Prioritized Living

Got Unclaimed Funds? Here’s How to Find Your Missing Money.

Americans are currently missing out on $58 billion of their own money. Just this year, Utah alone distributed record-breaking quantities of cash — $29.3 million — to its residents. And Virginia broke its own record by returning $87.1 million.

With all that cash floating around, you’ve probably got one simple question: Do any of those unclaimed dollar bills and assets belong to you?

Finding out is easier than you think. So we’re walking you through the places you may have unknowingly misplaced some money. We’ve got the shortcuts for tracking down the funds you’re legitimately owed and the details on how to file your claim. [Read more…]

Here’s Why Your Budget Needs a Sinking Fund

When it comes to saving, you’ve got your eye on a few different buckets.

There’s your emergency fund, your retirement savings, and maybe even a college savings plan for the kids.

But there’s another type of savings that many people haven’t heard about . . . but it’s one that can dramatically improve your financial life!

It’s the sinking fund.

They’re simple to set up, easy to manage, and oh so important in reaching your financial goals. Here’s how you can use sinking funds to plan your expenses without messing up your budget. [Read more…]

Your HSA is Actually a Retirement Secret Weapon

Sure, you’ve heard about the traditional tools for retirement planning. IRAs and 401(k) plans offer unique benefits for saving your cash now to enjoy when you’re older.

But what about a Health Savings Account? Most people think an HSA is just a place to keep short-term savings to cover your family’s medical costs this year.

But an HSA is actually an incredible and often-overlooked tool for funding your golden years. And its special treatment by the IRS may get you the most bang for your buck when you include an HSA in your retirement plan. Here’s how: [Read more…]

How to Make a Habit Stick: Secrets & Tools to Reach Your Goals

All of us are creatures of habit. Those hundreds of little things we do on autopil0t and even our bigger routines make up our habits.

Of course, hopefully, most of those actions are good habits! But each of us has not-so-great habits we’d like to eliminate . . . or replace with better ones. And there are good habits we’d all like to adopt. But how?

First things first . . . how long does it take to make a habit? For the simple stuff, it can be as little as just 21 days! On average though, research shows it’ll take you 66 days to create a habit.

So, if you want to start and build a habit, you need a few tips and tricks to get you across that finish line two months down the road. And maybe a tool to keep you motivated along the way!

Ready to take your desired habit from pipe dream to reality? Here’s what you need to make it happen! [Read more…]

How to Lower Your Credit Card Interest Rate

When it comes to your credit card debt, you have much more power than you probably realize.

You already know your card’s interest rate plays a major rule in how quickly your debt adds up . . . and how soon you’ll be free of it. But did you know that the interest rate you’ve got isn’t necessarily the rate that you’re stuck with?

Here’s a little-known secret: You can actually negotiate your interest rate with your creditor. A poll conducted by CreditCards.com found that only 25% of cardholders contact a credit card issuer to negotiate. But the astounding news is that nearly 70% of those who did landed a lower interest rate!

Best of all, joining that 70% is easier thank you think. Here’s how you can successfully negotiate your own interest rate: [Read more…]

How to Organize Your Passwords: My LastPass Review

This post is part 6 in the series How to Organize It.

Note: This post contains affiliate links. Read my policy here.

How many passwords do you have?

Until relatively recently, I didn’t realize just how many login credentials I own — more than 100!

Think about it: You have logins for your E-mail accounts, bank accounts, credit cards, investment accounts, your streaming video accounts, online retailers, travel sites, social media sites, utility providers . . . the list goes on!

And you might think you’ve got it under control by using variations of a few passwords across all these sites . . . uuuuuntil the day that there’s a security breach.

Yeah, that happened to me.

One day, one site was compromised. So my logins at a bunch of sites were suddenly potentially vulnerable. I knew I needed to beef up my passwords and have different passwords for every site I visited. But how on earth would I keep track of them???

The answer is a password manager.

I latched on to one out of necessity, but I will seriously never go back. Here’s why I’m obsessed with LastPass, an awesome password manager. [Read more…]

Estate Planning 101: Protect Your Family with a Trust

At eight months pregnant, I eased into a chair at a law firm specializing in estate law, and my husband and I signed and initialed a full set of estate documents.

We’d gotten the car seat, the crib, and the onesies. But doing this — ensuring our child and each other were protected — was one of our highest priorities in those last few weeks before our son was born.

Five years later, we just paid our lawyer another visit to make a few updates to our documents. And having those protections in place continues to bring us immense peace of mind.

Of course, my husband and I wanted to ensure that our son was taken care of and our wishes respected in the unlikely event that both of us died. And we wanted to spare our family the time and financial burden of chasing our assets through probate court.

But we were also able to deal with a situation that a basic will just can’t cover — what would happen to us, our son, and our assets in the event that we were temporarily or permanently incapacitated. And that’s where a living revocable trust comes in.

I am a HUGE proponent of setting up trusts for yourself and your spouse! The benefits are enormous. And trusts are not nearly as complicated as you might think.

So what is a living revocable trust? And is a living revocable trust right for you? [Read more…]

How to Get Clarity on Your Fuzzy Goals

Have you ever taken a look at your life and wondered why you never reached that one particular goal?

What was it that stopped you from getting there? And could you start now toward fulfilling that dream?

Surprisingly often, what’s holding you back is an astoundingly simple problem — lack of clarity. And the fix is wonderfully simple! Here’s why you need to get clear on your goals (and how to do it): [Read more…]

6 FIRE Movement Rules That Will Transform Your Money

Note: This post contains affiliate links. Read my policy here.

Right now, the FIRE movement is revolutionizing the way that Americans envision retirement.

FIRE — which stands for financial independence, retire early — began with the book Your Money or Your Life, authored by Vicki Robin and Joe Domingez. First published in 1992 and most recently updated in 2018, the book continues to galvanize young adults in particular in pursuing the dream of retirement in their 40s or even 30s.

But retirement for FIRE followers rarely means doing nothing. Instead, it translates to freedom to pursue the kind of work and passions you love instead of working exclusively for the paycheck.

Mr. Money Mustache, a prominent FIRE proponent, states the goal of FIRE as “complete freedom to be the best, most powerful, energetic, happiest, and most generous version of you that you can possibly be.”

Maybe FIRE is something you’d love to pursue yourself. But, even if early retirement isn’t your plan, you can mine some incredible money principles from the FIRE philosophy — principles that can put you on the path to financial health, help you grow your money, and build a secure financial future! [Read more…]

Meal Planning for Beginners: How to Save Money on Your Family’s Food

For average Americans, roughly 15% of their income is spent exclusively on food. And, with the average household income sitting around $60,000, the typical family spends $9000 to keep everyone fed.

That’s no small chunk of change.

But what if you could slash your food expenses? What a massive difference that would make with your money!

After all, what could you do with the extra cash if you could whittle your food costs down to 12% every single month? To 10% month after month???

That’s precisely where meal planning comes in — a simple exercise that takes just minutes a week. And doing nothing more than sticking with a meal plan can keep your food budget small while freeing up your cash for other financial goals!

And it’s great for everyone — supermoms, busy retirees, cash-strapped students, kitchen-loving dads, and anyone looking to save money and save time.

If you’re new to the scene, you may not even know how to meal plan. No worries! This guide will take you from beginner to meal planning expert in no time. [Read more…]