There’s no question that the recent market volatility, including the trillions lost in the stock market recently on the release of President Trump’s retaliatory tariffs, is difficult to stomach. The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell almost 4%, the NASDAQ shed nearly 6%, and the S&P 500 index fell almost 5%. In a sea of red, … Read more
Tax preparation is one of those services where prices can vary a lot. As a general rule, the more you do, the less it will cost. The more an accountant does, the more it will cost. It’s not unreasonable for a professionally prepared tax return to cost several hundred dollars or more. How much this … Read more
This isn’t a list of any old brokerages, we looked at brokerages that are true alternatives to Robinhood: They must offer free trades No account maintenance fees Preferably a nice little sign-on bonus Did not restrict the trading of any stocks (before being required to by their clearinghouse) Here are the best Robinhood alternatives: Webull … Read more
I’ve been a huge fan of Southwest Airlines for decades. I live near BWI Airport and fly Southwest for almost all my flights. In the last ten years, I’ve probably flown on another airline fewer than once a year. Their recent business decisions, mostly pushed by the hands of Elliott Investment Management, have made me … Read more
When each of our kids were born, we started a 529 plan for them. And while our kids are brilliant and beautiful, you never know if they’ll all go to college. And it’s a lot of money to have invested in an educational account if your kids won’t be using it. Now, given that we … Read more
Albert Product Name: Albert Product Description: Albert is an all in one financial app that offers a checking account, savings account, budgeting, investing, and financial advice. Summary Albert is an all-in-one financial platform that offers a checking account, high-yield savings, a budget, an investing account, and personalized financial advice from human financial advisors. There is … Read more
At any moment in time, there will be an expert predicting a recession. (the CNBC Fed Survey puts the probability of a recession at 36%) So don’t let the predicts spook you. The sky is falling for someone somewhere! But if you are personally worried about a recession, there are things you can do to … Read more
Varo Product Name: Varo Product Description: Varo has a checking and savings account that can be accessed via their app. They charge very few fees and offer credit-building features. Summary Varo Money offers a no fee checking and a high interest savings account via a mobile app. They also offer short-term loans, personal loans, and … Read more
NerdWallet Budgeting App Product Name: NerdWallet Budgeting App Product Description: NerdWallet offers a free budgeting app that is available to anyone who registers for an account. It has all the basic features of a budgeting app but lacks a few niceties, like splitting transactions and notifications. Summary NerdWallet’s budgeting features help you track your spending, … Read more
The first few years I filed my taxes, I used Intuit’s TurboTax. Back in the early 2000s, there weren’t too many options. There were almost no free options. TurboTax walked me through all the questions, imported my payroll data, and checked my federal tax return for common mistakes and errors — all for free. I … Read more