Just Start Investing

Index Investing is Easy

Budget

How to Easily Lower Student Loan Interest

By Leave a Comment

If you’re a current or former college student, or anything like me, chances are high that you have debt. I’m sure that you would also love to lower the student loan interest on that debt. Who wouldn’t?

With student loan debt statistics for 2019 revealing that 45 million student loan borrowers owe a whopping $1.52 trillion, it’s not a surprise that educational debt is a pressing economic and political concern. This is an issue I know personally, having graduated in 2016 with over $55,000 in student loan debt.

Unfortunately, one factor that has contributed to ballooning student loan debt is that it’s difficult and expensive to pay down student loans because of interest.

[Read more…] about How to Easily Lower Student Loan Interest

10 Super Easy Ways to Earn Extra Money

By

What would you do with if you could earn a little extra money?

Save it? Invest it? Spend it all?!

Obviously, my bias would be to save and lazily invest any new found cash – setting your future self up for financial success.

But, first things first, let’s learn how to put yourself in a position to have to decide! Check out the 10 super easy ways to earn extra money below.

[Read more…] about 10 Super Easy Ways to Earn Extra Money

The Ultimate Guide to Wedding Planning on a Budget

By

Budgeting is important with every aspect of your life, but it is arguably most important when it comes to wedding planning.

I often say the best places to look to save money on reoccurring expenses are housing, transportation, and food. That’s because they are usually where you spend the most money, so you have the most room to make meaningful savings.

When it comes to one-time expenses, weddings make the top of the list. The average wedding in the United States costs over $35,000 (2016 data from The Knot)! Yes, an average wedding cost more than most new cars!

You know what $35,000 would be if invested for 40 years (with a 7% annual growth rate)?

I do*.

$489,819!

That is why there is a huge opportunity to efficiently plan your wedding on a budget. And with all your new found savings, you can go invest it and watch it grow over time!

*ha. Get it? Weddings… Anyway, read below to get some awesome wedding planning tips.

[Read more…] about The Ultimate Guide to Wedding Planning on a Budget

How Much Should be in Your Emergency Fund

By

I’ve been all over the map when it comes to an emergency fund and how much money should be stored in one.

I used to think that a nice, cushy emergency fund was important and necessary. I couldn’t take the risk of losing my job and not being able to pay the bills!

Then, I swung hard to the other side of the emergency fund spectrum and realized the risk of not investing my money. By keeping money stored in a bank account, I was foregoing potential returns!

Finally, I settled somewhere back in the middle. I now employ the mantra that one of my good friends told me, “do whatever helps you sleep at night.”

[Read more…] about How Much Should be in Your Emergency Fund

Broader Lessons from the Debt Snowball Method

By

Listen, I was skeptical when I read the title of this article from Semi Retire Plan as well. The Debt Snowball Method… that’s for people who don’t know about math!

Math helped me find the best credit card and maximize my rewards.

For those of you who don’t know what the debt snowball method is, quickly:

The debt snowball method essentially is paying off your smallest debts first and moving on from there, regardless of if your smallest debt has an interest rate of 2% or 25%.

The theory is that as you get small debts paid back, the momentum starts to pick up and it gets easier to pay the bigger debts back.

While I do not support this method (I think paying off your highest interest rate debts first is a no brainer), there are some really interesting phycological implications behind the debt snowball method that can be applied broadly across your life.

Learn more about these great lessons below.

[Read more…] about Broader Lessons from the Debt Snowball Method

The Latest Blog Posts:

Follow Us: