#MoneySmart

Aug 19, 2019
3 min

Affiliate Marketing, What Is It?

I have written posts on budgeting, savings, and paying down debt but I have still to write about income or how to find additional income. Until today! Once you have your budget together and are able to stick to it month-to-month, your next step should be to look for additional income. Additional income streams give you more flexibility with how you spend your time and of course add more cash in your pockets! This will allow you to get out of debt and reach your savings goals

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okirshenbaum

Aug 14, 2019
2 min

Dear Olga: Clashless envelope system

Dear Olga, How would you use an envelope style system for bill paying when you don't use cash? Thank you, Anonymous Dear Anonymous, The envelope system tends to be a favorite because it helps you visualize your goals and physically putting away money each time you get paid gives you accountability and satisfaction of watching your efforts grow. Because this system works, banks have been working on incorporating cashless envelope systems within today's banking institutions. In

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Graduate Student Loans: Compare Federal and Private Options

okirshenbaum

Aug 12, 2019
3 min

Graduate Student Loans: Compare Federal and Private Options

This guide to graduate student loans will help you understand what is a FAFSA form as well as federal and private loan options.

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okirshenbaum

Jul 31, 2019
2 min

Dear Olga: Bad Credit

Dear Olga, I have a really bad credit record. Long story. Someone has offered me a way of clearing out my record, so that I can get credit again. It sounds like a really affordable option for me. What would you advise? Thank you, Anonymous Dear Anonymous, When money hardships impact your credit score it can be stressful and all you want is to get over this hurdle. Before you sign up for an "affordable" credit repair service check your current credit score. My favorite tool to

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okirshenbaum

Jul 24, 2019
2 min

Dear Olga: Step-by-step Budget

Dear Olga, How do I ACTUALLY set up a budget? Every time I try, it seems like there are missing parts. Is there a step-by-step way of doing this, and figuring in your expenses and the moving parts? Thanks, El Dear El, This is one of the top questions I'm asked, so I'm very glad you wrote in! Like any new thing, one of the hardest parts about putting together a budget is starting. What do you do? How do you do it? You're ready to put down your pencil, just reading this, aren't

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okirshenbaum

Jul 20, 2019
2 min

How Much of Your Food is Spoiling?

We've all been there: it's another week, another run to the grocery store. You have the go-to shopping list that you've used as long as you can remember. But how much of that food are you throwing away week after week? The USDA reports that about 30% of food is either spoiled or sent to landfills. According to the US Department of Labor, American households spend on average $4,363 per year on food costs. This means families are spending $1,309 (that's $109 per month or $25 pe

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okirshenbaum

Jul 17, 2019
3 min

Dear Olga: Helping Family

Dear Olga, I live far from my family. My niece and nephew are teenagers and I would like to have some financial contact with them. I was thinking of a prepaid credit card. Any other suggestions? Or tips in using it? Thank you, May Dear May, A prepaid credit card can be a good way to give your niece and nephew some financial support while maintaining some control. With prepaid credit cards, you load an amount onto the card before anything can be spent. It's helpful to consider

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Shmoney Guide: Making Money Choices Doesn't Need to Be So Scary

okirshenbaum

Jul 13, 2019
2 min

Shmoney Guide: Making Money Choices Doesn't Need to Be So Scary

Are you living paycheck-to-paycheck, but not sure why? 😨

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okirshenbaum

Jun 15, 2019
2 min

How To Write a Check

As the world moves towards being cashless, one form of payment still lingers, especially in America. Checks! In 2015, Americans wrote on average 38 checks. One of the top 5 money questions Googled in 2018 was how to write a check. While checks continue to be used and until they are completely discontinued, knowing how to write a check is an important money skill. I learned how to write a check primarily because I worked as an accountant for years, otherwise I'd probably have

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okirshenbaum

Jun 8, 2019
2 min

Saving With a Purpose

How can you apply the envelope system as a saving strategy in today's cashless world?

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okirshenbaum

Jun 2, 2019
2 min

Summer FOMO vs Your Wallet

This weekend it feels like summer has finally reached us in NYC! I've been dying for some natural vitamin D so I'm stoked 😊 As the weather warms up, people are more likely to go out. Chances are you'll have more spontaneous plans come up than you would in the winter. Just like impulse shopping, spontaneous plans can throw you off track for the week or the month. Summer FOMO is dangerous for your budget because most often it involves spontaneous spending. Maybe it's a last mi

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Dear Olga: Retirement Savings Without a 401k

okirshenbaum

May 29, 2019
1 min

Dear Olga: Retirement Savings Without a 401k

Dear Olga, Can you give me tips to start planning for retirement when my full time job does not provide me with a retirement plan? Thank you, FBR Dear FBR, I recently explored how many employers provide 401k plans in a blog post and about only 56% of employers actually provide a 401k account as a benefit for their employees. I'm glad you asked this question, because you're not alone. For those folks who don't have a 401k plan provided by an employer or you're a freelancer, th

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okirshenbaum

May 25, 2019
2 min

How I Funded My Undergrad Tuition

When it was time to prepare for college, I had my eyes set on Marymount Manhattan College. As a private, liberal arts college in the Upper East Side of Manhattan, it wasn’t going to come with a cheap tuition tab. My parents didn’t have enough knowledge or understanding of the college system in America, let alone think about college savings! By the time I was ready to apply to colleges, there wasn’t much to lean on and my mom was very honest about the kind of support I could e

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okirshenbaum

May 22, 2019
2 min

Dear Olga: Paying for Graduate School

Dear Olga, I have been working as a Developer (entry level) for 1.5 years. I used all of my money so far to pay off student loans from a different country. I want to go to a good business school in1.5 years. How can I save up enough to fund my education? I’m afraid of accumulating another student loan but I want to dream big. Please share your thoughts on this. Thank you, Pink Panther Dear Pink Panther, I can relate to wanting to keep your student loans down and staying out o

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okirshenbaum

May 19, 2019
2 min

Types of Student Loans

With student debt in the US up to a staggering $1.6 trillion, it's important to understand some of the basics.

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okirshenbaum

May 8, 2019
3 min

Dear Olga: Wedding Planning on a Budget

Dear Olga, I've been "planning a wedding" for some time now. The truth is I'm building a freelance business and my fiancé doesn't make a whole lot of money and we aren't saving anything, and it's been about ten months now. There's still no ring and lots of pressure for a wedding. Please help! EV Dear EV, Wedding planning can be extremely stressful, there are so many expectations to manage. It's a special day that you want to remember forever, naturally your families will begi

14 views0 comments

okirshenbaum

May 1, 2019
2 min

Dear Olga: Starting a Nonprofit

Dear Olga, I don't have the best credit, but I'd like to start a nonprofit. How should I go about this? Thank you, WantToHelp Dear WantToHelp, Having credit score issues is never fun and if you're interesting in improving your credit score, check out my "Dear Olga" post from last week with tips how to improve your credit score. The good news from the research I've done, I don't see anything that says your credit score will impact your ability to start a nonprofit! Basic requi

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okirshenbaum

Apr 28, 2019
3 min

How Much You Should Have By Age...

We've all seen the generic blanket advice, laid out like a cookie cutout to be read by countless eyes. Usually told very matter of fact, as something you should have known. "By the age of 30, you should have an entire year of salary put away in savings." Fidelity has a nice summary of this what-you-"should"-be-saving advice: Personally, this is the first time I heard this advice. Considering I'm hearing it a week before my 30th birthday is not very reassuring! 😅 I believe we

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okirshenbaum

Apr 24, 2019
2 min

Dear Olga: Credit Repair

Dear Olga, When my husband separated from the military we suffered from eviction and a car reposition. How can we fix our credit so we can live and rent in a more suitable environment. Thank you BadCreditBarbie Dear BadCreditBarbie, It sounds like you've had some difficult events hit you all at once in a short span of time. It's never easy to go through one difficult situation, let alone several situations at once. To move forward from any situation, it's important to underst

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okirshenbaum

Apr 20, 2019
2 min

When Should You Start a Budget

This week I had money conversations with several college students and the top question asked has been: "When should I start budgeting?". TL;DR answer is: if you have an income and don't use a budget, you should start today. Many folks don't budget their money because they think "I don't spend much, I can keep track of it all in my mind." But can you remember every monthly subscription and absolutely every charge each month? 🤔 Another popular reason for not budgeting is "I do

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