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Credit card debt is the worst. The super high interest rates make paying the debt off seem to take forever. When I got my first credit card, it took me more than a year to pay back the $1,500 I’d racked up. Luckily, it’s extremely difficult but not impossible. I eventually dug myself out of a hole, and you can, too. This is true no matter the amount of debt you’re in. There are a […]
Good morning! And happy BACK TO SCHOOL SEASON for all those parents out there!! If you can believe it we’ve now got one in elementary school, one in middle school, and now one in high school Man I’m getting old… At any rate, who wants $1,000??? 😉 It’s been a while since we shared this 401(k) contest, but old timers will remember that over a half dozen BudgetsAreSexy readers have won it in years past, so maybe this time it’ll be YOU?? It’s hosted by Jackson, Grant Investment Advisors Inc. who hopes to energize 401(k) participants into learning more, and ultimately investing more. So you can be a 401(k) Millionaire one day like our friend, Fritz! All you have to do is answer a couple of questions (but take your time and really put some effort into it!), and you’ll be entered to win one of **THREE* $1,000 cash awards. That you do not have to invest into your 401(k) lol… Here’s the main thing to marinate on before you start filling it out: If you were to advise co-workers about why they should contribute to (and/or maximize) their 401(k)s, what would you say? What actions might you take to inspire non-participants to participate in their 401(k)s? Once you know what you want to say – and hopefully it’s super personal and/or creative and/or funny! – you can enter directly here: 401kchampion.com/2026-application Deadline to submit is *this Friday* August 28, 2026 by 11:59 P.M. EST, and you must be currently participating (whether employed or retired) in your employer’s 401(k) plan (not a 403(b) plan or other type of plan). You must also be 21 years old or over and a legal residents of the 50 United States or the District of Columbia. GOOD LUCK!!! I want to continue our streak of having winners here, please! And good job on investing into your 401(k) which is a reward all of its own Your busy busy parental friend, [This post, A $1,000 Contest for Sharing Your Love of 401(k)s!, was first published by J. Money on Budgets Are Sexy]
Hey Everyone! I’m back from my summer vacation. My brothers and I went to visit my dad in Thailand. He had radiation treatment for prostate cancer earlier this year. He seemed much weaker physically after the treatment and we wanted to check on him. Fortunately, the treatment was highly successful and his PSA is much lower now. The doctor said he should be fine for a long time. We also took this chance to visit my aunt in Australia. The flight from Thailand was super cheap on VietJet Airlines. I paid $212 for a one-way ticket from Bangkok to Sydney, with a stopover in Ho Chi Minh City. Maybe it was low season because it was winter in Australia when we visited. The flight was not enjoyable, though. VietJet gave the passengers absolutely nothing for free. No pillow, blanket, drinks, or food service. You have to pay for anything extra. The plane was a “classic” Boeing and had no entertainment screen or charger plugs. They allowed 15 pounds of carryon luggage. You could pay for more additional carryon and/or check in luggage. It was a long no-frill flight. Fortunately, I was able to sleep most of the way and listened to NPR podcasts the rest of the time. I probably shouldn’t be cheap on these long flights. The flight from Ho Chi Minh City to Sydney took 8 and a half hour. Mrs. RB40 and RB40Jr flew from Portland to meet us in Sydney. They flew Air Canada and had a comfortable experience. Air Canada is a good carrier with newer planes, but they recently got rid of their free luggage check in policy for international flights. Now, they charge $75 to check a bag. The segment from Vancouver, BC to Sydney took 15 hours. That was a very long flight. Mrs. RB40 said she doesn’t want to do that again. Next time, we’ll stop in Fiji for a few days or something like that. These long haul flights are getting tougher as we get older. *Blogging update I did not log on to Retire by 40 at all during my vacation. It was awesome to get away completely. I also neglected my business email and missed the renewal notice from Siteground. I had the site set on auto renewal and it renewed for 2 years. Haha… I guess I’ll keep blogging for at least 2 more years. Although, I feel better about blogging after 6 weeks off. It feels good to write again. Thank you for your encouragement in my previous blog post – The FIRE is Gone. I really appreciate it. Thailand 2026 I plan to spend half the year in Thailand after RB40Jr goes off to college. The cost of living there is much lower than in Portland and I’d like to be closer to my dad. He is pretty healthy now, but he is 81 years old. He probably would need more help in a few years. On this trip, we spent most of our
Private credit in Canada is business lending done by non-bank institutions such as asset managers, pension funds, and life insurers, and in 2026 the Bank of Canada is watching it closely as a possible risk to financial stability. The short answer for everyday Canadians is reassuring but not something to ignore. The Bank has judged the domestic risks to be manageable for now, mainly because banks and public debt markets still supply the large majority […]
Building and managing a portfolio Avoiding a dog from every village The S&P 500 index has a concentration problem: Information technology at nearly 40 per cent of the S&P 500, rises to nearly 50 per cent once you add Alphabet, Meta, and Amazon. In a recent article by David Rosenberg in the Canadian business newspaper Report on Business, he writes: “The S&P 500 is a leveraged bet on one CAPEX cycle with just under 40 […]
A credit card interest calculator shows you exactly what your card balance costs each month and how long it will take to clear at your current payment. Instead of guessing, you enter your balance, your interest rate, and what you pay each month, and the tool tells you the payoff date and the total interest you will hand the bank along the way. For most Canadians carrying a balance in 2026, that number is far […]
Greenlight vs Acorns Early for kid and teen money management – who legally owns the account, who approves each trade, and how each one pays you for saving. Let’s be real: no matter how much we want to build the foundation of our child’s money education with real money they can tangibly feel in their hands as it comes (by earning it) and it goes (by spending it), our banking and money system is just […]
CPP and OAS are the two public pensions that form the base of almost every Canadian retirement, and the amount you receive in 2026 depends on how long you contributed, how long you have lived in Canada, and the age at which you start. In 2026 the maximum Canada Pension Plan retirement benefit at age 65 is 1,507.65 dollars a month, while the average new recipient collects far less, about 877.01 dollars. Old Age Security […]
The post Jackson Hole Conference: Where Monetary Policy Takes Center Stage appeared first on Dividend Power. If you’re into finance, central banking, or just love watching markets react to a single speech, the Jackson Hole Conference should definitely be on your radar. It may not have the glitz of a tech expo or the buzz of an IPO day, but it’s arguably one of the most influential annual events in the world of economics. Every […]
[Written in April, with apologies for the delayed publication] In a week, we head to visit the in-state university where our eldest has committed to spend the next four years of her life. My wife, who feels each kid’s pain at twice the intensity felt by the kid, fortunately also feels each kid’s success with twice the delight. Her feet have not touched the ground since my daughter received her acceptance. My daughter has only […]
Marks and Spencer has completely revamped its loyalty scheme. We review the new M&S Sparks app, the hidden 30% cashback offers, and the Parent Hood perks. The post M&S Sparks Review: Is The Loyalty Scheme Worth It? (2026) appeared first on The Financial Wilderness.
This post was originally published on July 7th, 2021. It has been updated to include the latest information on credit repair scams, how to avoid them, and how to repair your credit. This is a frustratingly common situation: Your credit isn’t great, and you want to fix it. You’ve tried doing it on your own but that hasn’t been working. You need some support. So you do a search for credit repair companies. Hundreds of […]
You can get paid to deliver far more than just takeout. While standard food delivery apps like DoorDash average $9 to $25… The post Get Paid to Deliver: 23 Apps That Pay Up to $188/hr (2026) appeared first on MoneyPantry.com.