Personal Finance

A living trust, or inter vivos trust, is a trust you set up while alive. It places your assets into a trust to be managed by a third party for your benefit. At your death, the assets are distributed to a chosen beneficiary.  In many states, the assets are transferred to the living trust beneficiary without going through probate at death. Living trusts can assist limit estate investigation by limiting taxable value and avoiding property loss due to a lack of knowledge about it being a part of a living trust. They allow for simple modifications if necessary, and they offer more control over who receives what when someone dies without a will. Avoid Probate in Multiple Jurisdictions Avoid Probate Entirely Avoid … Read more

A survey of 20 million Credit Karma members conducted in summer 2020 found over $45 billion of medical debt in collections. Previous studies on medical debt have found that hospital bills are typically the #1 cause of personal bankruptcy in the U.S. In the wake of a global pandemic that hit Americans particularly hard – in terms of job losses and skyrocketing hospital bills – the issue of medical debts will likely become more prominent in public conversations in the years to come. How to Better Manage Your Medical Debts If you’ve received an astonishingly expensive medical bill before or you’re currently agonizing over how to repay outstanding medical debts, there are some strategies you can try without having to … Read more

The costs of having kids have skyrocketed over the past several years, as expenses like childcare, education tuition, and other essentials continue to outpace average inflation rates. For dual income no kids (DINK) couples, kid-related costs won’t factor into your financial planning efforts for the most part, which means your budget, savings goals, and investment strategies will look pretty different from other families’ finances. Regardless of the reasons why you’re child-free, it would be best if you still had a solid financial strategy in place to ensure you and your partner are secure in both the short and long term as a dual income no kids (DINK) couple. You may not need to worry about affording childcare, contributing to 529 … Read more

When Covid-19 first hit the U.S. in the spring of 2020, we witnessed one of the largest and fastest unemployment spikes in American history. While the stock market has rebounded to all-time highs during the pandemic, Main Street has been spiraling downward.  Covid will change personal finance. The Center on Budget and Policy Priorities estimated that 11% of adults in the U.S. didn’t have enough to eat over the past 7 days (compared to 3.4% of adults who reported insufficient access to food over the course of 12 whole months before the pandemic). The CBPP data from January 2021 also showed that 21% of adults were behind on rent, and 35% had reportedly struggled to pay for typical household expenses … Read more

Ever since Airbnb first took the sharing economy by storm in 2008, dozens of similar home-away-from-home platforms have sprung up to provide niche travel experiences for consumers seeking alternatives to traditional motels and hotels. It’s been largely a win-win experience for guests and hosts alike: travelers get access to more affordable, unique accommodations, and homeowners get extra income on the side without having to leave the comfort of their own homes. But, did you know that you can make money renting your land for camping? Beyond the usual Airbnb options – such as renting a room in someone else’s private residence or booking an entire home for yourself and friends or family – multiple websites now let you host and/or … Read more

An April 2020 survey released by the National Endowment for Financial Education found that 88% of Americans were reportedly stressed about finances as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic. Of those respondents, 54% said they were stressed about not saving enough money (for emergency savings and/or retirement), 29% were concerned about fluctuating income, and 48% were stressed about paying regular bills like mortgage/rent, utilities, and healthcare. Considering the fact that Covid-19 has impacted almost everyone on Earth in some capacity, it’s understandable if you’re also feeling stressed about money matters lately. Even with the vaccination rollouts, it’ll be months – if not years – before we return to any semblance of “normal” life. Since uncertainty about the future can create … Read more