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Save Money

These 5 Bills Are Draining Your Bank Account. Here’s How to Cut Back $2,579

Bills, bills, bills. They never seem to end, do they? They take more and more out of your account each month before you even realize it.

You can’t escape them entirely (wouldn’t that be great?), but you can stop them from being so darn painful every month. All it takes is ending your loyalty to a few companies you currently use for bills and fees that come every month.

Trust us, they won’t miss you. And you definitely won’t miss them — especially when you realize how much money you’ve been needlessly throwing away every month.

1. Your Credit Card Bill: Let This Company Pay it Off

If you’re reading this, there’s a 50% chance you have credit card debt — nearly half of U.S. adults do. And if you don’t pay it off every month, you’re draining your bank account with unnecessary — and terribly high — interest payments.

And the truth is, your credit card company doesn’t really care. It’s just getting rich by ripping you off with high interest rates — some up to a whopping 36%!

But a website called Fiona could help you pay off that bill as soon as tomorrow.

Here’s how it works: Fiona can match you with a low-interest loan you can use to pay off every credit card balance you have. The benefit? You’re left with just one bill to pay every month, and because the interest rate is so much lower, you can get out of debt so much faster. Plus, no credit card payment this month.

Fiona can help you borrow up to $250,000 (no collateral needed) with fixed rates starting at 2.49%.

Fiona won’t make you stand in line or call a bank. And if you’re worried you won’t qualify, it’s free to check online . It takes just two minutes, and it could save you thousands of dollars. Totally worth it.

All that credit card debt — and the anxiety that comes with it — could be gone by tomorrow.

2. Your Car Insurance Bill: Save $700 

When was the last time you compared car insurance rates? Chances are you’re seriously overpaying with your current policy.

If it’s been more than six months since your last car insurance quote, you should look again.

And if you look through a digital marketplace called SmartFinancial , you could be getting rates as low as $22 a month — and saving yourself more than $700 a year.

It takes one minute to get quotes from multiple insurers, so you can see all the best rates side-by-side. Yep — in just one minute you could save yourself $715 this year. That’s some major cash back in your pocket.

So if you haven’t checked car insurance rates in a while, see how much you can save with a new policy.

3. Your Banking Account: Skip the $15 Monthly Fees

The monthly fee your bank is charging you is a huge account-drainer. Especially because some banks charge when you don’t have enough money saved. We’re the people who need that $15 the most!

If you’re just looking for a place to safely stash it away but still earn money, a fancy account isn’t necessary. Under your mattress or in a safe will get you nothing. And a typical savings account won’t do you much better. (Ahem, 0.06% is nothing these days.)

But a debit card called Aspiration lets you earn up to 5% cash back and up to 16 times the average interest on the money in your account.

Not too shabby!

Enter your email address here to get a free Aspiration Spend and Save account. After you confirm your email, securely link your bank account so they can start helping you get extra cash.

Your money is FDIC insured and they use a military-grade encryption which is nerd talk for “this is totally safe.”

4. Give Your Family a $1M Without Getting Ripped Off

Have you thought about how your family would manage without your income after you’re gone? How they’ll pay the bills? Send the kids through school? Now’s a good time to start planning for the future by looking into a term life insurance policy.

You’re probably thinking: I don’t have the time or money for that. But your application can take minutes — and you could leave your family up to $1 million with a company called Bestow .

Rates start at just $16 a month. The peace of mind knowing your family is taken care of is priceless.

If you’re under the age of 54 and want to get a fast life insurance quote without a medical exam or even getting up from the couch, get a free quote from Bestow .

5. Find Out if You’re Overpaying for Homeowners Insurance

If you’re a homeowner, you probably have home insurance, but you hardly ever think about it. That’s good — it means you haven’t needed to use it. But it also means you don’t know if you’re being overcharged for it.

It’s easy to find out, though. To see if you’re overpaying for your policy, check out  a website called SmartFinancial . It’s a digital marketplace where you can get quotes and compare rates to make sure you’re getting the best price.

Homeowners can save hundreds of dollars when they switch home insurance companies this way.

It takes just two minutes to get quotes from multiple insurers, so you can see all your options side-by-side. Get started here.

Kari Faber is a staff writer at The Penny Hoarder. 

Categories
Save Money

Saying No to These 5 Things Could Put $3,104 Dollars in Your Savings This Year

Saying yes can feel really good.

You can say yes to a new job, yes to a proposal, yes to more freshly grated parmesan on top of your pasta.

But you know what feels even better sometimes? Saying no.

Saying no is powerful. Saying no is a statement. And saying no can save you a ton of money. Just how much? It depends on how often you can say no to these situations:

1. Say No to Getting Ripped Off By Your Home Insurance Company and Save $690/Year

You’re probably wasting money right now. And it’s probably on something you’d never expect — your homeowners insurance policy.

This isn’t something you actively think about — you just know you’re required to have it.

The problem is, you’re paying too much. Luckily, an insurance company called Smart Financial makes it easy to find out how much you’re overpaying. It finds you cheaper policies and special discounts in minutes.

Homeowners can save hundreds of dollars when they switchhome insurance companies this way.

And just because you’re saving money doesn’t mean you’re skimping on coverage. Smart Financial will make sure you have what you need.

Just answer a few questions about your home to see how much money you’re wasting.

2. Say No to Expensive Car Insurance and Save $610/Year

Did you know you can save some serious money just by switching car insurance companies?

Its true — rates are at historic lows, and you could be paying way less for the same coverage. All you need to do is look for it.

But don’t waste your time hopping around to different insurance companies. Use a website called EverQuote to see all your options at once.

EverQuote is the largest online marketplace for insurance in the US, so you’ll get the top options from more than 175 different carriers handed right to you.

Take a couple of minutes to answer some questions about yourself and your driving record. With this information, EverQuote will be able to give you the top recommendations for car insurance. In just a few minutes, you could save up to $610 a year.

3. Say No to Paying Full Price and Save $1,825 This Year

Wouldn’t it be nice if you got an alert when you’re shopping online at Target and are about to overpay?

That’s exactly what this free service  does. It says no for you.

Just add it to your browser for free, and before you check out, it’ll check other websites, including Walmart, eBay and others to see if your item is available for cheaper. Plus, you can get coupon codes, set up price-drop alerts and even see the item’s price history.

Let’s say you’re shopping for a new TV, and you assume you’ve found the best price. Here’s when you’ll get a pop up letting you know if that exact TV is available elsewhere for cheaper. If there are any available coupon codes, they’ll also automatically be applied to your order.

Using it’s savings estimate tool, you could save between $365 and $1,825 every single year, depending on how many online purchases you make.

You can get started in just a few clicks to see if you’re overpaying online .

4. Say No to Paying Your Credit Card Company

Your credit card company is getting rich by ripping you off with high interest rates. But a website called Fiona wants to help you say no to those insane interest payments.

Here’s how it works: Fiona can match you with a low-interest loan you can use to pay off every credit card balance you have. The benefit? You’re left with just one bill to pay every month, and because the interest rate is so much lower, you can get out of debt so much faster. Plus, no credit card payment this month.

Fiona can help you borrow up to $250,000 (no collateral needed) with fixed rates starting at 2.49%.

Fiona won’t make you stand in line or call a bank. And if you’re worried you won’t qualify, it’s free to check online . It takes just two minutes, and it could save you thousands of dollars. Totally worth it.

5. Say No to Low Interest Banking Accounts and Get 16x the Normal Rate

Low interest banking accounts are all too common. You can make just pennies on your money. But with an account from a company called Aspiration, you can finally say no to those measly interest rates — and earn a sign up bonus, too.

Yep. A debit card called Aspiration gives you up to a 10% back every time you swipe, plus they give you up to 16x the normal interest rate on your balance.

Need to buy groceries? Get extra cash.

Need to fill up the tank? Bam. Even more extra cash.

This card used to have a huge waiting list, but you’re now eligible to sign up for free.

Enter your email address here , and link your bank account to see how much extra cash you can get with your free Aspiration account. And don’t worry. Your money is FDIC insured and under a military-grade encryption. That’s nerd talk for “this is totally safe.”

Categories
Save Money

The System is Rigged. Here’s Are 5 Ways to Not Let it Rob You Blind

In the 1950s, CEOs were earning about 20 times more than their average employees. Seems fair considering their title, right? Sure.

Today, according to research pulled by Bloomberg, the typical Fortune 1,000 CEO makes 144 times more than their average worker. But wait, it gets worse: at The Coca-Cola Company, CEO James Quincey makes an insultingly high 1,621 times more.

The system is rigged, man. And over the last year, it’s become a lot more apparent. The rich get richer, and many of us are just trying to make ends meet.

You can ask for a raise or try your chances playing the lotto, but neither of those are guaranteed to land in your favor. So how can you get your slice of the pie, too? Here are some surefire ways you can stick it to The Man.

1. Cancel Your Car Insurance

How would you feel if you found out your car insurance company was overcharging you by $500 each year?

Pretty peeved, we’re sure. It’s just another cog in the machine working hard to rip you off.

So, call them out. Cancel those thieves! But make sure you have better, cheaper insurance lined up.

And if you look through a website called Smart Financial , you could save yourself up to $715 a year.

It takes just two minutes to answer some questions, and Smart Financial’s smart matching technology will show you the insurance companies that are the best fit for you.

So if you haven’t checked car insurance rates in a while, you are doing yourself a disservice. Get started here to see how much money you can save today with a new policy.

2. Fight the Billionaire Hedge Fund Managers

Think those high-flying billionaires on the top floor are just sitting pretty on their cash? No way — they’re investing it and making even more millions.

It doesn’t seem fair they get to have their own hedge fund managers who make them richer every day. The system wasn’t set up to make it easy for us worker bees.

But with an app called Stash , you can take on those expensive brokers. It lets you be a part of something that’s normally exclusive to the richest of the rich — on Stash you can buy pieces of other companies for as little as $1.

That’s right — you can invest in pieces of well-known companies, such as Amazon, Google, Apple and more for as little as $1. The best part? If these companies profit, so can you. Some companies even send you a check every quarter for your share of the profits, called dividends.1

It takes two minutes to sign up , and it’s totally secure. With Stash, all your investments are protected by the Securities Investor Protection Corporation (SIPC) — that’s industry talk for, “Your money’s safe.”2

Plus, when you use the link above, Stash will give you a $5 sign-up bonus once you deposit $5 into your account.*

3. Say Goodbye to Your Big Brick-and-Mortar Bank

Not that you’d be surprised by this, but the place you trust to keep your money safe and growing is getting rich by ripping you off.

First, they charge all those insane fees. Then, they make tons of interest on your money — but only give you .05% (on average). Peanuts for the poor. Billions for the bank.

So if you’re sick of getting ripped off, find an account that won’t charge you ridiculous fees and earn you way more interest on your savings — it is your money, after all.

A debit card called Aspiration lets you earn up to 5% cash back every time you swipe the card and up to 16 times the average interest on the money in your account. Plus, you’ll never pay a monthly account maintenance fee.

To see how much you could earn, enter your email address here , link your bank account and add at least $10 to your account. And don’t worry. Your money is FDIC insured and under a military-grade encryption. That’s nerd talk for “this is totally safe.”

4. Stop Paying Your Credit Card Company

How much do you think the billionaire CEO of JPMorgan Chase is making? You don’t even want to know.

While you’re stressing out over your debt, your credit card company is getting rich off those insane interest rates. But a website called Fiona could help you pay off that bill as soon as tomorrow.

Here’s how it works: Fiona can match you with a low-interest loan you can use to pay off every credit card balance you have. The benefit? You’re left with just one bill to pay every month, and because the interest rate is so much lower, you can get out of debt so much faster. Plus, no credit card payment this month.

Fiona can help you borrow up to $250,000 (no collateral needed) with fixed rates starting at 2.49%.

Fiona won’t make you stand in line or call a bank. And if you’re worried you won’t qualify, it’s free to check online . It takes just two minutes, and it could save you thousands of dollars. Totally worth it.

All that credit card debt — and the anxiety that comes with it — could be gone by tomorrow.

5. Stop Overpaying at Amazon

Wouldn’t it be nice if you got an alert any time you’re shopping on Amazon and are about to get ripped off.

That’s exactly what a free service called  Wikibuy  does.

Wikibuy’s free alerts can be added to your browser. Before you check out, it’ll check other websites, including Walmart, Target, eBay and others to see if your item is available for cheaper. It will also show you coupon codes, set up price-drop alerts and even let you see the item’s price history.

Let’s say you’re shopping for a new TV. You’re ready to check out, and you assume you’re getting the best price. Here’s when Wikibuy will pop up and let you know if you’re about to overpay. It will even let you know if you can get it delivered sooner (see photo above).

So far, Wikibuy has saved users more than $70 million.

You can get started with Wikibuy in just a few minutes to  see if you’re overpaying online .

Kari Faber is a staff writer at The Penny Hoarder.

1Not all stocks pay out dividends, and there is no guarantee that dividends will be paid each year.

2To note, SIPC coverage does not insure against the potential loss of market value.

For Securities priced over $1,000, purchase of fractional shares starts at $0.05.

*Offer is sunbject to Promotion Terms and Conditions. To be eligible to participate in this Promotion and receive the bonus, you must successfully open an individual brokerage account in good standing, link a funding account to your Invest account AND deposit $5.00 into your Invest account.

The Penny Hoarder is a Paid Affiliate/partner of Stash. 

Investment advisory services offered by Stash Investments LLC, an SEC registered investment adviser. This material has been distributed for informational and educational purposes only, and is not intended as investment, legal, accounting, or tax advice. Investing involves risk. 

Categories
Manage Money

4 Things You Can Spend Money on That Will Actually Make You Richer

Saving money is great, but it won’t make you rich.

No matter how many dollars you put into a savings account, the national average .05% interest you’d earn won’t expedite your millionaire status.

And cutting your costs can only go so far, explains Certified Financial Planner Robin Hartill (who is also an editor and financial advice columnist here at The Penny Hoarder).

It can definitely help with your short term goals, she says, but if you want to be truly richer, sometimes you need to spend money to make money. By diverting some of your cash into these assets, you’ll be on a faster path to your financial goals.

1. Spend $1 to Own a Piece of Amazon, Google or Other Companies

Investing is a smart way to make you richer. “Spending money by investing it in the stock market and earning returns can compound into even more money,” Hartill says.

While the stock market does go up and down over days, weeks and months, over time, the returns tend to rise.

If you haven’t started investing and have some money to spare, you can start small, then build your way up. In fact, you can get started with as little as $100 with an app called M1 Finance .

We like M1 Finance because it lets you choose from hundreds of stocks and funds to build your own investment portfolio. But it makes it simple by breaking them down into categories based on your personal goals. Want to invest conservatively right now? Totally get it! Want to dip in with moderate or aggressive risk? Do what you feel.

Plus, with M1 Finance, you’re able to invest in fractions of shares, which means you can invest in funds you wouldn’t normally be able to afford.

It takes two minutes to sign up , and it’s totally secure.

Plus, when you use the link above, M1 Finance will give you a $30 sign-up bonus once you deposit $1,000 into your account.

2. Spend $10 to Buy an Apartment Building

Take a look at some of the world’s wealthiest people. What do they have in common? Many invest in large private real estate deals. And here’s the thing: There’s no reason you can’t, too — for as little as $10.

A company called Fundrise lets you get started in the world of real estate by giving you access to a low-cost, diversified portfolio of private real estate. The best part? You don’t have to be the landlord. Fundrise does all the heavy lifting.

Fundrise’s Starter Portfolio has a minimum of only $10 and is geared toward first-time real estate investors. Your money will be invested in the company’s Flagship Fund, which already owns more than $250 million worth of real estate around the country, from apartment complexes to the red-hot housing rental market to larger last-mile e-commerce logistics centers.

As tenants pay their rent, you could earn money through quarterly dividend payments, and over time, you could earn money off the potential appreciation of the property. Since 2014, Fundrise investors have earned roughly $100 million in dividends alone.

So if you want to get started in the world of real-estate investing, it takes just a few minutes to sign up and create an account with Fundrise .

3. Use This Secret Debit Card

Here’s the deal: If you’re not using Aspiration’s debit card, you’re missing out on extra cash.

Yep. A debit card called  Aspiration  gives you up to a 10% back every time you swipe, plus they give you up to 100x the normal interest rate on your balance.

Need to buy groceries? Get extra cash.

Need to fill up the tank? Bam. Even more extra cash.

This card used to have a huge waiting list, but you’re now eligible to sign up for free.

Enter your  email address here , and link your bank account to see how much extra cash you can get with your free Aspiration account. And don’t worry. Your money is FDIC insured and under a military-grade encryption. That’s nerd talk for “this is totally safe.”

4. Give Your Family $1M

This is one of those occasions when spending a little bit of money each month can pay off later.

Have you thought about how your family would manage without your income after you’re gone? How they’d pay the bills? Send the kids through school? Now’s a good time to start planning for the future by looking into a term life insurance policy.

You’re probably thinking: I don’t have the time or money for that. But your application can take minutes — and you could leave your family up to $1 million with a company called Policygenius,

Some policies start at less than $20 per month.* The peace of mind of knowing your family is taken care of is priceless.

Policygenius offers life insurance policies that don’t require the usual medical exam, so you don’t even have to get up from the couch. Click here to get a free quote from Policygenius .

Kari Faber is a staff writer at The Penny Hoarder.

 

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Uncategorized

The 6 Biggest Money Secrets Most Rich People Won’t Tell You

Life would be a whole lot easier if someone would just Venmo us $1 million, but unfortunately the chance of that happening is, well, probably zero. (Venmo doesn’t allow transactions that large anyway.)

But even though our chances of becoming a millionaire are slim, we can still manage our money like one. No, we’re not going to tell you how to buy hundreds of shares of Apple stock. Or how to pick out the perfect yacht.

These are simple money moves any normal, non-millionaire person can make today. Each secret can get you closer to achieving your big goals.

Take a look:

1. Use This Secret Banking Account

Here’s the deal: If you’re not using Aspiration’s debit card, you’re missing out on extra cash.

Yep. A debit card called  Aspiration  gives you up to a 10% back every time you swipe, plus they give you up to 100x the normal interest rate on your balance.

Need to buy groceries? Get extra cash.

Need to fill up the tank? Bam. Even more extra cash.

This card used to have a huge waiting list, but you’re now eligible to sign up for free.

Enter your  email address here , and link your bank account to see how much extra cash you can get with your free Aspiration account. And don’t worry. Your money is FDIC insured and under a military-grade encryption. That’s nerd talk for “this is totally safe.”

2. You Can Quickly Add up to 300 Points to Your Credit Score

You might not think your credit score is that important. In fact, you might not think much about it at all. But what happens when you want to buy a car? Or a house? Unfortunately, those three little numbers play a huge role in whether you’ll be able to do that.

And if you have an error on your credit report (one out of five reports do), that could stand in your way.

Thankfully, a website called  Credit Sesame  will help you detect any errors — for free. It shows you why you have the score you do and gives you personalized tips to steer you in the right direction.

Salome Buitureria, a working mom in Louisiana, found a major error on her report this way. Using Credit Sesame, she was able to fix the mistake and take additional steps to raise her credit score from 524 to nearly 700.

Now she and her husband feel like they’re in a better position for their biggest goal — purchasing a house. It only takes about 90 seconds to sign up.

3. You Can Buy an Apartment Building (Even If You’re Not Rich)

This year has been a rollercoaster. Historically, though, real-estate investing offers the best long-term returns. (Does the name Rockefeller ring a bell?)

That’s why we like investing with pros like DiversyFund . They’ll help you make long-term investments in apartments and office buildings all over the country  — and you don’t have to be a millionaire. You can get started with only $500.

You can see exactly which properties are included in your portfolios — like a 200-unit apartment complex in Killeen, Texas or a 59-unit building in San Diego. And you don’t have to be the landlord — DiversyFund does all the heavy lifting.

Because they know how to ride out the market’s ups and downs, they’ve historically seen annual returns of 17% to 18%, though they can’t make any promises.

As a partial owner, you make money on rent payments and when property values go up. It takes just a few minutes to sign up and own your first apartment building.

4. You Should Cancel Your Car Insurance

When was the last time you shopped around for car insurance? Was it more than six months ago?

If so, you’re probably overpaying — by hundreds of dollars. Yep. Experts say you should compare rates twice a year to get the best deal.

Twice a year? Yeah, we don’t want to do that either.

A website called EverQuote makes it super easy to compare car insurance prices. All you have to do is answer a few questions about yourself and your driving record, and it’ll show you your options.

Doing this could save you up to $610 per year on your insurance. Seriously.

It takes just a few minutes to look at your options and see how much you could save. And the best part? Because we’re driving less, some insurers are slashing prices this month.

5. You Can Give Your Family up to $1M

Have you thought about how your family would manage without your income after you’re gone? How they’ll pay the bills? Send the kids through school? Now’s a good time to start planning for the future by looking into a term life insurance policy.

You’re probably thinking: I don’t have the time or money for that. But your application can take minutes — and you could leave your family up to $1 million with a company called Bestow .

Rates start at just $16 a month. The peace of mind knowing your family is taken care of is priceless.

If you’re under the age of 54 and want to get a fast life insurance quote without a medical exam or even getting up from the couch, get a free quote from Bestow .

6. Find Out if You’re Overpaying for Homeowners Insurance

If you’re a homeowner, you probably have home insurance, but you hardly ever think about it. That’s good — it means you haven’t needed to use it. But it also means you don’t know if you’re being overcharged for it. 

It’s easy to find out, though. To see if you’re overpaying for your policy, check out  a website called SmartFinancial . It’s a digital marketplace where you can get quotes and compare rates to make sure you’re getting the best price. 

Homeowners can save hundreds of dollars when they switch home insurance companies this way.

It takes just two minutes to get quotes from multiple insurers, so you can see all your options side-by-side. Get started here.

Categories
Manage Money

Don’t Get Distracted by Dogecoin — 6 Actually Legit Ways to Boost Your Net Worth

Okay, we’ll admit it: We’re not really into Bitcoin or Dogecoin or Ethereum or whatever. We don’t care what Elon Musk tweeted today.

We’re just as interested in cryptocurrency as we are the Cryptkeeper or Krypto the Superdog.

Go ahead, call us old-fashioned. We just like regular money, that’s all. The kind that folds. The kind you can use to buy a Big Mac or a plane ticket or a new pair of shoes.

Oh, and our landlord and our power company and our car insurance company? Turns out they like regular money too, and they expect us to pay them with it. Every single month.

So, go ahead and track the ups and downs of Bitcoin or Dogecoin, if that’s your thing. That’s cool, it’s a free country. But for us, that kind of sideshow is just a distraction from the real work: Making better financial decisions and growing our money — our real money.

Here are six legit ways to boost your net worth:

1. Use This Secret Banking Account

a woman logs into her bank account on her cell phone.
Tina Russell/The Penny Hoarder

Here’s the deal: If you’re not using Aspiration’s debit card, you’re missing out on extra cash. And who doesn’t want extra cash?

Yep. A debit card called Aspiration  gives you up to a 10% back every time you swipe.

Need to buy groceries? Extra cash.

Need to fill up the tank? Bam. Even more extra cash.

You were going to buy these things anyway — why not get this extra money in the process?

Enter your email address here , and link your bank account to see how much extra cash you can get with your free Aspiration account. And don’t worry. Your money is FDIC insured and under a military-grade encryption. That’s nerd talk for “this is totally safe.”

2. Let This App Pay You up to $83 When You Win Solitaire Games

Lots of us already play Solitaire on our phones for fun or just to pass the time. Want to see if you can win money at it?

There’s a free iPhone app called Solitaire Cash  that lets you play for real money. You could get paid up to $83 per win.

You might be thinking: There’s got to be a catch. This is definitely one of those spammy apps, right?

Wrong. There really isn’t a catch. Sure, you can pay to play in some higher-stakes tournaments, but there’s no pressure. And, in fact, there aren’t even any annoying ads.

With each game, you’ll battle it out against at least five other players. Everyone gets the same deck, so winning is totally a matter of skill. The top three players who solve the deck fastest can win real money — anywhere from $1 to $83.

Over on the App Store, it has over a million downloads and more than 15,000 ratings, averaging 4.7 stars (out of 5).To get started, just download the free app  and start playing your first game immediately.

3. Invest in Real Estate (Even if You’re Not a Millionaire)

The stock market can be a scary place. Stock prices shoot up and down like a roller coaster ride, and who knows when the whole thing might crash?

It would be nice to diversify and invest some of your money in real estate, but don’t you have to be wealthy to do that?

Now you can invest like the 1% does, and all you need to get started is $500. A company called DiversyFund  will invest your money in private real estate — specifically, in apartment buildings it co-owns with its investors — and you only need $500.

You can see exactly which properties are included in your portfolio through their online dashboard — like a 54-unit apartment complex in Salt Lake City, Utah, or a 30-unit waterfront property in Stuart, Florida. And you don’t have to experience the headaches that come with being a landlord — DiversyFund does all the heavy lifting for you.

DiversyFund can’t guarantee how its investments will perform in the future — no one can — but historically, real estate has outperformed the stock market for the past 30 years.

So you don’t need a fortune to invest in real estate. All you need to get started is $500. Sign up here  to start investing today.

4. Spend $5 to Buy a Company

Take a look at the Forbes Richest People list, and you’ll notice almost all the billionaires have one thing in common — they own another company.

But if you work for a living and don’t happen to have millions of dollars lying around, that can sound totally out of reach.

But with an app called Stash , it doesn’t have to be. It lets you be a part of something that’s normally exclusive to the richest of the rich — on Stash you can buy pieces of other companies for as little as $1.

That’s right — you can invest in pieces of well-known companies, such as Amazon, Google, Apple and more for as little as $1. The best part? If these companies profit, so can you. Some companies even send you a check every quarter for your share of the profits, called dividends.1

It takes two minutes to sign up , and it’s totally secure. With Stash, all your investments are protected by the Securities Investor Protection Corporation (SIPC) — that’s industry talk for, “Your money’s safe.”2

Plus, when you use the link above, Stash will give you a $5 sign-up bonus once you deposit $5 into your account.*

5. Add $225 to Your Bank Account Every Month

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Carmen Mandato/ The Penny Hoarder

If we told you that you could get paid to watch videos on your computer, you’d probably laugh.

It’s too good to be true, right?

But we’re serious. A website called InboxDollars  will pay you to watch short video clips online. One minute you might watch someone bake brownies and the next you might get the latest updates on Kardashian drama.

All you have to do is choose which videos you want to watch and answer a few quick questions about them afterward.

No, InboxDollars won’t replace your full-time job, but you can easily earn up to $225 per month watching videos.

Unlike other sites, InboxDollars pays you in cash — no points or gift cards. It’s already paid its users more than $56 million.

It takes about one minute to sign up, and you’ll immediately get a $5 bonus  to get you started.

6. Cancel Your Car Insurance

When was the last time you compared car insurance rates? Chances are you’re seriously overpaying with your current policy.

If it’s been more than six months since your last car insurance quote, you should look again.

And if you look through a digital marketplace called SmartFinancial , you could be getting rates as low as $22 a month — and saving yourself more than $700 a year by canceling with your current provider.

It takes one minute to get quotes from multiple insurers, so you can see all the best rates side-by-side. Yep — in just one minute you could save yourself $715 this year. That’s some major cash back in your pocket.

So if you haven’t checked car insurance rates in a while, see how much you can save  with a new policy.

 

Categories
Manage Money

4 Things You Can Spend Money on That Will Actually Make You Richer

Saving money is great, but it won’t make you rich.

No matter how many dollars you put into a savings account, the national average .05% interest you’d earn won’t expedite your millionaire status.

And cutting your costs can only go so far, explains Certified Financial Planner Robin Hartill (who is also an editor and financial advice columnist here at The Penny Hoarder).

It can definitely help with your short term goals, she says, but if you want to be truly richer, sometimes you need to spend money to make money. By diverting some of your cash into these assets, you’ll be on a faster path to your financial goals.

1. Spend $1 to Own a Piece of Amazon, Google or Other Companies

Investing is a smart way to make you richer. “Spending money by investing it in the stock market and earning returns can compound into even more money,” Hartill says.

While the stock market does go up and down over days, weeks and months, over time, the returns tend to rise.

If you haven’t started investing and have some money to spare, you can start small, then build your way up. In fact, you can get started with as little as $100 with an app called M1 Finance .

We like M1 Finance because it lets you choose from hundreds of stocks and funds to build your own investment portfolio. But it makes it simple by breaking them down into categories based on your personal goals. Want to invest conservatively right now? Totally get it! Want to dip in with moderate or aggressive risk? Do what you feel.

Plus, with M1 Finance, you’re able to invest in fractions of shares, which means you can invest in funds you wouldn’t normally be able to afford.

It takes two minutes to sign up, and it’s totally secure.

Plus, when you use the link above, M1 Finance will give you a $30 sign-up bonus once you deposit $1,000 into your account.

2. Spend $10 to Buy an Apartment Building

Take a look at some of the world’s wealthiest people. What do they have in common? Many invest in large private real estate deals. And here’s the thing: There’s no reason you can’t, too — for as little as $10. 

A company called Fundrise lets you get started in the world of real estate by giving you access to a low-cost, diversified portfolio of private real estate. The best part? You don’t have to be the landlord. Fundrise does all the heavy lifting.

Fundrise’s Starter Portfolio has a minimum of only $10 and is geared toward first-time real estate investors. Your money will be invested in the company’s Flagship Fund, which already owns more than $250 million worth of real estate around the country, from apartment complexes to the red-hot housing rental market to larger last-mile e-commerce logistics centers.

As tenants pay their rent, you could earn money through quarterly dividend payments, and over time, you could earn money off the potential appreciation of the property. Since 2014, Fundrise investors have earned roughly $100 million in dividends alone.

So if you want to get started in the world of real-estate investing, it takes just a few minutes to sign up and create an account with Fundrise .

3. Use This Secret Debit Card

Here’s the deal: If you’re not using Aspiration’s debit card, you’re missing out on extra cash.

Yep. A debit card called Aspiration  gives you up to a 10% back every time you swipe, plus they give you up to 100x the normal interest rate on your balance.

Need to buy groceries? Get extra cash.

Need to fill up the tank? Bam. Even more extra cash.

This card used to have a huge waiting list, but you’re now eligible to sign up for free.

Enter your email address here , and link your bank account to see how much extra cash you can get with your free Aspiration account. And don’t worry. Your money is FDIC insured and under a military-grade encryption. That’s nerd talk for “this is totally safe.”

4. Give Your Family $1M

This is one of those occasions when spending a little bit of money each month can pay off later.

Have you thought about how your family would manage without your income after you’re gone? How they’d pay the bills? Send the kids through school? Now’s a good time to start planning for the future by looking into a term life insurance policy.

You’re probably thinking: I don’t have the time or money for that. But your application can take minutes — and you could leave your family up to $1 million with a company called Policygenius,

Some policies start at less than $20 per month.* The peace of mind of knowing your family is taken care of is priceless.

Policygenius offers life insurance policies that don’t require the usual medical exam, so you don’t even have to get up from the couch. Click here to get a free quote from Policygenius .

Kari Faber is a staff writer at The Penny Hoarder.

 

Categories
Save Money

The System is Rigged. Here’s Are 5 Ways to Not Let it Rob You Blind

In the 1950s, CEOs were earning about 20 times more than their average employees. Seems fair considering their title, right? Sure.

Today, according to research pulled by Bloomberg, the typical Fortune 1,000 CEO makes 144 times more than their average worker. But wait, it gets worse: at The Coca-Cola Company, CEO James Quincey makes an insultingly high 1,621 times more.

The system is rigged, man. And over the last year, it’s become a lot more apparent. The rich get richer, and many of us are just trying to make ends meet.

You can ask for a raise or try your chances playing the lotto, but neither of those are guaranteed to land in your favor. So how can you get your slice of the pie, too? Here are some surefire ways you can stick it to The Man.

1. Cancel Your Car Insurance

How would you feel if you found out your car insurance company was overcharging you by $500 each year?

Pretty peeved, we’re sure. It’s just another cog in the machine working hard to rip you off.

So, call them out. Cancel those thieves! But make sure you have better, cheaper insurance lined up.

And if you look through a website called Smart Financial , you could save yourself up to $715 a year.

It takes just two minutes to answer some questions, and Smart Financial’s smart matching technology will show you the insurance companies that are the best fit for you.

So if you haven’t checked car insurance rates in a while, you are doing yourself a disservice. Get started here to see how much money you can save today with a new policy.

2. Stop Paying Your Credit Card Company

How much do you think the billionaire CEO of JPMorgan Chase is making? You don’t even want to know.

While you’re stressing out over your debt, your credit card company is getting rich off those insane interest rates. But a website called Fiona could help you pay off that bill as soon as tomorrow.

Here’s how it works: Fiona can match you with a low-interest loan you can use to pay off every credit card balance you have. The benefit? You’re left with just one bill to pay every month, and because the interest rate is so much lower, you can get out of debt so much faster. Plus, no credit card payment this month.

Fiona can help you borrow up to $250,000 (no collateral needed) with fixed rates starting at 2.49%.

Fiona won’t make you stand in line or call a bank. And if you’re worried you won’t qualify, it’s free to check online . It takes just two minutes, and it could save you thousands of dollars. Totally worth it.

All that credit card debt — and the anxiety that comes with it — could be gone by tomorrow.

3. Stop Overpaying at Amazon

Wouldn’t it be nice if you got an alert any time you’re shopping on Amazon and are about to get ripped off.

That’s exactly what a free service called Wikibuy  does.

Wikibuy’s free alerts can be added to your browser. Before you check out, it’ll check other websites, including Walmart, Target, eBay and others to see if your item is available for cheaper. It will also show you coupon codes, set up price-drop alerts and even let you see the item’s price history.

Let’s say you’re shopping for a new TV. You’re ready to check out, and you assume you’re getting the best price. Here’s when Wikibuy will pop up and let you know if you’re about to overpay. It will even let you know if you can get it delivered sooner (see photo above).

So far, Wikibuy has saved users more than $70 million.

You can get started with Wikibuy in just a few minutes to see if you’re overpaying online .

4. Say Goodbye to Your Big Brick-and-Mortar Bank

Not that you’d be surprised by this, but the place you trust to keep your money safe and growing is getting rich by ripping you off.

First, they charge all those insane fees. Then, they make tons of interest on your money — but only give you .05% (on average). Peanuts for the poor. Billions for the bank.

So if you’re sick of getting ripped off, find an account that won’t charge you ridiculous fees and earn you way more interest on your savings — it is your money, after all.

A debit card called Aspiration lets you earn up to 5% cash back every time you swipe the card and up to 16 times the average interest on the money in your account. Plus, you’ll never pay a monthly account maintenance fee.

To see how much you could earn, enter your email address here , link your bank account and add at least $10 to your account. And don’t worry. Your money is FDIC insured and under a military-grade encryption. That’s nerd talk for “this is totally safe.”

5. Find Out if You’re Overpaying for Homeowners Insurance

If you’re a homeowner, you probably have home insurance, but you hardly ever think about it. That’s good — it means you haven’t needed to use it. But it also means you don’t know if you’re being overcharged for it.

It’s easy to find out, though. To see if you’re overpaying for your policy, check out  a website called SmartFinancial . It’s a digital marketplace where you can get quotes and compare rates to make sure you’re getting the best price.

Homeowners can save hundreds of dollars when they switch home insurance companies this way.

It takes just two minutes to get quotes from multiple insurers, so you can see all your options side-by-side. Get started here.

Kari Faber is a staff writer at The Penny Hoarder.

 

 

Categories
Manage Money

Americans Are Finally Paying Off Their Debt, and Credit Card Companies are Scrambling

If you’ve got credit card debt, you know how painful it is. It’s the most expensive kind of debt you can have, and your credit card companies are just getting rich and fat while they gouge you with high interest rates.

Wouldn’t it be great to turn the tables on them? Well, now a lot of people are. More and more Americans are simply paying off their credit card balances, and that’s making credit card companies like Capital One, Citibank and Chase really, really nervous. That’s because their whole business model is based on gouging you.

“Americans are paying down their credit card debt at levels not seen in years. That is good news for everyone but credit card issuers,” reports The Wall Street Journal. “Many card issuers rely on growing card usage and balances for their revenue, and they are wondering if the pandemic trends will turn into a long-term shift.”

Wouldn’t it be nice to get a little revenge and make your credit card companies sweat for a change? Now you can, and it’s easier than you think.

Credit cards charge you harsh interest rates that routinely rise north of 20% APR. But if you owe your credit card companies $250,000 or less, a website called Fiona will match you with a low-interest loan you can use to pay off all your balances.

The benefit? You’ll be left with one bill to pay each month. And because personal loans have significantly lower interest rates (Fiona rates start at 2.49% APR), you’ll get out of debt that much faster.

Plus: No credit card payments for you this month!

They’re Getting Awfully Nervous

These days, credit card companies are sweating bullets because Americans’ credit card balances are falling. They shrunk by a whopping $49 billion in the first quarter of 2021 compared to the previous quarter, according to data released last week by the New York Fed,

Overall, credit card balances are down nearly 15% compared to a year before, according to the credit reporting firm Equifax.

For big credit card issuers like Capital One, Discover and Synchrony (the largest issuer of store credit cards), balances are down by 17%, 9% and 7% compared to a year ago, those companies reported.

Why is this happening?

When the COVID-19 pandemic hit, banks expected delinquencies to surge, forcing borrowers to rely on their credit cards to make ends meet, The Wall Street Journal reported. But then the government stepped in with stimulus checks and expanded unemployment benefits. It allowed borrowers to pause payments on mortgages and student loans. So that surge of delinquencies never happened.

Now, “it appears that many households are working to reduce their revolving debt balances, and this is happening across the board,” the Fed wrote.

How to Beat Your Credit Card Company

If you’re interested in getting a personal loan to wipe out your credit card balances, it helps to have a good credit score.

A free website called Credit Sesame makes it easy to put your credit score on track to reach your goals. Within two minutes, it’ll give you access to your credit score, any debt-carrying accounts and a handful of personalized tips to improve your score. You’ll even be able to spot any errors holding you back (one in five reports have one).

Now, with Fiona , you don’t need a perfect credit score to get a loan — and comparing your options won’t affect your score at all.

It takes less than a minute and just a few questions to see what loans you qualify for — you don’t even need to enter your Social Security number. You do need to give Finoa a real phone number in order to qualify, but don’t worry — they won’t spam you with phone calls.

Stop shoveling money into high-interest credit card payments. Cackle along with the rest of us as credit card companies express deep concern in earnings calls, sweating over their plummeting profits.

Revenge is sweet.

Mike Brassfield (mike@thepennyhoarder.com) is a senior writer at The Penny Hoarder. He paid off all his credit cards, and wow did it feel good.

Categories
Save Money

Saying No to These 5 Things Could Put $3,104 Dollars in Your Savings This Year

Saying yes can feel really good.

You can say yes to a new job, yes to a proposal, yes to more freshly grated parmesan on top of your pasta.

But you know what feels even better sometimes? Saying no.

Saying no is powerful. Saying no is a statement. And saying no can save you a ton of money. Just how much? It depends on how often you can say no to these situations:

1. Say No to Getting Ripped Off By Your Home Insurance Company and Save $690/Year

You’re probably wasting money right now. And it’s probably on something you’d never expect — your homeowners insurance policy.

This isn’t something you actively think about — you just know you’re required to have it.

The problem is, you’re paying too much. Luckily, an insurance company called Smart Financial makes it easy to find out how much you’re overpaying. It finds you cheaper policies and special discounts in minutes.

Homeowners can save hundreds of dollars when they switch home insurance companies this way. 

And just because you’re saving money doesn’t mean you’re skimping on coverage. Smart Financial will make sure you have what you need.

Just answer a few questions about your home to see how much money you’re wasting.

2. Say No to Expensive Car Insurance and Save $610/Year

Did you know you can save some serious money just by switching car insurance companies? 

Its true — rates are at historic lows, and you could be paying way less for the same coverage. All you need to do is look for it. 

But don’t waste your time hopping around to different insurance companies. Use a website called EverQuote to see all your options at once. 

EverQuote is the largest online marketplace for insurance in the US, so you’ll get the top options from more than 175 different carriers handed right to you. 

Take a couple of minutes to answer some questions about yourself and your driving record. With this information, EverQuote will be able to give you the top recommendations for car insurance. In just a few minutes, you could save up to $610 a year.

3. Say No to Paying Full Price and Save $1,825 This Year

Wouldn’t it be nice if you got an alert when you’re shopping online at Target and are about to overpay?

That’s exactly what this free service  does. It says no for you.

Just add it to your browser for free, and before you check out, it’ll check other websites, including Walmart, eBay and others to see if your item is available for cheaper. Plus, you can get coupon codes, set up price-drop alerts and even see the item’s price history.

Let’s say you’re shopping for a new TV, and you assume you’ve found the best price. Here’s when you’ll get a pop up letting you know if that exact TV is available elsewhere for cheaper. If there are any available coupon codes, they’ll also automatically be applied to your order.

Using it’s savings estimate tool, you could save between $365 and $1,825 every single year, depending on how many online purchases you make.

You can get started in just a few clicks to see if you’re overpaying online .

4. Say No to Paying Your Credit Card Company

Your credit card company is getting rich by ripping you off with high interest rates. But a website called Fiona wants to help you say no to those insane interest payments.

Here’s how it works: Fiona can match you with a low-interest loan you can use to pay off every credit card balance you have. The benefit? You’re left with just one bill to pay every month, and because the interest rate is so much lower, you can get out of debt so much faster. Plus, no credit card payment this month.

Fiona can help you borrow up to $250,000 (no collateral needed) with fixed rates starting at 2.49%.

Fiona won’t make you stand in line or call a bank. And if you’re worried you won’t qualify, it’s free to check online . It takes just two minutes, and it could save you thousands of dollars. Totally worth it.

5. Say No to Low Interest Banking Accounts and Get 16x the Normal Rate

Low interest banking accounts are all too common. You can make just pennies on your money. But with an account from a company called Aspiration, you can finally say no to those measly interest rates — and earn a sign up bonus, too.

Yep. A debit card called Aspiration gives you up to a 10% back every time you swipe, plus they give you up to 16x the normal interest rate on your balance.

Need to buy groceries? Get extra cash.

Need to fill up the tank? Bam. Even more extra cash.

This card used to have a huge waiting list, but you’re now eligible to sign up for free.

Enter your email address here , and link your bank account to see how much extra cash you can get with your free Aspiration account. And don’t worry. Your money is FDIC insured and under a military-grade encryption. That’s nerd talk for “this is totally safe.”