Money Tips Network

How quickly things change.

Last week, the coronavirus (or Covid-19, if you prefer) was a distant problem. It was something other people in other places had to wrestle with. Sure, there was a looming sense that maybe this runaway train was steaming our way, but it still seemed distant enough that maybe it'd stop before it reached us.

Not anymore. Now it's clear that the coronavirus isn't just headed to the U.S., it's already here in our communities.

I'm fascinated by the financial implications of the coronavirus. They're going to be huge — they're already huge — but I don't know who is going to bear the burden or how we, as a society, are going to make sense of this in the long run.

The stock market is tanking, obviously, and will likely continue to tank for some time. But I expect (hope?) that when the dust has settled, things there will largely return to normal.

Join our Tweetchat this Thursday at 12:00 pm Pacific for lively conversation and a chance to win one of two $10 Amazon GCs! Use #WBChat to participate.

This week's topic: Saving on Pets! Join us as we discuss staying saving on pet food, veterinary expenses, toys, and more.

Nearly 750,000 cars were stolen in the United States in 2018. This might sound like an extremely high number, but your chance of having a car stolen is still just 0.23%. Regardless, getting a theft insurance plan for your car is a necessity if you plan to drive in the U.S.

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Once every few days, I open up a spreadsheet on my computer that I’ve been using for many years. Into that spreadsheet, I type in several lines of information — places where I’ve spent money, how much I spent there, the date I spent that money and what type of expense that was. Once I type those things in, a few automatic calculations occur and I have a nice view of my expenses over the last 30 days, the last year and since I started tracking such information.

It’s a nice little system, one that I’ve customized for my own needs over the years (I was a software developer in a previous stage of my life, so doing this kind of thing is kind of second nature for me), but many of the ideas are borrowed from some commercial software packages.

I consider it one of the most powerful things I do in terms of keeping my spending in check. Why is that the case, though? And how exactly do I do it?

Most Americans know that it's important to build credit but many don't know how. If you're one of those confused about how to build credit, you're not alone.

In 2019, CNBC reported that around 40% of Americans don’t know how credit scores work. This is a disappointing but not altogether surprising statistic since credit-building is still absent from curriculum at most schools. Good for you for seeking out this valuable information!

Today, let's cover some credit-building basics. In this article, I'll share some tips on how to build credit quickly and easily.

What is Credit?

Credit is simply the ability to use borrowed money.

Did you know that there are 69 million vehicle breakdowns in the U.S. every year?

That comes out to one in three drivers, so it’s not a surprise if you’ve found yourself dealing with a car breakdown. Or that you’ve seen a car broken down on the side of the road. What would you do in either situation?

That’s what we wanted to find out. We took a unique approach by surveying Americans on what they would do in the case of a car breakdown as a bystander or the driver. Needless to say, the results were unexpected.

Once a month (or so), I share a dozen things that have inspired me to greater personal, professional and financial success in my life. I hope they bring similar success to your life. Please enjoy the archives of earlier collections of inspirational things.

1. Seneca on pleasure and punishment

“So called pleasures, when they go beyond a certain limit, are but punishments.” — Seneca

This has really been my quote of the month for the last month or so. It’s popped up in two or three things I’ve read and I actually wrote it down by hand and stuck it on the monitor of the computer I work at most days — which is a computer workstation on a standing desk in our basement.

The provides business owners with a simple, straightforward way to earn cash back on business purchases. You can earn 2% cash back on all eligible purchases on up to $50,000 per calendar year, then 1%. If you prefer to have no annual fee with your business card and want to earn cash back with an easy rewards structure, the American Express® Blue Business Cash Card may be the card for you.

If you’re a renter in Illinois, you’ll find renters insurance to be affordable with the average policy costing you $187 annually. With this in mind, here are a few things you want to consider before buying a policy.

The first is how much financial coverage you want for your items. It helps to ballpark the value of your stuff so you know how much protection you need.

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