Here are a few top tips to help all of us financially get through COVID-19 and answer one very important question — what should we be doing now to protect ourselves and our communities during this crisis?
The Fiscal Femme Tax Roundup
In honor of the upcoming tax filing deadline, we’ve been creating a lot of tax-related resources. If you are looking to minimize your bill, prepare your taxes, and plan for next year, we have you covered. Here are our favorite tax resources to make this tax season as easy and stress-free as possible.
How to Set your Rates as a Freelancer
I was saddened but not surprised to see survey results that showed that female creative freelancers are charging 47% less than their male counterparts. The same survey showed that women were two times more likely to charge by the hour (instead of by project) and three times more likely to have a public rate sheet. Two things that result in earning 42% and 15% less, respectively.
What’s Equal Pay Day?
Understanding Your Credit Score (and How to Increase It)
Over the years I’ve noticed that many people use their credit scores as a proxy for their financial health. It’s something tangible that we can see go up or down and the higher it is, the easier it is to get a new credit card, take out a mortgage, and even get a new job.
With something as nebulous as our finances, it can be really nice to have a report card. People actually ask me all the time: “if I were to have a grade in my finances, what would it be?” We want to know if we are getting an ‘A’ in our personal finances or just squeaking by.
7 Steps to Save for Your Next Vacation (in advance!)
We all know that saving for something in advance makes financial sense, but can it also make us happier? Science says yes. Researcher Elizabeth Dunn says that paying for a vacation ahead of time separates the pain of paying with the vacation itself, so we are able to enjoy it more.
Have you experienced this? You’re mid-way through an island vacation you’ve been excited about all winter long, but each time you swipe your credit card at a hotel or fun restaurant, you can’t help but think about your increasing credit card balance.
How to Prioritize Your Money Goals
One of the most common questions I hear is: “What should I do first with my money?” Should we pay off student loans before investing in a 401(k)? Should we pay off high interest credit card debt before building a rainy day fund?
This is a really important question. If you got a tax refund or bonus check tomorrow, would you feel confident about knowing where to allocate your money? Most of us have multiple financial goals, but contributing to all of them at once isn’t practical.
5 Things Every CEO Needs to Know About Money
Being an entrepreneur has some incredible perks. We get to enjoy freedom and control over our businesses and our lives, and we get to spend our days working on projects we are extremely passionate about.
This tremendous opportunity also comes with it’s challenges. We also have to wear many hats. We’re expected to understand the basics of law, taxes, marketing, operations, AND finance.
While we may hope that the ‘money stuff’ won’t be important if we make it big or that it all will work itself out, having a strong foundation can make or break the success of our business and enable us to grow our business.
How to Get Rid of Unnecessary Risk When Investing
A Shocking Fact About Student Loan Forgiveness
For many of us, income-based repayment is a great option for our student loans. Instead of receiving a debilitatingly high bill each month, we are charged an amount based on what we earn, typically making payments much more manageable. Then, after 20-25 years of on-time payments, our loans are forgiven. Voila!
Surprisingly, what happens next is often not discussed. Don’t kill the messenger - it’s not pretty.