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20 Personal Finance Women to Celebrate for International Women’s Day

20 Personal Finance Women to Celebrate for International Women’s Day

Miscellaneous
Most years on International Women’s Day, we celebrate by updating the Ultimate List of Women Money Bloggers.  This year, we wanted to mix things up a bit. We started by publishing a list of 101 Women and Non-Binary Folks to Follow on Twitter.  State of Women and Money First, I want to spend a few minutes giving my own perspective on the state of women and money. When I look back at the past year, trends show that women are continuing to leave the workplace at a faster rate than men.  Yes, it’s the “Great Resignation” (see why we all want to quit), but it’s also more. Some of this “more” is the bad news you frequently hear about, including childcare duties, being responsible for more than her fair share…
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101 Women and Non-Binary Folks in Personal Finance to follow on Twitter

101 Women and Non-Binary Folks in Personal Finance to follow on Twitter

Miscellaneous
In honor of International Women’s Day tomorrow, we wanted to celebrate with a list of 101 women and non-binary folks to follow on Twitter.    The crew below is diverse in location, interests, loves, likes, race, gender, sexual orientation, politics, values, and a whole lot more. But, they are united in their focus on everything personal finance, from FIRE, to budgets, to side hustles and more. Follow these fantastic folks on Twitter today. (They are listed in alphabetical order by Twitter handle.) 101 Women and Non-Binary Folks in Personal Finance to Follow on Twitter According to Athena - https://twitter.com/accordingathenaA Dime Saved - https://twitter.com/adimesavedAll Options - https://twitter.com/AllOptions_AOCAlmost Brenda - https://twitter.com/almostbrendaAmanda Page -  https://twitter.com/amandadashpageA Normal Lily - https://twitter.com/anomalilyA Purple Life - https://twitter.com/APurpleLifeBlogAvocado Toast Budget - https://twitter.com/avotoastbudgetBaby Boomer Saves - https://twitter.com/BabyBoomerSavesBitches Get Rich -…
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How to Use Your HSA as an Emergency Fund

How to Use Your HSA as an Emergency Fund

Health
If you have access to an HSA, you probably have already heard that it’s a great tax-advantaged retirement pool. But how? The Benefits of an HSA There are three main benefits of using a health savings account. Each of these benefits share one common theme: there are tax advantages. 1. Your Contributions Are Not Taxed When you contribute to an HSA through your employer, this comes out before taxes (like your medical insurance or 401k contributions). 2. HSA Earnings and Interest Are Not Taxed. Ever. Whether you keep your health savings account funds in low interest funds or high growth funds, you will have some earnings. But all of these earnings are and continue to grow tax-free.  3. Distributions From Your HSA Are Tax-Free As long as your health savings…
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10 Things to Teach Your Kids About Money Before They Are 10

10 Things to Teach Your Kids About Money Before They Are 10

Kids and Money
With two kids under 10 in my house, I’m constantly shocked by how much they grasp. At the same time, it also amazes me how much they still have to learn when it comes to money.  Yesterday, I told my kids I was going to the grocery store and asked if they wanted anything. My son replied, “$600,000.” We had a conversation about how much money $600,000 is, and he seemed surprised.  Kids don’t learn enough about money in school. It’s unfortunate, but it’s not a core part of the school curriculum. So, it’s up to us, as parents, to teach our kids about money. But what should they know, and by when? Money Lessons for Kids There are countless things you can teach your kids about personal finance. Choosing…
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Should You Have a Shared Account with Your Spouse? 7 Reasons Shared Accounts Are Better

Should You Have a Shared Account with Your Spouse? 7 Reasons Shared Accounts Are Better

#WMW12, Popular, Relationships & Money
There are a lot of great reasons to have separate accounts, but they are not for every relationship. In fact, I’d argue that most couples would be best with only shared accounts. Here are 7 reasons why. (Note that in this post I use the term “significant other” interchangeably with “spouse.” When I use the phrase “significant other” I really mean: extremely super significant other - such as a partner, spouse, or whichever term you use to describe the person you’ve made a commitment to spend the rest of your life with.  By “significant other” I don’t mean “whatever person you’re randomly dating who you aren’t 100% sure about.”) 1. Having Separate Accounts is Against the Values that Relationships Are Built On What is a relationship built on? Trust, honesty,…
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10 Ways Love Affects Your Money

10 Ways Love Affects Your Money

Relationships & Money
It’s Valentine’s Day, which is always a good time to talk about relationships, love, and money. So how does love affect your money?  Let me count the ways. (Yes, that’s an intentional reference to Elizabeth Barrett Browning's Sonnet 43 in case you need a love sonnet today). How Love Affects Your Money  Whether your relationship is costing or saving you money, the impacts love can have on your finances can vary. Here are 10 ways love affects your money. 1. Costs of Dating Let’s start with the earliest stage of love, dating. We won’t lie. Dating can be costly.  First, there are the costs of dates themselves, including drinks, dinner, shows, and weekends away. Even if you don’t pay for these, there are also indirect costs, such as the cost…
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Should You Have a Separate Bank Account from Your Spouse?

Popular, Relationships & Money
Dave Ramsey, who is a personal finance guru, argues strongly for a joint checking account. He explains that money becomes one when you enter a marriage and that you become fully a team. While I completely agree with being a team, sometimes it’s not always best to throw your money in one pot. This is such a taboo subject, but I find it so utterly important for women to know that they have options other than a joint checking account. A separate checking account may not be for everyone, because let’s face it, personal finance is personal, but let’s consider the pros. (more…)
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6 Ways Friendship Affects Your Money

6 Ways Friendship Affects Your Money

Goals / Taking Action
Love, friends, and money. What’s the connection? This month (since it’s Valentine’s Day, after all), we are talking about relationships, connection, and money. First up, friendships and social connection. How do they impact your money? How Friendship Affects Your Money Yes, your friendships have a direct impact on your finances. Here are six ways your friendships affect your money. 1. Friends Influence Your Spending Choices Keeping up with the Jones’ is a real phenomenon. If your friends are all spending a lot of money, buying larger houses, fancier cars, or enrolling kids in private school, it will cause you to think you should do the same. If your friends’ spending is making you uncomfortable with your own spending choices, it may be time to get some new friends.  2. Friends…
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15 Lifelong Habits That Will Make You Rich

15 Lifelong Habits That Will Make You Rich

Goals / Taking Action
How do you get rich? It’s about forming good daily habits with money, but it’s also about things you only do once in a while. Habits That Will Make You Rich These habits will make you rich. However, if you can’t do them all, don’t worry. Start with the ones you can do, then add others on as your financial health improves. 1. Spend Less than You Earn If you spend more than you earn, you are never going to get rich. Make spending less than you earn a habit for life. 2. Earn Your Employer 401k/403b Match If your employer offered you a raise, would you turn it down? Of course not! So if your employer matches your contributions to your 401k/403b or another retirement account, you want to…
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11 Easiest and Most Surprising Habits to Improve Your Health

11 Easiest and Most Surprising Habits to Improve Your Health

Health
We all know we should exercise more, eat less sugar, and brush our teeth daily. But what are the most surprising habits to improve your health? What do scientific studies actually say? We’ve found the easiest and most surprising habits to improve your health. Simple Ways to Improve Your Health Here are the simplest ways to improve your health, including links to research that backs them up. 1. Wake Up At the Same Time Every Day Waking up at the same time every day helps improve your circadian rhythm. Plus, according to the experts, having a good circadian rhythm means that you will be less stressed and more productive.  2. Get Early Morning Sunlight Getting sunlight first thing in the morning, even for just a few minutes, is proven to…
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