Temu is an online shopping marketplace offering deep discounts on products manufactured in China and shipped directly to the consumer. First launching in the U.S. market in September 2022, Temu exploded in popularity after running several ads during the 2023 Super Bowl. However, concern about Chinese-owned Temu has grown on several fronts, with complaints about … Read more

If you pay rent, you need to know about Bilt. The Bilt Mastercard is a no annual fee credit card that lets you earn rewards (up to 100,000 points a year!) when you pay your rent by credit card. In addition to earning rewards for paying rent, they offer plenty of other nice features and promotions. One … Read more

Verizon Wireless is the most reliable cell phone carrier in most neighborhoods, but it’s also one of the most expensive. Thankfully, there are ways to lower your Verizon bill while enjoying quality coverage and plan features many other cell phone providers don’t offer. The following strategies can help you save instantly or when it’s time … Read more

When Mint shut down in 2024, Intuit took away one of the best free budgeting apps available. People had complaints about Mint, there were certain things that weren’t perfect and you had to deal with a lot of ads and product pitches, but the core features worked quite well. And it was free. Intuit urged … Read more

Freelancing provides plenty of flexibility for making money since you are not necessarily bound to a particular employer or work schedule.  But speaking from personal experience, there is a learning curve to overcome when adjusting to a freelance lifestyle from a traditional career path. The journey is different for each person, as the process depends … Read more

Recent Federal Trade Commission data shows consumers reported losing nearly $9 billion to identity fraud in 2022. This is an increase of over 30% from 2021.  While the sharp increase in financial fraud can be alarming, there are steps that you can take to minimize your risk of becoming a victim. This includes knowing how … Read more

Flagstar Bank is a regional bank that has 420 branch locations located in the Northeast and Southwest United States. They’ve been FDIC insured since 1987 (FDIC Cert #32541) and you may have heard of their parent company, New York Community Bancorp. NYCB acquired Flagstar Bank in 2022 but after the acquisition of Signature Bridge Bank … Read more

Psychology was one of my favorite subjects in school. It was like getting an instruction manual for how people worked. A cheat sheet. One of my favorite “theories” in psychology is Abraham Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs. Here it is: It’s a theory of human motivation. We aim to satisfy the needs at the bottom before … Read more

A week ago, I received a letter from AcreTrader about one of the farms we invested in. (it’s the Middle River Almond Ranch in San Joaquin County, CA) Costs were going up, revenues were down, and they were going to run out of money. Cost Inflation: Farm input costs (fertilizers, fuel, labor) have skyrocketed, exceeding initial … Read more

We too often tend to only provide feedback when it’s negative. But great customer service deserves a shoutout and you never know how your review could help someone. Customer reviews from surveys can impact people’s ability to get a raise or a bonus at their job. Taking a couple minutes out of your day to … Read more