Blog - Women’s Money

26Sep 2021 by Samantha S No Comments

Best Unique Travel Resources for Planning a Trip

I remember a trip to Ireland about 15 years ago. We drove across the entire country. How did we know where to go? We purchased an Irish road atlas from a travel store. I also used Mapquest (yes, remember Mapquest?!) to pull up the step-by-step directions on my home computer, then I printed them out and brought the printed directions on our trip. Now, I often travel to cities and don’t even do restaurant research ahead of time. I just use my Google Map to find-top rated restaurants “near me.” As we plan our extended trip for my sabbatical, here are the top unique travel resources I’m relying on to plan our search. Top Travel Resources for Planning a Trip We have become so incredibly dependent on the internet, but…

22Sep 2021 by Elizabeth No Comments

What Every Woman Needs to Know About Relationships and Money

Miscellaneous

Relationships of all kinds are complicated. Whether it’s your relationship with your spouse, boyfriend or girlfriend, kids, parents, boss, colleagues, or friends, relationships are even more complex when it comes to money. These ten things are what every woman needs to know about relationships and money. Things to Know About Relationships and Money Make sure you aren’t caught off-guard when it comes to money and relationships. Here are some things you need to know to maintain your own financial wellness while safeguarding your relationships. 1. Don’t Rely on Your Spouse I hope that you can count on your spouse to support you in sickness and health for your entire life. For many people, even with divorce rates at historic highs, there is still a good chance you can count on…

19Sep 2021 by Samantha S No Comments

How to Set Up Price Alerts to Find Cheap Plane Tickets: 7 Tips and Tricks

Travel

Given that my passions include travel and personal finance, it should be no surprise that I love searching for cheap plane tickets. A key to finding cheaper plane tickets for an international trip is to start your search early and set up a price alert. This gives you a baseline price and then allows you to strike and make a purchase when you see a good deal. Setting Up Price Alerts for Plane Tickets Here are my seven best tips for setting up a price alert and finding cheap plane tickets. 1. Get a Baseline Price Today The first step to finding a cheap plane ticket and setting up a price alert is to know the baseline price for the itinerary you are traveling. What tool you use doesn’t matter, but…

15Sep 2021 by Elizabeth No Comments

What Every Woman Needs to Know About Saving for Retirement

Saving & Investing

We all dream of the day we can retire from work. Unfortunately, most retirement planning is done by men. Complicating matters further, it is critical for women to think about saving for retirement differently than men. Things to Know About Saving for Retirement. Here are four things women need to know about saving for retirement. 1. You Will Live Longer Than Men in Your Life On average, women live longer than men. In the U.S., the preliminary data for 2020 from the CDC shows that for all races, women have a life expectancy of 80.5 years, while men have an average life expectancy of 75.1 years. This means that you’ll likely need to save for an additional five years of retirement as compared to a man in the same position.…

12Sep 2021 by Samantha S No Comments

Where Should I Travel Next Internationally? 9 Unconventional Ways to Figure It Out

Sabbatical Sundays

When you have an extended period of time to travel, like I will with my sabbatical, or even when you are just planning your next week-long vacation, you have to figure out where you should travel next. Have you been considering traveling abroad and found yourself asking, “Where should I travel internationally?” If so, these tips can help you figure it out. Ways to Figure Out Where to Travel Internationally Figuring out where to travel abroad doesn’t need to come down to spinning a globe and going wherever your finger lands. There are some unconventional ways to find an international travel destination that you’ll enjoy visiting. Here are some out-of-the-box ways to answer the question, “Where should I travel next internationally?” 1. Consider Your Personal Bucket List Do you have…

08Sep 2021 by Elizabeth No Comments

7 Things Every Woman Needs to Know about Spending Her Money

Goals / Taking Action

I always think of September as a second fresh start to the year. With kids heading back to school, there is something in the air that exudes a restart. After Labor Day is a great time to reflect on the year so far and determine what you still want to accomplish. For anything that has gotten off track, it’s a good time to start anew. In the spirit of back to school, back to basics, we are running a “What Every Woman Needs To Know About Money” series this month. To start off, we will cover what every woman needs to know about spending money. Things Women Should Know About Spending We all spend money. How you spend your money is mostly up to you, and we will get to…

05Sep 2021 by Samantha S No Comments

How to Plan a Sabbatical Abroad

Sabbatical Sundays

Now that I have a plan for what I’m going to do during my sabbatical, I’ve really started getting into the weeds with more planning. Of course, taking at least part of my sabbatical abroad means a very different set-up than if I was taking it at home. But that’s part of the fun of it all. Over the course of the next few weeks, I’m going to take you down my rabbit hole of planning a sabbatical abroad. How to Plan a Sabbatical Abroad Here are the four main steps to planning an international sabbatical and what you have to look forward to over the next few weeks. 1. Decide Where to Go As I previously announced, we are going to take our sabbatical in Europe. But, we have to…

29Aug 2021 by Samantha S No Comments

I’ve Got Job Offers. Now What?

Sabbatical Sundays

In the last few months, my job prospects have improved dramatically. I continue to get growth opportunities at my current job, and I have had numerous outreaches and offers for other great jobs. So what’s the problem? I want to take a break from my career in the form of a sabbatical, not climb the ladder. Or do I? All of these reminders that I’m good at what I do for my career throw me into a spiral of doubt. I start thinking about making more money, having more friends at work, and contributing more to the world through the work I do. I think, “Maybe I don’t need a break after all. Why was I even planning to take a break in the first place?” These feelings make me both…

22Aug 2021 by Samantha S No Comments

What I’m Going to Do During My Sabbatical

Sabbatical Sundays

I’ve spent a lot of time thinking about what I’m going to do during my sabbatical. This includes more writing, exercising, cooking, and spending more time with my spouse, kids, and dogs. But, recently, I’ve realized that COVID has allowed me the time at home to do all of these things. While I love it, I know that my sabbatical will need to be about more than just that. But what exactly is that? Now I know what that is. For my sabbatical plan, we are going to spend 4-6 weeks in Europe as a family. The details are still being worked out. Obviously, some of the COVID variants are throwing this into a bit of flux. However, in Europe, cases tend to be better than in the U.S. But…

11Aug 2021 by Elizabeth No Comments

6 Surprising Benefits of Having a Hobby

Health

When I was a law school student, I attended a speech by our state’s Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, a woman who was in her late 40’s or early 50’s at the time. Besides being Chief Justice, she was also a mom. At the time, I thought I was an exceptionally busy person. I was a full-time student and ran a business part-time. But I still had ample time for myself each day, whether it was watching TV, renovating our 1920’s house, planting a tomato garden, or brewing homebrewed beer. So during this event I was shocked when the Chief Justice gave us some advice: Always make sure you carve out at least an hour each week for a hobby. At the time, I was shocked. An hour a…

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