I woke up on New Year's Day knowing I wanted to take steps to save more money and save better in 2021. But how to do it? I decided to break down my plan into four basic steps. Identify New Risks And Save Accordingly I have a savings plan that includes an emergency fund, savings for travel and “pay yourself first” purchases, and retirement. That’s an over-simplified version but those are my three major areas. In my emergency fund, I’ve tried … [Read more...]
Motley Fool Premium: Is The Investment Advice Worth It?
I’ve been posting my experiences using the Motley Fool Fool Premium service. We’ve covered account setup and recommendations, but one area we haven’t covered here yet is the quality of advice you get from Fool Premium recommendations. And I’m NOT talking about specific stock recommendations, but rather the operating philosophy itself. If Motley Fool services are meant to help an investor--especially a NEW investor--make smart choices about … [Read more...]
How Does Bank of America’s ‘Keep the Change Program Work?
How does the Bank Of America Keep The Change program work? This is a type of rewards program that rounds up the amounts of your purchases on qualifying debit cards and transfers the amount rounded up to a Bank of America savings count of your choice. Bank of America describes this as a way to use “everyday purchases as part of your savings plan”. This program, aimed at consumers and not businesses, offers a fun, low-key way to save extra … [Read more...]
Credit Resources You Should Know About
If you are considering applying for a major line of credit, one thing you should be doing in the weeks and months leading up to that application is using credit resources to improve your credit and keep track of it. I’ve found that it does NOT pay to be in the dark about your credit scores or the contents of your credit report. Why? Because you want to see what your loan officer will see BEFORE she does. You need to think like a lender to make … [Read more...]
Using The Motley Fool Stock Advisor
I’ve been chronicling my experiences using premium services offered by The Motley Fool, and approaching these services through the lens of someone who isn’t experienced with investing provides some valuable insight into what you need to know to get started. In my first post about this, I advised newcomers to set up their Motley Fool account and find an online trading platform or online trading simulator to begin. Once you have set those up and … [Read more...]