensive weekend is that the worst thing that you can do is take it as an excuse to completely scrap your budget and go back to just winging it. Instead, your best bet is to take a deep breath, acknowledge what happened and start fresh going forward. Depending on how much you went out of your budget, it can make sense to eith

Starting a regular budget is one of the best things that you can do to improve your overall financial health. But one of the most important ways to stay financially disciplined is to STICK to your budget. This is one of the hardest things to do, and anyone that tells you that they never go over their budget is probably lying. If you have ever had an expensive day or weekend where you fell off the budgeting wagon, here are some tips to help get you back on track. Nobody is perfect The first thing to remember is that nobody is perfect. Again, there is likely nobody in the world that sticks to their budget 100% of the time. The thing to remember if you have an expensive weekend is that the worst thing that you can do is take it as an excuse to completely scrap your budget and go back to just winging it. Instead, your best bet is to take a deep breath, acknowledge what happened and start fresh going forward. Depending on how much you went out of your budget, it can make sense to either

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 . You’ve probably heard that investing is one of the best ways to put your money to work. The power of compounding can turn even modest savings into an appreciable nest egg over time. If you saved $100 a month and tucked it away under your mattress, you’d have $36,000 at the end of 30 years. But if you invested that same $100 a month and averaged returns of 8% per year, the $36,000 you’d set aside would have grown to more than $140,000 after 30 years. But if you’ve never put money into the stock market before, the prospect can be overwhelming. What investments should you choose? And what kind of account do you need to get started? Investing for beginners doesn’t have to be complicated. Here’s how to get started. What Should I Invest in? 6 Types of Investments for Beginners 1. Stocks The stock market is