Money Tips Network

The following is a sponsored post from EquityMultiple.

Maybe you’ve heard of “real estate crowdfunding” and associate the term with Kickstarter and GoFundMe (and investments that don’t inspire much confidence). Perhaps you’re unclear on how the concept differs from REITs. Or, perhaps, you haven’t heard of real estate crowdfunding at all.

Real estate crowdfunding - an evolving set of online platforms for direct, private real estate investment - has emerged as a new alternative asset class, and viable means for individual investors to access private real estate on a level that was unavailable even 5 years ago.

Let’s take a step back and review why real estate is an appealing asset class, and worth taking a look at for all individual investors already exposed to the stock market and bonds:

When Sarah and I first started our financial turnaround, our long-term goals were clear.

First, we wanted to buy a decent house to raise our family in and do the best job we could raising our children with the values and skills needed to be independent.

After that, we wanted to achieve our own financial independence as a couple as rapidly as possible.

Over the last 12 years or so, since we reached that financial turnaround point, we’ve felt ourselves move through what I would describe as a series of “stages,” where our financial freedom and opportunity has notably expanded. While the line between each stage wasn’t incredibly stark and clear, there were times when it was clear to us that things were significantly different and significantly better than they were beforehand.

In late 2018, American Express released a refreshed version of the . While the card issuer bumped the annual fee up to $250 for this new offering, they introduced an intriguing combination of perks and earning categories that could be ideal for consumers who love dining out and eating fancy foods.

For example, this newer version of the card lets you earn 4x points at U.S. restaurants and on your first $25,000 spent at U.S. supermarkets each year, then 1X. You can also receive up to $120 in dining credits at participating partners each year along with other food-related perks.

Without a big welcome bonus, however, the American Express® Gold Card could be a hard sell. In this review, we’ll share how we rate this card, its bonus structure, and why the annual fee could be well worth it.

A few readers pointed me to a Bloomberg article entitled How Much Money Do You Need to Be Wealthy in America? and wanted to know my thoughts.

Before I dig in, I want to point out that the author of this article, Suzanne Woolley, did a good job of reporting on the results of the survey in question. My issue is with the results of the survey, not the survey itself or how Woolley summarized it.

Let’s back up for just a second. This Bloomberg article provides a summary of the 2018 Modern Wealth Index, a study done by Charles Schwab in which the company surveyed a thousand Americans on their financial state and financial goals.

Schwab’s summary of the survey results is pretty on par with what I’d expect:

If there are two truths about credit scoring, it’s that paying your bills on time is a must, and there’s no shortage of complicated industry jargon.

You probably already understand the former, which is the importance of keeping your credit reports free and clear of late payments. The latter may be another story.

One such industry term is payment status, which is one of many ways companies that report your information to the credit bureaus can choose to share negative information, when warranted, about your accounts. The most common of all of the payment status options is the “late” payment, which itself is a bit complicated.

Join our Tweetchat this Thursday at 12:00 p.m. Pacific/ 3p.m. Eastern for lively conversation and a chance to win a $100 Amazon gift card or one of two $50 Amazon gift cards! Use #WBChat and #SaverLife to participate.

This week's topic: Prioritizing Saving During the Holidays!

Everybody’s financial situation — age, income, saving rate — is different.

But every retiree, early or late, aspiring or actual, has the same, simple investing imperative: We must preserve and grow our purchasing power in real terms in order to finance decades of future consumption.

This sounds simple (which it is) and obvious (which it isn’t).

The Declining Value of Your Dollars

Let's assume you're forty years old. Every week, you buy a six-pack of your favorite microbrew for $10. You have $520 in savings that will buy you your weekly six-pack for all of 2019. Life is good.

Here, for instance, is GRS founder J.D. Roth with a $10.19 six-pack of his favorite beer, which he's drinking while he edits this article:

Some people are natural entertainers. They can throw the perfect party together seamlessly and effortlessly.

I don’t like to throw away an old computer unless it truly no longer works. A computer might not work any more for a specific purpose, but as long as it can still do something, I try to find a use for it. In fact, if I have a good idea floating around in my head, I’ll even look out for inexpensive older desktop computers and laptops on places like Craigslist, take them home, reformat them, and put them to some specific use. Back in the day, I also used to go to public sales at the local university where they sold outdated computers, buying them for these kinds of specific purposes.

This is a great way to take something out of your closet that’s just gathering dust and is probably on its way to the landfill and turn it into something useful again. There are many, many uses for old PC hardware that go beyond writing an email or checking a website.

Here are 10 great uses for old computers, laptops, and tablets.