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Why Investing for Retirement is So Important for Women (and How To Do It) 

BY Michelle Schroeder-Gardner - 2 Comments

Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links, meaning I get a commission if you decide to make a purchase through my links, at no cost to you. Please read my disclosure for more info.

Hey everyone! Michelle speaking for a moment. Today, I'd like to introduce you to my friend Amanda Holden. She runs one of my favorite financial blogs – Dumpster Dog. Below is a guest post from her on why investing for retirement is important for women – and how you can start. Enjoy!

Play along with me for a moment: Imagine a deliciously styled woman in her 70s.

She is having a sip of her morning espresso at a sidewalk café in Paris. She’s perusing a big, beautiful novel alongside her (much younger) Parisian lover, who is bringing her a third croissant for before 10 am (because why not).  

This woman is you.

Or at least, this woman could be you.

Whether or not your retirement dream includes croissants and a Parisian lover, you’re going to need to save and invest to make it happen.

We’re so accustomed to thinking about retirement in terms of an age—age 65—when in reality, retirement is an amount of money saved.

Because young people will not have access to the pension plans of our parents and grandparents, retirement is entirely our responsibility. [Read more…]

89 Life and Money Management Tips To Change Your Future

BY Michelle Schroeder-Gardner - 3 Comments

Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links, meaning I get a commission if you decide to make a purchase through my links, at no cost to you. Please read my disclosure for more info.

Well, we're looking at a new year already. Can you believe it?

As the year comes to a close, it's a great time to round-up all of my blog posts on Making Sense of Cents from the past year in one easy spot so that you can check them all out.

I have divided all of my blog posts into the following categories:

  • My most favorite
  • Money saving tips
  • Debt tips
  • Money management tips
  • Make money blogging
  • Make extra money
  • Income reports
  • Life, motivation, and inspiration
  • Travel

Also, I have a private community group for readers of Making Sense of Cents. If you want to improve your life and your financial situation, join here and let's all help one another out!

My private group has already reached over 15,000 members and continues to grow. We can’t wait to hear from you!

You can join the private support group here.

Enjoy these money management tips!

 

My most favorite

In case you just want to see my absolute favorite Making Sense of Cents articles from 2019, I have included those ones first:

 

Money saving personal finance tips

 

Pay off debt tips

Related personal finance tip: With Credit Sesame you can get your credit score for free, with no catch. It doesn’t hurt to check, so you have no reason not to know your credit score. Your credit score can affect whether or not you are approved for a loan, whether you are hired at certain jobs, your interest rate, and more. It’s relatively easy to raise your credit score, so you should start doing so today! Read How Your Credit Score Affects Your Life + Credit Sesame Review.

 

Money management tips

Related personal finance tip: Personal Capital is a great resource that I highly recommend. You can track your net worth, your cash flow, your portfolio, your investments, and more. Read Personal Capital Review – Manage Your Money For Free.

 

Making money blogging

How To Start A Blog FREE Course: With this free email course, I show you exactly how to create a blog, from the technical side (it’s easy – trust me!) all the way to earning your first income and attracting followers. Each day, for seven days, you will receive an email in your inbox that will help you create a successful and profitable blog, all from the very beginning. You can sign up here.

 

Make extra money

 

 

Life, motivation, and inspiration

 

Travel

Related tip: My preferred way to travel (other than by boat or RV) is to stay in short-term rental vacation homes such as Airbnb (this will give you a $55 Airbnb coupon code for your next stay). Airbnb vacation home rates are usually comparable or cheaper than a hotel, plus you usually have more room and there is often a kitchen as well. Also, if you have a lot of people going on vacation with you, you can split a house for much less than it would be for everyone to get a hotel room. Read my Airbnb review The Many Positives Of Using Airbnb Plus a Coupon Code For Your Next Vacation!

One last thing. My sister runs a great blog called FITnancials. Here are some of my favorite blog posts of hers:

What is the best personal finance tip you learned in 2019?

Learn How To Set 2020 Resolutions — Make This Year The Best Yet!

BY Michelle Schroeder-Gardner - 7 Comments

Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links, meaning I get a commission if you decide to make a purchase through my links, at no cost to you. Please read my disclosure for more info.

Have you thought about your 2020 resolutions yet?

The new year can be an excellent occasion to think about what is possible in your near future. It’s an exciting time to make plans and challenge yourself in the new year. 

Some people start planning their 2020 resolutions weeks or months in advance. They think about the failures and successes they’ve had this year and how they can do more in the new year. 

When people set resolutions for themselves, they can be big or small.

Remember, it’s all about doing things to better yourself, and nothing is too small for that. You may want to get serious about paying off your debt or finally start investing. Or, it can be something like taking up a new hobby, getting outside more, or cutting out soda.

Setting resolutions is a long standing tradition.

However, only about 8% of people actually achieve their New Year's resolutions each year. And, only 75% of those who are setting 2020 resolutions will follow through with them after the first week of the year.  [Read more…]

How I’ve Turned Buying Websites Into My Full-Time Career

BY Michelle Schroeder-Gardner - 2 Comments

Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links, meaning I get a commission if you decide to make a purchase through my links, at no cost to you. Please read my disclosure for more info.

Over the years, I have received many emails from curious readers about buying websites to make money with. Well, today, I have a great article to share from Stacy Caprio on how she buys websites and makes money doing so. Enjoy!

My name is Stacy Caprio and I own the website Her.CEO that features entrepreneur case studies as well as helps people learn how to buy and sell websites profitably.

I have spent a little over $35,000 buying websites and made much more than that in passive income from the sites and now continue to make pure profit passive income on the site investments I've already made.

Websites investments are great, not only for the recurring revenue, but also because you can improve and flip them if you choose, giving you the option to get a larger cash lump sum up front if you’d rather receive that than the recurring revenue.

I have also recently sold one of my website purchases for more than I bought it for, making a little over $8,000 from the sale when you subtract the broker fees. [Read more…]

Sailing SV Delos – Living A Beautiful Life On The Sea

BY Michelle Schroeder-Gardner - 6 Comments

Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links, meaning I get a commission if you decide to make a purchase through my links, at no cost to you. Please read my disclosure for more info.

Sailing SV Delos is what many people dream of – sailing around the world to exotic destinations in a beautiful boat with a super fun group of people, who all happen to be friendly and gorgeous. They go on amazing adventures, and they even brew moonshine on their boat. What more could you ask for?

In my Extraordinary Series here on Making Sense of Cents, I like to feature people who are doing things a little differently. So, I knew that interviewing SV Delos should be next!

As you may know, me and my husband (and our two dogs) also live on a sailboat. So, getting the opportunity to interview SV Delos was something I was really excited about doing!

Before our interview, let me give you a little backstory on the sailing vessel Delos and the crew. 

It all started in May of 2008 when Brian Trautman bought SV Delos.

Brian had been sailing around the lakes of Seattle for several years, but had never really thought about living on a sailboat, much less sailing around the world. Until one day when he found a book in the library that explained how to cross the ocean on your own boat. It was an eye-opening moment for Brian.

He spent the next four years dreaming and planning for the first epic trip – sailing to New Zealand. He sold nearly everything, and bought SV Delos in May of 2008. [Read more…]

Money Do List

BY Michelle Schroeder-Gardner - 6 Comments

Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links, meaning I get a commission if you decide to make a purchase through my links, at no cost to you. Please read my disclosure for more info.

The following is a sponsored partnership with Frost Bank. All opinions are 100% my own.

Having money talks with your significant other is extremely important for financial success.

When you decide to enter a serious relationship with someone, I highly recommend having regular serious conversations about money.

Unfortunately, many people completely skip over this valuable step.

Some people don't like talking about money because their issues become too real and don't want to face reality. They may even feel shame about their financial mistakes, or they may feel that they aren't doing as well as others.

Or, they may just not know what they are doing!

But, you are not going to reach financial success in life if you don't start learning about money.

And, a great way to learn about money is to talk about it openly with those around you. [Read more…]

Why I Took A Year Long Blog + Social Media Semi-Sabbatical

BY Michelle Schroeder-Gardner - 49 Comments

Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links, meaning I get a commission if you decide to make a purchase through my links, at no cost to you. Please read my disclosure for more info.

This past year I decided to do something that I’ve been wanting to do for quite some time – I took a blog and social media break.

Taking a sabbatical from social media has changed my life. I feel like I am much more intentional with the actions I take, and I am able to focus on what I truly love.

Okay, so I've still been around working a little bit, but not nearly as much as usual.

But since I’ve taken a blog and social media break, I’ve received a lot of messages, comments, and emails asking me about what’s going on. 

“Is everything all right?”

“Are you not having fun traveling anymore?”

“Is your business no longer making money?”

My social media break has really confused people, and it feels like nearly everything I've heard has assumed that something bad has happened. [Read more…]

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