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The start of a new year is a good opportunity to get a fresh start with your finances. However, resolutions alone won’t do you much good. Instead, you should aim to develop specific habits that can help support them.  This guide outlines six practical habits that can help you take control of your finances and improve your position despite economic uncertainty.  Diversify Your Income Streams  Income plays a foundational role in your financial planning, directly impacting how much room you have to save after expenses. As a result, expanding your income is one of the most powerful steps you can take to improve your financial…

What does it take to find work you actually love—not just tolerate, not just survive, but genuinely love? And is it even possible if you’re in your 50s and still don’t know what that is? In this conversation, I talk with Bill Gurley, general partner at Benchmark Capital and author of “Runnin’ Down a Dream: How to Thrive in a Career You Actually Love.” Bill walks us through the principles from his book about building a career around fascination rather than passion, why continuous learning is non-negotiable, and how to live on “the edge” of your field to stay relevant.…

In poker, having position means you act last. And acting last is one of the most powerful advantages in the game. You can raise with nothing to push opponents into folding, call with a weaker hand without fear of getting re-raised, or simply check and do nothing when your cards are mediocre. Every option costs you less because you already know what everyone else has done. Conversely, acting out of position means going first with no information. You’re not sure how your opponents will respond to whatever you do. That uncertainty is expensive. It’s why experienced players are more aggressive…

Your Options Beyond a Payday Loan When money runs short and a bill cannot wait, a payday loan can look like a quick answer. The problem is that quick answers often come with long consequences. What starts as a short-term cash gap can turn into repeated fees, another loan, and a cycle that gets harder to escape each time. That does not mean every person facing a cash shortage has good options lying around. Sometimes the situation is urgent. Rent is due. Utilities are at risk. The car needs repair so you can get to work. In moments like that,…

What up, what up! Happy New Year! Lol… It’s me J$ – remember that guy?? Mohawk rockin’, FIRE wielding, personal finance nerd who went rogue and forgot all about his blog?! Sorry about that. The rumors are false though as I am still very much alive, just living more in the “real” world than the online one 🙂 I also don’t nearly think about money as much as I used to so I don’t have as much to say about it! But lately a few things have reminded me of the joy of finance so I’m going to furiously try…

In periods of volatility, some traders bet against certain stocks via short selling — a maneuver in which they borrow shares, sell them, and then try to buy them back at a lower price later, pocketing the difference. But who lends them the shares in that situation?Well, you do — if you participate in your broker’s stock-lending program. Here’s what to know about these programs, and which brokers offer them.What is stock lending?Stock lending, also known as fully paid securities lending, is an opt-in program that lets you earn interest by lending investments you own to your broker, who in…

  Ramit Sethi of I Will Teach You To Be Rich talks to John and Victoria in a follow-up episode. This couple, in their thirties with three children and a home in suburban New York, is facing severe financial challenges with 97% fixed costs and over $100K in non-mortgage debt. In their last session, Ramit highlighted the urgency of their situation, presenting them with two stark choices: sell their house and clear debt, or double down on income and aggressive cuts. They chose to keep their house, which required Victoria to return to work, both of them to significantly…

When Melissa looks back on the years leading up to her enrollment in National Debt Relief, one phrase stands out:  “I got left holding the bag on everything.”  A registered nurse and mother of three boys, Melissa had always been financially responsible. During her marriage, she was the one with strong credit, so most of the credit cards and loans were opened in her name. When the couple separated in 2020, that decision came with serious consequences.  The debt stayed with her.  With no child support coming in and roughly $6,000 in monthly bills to cover, Melissa found herself trying to manage $1,100…

Picking up dog poop probably isn’t the first business idea that comes to mind when you think about making extra money. But once you learn how a pet waste removal business works, it starts to make a lot of sense. It’s a simple local service that people gladly pay for, it can be set up… Picking up dog poop probably isn’t the first business idea that comes to mind when you think about making extra money. But once you learn how a pet waste removal business works, it starts to make a lot of sense. It’s a simple local service…

Recently, a home in the beautiful Forest Hill neighborhood of San Francisco was listed for $2.4 million. It had four bedrooms, three bathrooms, and a modest 2,250 square feet. The home had been remodeled about 15 years earlier. As we do with every open house, my wife and I made bets on what we thought the house would sell for. She guessed $2.75 million, and I guessed $2.925 million. $500,000 over asking to $1,300/sqft seemed reasonable given all the foot traffic and its bay view from the top bedroom. However, there was no usable front or back yard and there…