TessMore Finance Blog

Last night, for the third Wednesday in a row, I ventured to the Whiteside Theater in downtown Corvallis to watch an old movie. Two weeks ago, it was National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation . Last week, it was It's a Wonderful Life . And yesterday was Star Wars . The place was packed! So fun to watch a favorite film in an old theater with a couple of hundred other fans. I've also been watching many movies at home lately. I finally have the time. According to Letterboxd , I've seen seventeen films in December. I watched nine in November. I enjoy exploring the nooks and crannies of cinema. (I highly recommend Letterboxd, by the way. I've been using it to log my film watching for two years, and I can no longer imagine not using it.) My days have been busy, too. In the mornings, as always, I walk the dog. Lately, though, we've been taking longer walks: 90 minutes, two hours. Part of this is because I've embarked upon a crazy project to map every Little Free...

I’m a huge fan of Costco and we the vast majority of our shopping there. In fact, I’d argue that close to 50% of our food budget is spent at Costco. Most of what we buy there is fruit, meat, and other produce because the daily prices are simply unbeatable. We have a large family so what may be a bulk purchase for someone else is a daily need for us! The Costco coupon book tends to be on other staples that we need (toilet paper, tissues) or frozen foods we indulge in, like those fantastic dino nuggets our kids seem to devour like actual dinosaurs. Each month, Costco sends out a coupon book for all the member-only savings you can get in the warehouse as well on online at Costco.com. If you’d like to see what in it for January, look below: Table of Contents Costco Coupon Book: Valid December 28th, 2022 – January 22nd, 2023 Helpful Costco Shopping Tips Ask for a Price Adjustment Use the Right Credit Card Costco Offers Sales in Cycles Costco Coupon Book: Valid December 28t...

L ooking for a drive-through gas station near you? Look no further than the list of stores below. But first, let’s talk about starting up one of these stores as your own small business. People don’t want to leave the house. And if they have to leave their house, they certainly don’t want to leave their car. Thus, the drive-through gas station/convenience store. Yes, the drive-through gas station is growing in popularity. Sure, we had a big push for curbside service of all types over the past couple of years. But this trend is continuing, and gas stations are evolving. According to CSP Daily News , 51% of consumers would pick a drive-through as the #1 amenity that would make them choose one convenience store over another. These types of stores have been around a while in various formats. For instance, in the northern states where it’s colder and people don’t want to leave their cars, some convenience stores actually let you drive into the store like a barn. And in the South (wher...

There’s a peculiar growing interest in socialism in the United States, despite the irrefutable fruits of capitalism. The express interest is in the equality inherent in socialism: that everyone, as co-owners of the means of production, shares equally. There is certainly a difference in wealth attainment in capitalism, whereas, historically, socialism provides equal poverty. The Cuban people, for example, are generally quite poor, though their leaders are quite wealthy — the people share the equality of poverty. Capitalism is the greatest wealth creator ever. Capitalism has created more wealth for more people than all other systems combined have — cumulatively. And by a margin. Socialism, on the other hand, tends to devolve into mass poverty. Capitalism has inequality of attainment, while providing higher average attainment; socialism provides equality of misery. Within a capitalist market, we have the opportunity to choose our destiny, to achieve that which we want and are willing to...

Owning a vacation rental can be a profitable way to make money from an investment property or a second home in a popular tourist destination.  Depending on the market, a vacation rental may earn even more than a long-term rental property. You also don’t have to screen tenants or worry about missed rent payments or the possibility of having to force an eviction. Here are several points to consider and the best platforms to buy vacation rentals. Table of Contents What Is a Vacation Rental? How to Buy and Invest in Vacation Rentals Potential Return on Investment Local Vacation Rental Property Laws Is It a Good Location? Property Condition Property Management Business or Leisure Travel? Dual-Use Property Best Way to Buy Vacation Rental Property Arrived Homes Roofstock Yieldstreet Fundrise Vacation Rental Websites Pros and Cons of Buying Vacation Rentals Pros Cons Final Thoughts What Is a Vacation Rental? A vacation or short-term rental property usu...

Looking for rental car insurance and wondering whether USAA offers this service or not? Well, there is no doubt that those who have to rent cars a lot should have insurance. Bad times come unexpectedly, but the damages can be reimbursed if there is rental car insurance. Luckily, USAA does offer rental car insurance. In fact, it is one of the best in the USA as it covers damages (up to your policy limit) and is always quick in response. Furthermore, the company also offers rental car insurance even if you have to travel outside the country. However, there are some problems with USAA Rental car insurance too, which we are discussing in detail here. So, stay till the end. Let’s start. Key Takeaways USAA offers one of the best rental car insurance in all 50 states and also outside the US (in some specific parts only). It covers up to the policy limit in your plan, and the remainder will have to be paid by you. If you pay for the rental using a USAA credit card, then you will also ...

Have you heard of Toyota IncomeDriver Notes ? I was told about these notes by a reader, Rich, and I found that concept fascinating. I just got an email today from Toyota offering “Income Driver Notes”. 3.25% variable rate investment with as low as $500 deposit. With the rising interest rate environment, even places like Toyota financing are getting in on the gig. Maybe this is a topic for a new newsletter? Want me to forward the note to you? You know how when you buy a car, the dealership tries to get you to use their financing? The rates are not going to be better than your local credit union or even a commercial bank. But they push it because the commissions are higher. Do you know where the financing arm of the manufacturer gets the money? A variety of places but one of the sources is investors – folks like you and me. Table of Contents What are IncomeDriver Notes? What Are You Investing In? What Other Auto Financing Companies Offer This? Are IncomeDriver Notes...

C hecking should be free. Don’t you agree? I say don’t pay a monthly fee for a checking account unless you absolutely have to. After all, you’re loaning them your money. All they’re giving you is a debit card, some checks, and a few monthly transactions with a teller. If you want free checking – even free business checking – with no strings attached, you should begin by looking at the best online business checking accounts. You might find free checking at major brick-and-mortar banks as well. However, you’ll typically have to meet certain requirements related to things like account balance, debit card activity, or direct deposits. Important notes about this page: All of these banks are FDIC-insured and all work with U.S. based businesses. Where possible, we’ve tried these business checking accounts for our own businesses. For instance, I’ve been a NorthOne user for several months. We review a variety of inputs (fees, features, history, intergrations, minimums, to name a few) ...