Money Management Tips Archives

Category: Money Management Tips

Spotify Car Thing

The Spotify Car Thing and Super Planned Obsolescence

Have you noticed that the nature of consumption has been shifting? These days, questions such as "What is a product?" and "What does it mean to own something?" need to be asked as the answers are evolving. In the case of the first question, recent standalone AI offerings have revealed a growing trend of businesses basically treating paid customers like beta testers. Meanwhile, as far as the ownership question goes,...
FinTech

FinTech Fallout: Lessons From the Synapse/Evolve Bank Dispute

Over the past several years that I've been covering FinTech, I've seen my fair share of apps shut down. Yet, I've never seen anything quite like the situation that's playing out right now. As of this writing, several neobanking customers are unable to access their funds due to a dispute between Synapse and Evolve Bank. So, what is going on between these two and how does it impact some FinTech...
holding a jar with a taxes label filled with money

How I Found My Tax "Sweet Spot" This Year

Well, I waited until the last minute, but I got my taxes done and paid before the deadline. At this point, while I wouldn't say I'm good at preparing my returns, I do at least have enough experience to troubleshoot mistakes. On top of that, I also have a decent idea of how the various factors of my somewhat complicated tax situation come together and affect my total bill. Despite...
Apple Cash app

How to Activate a Virtual Card Number on Apple Cash

In 2017, Apple expanded its FinTech aspirations by introducing a peer-to-peer payment account called Apple Cash. With this account, users could easily send and receive payments via iMessage. What's more, while customers could elect to transfer received funds to a linked bank account, they could also be spent directly using Apple Pay. The only problem was that, for merchants that didn't accept Apple Pay, there wasn't a way to use...
38

Money at 38: The Major Ways My Finances Have Changed

In 2016, I wrote a guest post for what was then called Dyer News (now Fioney) about my "financial awakening." What inspired that article was the fact I'd just checked my credit for the first time, leading me to take a greater interest not only in my money but in the topic of personal finance in general. Needing a title, I settled on calling it "Money at 30" — which was...
My Top Money Tools for 2024

The Top 5 Money Tools I'm Using Most in 2024

Over the past several years, I've reviewed countless apps, platforms, and other tools related to personal finance. Often, I've also taken to naming some of my top picks for each year. Originally, this list featured apps that I was bullish on before transitioning to a collection of what I thought were the "most fascinating" startups. Well, unfortunately, the FinTech market has seen several casualties along the way, wiping out some...
2024

5 Ways My 2024 Finances Will Look a Lot Different From 2023

With Christmas 2023 now in the rearview, it's basically 2024 already. In turn, as one does, I've been thinking a lot about the new year and what changes I can expect. So, rather than discussing my money goals for the new year, I simply wanted to share some ways our finances will differ in 2024. My 2024 Financial Changes Mortgage instead of rent By far the biggest life change my...
shopping online

Comparing Cashback Portals: What's the Best Tool for Holiday Shopping?

If you're buying anything online, the biggest tip I have is always the same: try a cashback portal. Of course, with the number of these platforms growing, the question becomes, "Which one is the best?" Unfortunately answering that isn't so easy. Luckily, I had an idea: compare some popular cashback tools using a set of real-world parameters. In other words, what types of cashback rates can you get on select...
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Travelers with two Best Western Credit Cards

Best Western Debuts Two New Rewards Credit Cards

After pausing applications for their previous rewards card, the hotel chain Best Western has unveiled a new pair of rewards credit cards with a new issuer. About the Best Western cards: Best Western is partnering with First Bank & Trust and Mercury Financial to introduce two new co-branded credit cards. First up is the no-annual-fee Best Western Rewards Visa Signature Card. With this card, customers can 4x points on Best...
Marriott Bonvoy card and a woman on vacation

Marriott Bonvoy Bold Card Launches Travel Contest

Chase and Marriott Bonoy have unveiled a special contest while continuing to offer its best-ever welcome bonus. About the welcome bonus and Bold Chat Court Contest: Marriott Bonvoy and Chase have launched a special opportunity called the Bold Chat Court contest. As part of this contest, 10 lucky travelers will be awarded 500,000 Marriott Bonvoy points (for a total of 5 million) as well as $5,000. For this contest, the...

2024 SoFi Checking and Savings Review

Ever since I started taking an interest in the FinTech sector, one company whose name I’ve seen pop up over and over again is SoFi. Lately it seems as though that theme has been sent into overdrive as the company has not only become a household name thanks to its stadium naming rights deal but also because of the company’s continued product expansions. The most interesting development in my mind...
Amazon and Target logos

Discover Reveals 5% Bonus Categories for Final Quarter of 2024

As we head into the holiday season, Discover has unveiled its fourth-quarter bonus category picks. About the Q4 2024 Discover It 5% categories: Starting on October 1st, Discover It customers will be able to earn up to 5% back on purchases from two major retailers. First up is Amazon — which has been a fixture of Discover's fourth-quarter bonus categories since at least 2015. While this category will of course cover...

A Guide to Building Credit and Increasing Your Credit Scores

When it comes to credit, there’s some good news. The average credit score in the United States has been steadily rising in recent years, coming in at 715 in 2023. That may be because, today, consumers not only have more ways to access their credit reports and scores than ever before but also because there are an increasing number of options that Americans have for building credit in the first...