Knowing where your money’s at is the first step in financial planning. Before you can set goals, panic about having no money, or compliment yourself on your ability to buy a new back scratcher, you’ve got to know: What you earn What you spend Your debts Your assets In other words, your overall net worth! Lucky for us, there’s a FREE service that’ll do all of this for us. It’s called Personal Capital. I talk...
I wrote a book! In keeping with my theme lately of not burying the lead, I figured I’d just go ahead and get it out there. I’m thrilled to finally share this news because my book has been a long time coming. I started this journey when I was pregnant with Babywoods 1 and the book will publish after Babywoods 2 is born! And what a wonderful journey it has been. Writing is my passion, it’s one of the things...
When I graduated from college, I had only a vague notion of how to manage money (and, actually, vague is probably overstating the situation… ). I understood that debt was bad and saving was good, but beyond that, I was clueless. The result? I was terrified to spend money. I could not drop a dime without experiencing sweaty armpits. To be honest, I’m glad I didn’t swing in the opposite, profligate direction, but no one should...
You’ll be shocked to hear this, but before I read JL Collins’ book “The Simple Path to Wealth: Your Road Map to Financial Independence And a Rich, Free Life,” I did not 100% understand the rationale behind my own stock market investments. If you tried to click away from this article after reading “stock market investments,” then this post–and this book–are for you. I too used to zone out anytime someone so much as said the word...
Want to guess how much time Mr. Frugalwoods and I spend “managing our money” every month? A whopping 30 minutes. Yes, we are quintessential frugal weirdos and yes, we save over 70% of our income, and yes, we plan to quit our jobs at 33, and yes, we write this “personal finance” blog. But no, we don’t obsess over our finances. Why? There’s nothing to gain by micromanaging our money. Money is happiest as a loner....
It’s not every day you read a personal finance book that’s approachable, friendly, filled with great advice, and doesn’t make you feel guilty about prior financial missteps. Shannon McLay’s “Train Your Way to Financial Fitness” (affiliate link) accomplishes just this feat. I had the pleasure of interviewing Shannon about her recently published book, which helps readers identify where they are on their financial journey. Strategies for concrete improvement plans for each level of financial fitness (skinny, fat, and fit) are outlined...
