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Money and divorce are closely connected. Disagreements about finances are one of the leading causes of divorce in America. But most marriages don’t collapse overnight because of money. The breakdown usually starts small with misalignment, secrecy, or resentment that quietly builds over time. To better understand how money and divorce intersect, I spoke with divorce attorney Maria Simon. Maria is the Managing Partner at Geller Law Group in the Washington, DC area, where she specializes […]
Set out to make a budget, and you’ll quickly discover that there’s no such thing as a perfect month. Instead, there are usually unplanned expenses galore — at least at first. Your kid comes home and needs $20 for a field trip, or your car starts making a funny noise. Then next month, the cat exhibits mysterious symptoms and requires a trip to the vet. The month after that, there’s a series of wedding and […]
Have you ever mentioned something in passing to a friend and then suddenly see ads for it everywhere? They say it’s a coincidence. They say it’s because you searched for it before. But Apple agreed to pay $95 million to settle a class action lawsuit over Siri privacy concerns… so if you are concerned, there are several settings on your phone that you should change. 🍎📱 Most of the instructions below are for iOS because we only have iPhones in our home. You can usually find similar settings for Andriod devices too. Table of ContentsShut Off the MicrophoneBe Strict About BluetoothShut Off Analytics & ImprovementsShut Off Precise Location TrackingShut Off Background App RefreshDisable Cross-App TrackingDelete Significant LocationsAudit Camera Permissions Shut Off the Microphone Your phone’s microphone is listening to you and not just for wake up words like “Hey Alexa” or “OK Google” – and you may have inadvertently given access to apps without realizing it. Go to Settings → Privacy & Security → Microphone to see a list of all the apps with access to your microphone. Shut off the ones that don’t need it. Be Strict About Bluetooth Bluetooth can be used to track your location while you’re in the store using what’s known as Bluetooth “pingers.” Many times, it’s integrated with their mobile apps and used to track your location, send you promotions, or help you navigate the store. This New York Times article explains how it works. Go to Settings → Privacy & Security → Bluetooth and disable it for any apps that don’t really need it. Shut Off Analytics & Improvements You might want to be nice and share analytics and improvements so Apple can improve Siri, it’s dictation, and other services but it opens you up to data collection on motion patterns, app usage, and other items. Go to Settings → Privacy & Security → Analytics & Improvements and turn off: Share iPhone Analytics Share iCloud Analytics Improve Siri & Dictation (go to Settings → Siri & Search → Siri History to delete voice history) Improve Assistive Voice Features Improve AR Location Accuracy Shut Off Precise Location Tracking Precise Location is scary accurate when it’s able to use GPS, Wi-Fi, and Bluetooth. It can get it down to 10-20 feet (3-6 meters) so they will know which building you are in (though not necessarily which floor). How many apps need that level of accuracy? I’d argue none. You can switch it from Precise Location to Approximate, which shows a large blue circle that covers several kilometers. Shut Off Background App Refresh Background app refresh is when apps are allowed to update their data in the background, which slowly drains your battery but also your privacy. Every time it goes to get data, it’s connecting to a tower and providing your device information and status. Go to Settings → General → Background App Refresh and shut it off. Your apps will refresh when you open them. Disable Cross-App Tracking This is where
Come contattare l’assistenza di Trade Republic? È veramente così difficile? Vale la pena aprire un nuovo conto o meglio evitare? In questa analisi andremo a rispondere a tutte queste domande un po’ “scomode”. Iniziamo col capire come è gestita l’assistenza di Trade Republic. Prima però vediamo alcuni riferimenti nel caso tu abbia bisogno di contattare l’assistenza di Trade Republic: Numero di telefono: +49 322 13232813 (solo per bloccare carta in caso di smarrimento carta o […]
What can I say about 2025? For me it was a really good year. Mainly because 2024 was really shitty, so any movement was likely up. First and foremost in spring of 2025 I fully retired from my long career,… The post My 2025 Was Awesome Let’s Go! appeared first on Accidental Fire.
The best time to open a retirement account is when you first start working. But what if you’re not even an adult yet? Great news! Kids and teens with earned income can still save for retirement. Read on to learn more about why and how you might want to help your kids open a custodial Roth IRA with Vanguard. Why Open a Custodial Roth IRA The short answer to why you should open a custodial […]
Are you tired of paying more taxes than you have to? Do you wish there was a way… The post The Standard Tax Deduction (Updated for 2025-2026) appeared first on Part-Time Money.
If you file your taxes as Married Filing Jointly or a Qualifying Widower in 2026 then your income… The post Traditional and Roth IRA Income Limits for 2026 appeared first on Part-Time Money.
Are you wondering where to get your taxes done? What’s the best option for your tax situation? Maybe… The post Where to Get Your Taxes Done (The 3 Best Places & Prices) appeared first on Part-Time Money.
Last week, I wrote about how I moved across the country with my son in a bid to get a fresh start on my life after divorce. One of the reasons I moved was to experience a lower cost of living. While I probably could have afforded to remain put, and my career isn’t constrained by geography, a lower cost of living comes with a number of advantages for my son and me. Indeed, before […]
This is what dividend investing is all about! Investing in dividend stocks allows YOU to earn dividend income, the best passive income stream! Bias, you better believe it. Time to dive into Lanny’s December 2025 dividend income results! Were records set? Almost to financial freedom? One day and one month at a time! (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); Dividend Income Dividend Income is the fruit from the labor of investing your money in the stock […]
Unless you have been sleeping under a rock, there has been much to do about the new box 3 rules for 2028 and beyond. Whereas we started with Box 3 being simple, and paying effectively 1,2% on our wealth (assets minus debts minus a threshold), it already morphed into a monster. But it is about to get a whole lot worse. However, the box 3 solution to deal with this monster might be easier than you think! Box 3 Plans The box 3 solution – more taxes! I have to admit, I still have to do a deep-dive myself into the proposed Box 3 2028 rules and regulations. Especially the implications for real estate investments, but I do have some general notes on this in the next section. The good thing is that there already have been a few bloggers that looked at the new rules, mind you from a stock/ETF/Indexfund/bond perspective. They made nice write up’s too (the comments sections also have some interesting notes). Some examples include (sorry, Dutch only): Mr Elders overview: https://eldersleven.nl/2026/02/box-3-duidelijkheid/ Mr FOB’s overview: https://www.financieelonafhankelijkblog.nl/box-3-2028-vermogensbelasting/ The original law texts and another summary can be found here (sorry, again Dutch only): Wetsvoorstel (Law proposal) and clarifications Summary and analysis Box 3 and shares/bonds All the above noted info boils down to, in 2028, being taxed on the increase in wealth over a year. This is not to be confused with profits (which might come in the following years)! In the case of shares, the increase in stock prices and thus your portfolio value, will determine how much you will need to pay in taxes (tax bracket is 36% here, with a €1.800 threshold). In short, you will be taxed on the difference between December 31 and January 1 of 2028, minus contributions (I’m not considering withdrawals for now, that is a discussion for another day. Dividends are assumed included in the overall returns). For example. You have €1.000.000 on January 1, and you have €1.124.000 on December 31. The difference is €124.000. Let’s assume you added €2.000/month, or €24.000 for the year. Net increase in wealth is €100.000. Deduct threshold of €1.800 = €98.200 * 36% = a tax bill of €35.352. In short ~3,54% of your wealth (as noted in the intro, a long time ago, when we started our FIRE journey, it used to be only 1,2%). Oh, if you make a loss, there is a way to take these losses forward and offset in the next year(s). The Box 3 Solution – Real Estate? Box 3 and Real Estate Based on what I have heard and read so far, which might not be completely accurate as I have not done my homework in detail, is the following: Real Estate is excluded from the increase in property value, you will pay based on actual returns (profits) when you sell a property One will be taxed on rental income Expenses seems to be able to deducted from the rental