Search results for: “invest”
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7 Bitches Who Are Always Broke
Are you one of these people, or know someone who is? Let me be clear. Being a Rich Bitch is good. (Rich Bitches are the good kinda bitches, like Glinda in The Wizard of Oz, not the bad bitches like the Wicked Witch of the West.) It’s about empowerment. It’s about taking control. Being a…
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3 Personal Finance Myths…BUSTED
Myth: “Makeup is a ‘luxury’ item. Nicole says: Makeup is a work investment Get this: a team of Harvard researchers found recently that wearing a moderate amount of makeup makes your colleagues take you more seriously (well, if you’re a chick). Yes, for the first time, HAH-vard scholars studied eyeshadow! Researchers showed subjects the same…
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3 Financial Tricks to Watch Out For
True story: I didn’t check my credit report until I was 25 years old. Not one single time. As a budding financial journalist reporting from the floor of the Chicago Mercantile Exchange, I knew a thing or two about credit and I knew that a credit report was like a financial report card of how…
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The Case for Your Morning Pumpkin Spice Latte
If there is one investment I suggest over and over again, it’s this: invest in yourself. Of course, bonds and mutual funds can be great ways to grow your money over time. But few investments will pay dividends down the road like investing in you. And that’s why I make the case for your morning…
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What the Heck is the Difference Between an FSA and an HSA, Anyway?! (And Why You Should Have One)
Americans spend over twice as much per capita on healthcare as the average developed country does, at an average of $8,508 per person per year. That adds up to $2.8 trillion, or a staggering 18% of our GDP (that’s Gross Domestic Product, as you remember from our handy dictionary!). Yep, health care is expensive, and we’re not…
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Are You a Financial Scaredy-Cat?
On my very first day reporting from the floor of the Chicago Mercantile Exchange, I wasn’t nervous. I had done all of my homework, researched the market trends for that year, month, week, and day and outlining all of my talking points. I was primed to show those Wall Street boys who was boss. But…
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3 Ways to Raise Money if You Don’t Know Mark Cuban
So here’s the scenario: You’ve got a great idea—like, a really good idea. You’re passionate about it and ready to jump into the world of entrepreneurship like a boss, except one little thing seems to be standing in the way… Money. You need some green to fund your startup, but unfortunately, Mark Cuban isn’t on…
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What You Don’t Know About Student Loans…But Should
Student loans. You likely have them; consider yourself extremely lucky if you don’t. Student loans are also technically considered “good debt” because in taking them out, you’re investing in yourself, which, in theory, will give you the tools to pay the debt off many times over. Think of student loans as the avocados of the…
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The “C” Word: 5 Things to Know About Your Credit Score
It’s like an old boyfriend: can’t live with it, can’t live without it. “It” is your credit score, and if you plan to borrow money at some point in life—whether for a car loan, mortgage, or student loan—you’d be wise to keep an eye on it. Wait, what is a credit score, you ask?? Let…
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The Sneaky Little Networking Secret Dudes Use All the Time (And So Should You!)
There’s another thing in the work world of equal value to your skills and reputation: your Rolodex. That is, the contacts and connections you have collected and fostered over the years between family, friends, school, careers and beyond. You’re a Rich Bitch, so I can guarantee that there are a few “winners” in there; contacts…
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3 Ways to Protect Your Best Business Asset: Your Health!
It’s not all about having a rockin’ bod—although sure, that’s a great asset to have. Your health is your most important asset. After all, you are your own brand ambassador, and you have to be healthy in order to shine, inside and out. The reality is that if you are starting your own business, you…
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What the Heck is the Difference Between a 401(k) and an IRA, Anyway??
Both a 401(k) and an IRA are great retirement vehicles, but here’s the deal: there’s no one way to get to your dream Endgame. Sure, the 401(k) has long been touted as the best way to save, but it may not be for you! Time to rethink conventional wisdom and think for yourself. First, you…
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3 Pieces of Unconventional Financial Advice You Can’t Live Without
It’s time to rethink convention and learn to think for yourself. Stop being brainwashed and start making financial decisions for you. Conventional Wisdom #1: Invest in a 401(k). Period. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: it is not gospel that you should invest in a 401(k). To clarify, that doesn’t mean it’s…
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How To Prepare Yourself Financially for the “D” Word: Divorce
And you thought your fairy-tale wedding was expensive?? Expect to pay an average of $15,000 to $20,000 in order to get a divorce. Yep, the cost of getting un-married is usually higher than getting married. The major costs typically include mediation, neutral evaluations, custody evaluations if you have kids, court costs, and, of course, attorney…
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How to Avoid 7 Common Rookie Mistakes When Starting Your Own Business
So you’ve confirmed that your business idea could be an actual jobby, not just a hobby, and you have 6-9 months’ worth of expenses squirreled away to get you there. Sounds like you’re ready to take the plunge…but you’re not in the clear just yet! Starting your own biz is full of pitfalls and setbacks.…
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Why Leasing a Car is (Almost) ALWAYS a Terrible Idea
A recent Forbes survey found that purchasing a car is one of the most expensive—and most stressful—expenses in a typical person’s lifetime, right up there with a home, children, and higher education. But a girl’s gotta get to work, right? Just take it from me: do not lease a vehicle. Ever. Leasing a car is the biggest scam…
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Is Your Passion A Hobby Or A Jobby?
Do you ever find yourself thinking: “I’m way too smart and skilled to not be making more money.” Or, do you ever gaze out the window or stay up late at night thinking, “What if I could only…”? Doing something extra on the side for cash can be grand, especially if you make a few…
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How To: Make Your Employees Love You
So you’re finally in the boss’s chair, huh? Before investing in that new nameplate or plotting your next move up the corporate ladder, take the time to foster relationships with your employees. After all, you were there once, too, and happy employees mean a better work environment for all. Here’s how: Get to know them.…
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Sneaky Homebuying Fees that You Never Get Back
I bet you’ve heard this before: “Renting is like throwing money away!” Well, I couldn’t disagree more. That’s like saying that you are throwing money away buying food because when you eat it, it’s gone. Guess what? There are costs to living. And that includes the roof over your head. There are even home ownership costs you…
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The Pros and Cons of Buying a House
There comes a time in everyone’s life when the prospect of buying a house comes up. After all, it’s the American Dream! Whether it’s by relatives that (probably) have the best of intentions at heart, or friends that insist that it is the next step in your amazing adulting experience, at some point you’ll wonder…
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3 Amazing Tax Hacks
I say this all the time: women are no longer working in a cubicle culture. Instead of working the traditional 9-to-5 office job, they’re out there getting it, pounding the pavement and making something for themselves. Whether it’s starting our own business, freelancing, or carving out your niche within a larger company, you get the…
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5 Corporate Scams You Should Slay Today
Even financial experts like myself can fall pray to scams. A few years ago, I was doing research on the best ways to rehab your credit score. I signed up for a few different websites to check my score online…but one in particular, freecreditreport.com, made it so difficult to cancel that before I knew it…
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A Woman’s Guide to Getting a Raise
A recent study showed that while 83% of millennial women agree that it’s important to negotiate salary and/or benefits package, only 41% negotiated any part! But when we (women) don’t take control of our own lives, we lose out-whether it’s lost money, opportunities, or dignity. Men are four times as likely to ask for a…
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Networking Secrets You Never Learned in Business School
This might come as a surprise from a major network news anchor, but I hate to, well…network. I’m an introvert at heart, and the thought of putting myself out there in a room full of people I don’t know makes me feel totally freaked out and out of control. Which is why, as dorky as…