TessMore Finance Blog

The market for American tutors teaching English online to Chinese children has disappeared, bringing an end to a lucrative side gig for thousands. The Chinese government announced in August a prohibition for foreign tutors to teach their children online and limited the hours students could take additional classes beyond their normal school hours. The new regulation also declared that all tutoring companies working with Chinese students had to be not-for-profit. CNBC estimates that the top seven tutoring services hiring American tutors for work with Chinese students had more than 250,000 tutors under contract at the time of the Chinese announcement. American tutors have been making from $14 to $25 an hour through these services. That is the going rate for most agencies, many of which are still hiring tutors for online jobs in the U.S. and to teach English for students in other countries. VIPKid , one of the primary companies supplying tutors to the Chinese market, had nearly 100,00...

If you want to save on your flight for the holidays, start planning … now. CheapAir.com analyzed 917 million airfares for its annual airfare study and found that the sweet spot for travelers to snag the best deals on domestic flights is between 21 and 95 days — that’s three weeks to three months — before their departure date. It turns out that this year has been a bit of a leveling field for airline ticket prices — only about $100 separates the priciest month (that was March — likely due to a post-pandemic surge in spring break travel) from the cheapest one (September). And sure, you could test your luck at finding a last-minute low fare. But CheapAir found travelers who book eight to 13 days before a trip pay an average of $74 more than those who book within the prime booking window. Get your ticket less than a week out and you risk paying an average of $160 more than travelers who booked three weeks to four months ahead of time. Buying a plane ticket too far in advance can also ...

After mass layoffs and millions of resignations, workers across the nation are hunting for jobs, accepting new offers and adjusting to new roles. That adjustment period should include more than just getting to know your coworkers and getting used to your new responsibilities. A career shift often has an impact on your financial life, and there are several things every new employee should do to ensure that impact is a positive one. If you’ve recently started — or are about to start — a new job, here are some smart money moves to make. 5 Money Moves When Starting a New Job 1. Roll Over Your Old 401(k) If your new employer offers a 401(k) plan with a company match, you should definitely be taking advantage of that free money. While you’re enrolling in your new 401(k) plan, however, don’t forget to roll over funds from your previous employer. With your retirement funds pooled, you won’t have to worry about managing separate retirement accounts or losing track of the money in the olde...

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 . Who doesn’t look forward to a day of spa treatments? The massage, the facial, the steam bath. Every moment is so luxurious, except the moment you get the bill. And sometimes that’s preceded by pressure to buy products with big markups. Spas and all the services they offer are expensive indulgences. But you can create that pampered feeling yourself for a whole lot less money. After all,  the seclusion of a bathroom with running hot water is a good start for your DIY home spa. With just a few affordable ingredients — many you likely already have in your pantry — you can easily recreate a memorable spa day at home. And a few small purchases can turn your run-of-the-mill bathroom into the perfect location for a luxurious at-home spa experience. 14 Ways to Create Spa Treatments at Home Here are some of ou...

To celebrate and recognize how our Minters are achieving their financial milestones, we reached out to everyday Mint users like you, to share their stories. Whether it’s acing your savings goals, or paying off your credit card debt, every win counts!  We connected with Zaiba, a financial analyst from Canada to learn about her experience using Mint, and how it helped her and her husband achieve their financial goals. Read on to learn about her #Empowermint story.  I’ve always been extremely involved with my finances and budgeting, and majored in banking and finance at school. Budgeting is extremely important to me as it helps me make wiser financial decisions as well as helps me understand where I can cut off my spending and at the same time, how I should make the most of my savings.  I’d been searching for a good budgeting app for a while when I came across Mint in an article. I first began using Mint six months ago (I wish I’d found it earlier!) to track my finances...

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 love your friends and are so happy they’ve found The One. But there’s no shame in feeling a little relieved they all postponed their 2020 nuptials — it meant you weren’t shelling out hundreds or even thousands of dollars on flights, hotels, fancy dresses, tux rentals and gifts. More time for you to save and focus on your own debts! But now that the vaccine rollout is underway and cases are down in many parts of the country, more Save the New Date cards are showing up on your refrigerator door. And while many of us are chomping at the bit to go celebrate with friends and family, there’s still the same issue there was before Covid showed up: Going to weddings is expensive. So how do we manage to party after the crazy financial year we just had? Here’s how to save on registry gifts and earn extra money...

To celebrate and recognize how our Minters are achieving their financial milestones, we reached out to everyday Mint users like you, to share their stories. Whether it’s acing your savings goals, or paying off your credit card debt, every win counts!  We connected with Zaiba, a financial analyst from Canada to learn about her experience using Mint, and how it helped her and her husband achieve their financial goals. Read on to learn about her #Empowermint story.  I’ve always been extremely involved with my finances and budgeting, and majored in banking and finance at school. Budgeting is extremely important to me as it helps me make wiser financial decisions as well as helps me understand where I can cut off my spending and at the same time, how I should make the most of my savings.  I’d been searching for a good budgeting app for a while when I came across Mint in an article. I first began using Mint six months ago (I wish I’d found it earlier!) to track my finances a...

Is there anything more appealing than making a quick buck through a smart stock pick? If you’ve had several great trades you might be thinking about quitting your job to become an independent day trader — maybe even working part-time from home in shorts and T-shirt. Day trading is exciting, and the rewards can appear tempting. But when you day trade, you’re turning established wealth-building principles upside down. There are reasons why few day traders — independent or otherwise — do well enough to retire on their trading profits. Let’s look at the realities of day trading. Daily Stock Returns Are Hard to Predict Long-term investors do well because decades of market history will show that markets are predictable. If you follow certain rules, such as being well diversified, keeping costs low and staying fully invested in the stock market long enough, you are likely (but not guaranteed) to make money. The longer you allow the stock market to do its “magic,” the better your odds be...

To build credit, you have to get approved for credit. But often, you’ll get rejected if you don’t have a solid credit history — which is incredibly frustrating if you’ve never had credit or you’re recovering from past mistakes. If you’ve been denied for credit too many times to count, you’ve come to the right place. Keep reading to learn how to build credit when you keep getting rejected. 5 Ways to Build Good Credit When You’ve Been Denied for Everything Before you apply for credit again, get a copy of your free credit reports from each of the three bureaus at AnnualCreditReport.com. As many as 1 in 5 reports contain errors, so you need to make sure you’re not being rejected due to faulty information. If you spot mistakes, like an account you don’t recognize or an incorrect balance, dispute the information directly with the credit bureau. Once you’ve confirmed that your credit report is accurate, you’ll need to start building credit. The only way you’ll do so is if you have an acc...

I know, I know. You’ve been told you’re “throwing money away on rent.” Someone in your life made you feel guilty for not buying a house and building equity. And let me guess: They said something like, “Ugh, I just hated paying someone else’s rent!” Right? There’s just one problem: It’s not true. First, let me ask you a simple question: Do you “throw money away” when you eat out at a restaurant? Of course not. You’re paying for value. Yet somehow this logic totally falls apart when you apply it to real estate. I decided to run a poll on Twitter to ask what people thought. Not surprisingly, 95% of people said, “No, you didn’t ‘throw money away’ on a nice meal.” Then I asked the same question — but for rent. LOL! Notice the drop from 95% to 81% when I asked if I was ‘throwing money away renting.’” In other words, many more people believe that renting is throwing money away. You and I know that if we spend $20 eating out, we were happy to spend it to get good food, table...

Deciding what career to pursue can be difficult when you don’t know where to start or don’t have a passion for a particular field yet. However, planning early on and researching things such as potential salary can help you feel eager to get your future started. Choosing to follow a career field that pays a lot can be a difficult but rewarding process. Whether you’re a recent grad or changing careers, learning more about jobs that can help you live a comfortable life is the first step. In this guide, you’ll find out what careers make the most money and what you need to get started. The Benefits of a High-Paying Job Choosing a career that pays well can be very beneficial for your future. If you are looking to start a family, build retirement savings, or travel around the world, finding a high-paying career can get you a step closer to your goals. Although some people may say that money doesn’t bring you happiness, knowing that you have enough money for all your necessities , such...