Author: Ashley Donohoe

When people think of investing, trading stocks online or having money regularly transferred to a 401(k) often comes to mind. However, hobby asset investing is becoming more popular as a more interesting way to grow your money. Rather than having your investments in an account unseen somewhere, you can invest in physical items associated with hobbies you enjoy. This alternative can be a nice supplement to traditional investments. And for some, it can even offer impressive returns. But before you jump into investing in hobby assets, I recommend understanding how it’s different from trading stocks. Let’s walk through the basics…

While going to college used to be the go-to plan, many people are now interested in skipping piles of student loan debt and becoming an electrician, welder, plumber, or other type of trade worker. Blue-collar workers have a unique situation where they can often make very high salaries with paid training. Many also avoid the AI scares that office workers are dealing with. But building blue-collar wealth requires a unique approach. First, you have the physical aspects of the job that can shorten your career. Then, you have to understand unions, retirement planning, and affording things you might need. For…

Being an entrepreneur as a single parent has its advantages over being a traditional employee. Schedule flexibility is a major one that might let you spend more time with your kids, work when they’re at school or asleep, and attend their activities without asking your boss for time off. However, it often makes your finances more challenging. You and your children rely on your fluctuating income, and any financial setbacks are on you to fix. Then, you’ve got to figure out childcare, which anybody can find unaffordable. In the end, planning and protecting yourself financially is even more important than…

If you’ve ever made a financial mistake, congrats, you’re human like the rest of us. That said, you probably know how hard it can be to recover. Even running up a credit card, like I did in my 20s, can be a pain to fix. But I’ve also realized that recognizing why certain money moves are bad helps minimize some regrets. Over the years, I’ve seen people make these biggest financial mistakes. Also, get my advice on how to handle each one. Zero Emergency Savings I know that saving can be low on your to-do list when you’re juggling bills.…

With inflation going up and companies cutting workers, having a single source of income isn’t comfortable. Over the years, I’ve learned that it’s often not good to put all my eggs in one basket. Even if your income is stable, it doesn’t always cover all your expenses. Micro-income streams that pay small amounts are a good option to look into. You can easily supplement your main income. And over time, you might combine several sources for something more serious. Many micro-income sources are also low effort. Here are nine micro-income streams that I find worth considering. They can actually add…

High prices or complicated finances might have you worrying about your retirement savings running out. A lot of the advice you’ll hear is about living frugally in your golden years. But after working for decades, you might not want to give up the lifestyle you’ve worked and saved hard for. In my experience, you don’t have to give up the enjoyable things if you get creative. While I always recommend getting a financial advisor’s input, here are 10 good ways that you can stretch your savings. Time Social Security Carefully Many people are ready to apply for Social Security at…

Falling mortgage rates might have you thinking of trading in paying the landlord every month for putting your money toward a place that’s completely yours. If you’re like most people, that means you’ll need to borrow money to make this happen. That means taking on a large responsibility for up to a few decades, so it’s not something to go into unprepared. From helping friends through the process, I know it can seem confusing when you’re trying to figure out how a mortgage works, what these different programs offer, and just how much money you need to have to get…

I remember first googling investing in my 20s and feeling overwhelmed. Sure, I was excited about finally making enough income to get started. But I felt clueless about what to invest in, what account I needed, or whether I was risking too much money. Once I gained some experience with an IRA, though, I realized investing doesn’t require knowing everything right now. Here’s a beginner’s guide to investing that I wish I had back in the day. What Is Investing? Investing involves putting money into assets that you expect to either grow in value over time or provide you with…

Trying something new without paying a dime. It sounds like a great way to see if you like a new streaming site, grocery delivery service, or even physical things like magazines and makeup. But like many things, “free” isn’t always exactly that. Unfortunately, you have to sort through potential catches before you hit the “sign up” button and potentially put your money at risk. Companies may use questionable tactics or count on you forgetting to cancel that trial. They still need to make profits somehow. So, you should understand the common free trial traps and how you can avoid them.…

Like me, you’ve probably paid for something that you later regretted or figured out later on that you could have gotten an item cheaper elsewhere. While it used to be harder to pull off, at least in a convenient way, our “refund economy” now makes it much less painful to get your money back. Sometimes, you don’t even have to give up the purchase for at least a partial refund. To get your money back on just about everything, you’ve just got to know your options and follow the rules. Let’s look at how this all works and how businesses…