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How Much is Six Figures
Susie Q
May 11, 2021
Six figures! You often hear that term. What does it mean? It means different things in different contexts. In this...
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Debt Calculator: How Much the Snowball Method Will Cost You
Susie Q
April 27, 2021
The Debt Snowball repayment method will always cost you the same or more interest than the Debt Avalanche method if...
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How to Read Stock Charts
Susie Q
April 6, 2021
Wouldn’t it be great if you could improve your investment returns by owning securities when prices are increasing and selling...
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Reducing Risk with an Annuity
Susie Q
March 23, 2021
Is an annuity a good investment option for you? One of my younger followers had a financial planner suggest that...
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Susie Q’s Personal Financial Planner
Susie Q
March 9, 2021
What are your dreams? What are your hopes for your life? Are there things that are important to you? What...
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A Reverse Mortgage for Retirement Planning
A reverse mortgage can be a valuable financial management tool for seniors and their families. However, if misunderstood or misused,...
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Smart Account Choices Juice Long-Term Growth
Susie Q
February 9, 2021
Compound interest allows your investments to grow exponentially in value. This post provides six online compound interest calculators to help...
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How Short Bets on GameStop Took Big Slides
The financial news in the past week or so has been full of stories about GameStop, AMC Entertainment Holdings (AMC),...
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Don’t Sweat those Mortgage Terms
Susie Q
January 26, 2021
A mortgage is key to buying a residence for most people. Mortgage loan documents are often lengthy and full of...
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Rental Property: Real Life Experiences
Many people view residential rental property as a great investment. I’ve never had any interest in committing the time I...
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Property and Casualty Insurance
Protection against loss is critical for everything you do, including running your own business or earning money from a side...
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The Home Equity Fallacy
Susie Q
December 15, 2020
Building home equity can increase your financial security, but it isn’t necessarily the best way to maximize your net worth. ...
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Flex or Fix in Buy vs. Rent
Your residence is likely one of your biggest expenses. The most common options for residences are renting and purchasing. There...
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Holidays on a Budget
Susie Q
November 10, 2020
Even in normal circumstances, the holidays can be stressful. With the concerns about travel and the impact on many people’s...
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Make the Most of your Benefits Package
Many employers offer a benefits package. The most common benefits are health insurance and a retirement plans, topics I’ve covered...
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The Case for a Few Good Stock Runners
Many investors limit the amount of their investments in individual companies to manage the risk in their portfolios. Others advocate...
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Celebrating Our Second Birthday!
We hope you will help us celebrate our second birthday on Friday, October 2, 2020! In the past year, we...
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Why I Chose Patience over Re-balancing
Susie Q
September 15, 2020
Many financial advisors recommend re-balancing your portfolio no less often than annually to ensure the asset allocation is consistent with...
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What is Bitcoin: The Short and Long Answers
Adam Wilson
September 2, 2020
The phrase "what is Bitcoin" is currently getting between ten and one hundred thousand search queries in Google per month....
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Diversification: Don’t Get Misled by these Charts
Diversification is an important component of any investing plan. It assists you in limiting your risk either to a single...
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7 Must-Know Stock Market Sell Signals
Brandon Smith
August 4, 2020
Before we talk about the specific indicators that would signify stock market sell signals, we must understand why we bought...
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Why I Don’t Hold the All Seasons Portfolio
The All Seasons Portfolio reports amazing statistics about its returns. I’d never heard of the All Seasons Portfolio, so had...
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Don’t Make these Financial Mistakes
Good Nelly
July 7, 2020
The world is going through a very difficult phase. Everywhere we are hearing that we need to get adjusted to...
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Selecting Stocks with a Score
A friend of mine really likes selecting stocks with a score, the Piotroski score in particular. Briefly, Professor Piotroski created...
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Picking Stocks Using Pictures
Technical analysts select companies for their portfolios based on patterns in stock prices. That is, it allows them to enhance...
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Should I Buy Stocks Now?
Kay Rahardjo
May 26, 2020
Many, if not most, financial advisers recommend accumulating wealth from a diversified set of investments including stocks. An investor can...
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How to Buy Life Insurance
Choosing the right type of life insurance policy and its death benefit can be confusing. Not too long ago, I...
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Do I Need a Financial Planner?
Creating your own financial plan can be a daunting task. If you aren’t sure where to get started or have...
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A Man is Not a (Sound Financial) Plan
“A Man is Not a Plan!” It sounds like a very dated statement, but a guide on a recent trip...
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At What Price Should I Buy a Stock?
Deciding at what price to buy a stock or other security is almost as hard as deciding whether to buy...
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Your Bills: Pay Them or Defer Them?
Susie Q
March 24, 2020
Many of you are facing difficult financial decisions as your hours are reduced, you have to take an unpaid leave...
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Don’t Panic! Just Plan It.
Financial markets have been more turbulent in the past few weeks than has been seen in many years, probably more...
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The Different Types of Life Insurance
The life insurance landscape is confusing, to put it lightly. One can get lost in the different types of policies...
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Mutual Funds and ETFs
Mutual fund and ETFs (exchange-traded funds) allow you to invest in securities without having to select individual positions. Instead, the...
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The Canada Pension Plan And Your Retirement
Graeme Hughes, The Money Geek
February 4, 2020
Note from Susie Q: When I published my post on Social Security, I promised my Canadian readers a similar post...
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How to Raise Financially Smart Kids
I wrote a guest post for Grokking Money about how to raise financially smart kids. Here is the start of...
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Do I Really Need to Budget
Susie Q
January 21, 2020
I wrote a guest post for The Smart Investor about deciding if you need a budget. Here is the start...
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Good Debt vs Bad Debt: Key Characteristics
Susie Q
January 8, 2020
Not all debt is bad! The specific definitions of good debt vs bad debt will vary from person to person....
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Picking Stocks
Many investors create their own portfolios by picking stocks in individual companies. As discussed in my post on the basics...
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Investing for Dividends
Investing for dividends is one of many strategies investors use to identify stocks for their portfolios. Among the strategies I...
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Reading Financial Statements
Reading financial statement guides many investors in their decisions to buy and sell stocks. Investors who focus on financial fundamentals...
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What You Need to Know About Stocks
Stocks are a common choice for many investors. There are two types of stocks – preferred and common. Because most...
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Recovery from Financial Disaster
Ever wonder how you’d handle a complete reversal of your finances? I have a friend who had a lifestyle most...
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Top Ten Posts in Our First Year
Susie Q
October 8, 2019
Financial IQ by Susie Q celebrated its first birthday last week. In the first year, we published 52 posts on...
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Umbrella Insurance Reduces Your Risk
Umbrella insurance provides broader coverage and more limits than your auto and homeowners policy for liability claims made against you....
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Annual Retirement Savings Targets
Once you know how much you want to save for retirement, you need a plan for building that savings. Your...
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Retirement Savings: How Much Do You Need
Retiring is one of the riskiest financial decisions you will make. On the day you retire, you can calculate your...
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The Best Ways to Pay Off Your Debt
The best way to pay off your short-term and revolving debt depends on your priorities and what motivates you. Two...
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Credit Cards: What You Need to Know
Credit cards are a terrific convenience but also can be very costly. Effective use of a credit card can make...
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Tax-Efficient Investing Strategies – Canada
You can increase your savings through tax-efficient investing. Tax-efficient investing is the process of maximizing your after-tax investment returns by...
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6 Ways to Slay Your Student Debt This Year
From Susie Q: I'm not as familiar with student debt as I am with the other topics on which I...
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Tax-Efficient Investing Strategies – USA
You can increase your savings through tax-efficient investing. Tax-efficient investing is the process of maximizing your after-tax investment returns by...
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New vs Used Cars
Is buying a used car really all that important to your financial health? I’ve seen lots of articles and posts...
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My Next Car: Pay Cash, Borrow or Lease?
The finances of buying a car can be tricky. In addition, there are so many other things to consider. What...
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Savings Accounts for Kids
Many parents want to create savings accounts for their kids – for one or both of funding their education or...
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Should Chris Pay off his Mortgage?
Chris @Money$tir asked other financial literacy and financial independence (FI) bloggers, in a post on March 9, 2019, whether he...
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Investing in Bonds
Bonds are a common investment for people targeting a low-risk investment portfolio. One of the pieces of advice I gave...
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How to Budget Step 9 – Monitoring your Budget
Susie Q
March 14, 2019
You may have thought you were done when you created and balanced your budget. However, there is one very important...
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Traditional vs Roth Retirement Plans
The difference between Roth vs Traditional plans for retirement is primarily about tax rates. Other differences relate to when you can...
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How to Budget Step 8 – Refining your Budget
Very few people have a balanced budget on the first try. This week, I’ll talk about how to refine your...
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Social Security: How Much Will I Get in Retirement
Social Security is a key pillar in most American’s retirement plans, especially those approaching retirement. Many younger workers, though, have...
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How to Budget Step 7 – Create your Budget
Susie Q
February 28, 2019
You made it! This week your only task will be to create a first draft of your budget. Budgeting...
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The Basics of Loans: What You Need to Know
Loans are the financial instruments people use to borrow money. Whether they are getting a mortgage to buy a house,...
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How to Budget – Step 6: Review your Expenses
You’re almost there! Only one more week until I describe how to create your budget. Before you can do that, you’ll...
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Investment Diversification Reduces Risk
Investment diversification is an important tool that many investors used to reduce risk. Last week, I explained diversification and how...
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How to Budget Step 5 – Paychecks and Income
Your budget includes your income in addition to money you spend. In my previous posts on the budgeting process, I...
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What is Diversification and How Does it Work?
One of the key concepts used by many successful investors is diversification. In this post, I’ll define diversification and explain...
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How to Budget 4 – Expenses Not Paid Monthly
Susie Q
February 7, 2019
Your budget won’t be complete unless you include all your expenses, including those that you don’t pay every month. In...
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Financial Decisions – Risk and Reward
Almost every financial decision is a trade-off between reward and risk. In this post, I’ll use three examples to illustrate...
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How to Budget Step 3 – Setting Goals
Setting one to three realistic financial goals is critical to financial success. In Steps 1 and 2 of this series,...
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Financial Risk: An Introduction
Understanding financial risk is key to making sound decisions. Many people don’t have a good grasp on what risk means,...
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How to Budget Step 2: Tracking Expenses
Now that you’ve found a system for tracking expenses for budgeting, it is time to start recording them in your...
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The Scoop on Credit Scores
Credit scores are one of the most important financial numbers. Credit scores not only affect the interest rate you pay...
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Getting Started with Budgeting
I’m so excited you want to create a budget! In my very first post, I outlined the steps I use...
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6 Tips About Homeowners Insurance
Homeowners, condo-owners and renters insurance policies cover you for loss or damage to your property and liability that emanates from...
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5 Steps to Begin Your Investing Journey
The oldest rule in investing is also the simplest: “Buy low, sell high.” While it seems blindingly obvious and begs...
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When Is It Good to Pay Off Student Loans
This week, I’ll conclude the case study about Mary and her savings. Her last question focused on whether to pay...
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Retirement Savings/Saving for Large Purchases
In my previous post, I presented the first part of a case study that introduced Mary and her questions about...
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Savings Framework and Emergency Savings
You may be thinking you’d like to get started with investing. Before doing that, you’ll want to look at how...
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Car Insurance Coverage
If you own a car, you buy car insurance coverage. In the process, you have to make lots of decisions....
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How to Balance a Checkbook: The Nitty Gritty Details
In my previous post, I discussed several different options to balance a checkbook, ranging from completely ignoring it to maintaining...
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Balancing a Checkbook: Benefits and Risks
I was pleasantly surprised to see that some of my readers are interested in balancing their checkbooks to their bank...
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Investment Options in Retirement Savings Plans
Susie Q
October 31, 2018
All investment decisions are a trade-off between risk and reward. In this post, I'll focus on how risk and reward...
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Employer-Sponsored Retirement Plans: Types & Benefits
Once you have the basics covered – food, housing, transportation and a few other things, saving for retirement is likely...
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How to Choose a Health Insurance Plan
Now that you’ve learned about what is covered by health insurance from last week's post, I’ll help you choose a...
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How Health Insurance Works
Health insurance is one of the most expensive purchases you will make every year, whether you buy it on your...
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Fundamentals of Interest
Interest is a basic financial concept. It applies anytime you borrow money or someone borrows money from you. You pay...
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Financial Advice I Gave My Kids
It is so important that kids learn about financial matters when they are young. Although we didn't have any formal...
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Introduction to Budgeting
A budget is the foundation of your financial health. Want to know if you can afford a vacation? How much...
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What Is a Real Estate Commission?
Ben Mizes
August 28, 2018
If you are in the market to sell your home, a good real estate agent is an invaluable asset. Agents...
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Blue Chip Stocks: 9 Reasons Why You Need Them in Your Portfolio
Bernz JP
August 28, 2018
Blue-chip stocks are the ivy league of investment stocks. They are shares of companies known for steady cash flow, solid...
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Webull Review 2021: What You Need to Know
Linda Meltzer
August 28, 2018
Everyone should have an opportunity to build wealth. Learning the basics of investing and understanding the risks is an excellent...
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12 Money Habits of Highly Effective Couples
Lindsay Goldwert
August 21, 2018
First comes love, then comes commitment, then comes financial partnership. Individuals who come into a relationship with solid money habits...
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How Swing Trading Can Propel Wealth Creation
Tim Thomas
August 18, 2018
The dirty secret of investing is that the traditional buy and hold portfolio is dead. Well, I’m exaggerating a little,...
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Real Estate Stocks: What They Are and How To Invest In Them
Jeff Anzalone
August 15, 2018
It's funny how sometimes life can give small clues as to how you should be handling your finances. For example,...
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The Most Expensive Stock – Is It Worth the Money?
Jesse Cramer
August 15, 2018
Today we're going to discuss the most expensive stock on the stock market. But we'll also cover the rest of...
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All About the Personal Financial Statement
Brian Thorp
August 14, 2018
By keeping tabs on your finances, you can create a secure and fulfilling future. That’s where a personal financial statement...
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Dead Cat Bounce: A Complete Guide
Tim Thomas
August 14, 2018
They say that what comes up must go down, but an equally true and less discussed phenomenon is that what...
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How Much Do Real Estate Agents Make
Jonathan Sanchez
August 14, 2018
If you’re considering starting a new career as a real estate agent, you’re probably wondering, “How much do real estate...
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7 Tax Deductions and Credits for College Students
Riley from Young and the Invested
August 14, 2018
In the past 20 years, the cost of attending college has tripled and increased almost 8 times faster than wages....
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Bitcoin ETF – How to Invest in Bitcoin and Other Cryptocurrencies
Andrew Herrig
August 13, 2018
It's been a dismal year for the economy. But one bright spot amidst the recession has been the explosion in...
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House Hacking 2020
Jonathan Sanchez
August 12, 2018
My first house hacking was my first primary residence. Although I technically became a landlord, I didn’t consider myself a...
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How to Become a Millionaire – 16 Dos and Don’ts
Jesse Cramer
August 9, 2018
It's no longer "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire" but how to become a millionaire. You don't have to be...
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How Risk Averse Are You? Here Are the Best Ways to Find Out?
Kevin
August 6, 2018
All of the recent hype surrounding Gamestop, cryptocurrency, non-fungible tokens (NFTs), and meme stocks made me question - is anyone...
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The Best Debit Cards for Kids to Teach Them About Money
Kevin
August 6, 2018
Giving your child a debit card can be an excellent way to teach them about money and budgeting early in...
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12 Best Investment Apps You Might Not Know About
Andrew Herrig
August 5, 2018
Looking for the newest and best investment apps? We're here to help you find the perfect app to improve your...
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10 Best Brokerage Accounts To Consider When Investing
Todd Kunxman
August 2, 2018
When you are ready to start investing your money, choosing the right brokerage account is the key to reaching your...
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College Graduates: Build Wealth by Avoiding 11 Common Money Mistakes After Landing Your First Job
Linda Meltzer
August 1, 2018
Congratulations! You graduated from college and landed your first job! It’s an exciting and scary new chapter all rolled in...
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Timeshare Rentals: Score Epic Travel Deals on 16 Websites You Probably Haven’t Heard Of
Monica Fish
August 1, 2018
Raise your hand if you love a good travel deal! How do condo rentals at Hawaii resorts for as low...
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Peter Schiff Net Worth – Everything You Want to Know
Joe DiSanto
August 1, 2018
What is Peter Schiff's net worth in 2021, and how did he create his luxurious lifestyle? Let's take a look...
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5 Best Performing Stocks And What To Buy Now
John
August 1, 2018
2020 was a weird year for the world economy. Even more surprising has been the impact of the economic fallout...
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